The Day of Uhud

The Day of Uhud was indeed a severe day for the Muslims, as no less than seventy Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) were martyred in the battle against the disbelievers.

In the aftermath of the battle, a few women of Madeenah Munawwarah made their way to Uhud to enquire after their near and dear ones. Among these women was Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha).

En-route, she encountered Sayyidah Hind bintu ‘Amr bin Haraam (radhiyallahu ‘anha) who was driving a camel which was carrying the bodies of three martyrs on it. Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) asked her regarding the state of the Muslims in Uhud. Sayyidah Hind (radhiyallahu ‘anha) replied, “(They are in a) good (state). As for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then he is safe, and every calamity is easy to bear after him (i.e. after knowing that he (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is safe)! As for the other Muslims, then Allah Ta‘ala blessed some of them with martyrdom, and He turned back the disbelievers with their fury (rage), not having acquired any good. And Allah Ta‘ala was sufficient for the believers in battle, and Allah Ta‘ala is Most Powerful and Most Mighty.”

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) then (gestured towards the bodies on the camel and) asked her, “Who are these (martyrs)?” She replied, “My brother (Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Haraam [radhiyallahu ‘anhu]), my son, Khallaad (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), and my husband, ‘Amr bin Jamooh (radhiyallahu ‘anhu).” (for more on the amazing incident of Sayyiduna ‘Amr bin Jamooh [radhiyallahu ‘anhu], click here)

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) asked her, “Where are you taking their bodies?” She replied, “I am talking them to Madeenah Munawwarah to bury their bodies there.” Saying this, she urged the camel to move, but the camel (refused to move towards Madeenah Munawwarah and instead) knelt on its knees. Observing this, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) commented, “The camel is perhaps kneeling as it cannot manage carrying a load this heavy?” Sayyidah Hind (radhiyallahu ‘anha) responded, “That is not the problem! This camel often carried the load of two camels! I suspect that there is some other reason for it kneeling.” She then reprimanded the camel, succeeding in making it stand, but when she directed it towards Madeenah Munawwarah, it knelt once again and refused to move.

Eventually, when she turned the camel back towards Uhud, the camel proceeded swiftly. On returning to Uhud, she went to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and informed him of the camel’s refusal to take the bodies to Madeenah Munawwarah. On hearing this, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “This camel has been commanded (by Allah Ta‘ala). Did ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) say anything (before leaving for Uhud)?” Sayyidah Hind (radhiyallahu ‘anha) replied, “When he was heading towards Uhud, he faced the qiblah and made du‘aa saying, “O Allah! Do not send me back to my family as a failure, and bless me with martyrdom!”

Hearing this, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “That is the reason why the camel is refusing to move (towards Madeenah Munawwarah, as ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had made du‘aa that he should not return home).” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then said, “From you, O Ansaar, there are certain people who are such (i.e. so beloved to Allah Ta‘ala) that if he takes an oath in the name of Allah Ta‘ala, then Allah Ta‘ala will most certainly fulfill his oath, and one such person is ‘Amr bin Jamooh (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). I have indeed seen him walking with his limp in Jannah. O Hind! The angels have continued to shade your brother, from the time he was killed until now, waiting for him to be buried.”

After they were buried, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) addressed Sayyidah Hind (radhiyallahu ‘anha) and said, “O Hind! All of them are together in Jannah.” She replied, “O Rasul of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! Make du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala to allow me to be with them!”

(Al-Maghaazi - Waaqidi vol. 1, pg. 265 and Subulul Hudaa war Rashaad vol. 4, pg. 214)

Lessons:

1. The Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) had such love for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), that their love for him surpassed their love for their own kith and kin and indeed even their love for themselves. Hence, there are similar incidents recorded of other women who lost their kith and kin in the Battle of Uhud, yet expressed that their greater concern was for the safety of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). It was this love for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that motivated them to follow his every guidance, teaching and command unquestioningly and display complete submission before him. Hence, the mark of true love for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is that one sacrifices his own ways, ideas, inclinations and mindset for that of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the sunnah.

2. In the path of Deen, there was no sacrifice too great for the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). They were prepared to sacrifice their wealth, parents and even their children in the path of Allah Ta‘ala. At the very least, we should sacrifice our impermissible desires and unlawful demands of our family members to remain loyal to Allah Ta‘ala and earn His pleasure.

Sayyidah Zainab RA

Allah Ta‘ala has declared the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) as those who are truly worthy of being followed and taken as role models.

In order to acquaint the Muslim women of this age with the lives of the Sahaabiyyaat (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) so that they may take guidance from their exemplary lives and choose these illustrious and pure women as their role models, Uswatul Muslimah (Role Models for the Muslimah) regularly conducts programmes on the lives of the Sahaabiyyaat (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma), highlighting pertinent lessons that are applicable to our daily lives.

This eBook is a transcript of the programme that was conducted on the pure life of the honorable and beloved daughter of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), Sayyidah Zainab (radhiyallahu ‘anha).

Download e-book

Blind Faith in Allah Ta‘ala

Blind Faith in Allah Ta‘ala

Sayyidah Zinneerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), the Sahaabiyah of Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), was a slave from Rome. She accepted Imaan in the very early stages of Islam. On account of her Islam, Abu Jahal and the other disbelievers would torture and persecute her.

After accepting Islam, Sayyidah Zinneerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) lost her eyesight and became blind. As soon as this happened, the disbelievers began to mock and taunt her saying, “Laat and ‘Uzzaa (two idols that were worshipped by the disbelievers) have made you blind because you have rejected and disbelieved in them!”

In the face of their taunts, Sayyidah Zinneerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) remained resolute and declared, “Laat and ‘Uzzaa are not even aware of who their worshippers are (as they are lifeless idols, so how can they blind me?). Rather, my blindness is from Allah Ta‘ala, and He is capable of restoring my sight.”

When Sayyidah Zinneerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) awoke the following morning, she found that Allah Ta‘ala had restored her vision! The Quraish refused to accept that Allah Ta‘ala had cured her and thus said, “This is the black magic of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).”

Noticing the torture that she was suffering, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) purchased Sayyidah Zinneerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) and set her free (as he had done with many other slaves who were tortured due to accepting Islam). (Usdul Ghaabah vol. 5, pg. 292)

Lessons:

1. Calamities and difficulties are actually tests from Allah Ta‘ala, to determine the strength of our Imaan and the level of our submission to His divine decree. The Imaan of Sayyidah Zinneerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was so strong that this test did not weaken her resolve or determination in the least. Instead, she placed her trust in Allah Ta‘ala who thereafter restored her vision.

2. Sometimes, it may happen that while a person is repenting and trying to change his life, he suddenly faces a calamity or test (e.g. he cancels his insurance policy, and shortly thereafter his car or house is destroyed). This calamity should not make him lose hope or become despondent. Rather, he should think to himself that Allah Ta‘ala is testing him in order to determine whether he was sincere in his repentance or not. If he was insincere, then at the slightest sign of adversity and difficulty, he will renege on his repentance and return to the sin.