meer suhail
ILM seeker
A woman warrior of Islam
excerpted from the book
'The Ideal Muslimah' by Dr. Muhammad 'Ali Al Hashimi
One of the most distinguished women who took part in the battle of Uhud, if not the most distinguished of them, was Nasibah bint Ka'b al-Maziniyyah, Umm 'Umarah (May Allah be pleased with her). At the beginning of the battle, she was bringing water and tending the wounded, as the other women were doing. When the battle was going in the favour of the Muslims, the archers disobeyed the command of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and this turned the victory into defeat, as the Quran described it:
"Behold! You were climbing up the high ground, without even casting a side glance at anyone, and the Messenger in your rear was calling you back..." [Noble Quran 3:153]
At this point, Nasibah went forward, with her sword unsheathed and her bow in her hand, to join the small group who were standing firm with the Prophet (Peace be upon him), acting as a human shield to protect him from the arrows of the Mushrikin. Every time danger approached the Prophet (Peace be upon him) she hastened to protect him. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) noticed this, and later said, "Wherever I turned, to the left or the right, I saw her fighting for me."
Her son 'Umarah also described what happened on that tremendous day: "On that day, I was wounded in my left hand. A man who seemed to be as tall as a palm-tree struck me, then went away without pursuing me to finish me off. The blood began to flow copiously, so the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) told me, 'Bind up your wound.' My mother came to me, and she was wearing a waist-wrapper, which she had brought, for the purpose of wrapping wounds. She dressed my wound, whilst the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was looking on. Then she told me, 'Get up, my son, and fight the people.' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, 'Who could bear what you are putting up with, O Umm 'Umarah?' She said: The man who had struck my son came by, and the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, 'This is the one who struck your son.' I intercepted him and hit him in the thigh, and he collapsed. I saw the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) smiling so broadly that I could see his back teeth. He said, 'You have taken your revenge, O Umm 'Umarah!' Then we struck him with our weapons until we killed him, and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: 'Praise be to Allah, who granted you victory over him, gave you the satisfaction of taking revenge on your enemy, and let you see the vengeance for yourself." On this day, Nasibah herself received many wounds whilst she was fighting the people and striking their chests. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw her, and called to her son, "Your mother! Your mother! See to her wounds, may Allah bless you and your household! Your mother has fought better than so-and-so." When his mother heard what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, she said, "Pray to Allah that we may accompany you in Paradise." He said, "O Allah, make them my companions in Paradise." She said, "I do not care what befalls me in this world." Umm 'Umarah's jihad was not confined to the battle of Uhud. She was also present on a number of other occasions, namely the treaty of 'Aqabah, Al-Hudaybiyah, Khaybar and Hunayn. Her heroic conduct at Hunayn was no less marvelous than her heroic conduct at Uhud. At the time of Abu Bakr's Khilafah, she was present at Al-Yamamah where she fought brilliantly and received eleven wounds as well as losing her hand. It is no surprise that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave her the good news that she would enter Paradise, and that she was later held in high esteem by the khalifah Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and his commander Khalid ibn Al-Walid and then by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be Pleased with him)!!!
Her name was Nusseyba bint Ka'b from Maazin. She was known as Ommou 'Imara. She was among the 73 ansar (aws and Khazradj from Medina) who gave allegiance to the prophet (Peace be upon him) in El 'Akaba before Hijrah (migration) to Medina They gave him the oath to support him and sacrifice for him with their wealth, souls and families once he comes to them in Madinah.. Ibn Is'haq (the author of As-Sirah An-Nabawiyah) relates that she was attending the war with the prophet (Peace be upon him) as well as her sister, her husband Zaid Ibn 'Assim and her two sons Khoubaib and 'Abdullah. Her son Khubaib was killed by Mussaylama the liar, the one who claimed to be prophet of Yemen. He was asking: do you witness that Mohammed is a prophet, Khubaib replies yes, so Mussaylaima cuts a bit from his body. When he asks him to witness that he is a prophet, Khubaib replies no and he cuts another bit until he died on that without replying more than yes or no. So Umm 'Imara was among those who went to Yamama to fight Mussaylamah and she got there a hand cut. Ibn Kathir says that Umm Sa'd Bint Sa'd Ibn Rabii' used to visit Umm 'Imara and ask her: Oh aunt! can't you tell me your story (about the battle of Uhud)? She said: "I went out early in the day to see what people were doing. I had a container full of water and I walked until I was near the apostle of Allah. I stood up to face the fighting and to protect him (the prophet) with my saber and by throwing arrows with my bow until I got seriously wounded". Umm Sa'd said that she looked at her shoulder and she saw a deep wound so she asked her what was that made that deep wound. She said it was Ibn Hama, when people left the prophet alone he came running and shouting: show me him (the prophet), I won't be safe if he is safe. So I stood in his way with Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr and others who stood firmly defending the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , so he hit me this but I hit him back many strikes but Allah's enemy was well protected with two shields.
This was a short story of one of the great women in Islam. May Allah have mercy on her and the other believers.
excerpted from the book
'The Ideal Muslimah' by Dr. Muhammad 'Ali Al Hashimi
One of the most distinguished women who took part in the battle of Uhud, if not the most distinguished of them, was Nasibah bint Ka'b al-Maziniyyah, Umm 'Umarah (May Allah be pleased with her). At the beginning of the battle, she was bringing water and tending the wounded, as the other women were doing. When the battle was going in the favour of the Muslims, the archers disobeyed the command of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and this turned the victory into defeat, as the Quran described it:
"Behold! You were climbing up the high ground, without even casting a side glance at anyone, and the Messenger in your rear was calling you back..." [Noble Quran 3:153]
At this point, Nasibah went forward, with her sword unsheathed and her bow in her hand, to join the small group who were standing firm with the Prophet (Peace be upon him), acting as a human shield to protect him from the arrows of the Mushrikin. Every time danger approached the Prophet (Peace be upon him) she hastened to protect him. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) noticed this, and later said, "Wherever I turned, to the left or the right, I saw her fighting for me."
Her son 'Umarah also described what happened on that tremendous day: "On that day, I was wounded in my left hand. A man who seemed to be as tall as a palm-tree struck me, then went away without pursuing me to finish me off. The blood began to flow copiously, so the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) told me, 'Bind up your wound.' My mother came to me, and she was wearing a waist-wrapper, which she had brought, for the purpose of wrapping wounds. She dressed my wound, whilst the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was looking on. Then she told me, 'Get up, my son, and fight the people.' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, 'Who could bear what you are putting up with, O Umm 'Umarah?' She said: The man who had struck my son came by, and the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, 'This is the one who struck your son.' I intercepted him and hit him in the thigh, and he collapsed. I saw the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) smiling so broadly that I could see his back teeth. He said, 'You have taken your revenge, O Umm 'Umarah!' Then we struck him with our weapons until we killed him, and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: 'Praise be to Allah, who granted you victory over him, gave you the satisfaction of taking revenge on your enemy, and let you see the vengeance for yourself." On this day, Nasibah herself received many wounds whilst she was fighting the people and striking their chests. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw her, and called to her son, "Your mother! Your mother! See to her wounds, may Allah bless you and your household! Your mother has fought better than so-and-so." When his mother heard what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, she said, "Pray to Allah that we may accompany you in Paradise." He said, "O Allah, make them my companions in Paradise." She said, "I do not care what befalls me in this world." Umm 'Umarah's jihad was not confined to the battle of Uhud. She was also present on a number of other occasions, namely the treaty of 'Aqabah, Al-Hudaybiyah, Khaybar and Hunayn. Her heroic conduct at Hunayn was no less marvelous than her heroic conduct at Uhud. At the time of Abu Bakr's Khilafah, she was present at Al-Yamamah where she fought brilliantly and received eleven wounds as well as losing her hand. It is no surprise that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave her the good news that she would enter Paradise, and that she was later held in high esteem by the khalifah Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and his commander Khalid ibn Al-Walid and then by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be Pleased with him)!!!
Her name was Nusseyba bint Ka'b from Maazin. She was known as Ommou 'Imara. She was among the 73 ansar (aws and Khazradj from Medina) who gave allegiance to the prophet (Peace be upon him) in El 'Akaba before Hijrah (migration) to Medina They gave him the oath to support him and sacrifice for him with their wealth, souls and families once he comes to them in Madinah.. Ibn Is'haq (the author of As-Sirah An-Nabawiyah) relates that she was attending the war with the prophet (Peace be upon him) as well as her sister, her husband Zaid Ibn 'Assim and her two sons Khoubaib and 'Abdullah. Her son Khubaib was killed by Mussaylama the liar, the one who claimed to be prophet of Yemen. He was asking: do you witness that Mohammed is a prophet, Khubaib replies yes, so Mussaylaima cuts a bit from his body. When he asks him to witness that he is a prophet, Khubaib replies no and he cuts another bit until he died on that without replying more than yes or no. So Umm 'Imara was among those who went to Yamama to fight Mussaylamah and she got there a hand cut. Ibn Kathir says that Umm Sa'd Bint Sa'd Ibn Rabii' used to visit Umm 'Imara and ask her: Oh aunt! can't you tell me your story (about the battle of Uhud)? She said: "I went out early in the day to see what people were doing. I had a container full of water and I walked until I was near the apostle of Allah. I stood up to face the fighting and to protect him (the prophet) with my saber and by throwing arrows with my bow until I got seriously wounded". Umm Sa'd said that she looked at her shoulder and she saw a deep wound so she asked her what was that made that deep wound. She said it was Ibn Hama, when people left the prophet alone he came running and shouting: show me him (the prophet), I won't be safe if he is safe. So I stood in his way with Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr and others who stood firmly defending the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , so he hit me this but I hit him back many strikes but Allah's enemy was well protected with two shields.
This was a short story of one of the great women in Islam. May Allah have mercy on her and the other believers.