This post was compiled
from multiple hadith found in Sahih Bukhari and the book Great Women of Islam, written by Mahmood Ahmad Ghadanfar.
Qualities That Made
Her Great
Courage, Piety, Patience, Sacrifice
Her Family
She was the sister of ‘Aishah bint Abu Bakr, the wife of the
Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Her father Abu Bakr, her husband
Az-Zubayr, and her son, Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr were all famous companions of
the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. After her parents accepted Islam, Asma’
and her siblings were raised in an atmosphere of Islamic faith and practice.
The Woman of Two
Waist Belts
When the time came for the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam, to migrate from Mecca to Medina, a plan was devised for him to migrate
in secret with his great and loyal companion Abu Bakr as-Siddique. Though she
was just a young girl at the time, it was the courageous Asma’ who gathered
food and water for the great journey her father and The Prophet, sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, were about to make.
In Sahih Bukhari, Asma’ related: “I prepared the journey food for the
Prophet and Abu Bakr when they wanted to migrate to Medina. I said to my father (Abu
Bakr), "I do not have anything to tie the container of the journey food
with except my waist belt." He said, "Divide it
lengthwise into two." I did so, and for this reason I was named
'Dhat-un-Nitaqain' (i.e. the owner of two belts)”
In another narration,
Aisha said about this time: “…One day, while we were sitting in Abu Bakr's
house, someone said to Abu Bakr, "This is Allah's Apostle with his head covered
coming at a time at which he never used to visit us before." Abu Bakr
said, "May my parents be sacrificed for him. By Allah, he has not come at
this hour except for a great necessity." So Allah's Apostle came and asked
permission to enter, and he was allowed to enter. When he entered, he said to
Abu Bakr. "Tell everyone who is present with you to go away." Abu
Bakr replied, "There are none but your family. May my father be sacrificed
for you, O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet said, "I have been given permission
to migrate." Abu Bakr said, "Shall I accompany you? May my father be
sacrificed for you, O Allah's Apostle!" Allah's Apostle said,
"Yes." Abu Bakr said, "O Allah's Apostle! May my father be
sacrificed for you, take one of these two she-camels of mine." Allah's
Apostle replied, "I will accept it with payment." So we prepared the
baggage quickly and put some journey food in a leather bag for them. Asma’, Abu
Bakr's daughter, cut a piece from her waist belt and tied the mouth of
the leather bag with it, and for that reason she was named Dhat-un-Nitaqain
(i.e. the owner of two belts)…”
Her Patience in
Poverty
It’s related in the Sahih of Bukhari that when Asma’ was
married to Zubayr bin ‘Awam, he was a very pious but poor man.
Asma’ narrated: “When Az-Zubayr
married me, he had neither land, nor wealth, nor slave, nor anything else like
it, except a camel to get water and his horse. I used to graze his horse,
provide fodder for it, look after it and ground dates for his camel. Besides
this, I grazed the camel, made arrangements for providing it with water and
patching up his leather bucket and kneading the flour. I was not very good at
baking the bread, so my female neighbors used to bake bread for me and they
were sincere women. And I used to carry on my head, the date-stones from the
land of az-Zubayr which the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam had endowed him and it was a
distance of two miles from Madinah.
One day, as I was carrying the date-stones upon my head, I
happened to meet Allah's Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, along with a
group of his Companions. He called me and told the camel to sit down so that he
could make me ride behind him. I felt shy to go with men and I remembered Az-Zubayr
and his ghirah (ghirah is the sense of pride that a
man has which causes him to dislike his wives, daughters or sisters from being
seen or heard by strangers - it is this ghirah which makes a man protective
about his women) and he was a man having the most ghirah. The Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam understood my shyness and
left.
I came to Az-Zubayr and said, 'The Messenger of Allah met me
as I was carrying date-stones upon my head and there was with him a group of
his Companions. He told the camel to kneel so that I could mount it but I felt
shy from him and I remembered your ghirah.' Upon this Az-Zubayr said,
'By Allah, the thought of you carrying date-stones upon your head is more
severe a burden to me than you riding with him.'
I led this life of hardship until Abu Bakr sent me a female servant
who took upon herself the responsibility of looking after the horse and I felt
as if she had emancipated me."
Her Generosity
Asma’ bint Abi Bakr was a woman known to give a lot in
charity mashaAllah, even if she had nothing left to keep for herself.
Asma’ narrated: “Once I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I
have no property except what has been given to me by Az-Zubayr (i.e. her
husband). May I give it in charity?" The Prophet said, "Give in
charity and do not withhold it; otherwise Allah will withhold it back from
you." –Sahih Bukhari
The Birth of Abdullah
ibn Az-Zubayr
Asma’ and her husband conceived in Mecca and when it came
time for them to migrate across the desert to Medina, Asma’s pregnancy was
already full term. It was during her travels that she went into labor as they
reached the valley of Quba and it was there that she gave birth to her son,
Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr, the first Muslim child to be born amongst the muhajireen,
mashaAllah.
Asma’ relates her story in Sahih
Bukhari: “I migrated to Medina while I was at
full term of pregnancy and alighted at Quba where
I gave birth to him. Then I brought him to the Prophet and put him in his lap.
The Prophet asked for a date, chewed it, and put some of its juice in the
child's mouth. So, the first thing that entered the child's stomach was the
saliva of Allah's Apostle. Then the Prophet rubbed the child's palate with a
date and invoked for Allah's Blessings on him, and he was the first child born
amongst the Emigrants in the Islamic Land (i.e. Medina).”
The Great Advice to
Her Son
Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr grew to become a great man and a noble companion,
known for his fortitude and accomplishments on the battlefield. Towards the end
of his life, the Muslims were split over who should take khalifa. Abdullah ibn
Az-Zubayr refused to accept the caliphate of Bani Umayyah and rose his own army
in Mecca to fight against Hajjaj. But the army of Hajjaj surrounded Mecca,
refused to allow food to enter, and laid siege to the city with catapults,
greatly weakening and eventually defeating ibn Az-Zubayr’s army.
As Hajjaj’s forces entered into Mecca, they gave Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr
three choices: (1) be taken into custody and delivered to the khalifa in
Damascus; (2) leave Mecca and surrender all the lands that he had overcome such
as Egypt, Iraq and Yemen; and (3) try to continue fighting.
At this critical time, Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr decided to seek advice
from none other than his mother, Asma’ bint Abu Bakr, who at this time was over
100 years old mashaAllah.
Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said to his mother: “So the people have left me by myself, even
my own son. No one is with me except a handful of people, all I have is an hour
of patience and then death and if I were to do what the people want me to do
then I will be free.”
And Asma’ replied to her son: “You know better in your own self that if
you are upon the truth and you are calling towards the truth, then go forth for
people more honorable than you were killed and have been killed. And if you are
not upon the truth, then what an evil son you are, you have destroyed yourself
and those who are with you. If you say what you say, that you are upon the
truth and you will be killed at the hands of others then you will not truly be
free, for this is not the statement of someone who is free. How long will you
live in this world? Death is more beloved to me than this state you are in,
this state of weakness.”
Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr
replied to his mother’s honest words: “I
am afraid I will be mutilated by the people of Sham, I am afraid they will cut
up my body after they have killed me.” And Asma’ replied: “After someone has
died, it won’t make any difference what they do to you if you have been
killed.”
Ibn Az-Zubayr
continued: “I did not come to you except
to increase myself in knowledge. Look and pay attention to this day for verily
I am a dead man, your son never drank wine, nor was he a fornicator, nor did he
wrong any Muslim or Kaafir, nor was he unjust, I am not saying this to you to
show off or show how pure I am but rather as an honor to you.”
After their final
conversation, Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr rode out and was killed by the army of
Hajjaj.
Courage in the
Face of Injustice
After her son was killed, Al-Hajjaj refused him a proper burial and left
his body for public display instead. He refused anyone permission to remove the
body and informed Asma’ that if she wanted to have the body taken down, she
would have to come in person and request his permission first. Asma’ refused to
succumb to such a request.
After some time passed and Asma’ would not come, Hajjaj went to visit
her himself and asked: “What do you say about this matter?”
Asma’ replied:
“Verily you have destroyed him, you have ruined his life and with that you have
ruined your hereafter.”
After a few days, Hajjaj took down the body of her son and Asma’
retrieved it, washed it, and gathered the people to perform the congregational
prayer at his burial.
Her Death
When Asma’ bint Abu Bakr died, she was over 100 years old, and still had
a full set of teeth, mashaAllah. May Allah reward her and have mercy on her.
