.................Umm `Imarah.....orUmm 'Umarah.(R.A)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"O Allah! Make this family my friends in Paradise."
A Narrator of Hadith
The scholarly aspect of Umm `Imarah 's(R.A) life also had its place and importance. She was a narrator of Hadith with excellent memory. Some of her narrations contained Islamic jurisprudence.
For example, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah reported in their Sunan on the authority of Umm `Imarah(R.A) that the Messenger of Allah, visited her and she presented some food to him. The Prophet told her, "Eat" She said: "I am fasting." The Prophet then said: "If food is eaten in the house of a fasting person, the angels will invoke blessing on him."
Al-Waqidi reported that Umm Imarah(R.A) said: "Men were shaking the hands of the Messenger of Allah, in the night of (the pledge of) `Aqabah while Al-`Abbas (his uncle) was holding the Prophet's(S.A.W) hand. When it was only me and Umm Manee`, my husband, Ghuzayyah ibn `Amr, said: “O Messenger of Allah, these are two women who came with us to pledge their allegiance to you.” The Prophet said: “I have accepted their pledge to what I accepted your pledge to, for I do not shake women's hands. ’”
At-Tirmidhinarrated that she came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: "I see that everything is directed to men, and that women are not mentioned at all" so, the verse(For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women…) (Al-Ahzab 33:35) was revealed.
She used to perform the prayers in the Mosque and attend religious lessons. May Allah be pleased with her and please her. May He make her a model to be emulated by our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters.
Umm 'Umarah(R.A) was also an Ansariyyah. She was from the famous Banu Najjar tribe. Her two sons had been martyred and her brother 'Abdullah bin Ka'b(R.A) was a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Battle of Badr. She was renowned for her courageous exploits in the battlefields. She was a faithful and loyal wife, and a loving mother, and had remarkable patience and forbearance. Also she was very learned in the Quran and Hadith.
Nusaybah's(R.A) life and example as a Muslimah, wife and mother can be surpassed only by a few other women in the history of Islam.
Fortunate Ansar.
The fortunate Ansar in Al-Madinah who converted to Islam by the teachings of Mus'ab bin 'Umair(R.A) went to a particular mountain pass to pledge allegiance to Allah and His Messenger for the second time. There were about seventy-two men and two women. One of the women was Umm 'Umarah(R.A) and the other was Umm Muni' Asma' bint 'Amr bin 'Adi(R.A). The former narrates that her husband, Ghazyah bin 'Amr, told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that these two women also wanted to swear allegiance on his palm. He said it was all right, but for these women too the terms would be the same as for the men. He said that the only difference would be that he took the men's palms in his palm, but he did not shake hands with women. This incident of the swearing of allegiance is called Bay'atul-'Aqabah Ath-Thaniyah (second oath) in Islamic history. When Umm 'Imarah(R.A) returned to Al-Madinah after taking this oath of allegiance, she devoted herself to the education and training of women in accordance with the teachings of Islam.
Umm 'Umarah(R.A) was married the first time to Zaid bin 'Asim Al-Mazni. and she bore two sons by him named Abdullah and Habib(R.A) both of whom were among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). A boy Tamim, and a girl Khawlah, were born from her second marriage which was to Ghazyah bin 'Amr Mazni.
NuSaybah(R.A), known as Umm Imarah(R.A), was a rare kind of Muslim. A pious and noble woman, Umm Imarah(R.A) was also a daring courageous fighter in the cause of Allah(SWT), and she proved more than once to be truthful to her pledge.
Hearing that the Makkan pagans were preparing for a great battle to take revenge for their heavy losses during the battle of Badr, and that they were moving towards Uhud, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, mobilized the Muslim men in Madinah. Umm Imarah(R.A) went out with her husband and her two sons, Abdullah and Habib(R.A), to join the fighters. In the beginning she brought water to the wounded and tended to their needs, but as the battle raged, and the Muslims were being defeated,
(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]
Shield the Messenger of Allah.
She saw that some were fleeing the enemy leaving the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam without protection.
Umm Imarah(R.A) tied her belt around her waist so that she would not trip, brandishing a sword at times and throwing arrows at others, she cut through the ranks of the enemy and took sides with the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam. She fought fiercely that day, striking fatal blows to her opponents until she suffered many wounds, one of them left a deep gash in her shoulder, which took a whole year to heal. She herself related some of what had happened during that battle. "I realized that people fled leaving the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, exposed," she said, "So less than ten men remained to protect him, while the others were passing by, defeated. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, saw me without a shield and saw a man leaving the battlefield carrying his shield, he said, 'Surrender your shield to the one who is fighting.’ He surrendered it and I picked it up and used it to shield the Messenger of Allah. But those who gave us the hardest time were the horsemen, if they were on foot like us; we would have defeated them, insha'Allah. A cavalier came towards me, but he was unable to strike at me because I protected myself with the shield. As he was turning back I dealt a blow to his horse's hamstring and he fell on his back. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, cried out, 'O son of Umm Imarah(R.A), your mother, your mother!' So he helped me kill the horseman."
Her own son related later more of her heroic behavior during the battle. He said, "I was wounded during the battle of Uhud, and the blood would not stop. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, 'Bandage your wound.' My mother was busy fighting the enemy, but when she heard the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, she came toward me carrying bandages tied to her side, she bandaged my wound while the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, was standing by. She then told me, 'Get up my son, and fight’ The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, 'Who can endure what you are enduring, Um Imarah'.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled when he saw the heroism and courage of both mother and son, and said,
'From where can anyone get courage like you, O Umm 'Imarah?
A short time later, the man who hit me was coming our way, so the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, 'Here is the man who hit your son, O Um Imarah.' She went up to him and hit him in the leg; she left him kneeling on the ground. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, smiled at what she has done so broadly that his molar teeth were showing and said, 'You avenged yourself, Um Imarah(R.A).' Then more men came and struck the man and killed him. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said to her, 'Praise is due to Allah Who gave you victory over your enemy and satisfied you by showing you his death'."
Abdullah bin Umm 'Imarah(R.A) relates how during the battle of Uhud the enemy made a forceful thrust against them. The Mujahidin scattered before them and he and his mother moved close to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to defend him from all quarters. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) it called out to him to attack the enemy. He threw a stone at the disbeliever; it hit the eye of the horse he was riding. The horse fell to the ground somersaulting. He threw another heavy stone and the enemy died. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked pleased, and then he noticed that Umm 'Imarah(R.A) was bleeding from the shoulder; he asked 'Abdullah(R.A) to bandage his mother's wound and said that they were a truly great family. He invoked Allah's blessings on them, and prayed that they should be his friends in Paradise as well.
Both Umm 'Imarah(R.A) and 'Abdullah(R.A) were overjoyed when they heard these auspicious words from the lips of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At the same time they were inspired to greater heights of heroism and returned to the attack with renewed vigour.
A few months later when the call was announced to prepare for the battle of Hamra-ul-Asad, Umm Imarah(R.A) got ready but she was not able to continue in her way because her wound got worse and she was bleeding profusely.
The battle of Uhud was not the only occasion when Umm Imarah(R.A) showed her bravery. She was among those who gave the pledge of ar-Ridhwan, to fight until martyrdom. She also witnessed the battle of Hunayn.
Ready again:
When the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wasallam passed away, some of the Arab tribes apostatized, at their head was Musaylimah The Liar. Khalifah Abu Bakr(R.A) rallied the Muslims to fight the renegades. Umm Imarah(R.A) asked permission from Abu Bakr(R.A) to join the army, accompanied by her two sons. "We knew your bravery during the war," he said, "Come on in the name of Allah."
lost an arm.
This battle was a great test for Umm Imarah(R.A). The fight was hard and the two parties adamantly set to win it. She held her grounds, always advancing. Now she heard that her son Habib(R.A) fell prisoner to Musaylimah the liar. He asked him, "Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" When he said that he did, he went on, "And do you testify that I am the messenger of Allah?" he answered, "I do not hear." So Musaylimah began to cut him to pieces, organ by organ until he died. He asked him the same questions over and over, but he could not get a different answer. Umm Imarah(R.A) went to al-Yamamah with the Muslims and took part in the war against Musaylimah. She was eager to see the end of Musaylimah, and it was the will of Allah that he be slain by her other son Abdullah, and another companion. Um Imarah(R.A) returned from the war having suffered twelve wounds inflicted by spear and sword, and having lost an arm, and her beloved son.
Ayah was revealed.
Once Umm 'Imarah(R.A) told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that in the Noble Quran only men were mentioned and women were often deprived of any importance. Then this Ayah was revealed.
"Verily, the Muslims men and women, the believers men and women, the men and the women who are obedient (to Allah), the men and women who are truthful, the men and the women who are patient, the men and the women who are humble, the men and the women who give Sadaqat (i.e. Zakah and alms), the men and the women who observe fast, the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues, Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)." [Noble Quran 33:35]
Umm 'Imarah(R.A) held a very special place among the women Companions. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw the valour and sacrificing spirit of the whole family - husband, wife, and sons - in the most intense part of the battle of Uhud he prayed that Allah might have Mercy on that family.
Umm 'Imarah(R.A) requested him to pray that they should have the good fortune to be with him in Paradise. It was then that he prayed that they should be his friends in Paradise.
The Companions, men and women, are exemplars of faith. The earliest Muslims suffered terrible torments at the hands of the Quraysh, the ruling tribe of Makkah. Those who emigrated from Makkah left behind their homes and families, even all their worldly possessions, to follow the call of Islam.
Who Were His Friends?
Many of them were fearless. Nusaybah bint Ka‘b(R.A), protected the Prophet in the Battle of Uhud when most of his followers had fled the field. Many others fought fearlessly in the battles to defend their faith.
"Allah will be pleased with them and they with Him." [Noble Quran 98:8].
You should be his friend in Paradise.You have the good fortune to be with him in Paradise.
And I pray we all should be with them in Paradise.
From where can anyone get courage like you, Umm Imarah, very special place among the women Companions.
In Sifat As-Safwah [2/63] it was said about her that ‘Umar Bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from the Prophet, salAllahu alayhi wa Sallam, that he said, “I did not look left or right on the day of Uhud except that I saw her fighting in front of me.
Nusaybah lived through the rule of Abu Bakr Al Siddique, and Omar Bin Al Khattab. She was revered by both who continuously praised her struggle and courage. It is said that once Omar received a gift from some foreign place. It consisted mainly of a piece of cloth made from the finest silk. Some people who were present suggested that he send it either to his daughter of to his daughter in law. Omar rejected both suggestions. He said that there is a woman who deserves that cloth more than all, and sent it to Nusaybah. Again, her end is shrouded with ambiguity. All we know is that this great woman died in the 13 Hijri year, and was buried in Al Baqi’e, in Makkah Al Mokarrameh.
This is the courageous Mujahidah, Umm ‘Umarah(R.A). And truly! Who could endure what Umm ‘Umarah(R.A) could endure? The men cannot sustain her steadfastness and her patience with the Messenger of Allah, so how about the women? But as long as she is your example, O honorable sister, in her courage and sacrifice and boldness and steadfastness and patience upon this path, then you will be successful, by the Permission of Allah
Umm Imarah, Nusaybah bint Ka'b(R.A), was a woman who was true to her words, a woman who occupies a special place in the history of Islam.
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