Asma bint Abi Bakr (r.anha).Part2

• After a while, these fearful days passed. For, the Prophet and Hz. Abu Bakr arrived in Madinah. 

When Hz. Asma was given this news, she became very happy. She thanked Allah Almighty for this. On the other hand, she felt a bit sad. Makkah was a land of loneliness for her after that. Her real hometown was where the Messenger of Allah was. It was a pain to live away from the talks of the Messenger of Allah. After a while, she also migrated. After a long and tiring journey, she arrived in the luminous city of Madinah.

The Prophet appreciated what Hz. Asma did during the Migration. She married her off to Hz. Zubayr, whom he praised by saying,

“Every prophet has a disciple; my disciple is Zubayr.”

They were equal to each other. Both of them were real Muslims and students of the Prophet; they devoted their lives to the Quran. This marriage, which was proposed by the Messenger of Allah, would continue as a happy marriage. There was no reason why it would not. Hz. Zubayr was a believer who was given the glad tiding that he was a person of Paradise while he was alive.  Hz. Asma was given the glad tiding that she would be given two waistcloths in Paradise.

• It is an irony of fate that her father was the closest friend of the Messenger of Allah, she was the sister-in-law of the Prophet, she was the wife of one of the closest Companions of the Prophet but her mother was not a Muslim. 

Hz. Abu Bakr had to divorce his wife because she did not become a Muslim. Therefore, Hz. Asma did not like her mother very much. She was the one who gave birth to her but belief prevented her from loving her mother.

Once Hz. Asma’s mother Qutayla came to visit her daughter with gifts that she could hardly carry.  Asma hesitated to allow her mother in and to accept her gifts. She did not find it appropriate to let her in without asking the Messenger of Allah. She sent somebody to Hz, Aisha, her half-sister, to ask the Messenger of Allah about the issue. The Prophet said,

“Tell Asma to let her mother in and to accept the gifts she brought.”

Hz. Asma obeyed the order of the Prophet. She allowed her mother in. She showed respect to her though she was a polytheist. Upon this incident, the following verse was sent down:

“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.” (al-Mumtahina, 8.)

• Hz. Asma was one of the few female Companions who listened to the talks of the Prophet from time to time and who learnt from him. 

She often listened to his talks. One of the reasons why she often went to his house was that she was the sister-in-law of the Prophet. Once, she went into the presence of the Prophet wearing a thin dress. She thought there was no drawback to wearing a dress like that in the presence of her brother-in-law, the Prophet. However, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw her like that, he turned his face away from her and warned her as follows:

“O Asma! It is not permissible for a woman who started to menstruate (reached the age of puberty) to show any part of her body to non-mahram men except these two parts (he pointed the hands and the face).”( Tabaqat, 8: 252 )

After this warning, Hz. Asma always put on clothes in accordance with the advice of the Messenger of Allah. She obeyed the rules of tasattur until she died. Once, she refused a very expensive thin dress given to her by her son saying,

“It does not comply with tasattur.”

• Hz. Asma was very chaste and modest. 

Chastity and modesty are the best characteristics for a woman. Once, she was carrying dates; she met the Messenger of Allah on the way. There were some Companions with the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah stopped his camel and offered his sister-in-law a lift. However, Hz. Asma did not get on the camel due to her modesty. She preferred to carry the heavy burden.

• Asma was an open-handed, generous person. 

She rose to an exceptional level especially after the Prophet addressed her as follows:

“O Asma! Do not tight your fist; otherwise, Allah Almighty will not send His grant to you.”( Musnad, 60: 352. )

She never left anything that she did not need at home; she would always give them away to the poor. She led a plain life. She advised her children to be generous. She said to them,

“Spend your money in the way of Allah. Give sadaqah. When you do not do charity, your money will not increase. Do not think that your money will decrease when you give sadaqah.”

• Asma sometimes became ill like everybody else. 

However, she never complained about it to people. For, she believed that illnesses came from Allah Almighty and that they eliminated sins. Besides, how would man appreciate health and thank Allah for it if he never got ill? On the other hand, illnesses were a great means of praying to Allah Almighty. Therefore, it was nonsensical to complain about an illness and to groan by saying, “Aargh! Ow!” as if opposing qadar.