Asma bint Abi Bakr (r.anha).Part3

Hz. Asma was conscious of these facts. She welcomed illnesses with patience and reliance in Allah. Once, she had a terrible headache. She put her hand on her head and prayed as follows relying on Allah:

“My head aches a lot but the sins that I hope Allah will forgive are more.”

• This great woman of Islam was also known for her austerity. 

She would always be content with what she had, thank for it and would not want more. He husband, Hz. Zubayr, was a poor person. When he got married, he had nothing but a horse. Hz. Asma did her best to help her husband to meet their needs. She would carry dates on her head from a distant date tree that the Messenger of Allah had given her from war booty. She did housework, ground the date seeds to make animal food from them and carried water from distant places. When Hz. Abu Bakr saw that his daughter got really tired, he sent her a servant. Asma became very happy and expressed her gratitude as follows:

“My father pleased me so much by sending the servant that I felt as if I was freed from slavery.”

Hz. Asma paid attention to thriftiness; she avoided unnecessary spending. For, thriftiness was ordered by Allah and it formed the basis of the peace in the family.

• Asma and Zubayr led a happy life but they sometimes argued. 

However, they would soon make up. They acted as if nothing had happened between them. Once, they argued about something and could not settle it. Asma went to her father to complain about her husband. Hz. Abu Bakr addressed her in the best way and gave her the following glad tiding:

“My daughter! Be patient. If a woman has a good husband and dies and if the woman does not marry anybody else after him, Allah will bring them together in Paradise.” ( Tabaqat, 8: 251. )

• Asma was both a good wife and mother. 

She had 8 children (5 boys, 3 girls) out of her marriage with Hz. Zubayr. She brought up her children and educated them in the best way. She brought up great Companions like Abdullah bin Zubayr and Tabiun like Urwa bin Zubayr, who served as models for Muslims and who were ready to sacrifice their lives in the way of Allah.

The worst pain for a mother is definitely to see her child die especially if the child has become a young person. In that case, the pain would double and life would be unbearable. However, it was like that for a mother who did not believe in Allah and qadar or who had a weak belief. Would a mother who believed in qadar truly and accepted everything that came from Allah whether good or bad do like that? We see the best example of it in Hz. Asma’s life that it is not so. She encouraged her son, Abdullah, who saw the Messenger of Allah and listened to his talk to die in the way of Allah; when she heard that he was martyred by being killed in a terrible way, she showed great patience. There is a great example and lesson in her act and surrendering for today’s mothers. The incident took place as follows:

Hz. Abdullah was chosen as the caliph in Makkah after the death of Yazid when many Muslims paid allegiance to him. The Muslims of Hejaz, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt and Khorasan found him appropriate for the caliphate and paid allegiance to him.  Hz. Abdullah ruled Makkah for a few years with justice. However, Abdulmalik bin Marwan, who got hold of the Umayyad government, sent Hajjaj, who was known as “Zalim” (Cruel, Oppressor), against Abdullah in the 72nd year of the Migration. Hajjaj established a big catapult on Mount Abu Qubays and threw stones at the Kaaba.  Against this unjust and merciless act of Hajjaj’s, Hz. Abdullah defended the Kaaba heroically. However, many of his men joined Hajjaj by believing his promises. Thereupon, Hz. Abdullah went to his mother, who was 99 years old then, to consult her. He said,

“Mum! I have very few men and weapons left. It is very difficult for me to resist. The enemy promises to give me as much money as I want. What is your advice?”

Hz. Asma believed that her son was right and that his aim was not to obtain worldly possessions. Therefore, she asked him not to give up his right cause even if he faced death. She gave him the following advice:

“O my son! If you think that you are right and that you are standing up for the Truth, then persevere and fight on as your companions were killed in this way. Think of your friends who were martyred. Do not be Banu Umayyad’s plaything. If you desire the world, it means you are a miserable wretch. In that case, you will have destroyed yourself and your men. If you say, ‘I am on the right path. My friends have become loose and I have become loose’, it does not fit chivalrous people. How long more you will live in this world?
“O my son! The best cover for you is death. I swear by Allah that a sword blow received in honor is better than living in humility and being whipped. Never accept humiliation because of fear of death in my opinion. I hope I will show patience about you.”

Hz. Abdullah had the same opinion but he wanted to find out about what his mother’s view was. Her words set his mind at rest. He kissed his mother’s hand. His mother kissed him on the forehead and sent him. Then, she opened her hands and prayed to Allah as follows:

“O Allah! Have mercy on this noble slave of yours! Do not leave him hungry and thirsty in Madinah and Makkah streets. Grant him Your bounties in return for his righteousness to his mother. O Allah! I surrendered my son to Your order. I show consent to Your qadar. Elevate me to the rank of those who are patient and grateful in return for the misfortunes to hit him.” 

There was nothing else to do but to wait for the outcome.

• Hz. Abdullah, who fought heroically, was martyred in the end. 

When Hz. Asma was given this news, she was looking for a memento from the Messenger of Allah. She listened to the news of her son’s death calmly. When she found the memento she was looking for, it consoled her.

Asma had to show more patience because Hajjaj did not find it enough to martyr Abdullah; he had Abdullah’s dead body hung. Then, he stood opposite this martyr, insulted him and cut his head off. Then, he sent the head to Damascus. They swore that they would not put his dead body down unless his mother came and apologized. It was very difficult for a mother to see her son’s dead body hanging on the gallows. However, Hz. Asma showed patience and did not find it appropriate to apply to those cruel people and ask them about it.

Once, while she was passing by her son’s dead body, she said,

“Will this orator not come down from the chair yet?” 

They found this sentence enough and brought him down from the gallows. Then, they buried him.

Hajjaj sent some people to call Hz. Asma many times but Hz. Asma did not go to him. Finally, Hajjaj came to her house. He said to her mockingly,

“How did you find what I did to the enemy of Allah (Abdullah)?” 

Hz. Asma was Hz. Abu Bakr’s daughter and Hz. Zubayr’s wife. She would not keep silent in front of this oppressor. She gave the following answer bravely:

“You destroyed my son’s world but he destroyed your hereafter.”

This time, Hajjaj said insolently, “Forget about this munafiq!” Hz. Asma did not keep silent. She said,

“I swear by Allah that he was not a munafiq. He performed fasting a lot. He performed prayers at night a lot. He fulfilled his duties of worshipping and visited his relatives.” 

Hajjaj got very angry and shouted,“Get out!” Acting upon the courage she took from her belief, Hz. Asma said,

“The Messenger of Allah said, ‘A liar and a destroyer will come out from the tribe of ath-Thaqif.’ We saw that the liar was Mukhtar ath-Thaqafi. The destroyer can be nobody but you.”

One of the hadiths narrated by Asma is as follows:

“Paradise approached me so much that if dared I would bring one of its clusters you. Hellfire approached me so much that I started to say, ‘O Lord! I am among them. I saw a woman whom a cat kept scratching. I said, ‘What is the matter?’ They said, ‘This woman imprisoned this cat until it died. She did not give it anything to eat; nor did she leave it free to find its own food.’”( Ibn Majah, Iqamatu’s-Salat: 152. )

• After her son was martyred, Hz. Asma got weaker. She died in the 73rd year of the Migration when she was 100 years old.

May Allah be pleased with her!