Fatima was the fourth and youngest daughter of Khadija and the Prophet Muhammad, and known later in her life as the ‘Luminous and Radiant’. She is considered a saint* in the Shi’ia tradition and is revered by all Muslims for her moral purity and piety.
Growing up, Fatimah had a uniquely close relationship with her father, the Prophet, which was said to have defied pre-Islamic standards. She was married to her second cousin, Ali ibn Abu Talib, whom the Shi’a believe to have been the rightful caliph after the Prophet Muhammad. It is from Fatima and Ali that the Shi’i line of divinely inspired Imams descends. Throughout her marriage to Ali, Fatima and her family lived in extreme poverty, like many of the converts to Islam at the time. She and Ali had two sons, Hasan and Husayn, and two daughters Zaynab and Umm Kulthum. It is Husayn’s tragic death at Karbala that all Muslims, and Shi’i Muslims in particular, commemorate and mourn at Ashura. When the Prophet died, it is said that he told Fatima that she would be the first to join him in paradise; five months later, Fatima died.
Her significance lies in her piety, compassion and suffering. The Prophet was said to have affirmed that Fatima was one of the four highest women in Islam, along with Mary (the mother of Jesus), ‘Asiyah (Pharaoh’s wife), and Khadijah (the wife of the Prophet).
*”Saint” in this context means one who is highly revered, but not divine.
Memorizer and Protector of the Divine Message…
Hafsa bint ‘Umar, one of the Prophet’s wives, was known for her memorization and preservation of the Qur’an after the Prophet Muhammad’s death. Hafsa was the daughter of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, a close family friend of the Prophet and the second caliph after the Prophet’s death. After becoming the widow of Kuhnays ibn Hudhafah who was martyred in the Battle of Badr, Hafsa was married to the Prophet Muhammad in 625 at the age of 19. The Prophet married Hafsa because he felt a duty to her father, ‘Umar, whose acceptance of Islam helped boost the status of Muslims in Mecca against their opponents.
Hafsa became close to one of the Prophet’s other wives, Aisha, but unlike Aisha who was known for being supportive and loving, Hafsa was known for being strong, opinionated, and educated. The Prophet valued Hafsa’s ability to read and write which was rare among women at the time. After the death of the Prophet, Hafsa was made responsible for preserving and protecting the folios of the Qur’an which was eventually was assembled into a single document. She knew she was blessed with God’s revelation which needed to be protected from manipulation by political figures like Marwan, governor of Medina who sent a courier to request the folios. She resolutely denied his request.
Hasfa’s Qur’an
“I am the Prophet’s librarian. And this
is the book; al-Kitab. The only set
of Abu Bakr’s folios, first copy of God’s kiss.
It’s ink still hums against my very skin.”
Also known as Umm al-Karam, Karima bint Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hatim al-Marwaziyya was raised in Mecca living near the Holy Sanctuary there until her death at the age of 100. She is affectionately known as “mother of the generous.”
She was considered a superior authority in the teaching of the hadith. Karima learned the Sahih of al-Bukhari, one of the major Sunni hadith collections, from several source to become the best authority on it in her own times. Later, she taught and narrated the Sahih many times. Teachers of the hadith bear a great responsibility in Islam, because accuracy of transmission is so crucial. Abu Dharr of Herat, one of the leading scholars of the period, attached such great importance to her authority that he advised his students to study the Sahih under no one else because of the quality of her scholarship. Among those who narrated from her were al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and Abu al-Ghana’im al-Nursi. People came to her from everywhere and heard the whole Sahih from her. Her narration of it is documented to this day on the margins of the classic edition of the sahih that was commissioned by the Sultan ‘Abd al-Hamid. She thus figures as a central point in the transmission of this influential text of Islam.
Rabi’a was born into a poor family in Basra, Iraq. Her father, a Sufi and an ascetic himself, believed that the Prophet came to him in his dreams the night Rabi’a was born. The Prophet told Rabi’a’s father that his daughter was going to be a saint. The Prophet advised Rabi’a’s father to send a letter to the Amir, reminding him of his prayers and requesting a certain amount of money. The Amir responded positively, giving Rabia’s family a large sum of money and thanking him for the letter.
However, Rabi’a’s good fortune did not last long, as her parents died early in her life. Orphaned, she was sold into slavery. There are several accounts of the next stage of her life. It is believed that at one point in her time as a slave, she spoke to God after slipping and dislocating her wrists. She then committed herself to Him, fasting during the day and carrying out her tasks. Many believe that in the middle of the night, her owner witnessed her bowing in worship while a lamp hung above her head without support. This image, symbolizing that of a Muslim saint, was enough for him to free her from slavery. It is said that she then spent several years worshipping in the desert, and performed a pilgrimage to Mecca. She chose a life of celibacy, rejecting many marriage proposals. She also lived a life of asceticism, rejecting materialism and accepting a life of poverty. She was known for performing many miracles.
She is known for being the first woman Sufi saint who devoted herself entirely to God. She made the greatest contribution of any woman towards the development of Sufism.
Sultan Raziyya was a great sovereign, and sagacious, just, beneficent, the patron of learned, a dispenser of justice, the cherisher of her subjects, and of warlike talent (Jones 42).
Raziyya, or Razia, was the Sultan of Delhi in India from 1236 to 1240. Her father, Iltutmish, appointed her as his successor just before he died. As a result of Iltutmish’s choice of successor, rioting erupted. Raziyya sought to quell the disruptive bureaucrats and nobles by riding as a soldier on a horse throughout the streets. As she solidified her power, she believed that appropriating a masculine image would help her maintain control, so she dressed like a man, wearing a turban, trousers, coat, and sword. Contrary to custom, she appeared unveiled in public.
Raziyya was known for her belief that the spirit of religion is more important than its parts. She established schools, academies, centers for research, and public libraries.
Many different sections of the community opposed her rule and attempted to defy her in many different ways. After a relationship she had with an Abyssinian slave was exposed, her enemies tried to use that against her. This caused a split in factions and later a revolt against her led by her childhood friend Altunia. Iltutmish’s younger son, who had been working with Altunia, was then put on the throne and Raziyya was imprisoned. However, she later married Altunia, who had gone unrewarded by the conspirators. Altunia and Raziyya were later killed as they attempted to reclaim the sultanate.
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid was the first convert to Islam. She was also the devoted wife of the Prophet Muhammad. The daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad and Fatimah bint Za’idah, she came from the family of Quraysh, Mecca’s leading family. The Quraysh belonged to the Banu Hasham clan of the Banu Asad tribe.
Khadijah was well-known in her community for her success in the field of trade. By the time she met Muhammad, she was a wealthy businesswoman who had been widowed twice and had borne several children. Khadijah hired Muhammad to work for her on a specific trade endeavor in Syria. Impressed with his honesty and trustworthiness, as well as his successful conclusion of her business endeavors, Khadijah’s satisfaction with Muhammad’s success soon turned into love. Although she had refused previous proposals of marriage, she proposed to Muhammad. At the time of their marriage, she was 40 years of age he was 25. Together they had six children, four of whom survived past infancy: Ruqayyah, Zaynab, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah.
Khadijah and Muhammad had been married for fifteen years before he received his first revelation and began preaching the religion that was eventually to be called Islam. On the night he received his first revelation, Khadijah was the one in whom he first confided. She comforted and supported him, and it was she who sought advice from her Christian cousin, who proclaimed that Muhammad’s revelations were from God. Although it was common practice amonst 7th century Arab men to take multiple wives, Muhammad never took another wife in the nearly 25 years of his marriage to Khadijah. Khadijah has been a role model for all Muslim women. Her marriage to Muhammad and the stories of their relationship reflect love, loyalty, trust, and respect between two individuals and partners.
Nusayba, also known as Umm Omara and al-Maziniyyah, was an early convert to Islam and the first female to fight for religious freedom. Nusayba was a part of the Banu Najjar tribe living in Medina during the time of the Prophet. She was one of only two women who partook in the second pledge of allegiance to Islam by newly converted Muslims.
Although initially accompanying the warriors in battle to provide assistance, she fought alongside the Prophet against the Meccans in the Battle of Uhud, where she protected him from the arrows of the opposition. She went on to participate in Battle of Hunain, Battle of Yamama, and the Treaty of Hudaibiyah.
After the Prophet died, she continued to be revered for her continued allegiance to Islam, and lived through the rule of Abu Bakr and Umar ibn Al-Khattab. There is ambiguity about the end of her life but it is certain that she is currently buried in Mecca.
Shahdah ”the Writer” was a great authority on hadith and an exquisite calligrapher. She was also known as Fakhr an-Nisa, or ”Pride of Womankind,” and Shuhda bint al-Ibari bint Abi Nasr Ahmad al-Ibari and lived for a time in Al Andalus or Muslim Spain.
Shahdah was educated by her father, Abu Nasr, and several prominent hadith scholars. She married ‘Ali ibn Muhammad, who later became a companion of the caliph Al-Muqtadi and who founded a college and a Sufi lodge. Shahdah became extremely well-known in her own right, due to the high quality of her hadith transmissions and her strong scholarship. Throughout universities and mosques in Baghdad, she lectured on Sahih al-Bukhari, which she also taught, as well as other hadith collections.
Shahdah’s role has significant importance, because women were not given official positions in the mosque at that time. However, she maintained an authoritative voice and her teachings of the hadith were widespread.
