Asma' bint Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

Asma' bint Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"You will be bestowed two waist collars in exchange of one."
She was related to the Prophet (peace and blessings be
Upon him) by his marriage to her sister 'A'ishah, her
Father, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, was the close Companion
And trusted friend of Muhammad (peace and blessings
Be upon him). Her grandmother was Umm Al-Khayr
Salma bint Sakhr her father's sisters were such eminent
Women Companions as Fardah, Qaribah and Umm
'Amer. Her paternal grandfather was Abu Quhafah. Her
Husband, Zubayr bin 'Awam was a Companion of the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Her son,
'Abdullah bin Zubayr, was another eminent Companion
of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Her
life is worthy of study, coming as she did from a
background where each and every member of the family
was a trusted confidant and Companion of the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him).

Asma' was born twenty-seven years before the
migration of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) to Al-Madinah. Her mother's name was Qatilah bint
'Uza and her father, Abu Bakr, married her before the
advent of Islam; Asma' was born when he was only
twenty-one years old. Asma' and 'Abdullah were born of
this marriage. For a long time her mother did not accept
Islam; finally after the conquest of Makkah she pledged
allegiance to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him). Asma' entered the fold of Islam because of the
influence and teachings of her father.

Piety, farsightedness, intelligence, courage and integrity
and generosity - all the qualities praised by Islam could
be found in this one person. When her father and the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took refuge
in the cave of Thawr after leaving Makkah to migrate to
Al-Madinah, it was she who went far in to the wilderness
to deliver fresh food to them. As soon as they left on
their journey, Abu Jahl came to the house of Abu Bakr
As-Siddiq looking for them, breathing fire and fury. He
asked her where her father was. She answered that she
did not know. He gave proof of his barbaric nature by
slapping her hard; but so as not to betray her secret she
faced him with steadfastness, courage and tolerance.

Asma' came to be known by the title Dthat An-Nitaqayn.
There is an interesting little episode about how she got
this name. In Arabic the belt, or girdle worn by women
around the waist is called a Nitaq. When the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr As-
Siddiq prepared to set off for Al-Madinah, Asma' packed
the eatables into a leather bag, but there was no rope
with which she could tie up the mouth of the bag. So she
divided her girdle into two and used one part to tie up
the leather bag. The Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) blessed her and said that in place of this one
girdle that she sacrificed, she would get two in Paradise.
So, he implied that she would go to Paradise. In this
manner the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
gave the news of a glorious Hereafter to his faithful
Companions.

After her father and the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) left, Asma' was left with her blind and aged
grandfather, Abu Quhafah. When he realized that his
son had migrated he was sad. Then he was worried
whether he had left any cash for expenses. She
narrated that they had about four or five thousand
Dinars in the house and her father had taken it all for the
expenses of the journey. But she comforted the old man
saying there was plenty in the house, and nothing was
lacking. In order to convince him she collected some
pebbles that were of the size of Dinars; these she put in
a pot and spread a cloth over them. Then she guided his
old hands over the cloth; Abu Quhafah was very pleased
that his son had not neglected them. Asma' had done
this for the old man's peace of mind; but in truth Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq with a strong faith in Allah, had taken his
all to spend in the way of Allah and His Messenger.

Her husband, Zubayr bin 'Awam, the Prophet's friend
and Companion was the son of Safiyyah bint 'Abdul
Muttalib. When He migrated to Al-Madinah, he owned a
house in which he lived, a sword and a horse. It was the
duty of Asma' to tend to the horse and feed him. One
day she was walking home with a bundle of hay on her
head when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) saw her. He immediately made his camel sit down
so that he could let her ride. But she was embarrassed
and thought it would displease her husband who was a
very proud man. Asma was a loyal wife and anything
that displeased her husband would make her sad, so
she refused the offer and preferred to walk. When she
told her husband about it, he said she should have got
on to the camel, it would have been less shameful than
walking with a bundle of hay.

When Asma' was migrating to Al-Madinah, near the
valley of Quba she went into labor, and gave birth to a
son 'Abdullah bin Zubayr. This was a very special
occasion for the Muslims. For a very long time no sons
had been born among the believers. The disbelievers
were very happy at this situation and they used to
gossip among themselves that now the Muslims would
be rooted out. All the Muslims were excited, as was the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He picked
up the baby in his arms and congratulated the family.
Then he bit off a little piece of a date, softened it in his
mouth and gave it to the baby. This was an honor that
made the family feel very proud.

When 'Abdullah bin Zubayr grew up he was learning,
understanding and courage personified. Later his
mother came to live with him. When he moved to
Makkah she also accompanied him. He did not accept
Banu Umayyah as the caliph and tried to set up his own
caliphate; he succeeded in winning the support of most
people since they acknowledged him to be a powerful,
learned and brave man. However, when 'Abdul Malik bin
Marwan ascended the throne, he took over some of the
provinces. He sent Hajjaj bin Yusuf as his representative
to Hijaz. Hajjaj took command of the Syrian forces and
besieged, attacking it from all sides; an intense battle
ensued between the two forces.

At this, critical juncture, 'Abdullah bin Zubayr went to see
his mother. When she told him that she was sick, he
replied that human beings could find peace and rest
after death. She smilingly asked him if he wished her to
die. She said she wanted him to live and wanted to live
herself, because she had to see the end result of his
struggle. If he were martyred she would accept it with
patience and fortitude, and if he routed his enemy in this
battle she would be happy.

A desperate battle was being waged now in Makkah
itself and 'Abdullah bin Zubayr's army was facing defeat.
He went to see his mother who was at the mosque and
asked her if he should surrender. She replied that if he
was in the right he should not worry about dying. He
said he feared that the enemy would cut up his body
after death. She answered wisely it was irrelevant what
they did with the body. Once a goat is slaughtered the
skinning cannot cause it any pain. She added that fear
of death should not stand in the way of a truly
courageous man. Death with honour was better than a
life of peace with dishonor. A disgraceful peace did not
suit a young hero like him. So 'Abdullah bin Zubayr
returned to the battlefield with renewed ardour and
advanced through the ranks fighting courageously; but
since they were outnumbered he died the death of a
martyr. The cruel Hajjaj bin Yusuf hung up his body for
all to see, and did not take it down even after three days.
On the third day the aged mother Asma Bint Abu Bakr
As-Siddiq went to try and recover the body of her valiant
and noble son. Since she lost her eyesight due to age
she could only feel her way around. Sighing, she asked,
if the time had not yet come for her son to get down from
his horse. She faced this great torture with characteristic
strength and fortitude.

When Hajjaj saw the mother standing near the son's
body he sent a messenger to bring her to him. She
answered with scornful hatred that she would not go to
see her son's murderer. When Hajjaj bin Yusuf got the
message, he was filled with rage and told the
messenger to go and tell her that if she did not come by
herself, she would be dragged into his presence by her
hair. Just as she had stood before Abu Jahl all those
years before, she answered him with supreme
indifference that she would not go to see the despicable
ignoble man; this was her final decision, and he could do
anything he wished. When Hajjaj saw his threats were
ineffective he went to see her. He asked her if she had
seen what he had made of her son. She replied that he
had ruined her son's life in this world, but her son had
ruined him for eternity. She added that she had heard
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying
that a man would appear from the tribe of Banu Thaqif
who would be a liar and a cruel and ignoble barbarian.
Today she had seen him for herself. Hajjaj bin Yusuf left
silently.

One day when she went to the Haram (sanctuary) in
Makkah, she heard Hajjaj bin Yusuf addressing the
gathering from the pulpit. Even in her extreme old age
she had not lost her spirit; boldly she went and stood
next to him. When he saw her he said her son had
spread disbelief and atheism in the House of Allah and
so He gave him a terrible punishment. Asma' promptly
answered that her son was never an atheist; he was a
pious, learned man who always prayed to Allah, worked
for the welfare of the Muslim Ummah and was a
standard bearer of integrity and honesty. You, on the
other hand, are known to be a liar, a hypocrite and a
treacherous man. He should fear the wrath of Allah, for it
hit man when he was least expecting it to strike. Hajjaj,
pretending he had not heard her, continued his speech;
and then in a thundering voice he asked the people to
rise up and get ready for prayers. 'Abdullah bin 'Umar
was present and he said in a loud voice,

"O Hajjaj! If I call you a hypocrite and a liar it will not be
contrary to facts. I swear by the Majesty and the Wrath
of Allah that 'Abdullah bin Zubayr, never took any step in
his whole life that went contrary to the injunctions of
Allah. I now testify in public that 'Abdullah bin Zubayr,
was a God fearing man who fasted and prayed at nights.
He always knew what was right and stood by it.
Then he went to the body of 'Abdullah bin Zubayr that
was still hanging there and in a grief-stricken trembling
voice said,

"Peace be upon you O Abu Khubaib, Peace be upon
Abu Khubaib."

Khubaib was the family name of 'Abdullah bin Zubayr.
Then looking at the body he warned 'Abdullah not to get
involved in a struggle for power. The most respected
people often lost their prestige struggling for power.
Then he prayed to Allah to grant him a place in His
Merciful Paradise

After a few days Hajjaj threw the body into the graveyard
on the instructions of 'Abdul Malik bin Marwan. When
Asma' heard this news she sent for the body, had it
bathed and had the congregational prayer for the dead
conducted. Finally, she buried her beloved son's body.

Hajjaj bin Yusuf received a message from the court of
Syria saying that he should personally visit Asma' and
ask her if there was any request or if she needed
anything. The government would be happy to oblige her.
Hajjaj went to her house to pass on the message of the
governor of 'Abdul Malik bin Marwan. Asma' flew into a
terrible rage; she told him in a thundering voice that she
did not need anything and shouted at him to get out of
her house; she kicked his offer in his face. She asked if
the shameless scoundrel had come to prick her wounds.
She said he was a burden on this earth, and she
considered him an unfortunate and impious man.

Asma' would pray with full concentration. Zubayr bin
'Awam relates that when he came home one day he saw
her praying and weeping; she kept on repeating these
words from the Quran again and again:

"Allah has blessed us and saved us the torture of the
burning winds." [Noble Quean 52:27]

When he saw her thus lost in the presence of Allah, he
left the house and went to the market. He came back
much later and still found her still lost in prayer.

Asma' had a very sharp memory. If she heard anything
even once she would never forget it. Like 'A'ishah, Umm
Salamah and Asma' bint Yazid bin as-Sakan al-
Ansariyyah, she also has many Hadiths attributed to her.
Many Companions and successors would come to her
for guidance and verification of Hadiths. 'Abdullah bin
Zubayr, 'Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas,
Fatimah bint Munthir bin Zubayr and 'Abdullah bin Kisan
are some of the noteworthy ones.

Asma' bint Abu Bakr As-Siddiq died in the year 73, after
Hijrah. She was almost a hundred years old, but even at
that age she had a full set of teeth and a sharp memory.

"Allah will be pleased with them and they with Him."
[Noble Quran 98:8]

Source: "Great Women of Islam" - by Dar-us-Salam Publications