Asma Bint Abu Bakr
(May God be pleased
with her)
Asma herself was one of the first people to accept Islam. Asma became
known from her fine and noble qualities and for the keenness of her
intelligence. She was an extremely generous person. Her son Abdullah once
said of her, "I have not seen two women more generous than my aunt Aisha and
my mother Asma. But their generosity was expressed in different ways. My
aunt would accumulate one thing after another until she had gathered what
she felt was sufficient and then distributed it all to those in need. My
mother, on the other hand, would not keep anything even for the morrow."-jannah.org
Khadijah bint Khuwalid
(May God be pleased
with her)
Khadijah was a successful merchant in Arabia. After hearing much about
the honesty of Muhammad, peace be upon him, she asked him to take her
caravan to Syria and trade on her behalf. The 25 year old Muhammad returned
from Syria after having made a large profit for Khadijah. After hearing his
account of the journey, she decided to propose to Muhammad, who was 15 years
her junior. He accepted. Later on, she was the first to believe in his
prophecy at a time when many dismissed him. She died at the age of 65,
leaving Muhammad with six children. –Alim
Zubaidah bint Ja’fr al-Mansur
(May God be
pleased with her)
Zubaidah was one of the most wealthiest and powerful women of her time.
Besides being the wife of Harun Rashid, she was a great benefactor who was
very intellectual and generous. She financed the building of many cities,
and constructed Makkah’s water supply. She was also the first to build a
pilgrimage route to the holy city. In addition to undertaking many
construction projects, she was also a patron of the arts, namely poetry. –jannah.org
Walladah bint Mustakfi
(May God be pleased with her)
Walladah bint Mustakfi (c. 1001-1080 C.E.) - daughter of the caliph of
Cordoba in Islamic Spain. Cordoba was a tolerant, multicultural society,
famous for its many libraries and sophisticated literary life, in which
women were often scholars. After her father's death, Walladah inherited
enough wealth to guarantee her independence. She was well known as a poet
and hosted literary gatherings for both men and women. –jannah.org
Fatimah Bint Mohammad
(May God be
pleased with her)
Fatimah was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and was
especially kind to poor and indigent folk and would often give all the food
she had to those in need even if she herself remained hungry. She was a
leader among men and women, and often led the women in prayer. After the
Battle of Uhud, she proceeded to the battle field and nursed the injured.
At the Battle of the Ditch, she played a major supportive role together with
other women in preparing food during the long and difficult siege. She also
took part in the liberation of Makkah. - jannah.org
Ramlah Bint Abu-Sufayan
Ramlah, also known as Umm Habibah, dared to challenge her father’s
authority when she rejected the deities of the Quraysh and their idol
worship during the Abyssinian period. Her father tried with all the power
and force at his disposal to bring back his daughter to his religion and the
religion of their forefathers. But he did not succeed. As a result, Ramlah
was persecuted. She fled Makkah and later became the second wife of the
Prophet. -Alim
Nasibah: Woman Warrior
Nasibah bint Ka'b al-Maziniyyah was a famous Muslim warrior. She took part
in a number of battles and treaties, such as the treaty of 'Aqabah,
Al-Hudaybiyah, Khaybar and Hunayn. Her heroic conduct at Hunayn was no less
marvellous than her heroic conduct at Uhud. At the time of Abu Bakr's
Khilafah, she was present at Al-Yamamah where she fought brilliantly and
received eleven wounds and lost her hand. At the battle of Uhud, she would
continuously take up her sword to defend the Prophet, peace be upon him,
acting as a human shield to protect him from the arrows of the enemy. The
Prophet noticed this, and later said, "Wherever I turned, to the left or the
right, I saw her fighting for me."-jannah.org
Sultana Razia of Delhi
"The only woman ever to sit on the throne of Delhi, India, Razia's ancestors
were from Muslims of Turkish descent who invaded India in 11th century.
"Like other Muslim princesses, she was trained to lead armies and administer
kingdoms if necessary." (p. 34) She established peace and order, encouraged
trade, built roads, planted trees, dug wells, supported poets, painters, and
musicians, constructed schools and libraries appeared in public without the
veil, wore tunic and headdress of a man. State meetings were often open to
the populace at-large. Yet, she made enemies when she tried to eliminate
some of the discriminations against her Hindu subjects." Gloria Steinem, Her
story: Women Who Changed the World, Viking, 1995, p. 34-36excerpt taken from
http://womenshistory.about.com/ Women in the Muslim World: Personalities
and Perspectives of the Past, Lyn Reese ©
Rabia: The Poetess
Rabia al Adawiya was an orphan slave that was freed and became known as
Rabia of Basra. Became a poet and chose to live a humble life in the desert.
In her writings, she emphasized unselfish love for God, and loving God for
His sake, rather than for fear of punishment or desire for reward.
–jannah.org
