Hardships are Blessings

Preaching an act to someone is easy but to follow within oneself is the real challenge. At times we believe ourselves to be brave enough to face situations which others may have found it hard. When such experiment happens in life, people get hopeless, lose concentration on their responsibility, Fear for fair future, end up being dissociated with their real identity.

Why does this happen and what would be the outcome?
Everytime it happens to us that Being a practicing believer somewhere we knowingly or unknowingly try to step out from the track of piety. Which will lead us in Lessening our gratitude shown towards creator. We eventually fail to realise that the spiritual discipline we maintained till then is now converting into addiction towards the materialistic amusement which would gradually make us to forget remembering our creator.

And that's how the table turns out. Once when the creator is not the central theme of our life, we start to loose focus on the purpose of life. But our creator out of love towards his servants, inflicts a tiny hardship in order to bring him back to focus.

At this juncture his steadfastness is tested, If He used to be a practicing one, then surely his spiritual connection with his creator will rise to a convincing level and his love towards his creator now starts solidifying with ocean of tears being the medium of communication.

If we forget to learn lessons from inflicted hardships then we bound to repeat the same mistake again which had compelled us before to face the same hardship.

Hardship is thus blessing and He who understands it and remains patient while repairing his relationship with his creator will be best among the creations.

"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:28)

~Shaad Bajpe

The First Women martyr – Hazrath Sumayya Bint Khayyat (r.a)

Part 6: The First Women martyr – Hazrath Sumayya Bint Khayyat  (r.a) 

Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) while passing saw the Yasir (R.a) family being tortured with great pain He (sws) said to them, "Patience O family of Yasir, Your meeting place will be paradise."

Our Women are our motivation if they knew their status in this religion of faith.

Sumayya Bint Khayyat (R.a) an immortal model of sacrifice was the first member of Islam marking the legacy of Shahadah, She has undergone numerous hardships to protect her faith in the path of Allah and her value in the Islamic World is at such a height for her choice to embrace Death rather than abandoning Islam.

Sumayya Bint khayyat (R.a) was a slave in the possession of Abu hudaifa Bin mugeera when reached to her youth, her master had decided to get her married. She wedded Yasir Bin Ammar (R.a), who was not a slave but poor in wealth, He wholeheartedly accepted her as his wife. Ammar (R.a) was the brave son born to this heroic mother.

When Quraish understood that Yasir (r.a) and family had embraced Islam they were furious in order to make sumayya (R.a) and her family abandon Islam. As a result these wicked Quraish Tortured threatened and pressurized them. They were made to stand in the heat on sunny days and were whipped mercilessly. One such occasion Sumayya (R.a) was put in a picture full of water so that she would suffocate and could not escape. Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) while passing saw the Yasir (R.a) family being tortured with great pain He (sws) said to them, "Patience O family of Yasir, Your meeting place will be paradise."

Meanwhile the bitter and cruel enemy of Islam Abu Jahal took in charge of punishing Sumayya (R.a). But less did he know that it was unbreakable Eeman facing his oppressions and he couldn't make her mind to leave her religion even after his harsh atrocity upon her and her family. And hence he decided to kill her by stabbing her with spear which if described our heart would be shaken and eyes would fill with tears.

History witnessed her sacrifice as a valiant woman who remained steadfast and never gave up her Eeman even after experiencing the deadliest attacks on her. This range of courage to face any atrocity in return of a faith which has promised her to take her into Jannah is a greatest motivation for us as Muslims who admire upon the Taqwa she had adopted on herself. History doesn't stop with murmuring the great sacrifices of those personalities. Rather it's time that our mothers, Sisters become the pioneer of repeating such histories when the circumstances are demanding us to create one.

Allah honored her with Shahadah and with such great respect that her Shahadah has been termed as the first Shahadah of Deen and will be remained in the hearts of believers until the day of Judgment.

-Amra bint Abdul Khader

Aasiyah r.a (Women of Jannah, Continuation)

Part 5: Aasiyah r.a (Women of Jannah)

"My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people." [Surah Tahrim 66:11]

Our Women are our Motivation if they knew their status in this Religion of faith.

The steadfastness of Hairdresser of Firaun had amazed the eyes and heart of Asiya r.a and this time it was Asiya r.a who walked up to Firaun and said "Look Firaun, I disbelieve in you and believe in the Lord of Moosa and Haroon(A.s), You do whatever you want and I don't care". Firaun was left with shock on hearing this and he was compelled to force her to leave the religion she opted. He started to torture her, whip her, persecute her and thought that he would bring her back to his control.

At this point its really admirable to see Asiya r.a keep herself calm, even in such great pain and distress because unlike others she had never ever faced any hardship and even after the marriage to Firaun she had become a queen and even her lightest requirement where fulfilled by maids and she had to put no effort in it.

This steadfastness can only be defined as the unconditional love of a servant towards her creator, the narration mentions that Firaun ordered Aasiyah r.a to be dragged to the desert and nailed to the floor. He put nails throughout her body and affix her to the floor under the scorching sun. She was then deprived of food, water, shade, and the daughters of Fir’oun’s concubines would come daily to laugh and taunt her. After days of torture, Aasiyah (RA) looked to the sky and said the words which Allah himself describes in his Quran;

.وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

Allah accepted her dua While she was whipped and tortured, the angels shaded her, and the more she was tortured, the more her Eeman grew. She would look up and see her palace and laughed until Fir’oun got frustrated and said: " Kill this Madwoman" then she was taken to a mountain and tied up beneath a cliff. He ordered his guards to drop the largest boulder they could onto her body, and they did – but before the large rock could hit her Allah SWT took her soul. this was the heroic end of the Legacy woman Aasiyah r.a.

The story even though has many lessons of steadfastness for us to admire upon, I had to make only one point that a true believer could not even bear an injustice done to another believer, The Injustice done to Mashita r.a influenced Aasiyah r.a to dissent the tyrant and expose her faith and also to fearlessly face all the hardships which she hadn't seen ever in her lifetime. The unmeasurable love towards her Allah made her laugh at the face of death which even to this date has engraved in the pages of history as the greatest sacrifice world has ever witnessed. A Woman in Islam is a legacy on its own. and History of such legacy needs to be repeated.

Aasiyah r.a

Part 4: Aasiyah bint Muzahim r.a (Wife of Firaun)

Our Women are our Motivation if they knew their status in this Religion of faith.

“The best of the women of Paradise are Khadijah, daughter of Khuwailid, Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, Aasiyah, daughter of Muzahim the wife of Pharoah, and Mariam, daughter of Imraan. (Sahih Ahmed)

If we throw back our memory towards history we come across a lady without whom the protection of prophet Moosa a.s was not guaranteed (apart from the truth that Allah is the protector of all).
Yes, I am describing a woman, without whom there wouldn't have been a blessed prophet to the mankind. The queen of Egypt and the wife of the tyrant ruler Firaun, Aasiyah r.a.

It was the time when all the male children of Banu Israel were killed mercilessly by the servants of Firaun, but this child, Moosa A.s was saved by Asiya r.a by her words of wisdom. Later, for more than 30 years Moosa A.s grew up under the protection of Asiyah r.a.

When Moosa A.s propounded the new concept of God i.e, The new religion Islam, very few influential people had believed in it and also had privatized their faith. One among them was the Heroin of this story Aasiyah r.a herself.

If we go through the lifestyle of Aasiyah r.a, one would be shocked with the decision she opted to choose Islam because, she was a Fully Privileged Queen and the likes of Queen Elizabeths stand no where in comparison with the fame and power of Aasiyah r.a, as a daughter of Muzahim and then as a wife of Firaun she could have led a luxurious royal life, where all her words were highly regarded, where she had complete authority as a Queen of a vast empire, while having an ocean of material comforts and her every demand being fulfilled. 

In spite of these blissful living conditions, the devoted love for her creator made her sacrifice all these materialistic pleasures far behind and finally, that occasion came when she had to reveal her faith towards Islam in front of her husband the Tyrant Firaun.

This event was witnessed just after the incident of the great sacrifice of the Mashita, the hairdresser of Firaun Daughter. She and her children were brutally murdered when she had revealed her faith and wasn't ready to leave her faith in front of Firaun. Her steadfastness had amazed the eyes and heart of Aasiyah r.a and this time it was Aasiyah r.a who walked up to Firaun and said...


To be continued...

Mashita r.a (Hairdresser of Firaun's Palace) (continuation)

Part 3: Mashita r.a (Hairdresser of Firaun's Palace)

Our Women are our Motivation if they knew their status in this Religion of Faith.

Egypt, The Name is Famous for its Historical Arena.

After the news spread to the entire palace and Mashita r.a was brought in front of Firaun's court and was questioned...
Firaun was on his throne and conversation between Haq and Bathil went on this way

She came and stood in front of this tyrant and he asked her: “Who is your God?”

She said: “Allah is my Lord.”

He asked: “Who is Allah?”

She said: “Allah is my lord and yours.”

Raged by the answer

Tyrant Firaun said: “What? Bring the chains.”

They brought the chains and they began to punish her and whip her.

“Who is your Lord?”

And she would say: “Allah is my Lord and your Lord.”

Now, he orders them to bring a large container, like a swimming pool, and then he spilled hot boiling oil into it. And then he said: “Bring me all of her children.”
Beloved Mashita r.a had five children and one of them was still breastfeeding, and they brought them all one by one.

He said: “Worship me, I am your god!”
She said: “Never.”
So, he brought her first son and he threw him into the oil in front of her eyes, his meat and his flesh fell off his body, and then his bone disintegrated. Then they brought her next son and she was unmoved in her faith, she was of the caliber that would claim that ‘be it 1 or 2 or my entire family I would bear it for my covenant with Allah.’

And the brutal killing of her children went on until the last child he was on her arm, and Out of love and affection towards her child she would feel like taking a step back, when all of a sudden, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, from above seven skies, made her infant speak while he was in the cradle.


He said: “Be patient my mother! You are on the truth. Allah has promised you with the great heaven. Keep going, mother.” This enormously boosted her Eeman this time with immense of steadfastness.

And then they threw her son into the boiling oil, and she was the next. She knew that she was going to die. And then she began to cry and Pharaoh said:

“Why are you crying?”

She said: “I am crying because I want to ask you to do something for me, I don’t know if you will do it.”
He said: “Ask me about whatever you like.”
She said: “Once you throw me into the oil, then I want you to gather whatever is remaining of our bodies, and I want you to bury us together in the same grave because I want to be resurrected with my children, and I wanted to go to Jannah with my children, I don’t want them to go out of my arms.”

The Virtue of this women was such that on the night of Mihraj when Prophet Muhammed (sws) experienced a beautiful fragrance coming to him and upon asking he was answered that it was the fragrance of the hairdresser and her children who worked in the palace of Firaun. And her story was narrated to Prophet Muhammad Sws by the Leader of Angels, Jibreel A.s,

The History has given us such beautiful pearls who have faced the worst tyrants but unmoved in their Eeman who have sacrificed their lives happily in the path of Allah and it literally inspires us upon hearing the women of Islam had faced the same oppressions with even more steadfastness. One can remember that the first Shahadah of this Ummah was Summaya r.a. Women have been always an inspiration in Islam and in this present situation this Ummah is longing for such a mother who prepares their children for the Akhirah and not this Dunya.

Mashita r. a (Hairdresser of Firaun's Palace )

Part 2: Mashita r. a (Hairdresser of Firaun's Palace )

Our Women are our Motivation if they knew their status in this Religion of faith.

Egypt, The Name is Famous for its Historical Arena.
You might have come across a famous tyrant ruler Pharaoh (Firaun ) who claimed to be God himself and also who used to stubbornly mention that "Ana Rabbukumul A'ala" means "I am your lord the most high".

The time of the rise of Islam under the prophethood of Moosa (A . S ) had just touched the city in the midst of the oppression of Pharaoh on Banu Israa-eel and there was not a greater spread of this beautiful religion which stood for justice, as one of its core values. The first to come to Deen had not declared their faith publicly as of fear of being killed by the tyrant Firaun.

In this interim there was a Hair Dresser (Mashita) of Firaun's daughter, may Allah be pleased with her. One day comb slips from her hands while combing Firaun's Daughter's hair, and she subconsciously picked the comb and accidentally yelled 'Bismillah', amazed by the newly heard word, Firaun's daughter asked with curiosity about whom was Mashita referring to! To which Mashita said "The Lord" and in reply, she asked " So you mentioned about my Father?" and Mashita replied, "No, it is Allah the lord of Universe and lord of Mine, Yours and Your Father's".

These Undigested words of Mashita angered Firaun's Daughter and she threatened to inform this news to her Father, and Mashita had only to smile for this and fearlessly shook her head without bothering to care for her threatening.

The news spread in the entire palace and Mashita was placed in the culprit spot. And now everyone including her knew that she is in great danger, at that moment she had to make a split decision Who do I love more? Allah or Myself, Now she does not worry about herself and makes sure that her Eeman is firmly Implanted in her heart even if she knew that she was going to be subjected to the horrific oppression by worst tyrant Ruler.

To be continued...

Nusaiba r.a (Ummu Ammara r.a)