Assalamu alaikum.Pls can you share with me some of the blessings a pregnant and lactating woman gets from Allah (SWT) so that we can be more motivated cos sometimes the stress and burden seems to be unbearable.And atimes our husbands dont seem to support us enough during this trying time.Thanks.Jazakallahu khairan

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The Quran stated the excellence of pregnancy and breastfeeding, and made this as one of the reasons for the child to be kind and dutiful to his mother; Allaah Says (what means): {And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months.}[Quran 46:15]  This means that this is an act of worship by which the mother gets closer to Allaah. In addition to this, the hardship and difficulties that the mother experiences during the pregnancy or breastfeeding wipes out some of her sins and raises her ranks, and the reward is according to the hardship that she experiences. The Prophet said: “An affliction continues to affect a believing man or a believing woman in his/her own self, his/her children, and his/her wealth, until he/she meets Allaah without a sin.” [Muslim, Ahmad and At-Tirmithi]

Another evidence is that it is reported that if a pregnant woman dies while giving birth, she is considered among the martyrs. [Ahmad, Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa’i]

In addition to this, much other clear pieces of evidence are reported on the excellence of pregnancy and breastfeeding, but we did not mention them because they are weak narrations.

For more benefit on the excellence of being a mother in general, please refer to Fataawa 105377 and 86592.

Finally, it should be noted that a husband should help his wife even if she is not pregnant or breastfeeding, as this is among keeping kind marital relationships and a reason for increasing affection between the spouses. Indeed, we have the best example in the Prophet . ‘Aa’ishah was asked: “What did the Prophet use to do at home?” She replied: “He used to keep himself busy serving his family, and when it was time for the prayer, he would go out for the prayer.”

Allaah Knows best.