Prophet Muhammad’s Treatment of Women - III

04/01/2012| IslamWeb

His mercy towards women: ‘Aa'ishah may Allah be pleased with her, recounted that Faatimah,may Allah be pleased with her, once came walking in a manner identical to that of the Prophet, . When she arrived, he, , stood up and exclaimed: ‘Welcome, my daughter!’ Then, he seated her at his side and whispered into her ear, and what he had said caused her to cry; then, he whispered to her again, and she laughed. 'Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, later asked her, “What made you weep and then laugh?” She, may Allah be pleased with her, replied, “I will never expose a secret that the Prophet entrusted me with.” After the death of the Prophet, sallallaahu '‘alayhi wa sallam, 'Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, asked her the same questions again, so she answered, “First, he informed me that his death was near, so I cried. After that, he told me that I will be the leader of the ladies of Paradise, so I laughed. He also told me: ‘You will be the first of my household who will follow me (die after him).’” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Women asking him about matters of religion: Women used to come and ask the Prophet, , but in some cases the matter necessitated the mention of some details which he, , was bashful in saying himself, so he would have one of his wives convey it to them instead. Asmaa’ bint Yazeed,may Allah be pleased with her, came to him once and said,

 

"O Messenger of Allah! I come to you on behalf of a group of women, all of whom adopt the same opinion on a matter as I do. Allah has sent you to us and we believed in you and followed you. We women stay in our homes and take care of them; we are also the means for our husbands to (lawfully) fulfill their desires and produce children for them. On the other hand, men are favored over us in that they attend the congregational and funeral prayers, and perform Jihaad, while we remain home and take care of their wealth and cultivate the children. O Messenger of Allah! Will we get the same share of reward as they do?”

 

Upon hearing this, he, , turned to some of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, who were present and said: “Did you ever hear a woman asking a better question with regards to her religion than this woman?” Then he, , said to her: “O Asmaa’! Go back to your fellow women and inform them that your kind treatment to your husbands, seeking their satisfaction and happiness, and obeying them equals all (the reward) that you mentioned men attain.” Asmaa’,may Allah be pleased with her, left whilst glorifying Allah The Almighty aloud, as happy as could be due to what she had heard.

 

His joking with women: Umm Ayman,may Allah be pleased with her, who was the nursemaid of the Prophet, came to him and asked, “Give me an animal to ride on.” The Prophet, replied: “I will give you the son of a female camel.” She,may Allah be pleased with her, said with astonishment, “What could I do with the son of a she-camel? It would be too small to ride!” Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah said: “I will only give you the son of a female camel.” [Ibn Sa’d]What do female camels deliver except camels i.e., every camel, even when fully grown, is still the offspring of a female camel? He, , was going to give her a fully grown camel, but he was only teasing her.

 

It comes as no surprise that he, , dealt with women the way he did. After all, he was and still is the role-model, the ideal example and the greatest person to be emulated, and he was sent as a mercy to all of humanity, .

Prophet Muhammad’s Treatment of Women - I

Prophet Muhammad’s Treatment of Women - II