Inspiring Accounts of the Sahabiyyat contd...

assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

Saffiyah bint Abdulmuttalib

She was the paternal aunt of the prophet(salaAllahu alayhi wassalam), the mother of the great sahabi az-Zubayr ibn al Awwam the one whom the prophet(salaAllahu alayhi wassalam) said about him on the Day of Badr "for every prophet there is a disciple and my disciple is az-Zubayr"

She was the mother in law of Asmaa bint Abi Bakr as-Sideeq, the one known as "Dhat an Nitaqaayn". She was the grandmother of the great sahabi Abdullah ibn Zubayr(radiaAllahu anhu).

It was said about her(radiaAllahu anhaa) that she said," when the Messenger of Allah(salaAllahu alayhi wassalam) went out to al Khandaq, he left the women in a fort called Fari' and he left Hassan ibn Thaabit with them. She continued, " a man from the jews came and climbed the fort until we could see him. So I said to Hassan, "go and kill him." He replied, "if I had that in me, I would be with Rasullah(because he was an old man). She said, " so I vieled myself and I took a pole, and came down from the fort to him, and I hit him with the pole until I killed him and then cut off his head. And I said to Hassan, "stand up and throw his head to the Jews while they are below the fort(to scare them and let them know that the women aren't alone). He replied, "By Allah, not that!" She said, " so I took his head and threw it to them, so they said, 'we knew that he*the Prophet) would not leave his family without anyone(men to protect them and guard them)' and they left." And she was the first woman to kill a man from the mushrikeen(jews).This was narrated by Ibn Sa'd from Abu Salamah.

She(radiaAllahu anhaa) was such a patient woman who was always content with the qadar of Allah. When her brother, Hamzah ibn Abdulmuttablib was martyred in Uhud and mutilated, she approached to see his body. Her son az-Zubayr came to her and said, " O Mother, the Messenger of Allah orders you to go back." She said, "Why? When it has reached me that they have mutilated my brother.That was for the sake of Allah so what will make us more pleased than this?I will have patience and be content inshaAllah." So az-Zubayr went back and told the prophet and he said, "leave her be." She went to Hamzah and asked Allah's forgiveness for him.Then it was ordered that he be buried."

As for her (tahreedh) incitement for the men to fight for the sake of Allah, then she never fell short in inciting them with her tongue. And not only did she incite those who remained behind but also those who werent victorious over their enemies. It was mentioned in Al Isabah from Hammad ibn Hisham from his father that she came on the Day of Uhud when the people were defeated and she had a spear which she would use to hit their faces,so the prophet(salaAllahu alayhi wassalam) said," O female az-Zubayr!"

Al Isabah 7/744