Heroines of Tawheed: Sumayyah the first martyr of Islam

It is the Sunnah of Allah that He tests those whom He loves. And as we know the true believers do not leave this dunya until they are tested by Allah azza wa jall and there are many ayaat in the Qur'an that indicate this. For example,

أم حسبتم أن تدخلوا الجنة ولما يأتكم مثل الذين خلوا من قبلكم مستهم البأساء والضراء وزلزلوا حتى يقول الرسول والذين ءامنوا معه متى نصر الله ألا إن نصر الله قريب
Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When (will come) the Help of Allah?" Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!

The Jannah of Allah is not cheap, it is indeed expensive. And the companions of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم were people who gave their souls generously in the path of Allah. They saw their souls cheap and would have loved to die in the path of Allah over and over again.
Many of the Sahaba who died Fe sabilillaah were men, the women were few, that is why the name Sumayyah rings a bell to many of us when we hear stories of the sacrifices of the early Muslims.

She was Umm Ammar

I don't wish to retell the story of Sumayyah, may Allah be pleased with her. But mentioning her story is one of the greatest iman boosters.
Subhan Allah this mother endured pain and torture and ended up losing her life. But indeed she earned the الفوز الكبير
Or the Great Success.

Nowadays people compromise their religion for the smallest worldly things and they forgot that والآخرة خير وأبقى

The hereafter is better and everlasting

Sisters take off their hijabs for the slightest things such as a job interview, school, work. Brothers shave their beards and shake hands with kuffar women based on what?? Don't they fear Allah. If these people can't accept you for who you are-a Muslim, then they are not worthy of you.
Look at how our mother Sumayyah held on to her Deen. She held on to it until she lost her life. Until she breathed her last. She had yaqeen in Allah that the Hereafter is worth it and not the Dunya. That sacrifice for the sake of Allah is the greatest of proof of your belief.
Some Muslims miss their prayers. The Faraidh, the prayers that are the second pillar of Islam. Many Muslims take this issue do lightly. Ya'ni did the blood and sweat of the Sahaba go to waste?? Is this what we have come down to??
Please let us wake up and turn to Allah. Our Deen is beautiful and easy and simple.
Allah said so. His messenger said so.
Some sisters tell me, "it's hard " No dear sister it's not hard! You are just weak. Allah has told the truth and your nafs is deceiving you and lying to you so wake up.
Let us learn and relive the moments with this great Giants of Islam. These individuals who learnt and lived La ilaha illa Allah

Heroines of Tawheed: 'Atikah the Wife of Martyrs

I’m sure the name ’Atikah bint Zaid bin ‘Amr bin Nufail sounds familiar to you. Yes, she is the daughter of the great Zaid bin ’Amr bin Nufail, the man who followed the religion of Ibrahim (‘alayhi asalam) shortly before the revelation was brought down to our Prophet (salah allahu ‘alayhi wa salam) and he is to be resurrected ‘as a nation by himself’. Her brother is none other than Sa’eed bin Zaid, one of the ten ‘mubashireen bil Jannah’ or given the glad-tidings of Paradise. ‘Atikah herself is a great Sahabiya, better known as ‘the wife of martyrs’.

‘Atikah (radhiya Allah ‘anha) was known to have such beauty. She was remarkably beautiful, well-mannered, and very pious. She accepted Islam early on and made Hijrah to Madinah. She was first married to 'Abdullah bin Abi Bakr (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu). It is said that ‘Abdullah was so consumed with spending time with her that his father, Abu Bakr, ordered him to divorce her because he was becoming distracted from his worship. However, when he saw how much he loved her, he asked him to reconcile with her again. They loved each other so much to the extent that he gave her a share of his wealth (a garden) and made her vow that she would not marry anyone after him. Shortly after, he was martyred in the battle of Al-Ta’ef and she recited these famous lines in mourning of his death:

آليت لا تنفك نفسي حزينة عليك * ولا ينفك جلديأ غبرا

She vowed that her eye would not dry of his mourning and she would never beautify herself for another man again. However, soon enough, she overcame the incident by one great man’s offer for her hand so she was married to none other than her cousin, the Khalifah, ‘Umar bin Khattab (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu). ’Umar was also martyred soon after. Once she completed her ‘Iddah, the well-known Sahabi Al-Zubair bin Al-Awwam (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu) proposed to her, and they were soon wed. Like his predecessors, he was also granted martyrdom in Wadi Al-Siba‘. Finally, the Prophet’s blessed grandson, Al-Husain bin ‘Ali (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu), married her until he was given martyrdom in Karbala.

Not only were all of ‘Atikah’s husbands elite companions of the Prophet (salah allahu ‘alayih wa salam) but she was honored by Allah that they all died as martyrs during her marriage to them. She was an extremely devout wife and this caused many of the righteous men to seek her in marriage.

It is reported that ‘Abdullah bin ’Umar said, ‘Whoever wants to acquire martyrdom, let him marry ‘Atikah bint Zaid."