Heroines of Tawheed: Muaadha al Adawiyyah

The Sincere Worshipper of Allah and The Patient Mother

They say behind every great man is a great woman. This proves to be true in most cases.There was the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) and because of his seerah, we have come to know of our dear mother, Khadeejah (radiyallahu anha), The one who supported the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) with her utmost ability until she met her Lord. The one whom The Most High and the king of angels, Jibrail passed salaam to. May Allah be pleased with her. There is Aishah the daughter of As-Siddeeq(radiyallahu anhuma). She was the greatest female scholar of Islaam. If it weren't for her marriage to the best of creation, we would not know of many ahkaam related to fiqh which our beloved mother related to us. You will find her name in every fiqh or hadeeth book of the early scholars. The greatest of the companions came to her to inquire about the smallest details of the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam)'s life.

Maryam the daughter of Emraan, the woman whom Allah sent His angels to in her mihraab (place of worship) to inform her that she is the best of women of the Earth. She was the mother of one of the greatest men and the most controversial figure, Eesa (Jesus peace be upon him). No doubt, the greatness of Eesa (AS) should be no shock considering he was raised by the greatest woman to walk this Earth, Maryam (peace be upon her). Musa (Moses peace be upon him) is the most mentioned prophet in the Qur'an. Who was the woman who discovered him as a baby in the basket and chose to raise him as her own? It was none other than, Aasiyah the wife of the greatest tyrant of the world, Firawn. A woman who ended up giving her life and soul to earn the gardens promised by her Creator, a woman who left the comforts of this world and purchased for herself a glorious mansion in the peaks of Paradise.
And now we bring the story of a woman who was from the early generations of Islaam.

Muaadha the daughter of Abdullah, al Adawiyyah was a pious female worshipper and pious ascetic(zaahida) who was from the city of Basra,Iraq. She was from the generation of the first tabi'een. She was also among the well-known female students of umm almu'mineen, Aishah bint Abi Bakr. Muaadha use to worship Allah to a great extent and she would often ponder death. When the day would enter she would say, "This is the day in which I will die. " and therefore, she would not sleep. And when the evening would approach, she would say, "This is the night in which I will surely die." And so she would stay awake the entire night in prayer. And when the cold season of winter would begin, Muaadha would wear thin clothing (at night in her home) so that this may prevent her from sleep and neglecting her qiyaam. And she would also say, "Im amazed at an eye that sleeps while remembering the long sleep in the darkness of the grave." Meaning, remembrance of the grave should keep us awake out of fear of Allah and His punishment.

As for her husband, then he was none other than the great taabi'ee, Silla ibn Ashyam Al Adawi.  Silla was a great scholar of Islam and among the students of Hudhayfah ibn al Yamaan (radiyallahu anhu). He was a scholar and a mujaahid who fought in many battles to spread the message of Islaam and keep safe the borders of the Muslims.  Whats amazing about the story of Silla and Muaadha is just how Allah is the best of planners and brings together the people who are most similar. Silla and Muaadha were very similar. Both had renounced this world and detached themselves from it completely.

Silla and Muaadha got married and on the night of their wedding, both husband and wife spent the night in ibaadah (worship of Allah) until Fajr. From such a good foundation in these two individuals, Allah brought forth a strong home. Muaadha who was also known as Umm As-Sahbaa' had a son for Silla. As the years went by in the blessed household of worship and knowledge, Silla continued to fight in battles. After all, he was a descendant of the sahabah. Men who fought like lions in battle and who stayed awake in the darkness of the night, praying to their Lord.

In the 62nd year after the Hijrah,  Silla and his now grown son went out to one of the great battles in the lands of Khorasan. The battle was fierce between the Muslims and mushrikeen. The winds of victory blew towards the Muslims and they won a great victory and the enemies of Allah were disgracefully crushed. The victorious armies returned home and Muaadha did not see her husband or son among the soldiers. She was informed they had both, by the permission of Allah, attained martyrdom. What would the typical response of a woman be if she heard such news? Subhan Allah, she would scream, cry and be grief stricken. However, look at the response of this Mu'minah(female believer in Allah). Many women came to visit Muaadha in her home to give their condolences but they were surprised as she had a smile on her face and seemed happy. She said to the women who came to visit her, "if you have come to congratulate me then welcome to you but if you have come for other than that, then go back."

After that, Muaadha use to say, "By Allah, I dot not wish to stay in this world any longer except only to get closer to my Lord in worship. Perhaps He may bring me and Abi Sahbaa' (her husband) and my son together in Paradise."

She saw the death of her loved ones as victory and a celebration for what they had attained of great rewards and the way in which they left this dunya. The satisfaction in the decree of Allah and the immense patience and faith she had in her Lord kept her strong and firm.This kind of reaction can only come from a woman of emaan.A pious woman who not only accepts the decree of her Lord but is also pleased with it.