Did you know? (Inspirational Islamic Stories)

Stay in your house, Allaah will bless you with martyrdom

Have you ever heard of the woman who was given the title “the martyr” even though she haven’t died a shaheeda [female martyr] yet… but she was known by this title and the Messenger of Allaah Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam along with the great Sahabah Radiyallahu Anhum would only address her with this title, the martyr?

Ma sha Allaah, and this woman didn’t even go and battled out in Jihad, for the when she tried to ask permission from Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam to go and join the battle of Badr with the intention to nurse and help out with medical attention the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam declined and told her;

“Stay in your house, Allaah will bless you with martyrdom.”

Do you have any clue now, who this blessed woman was?

Ma sha Allaah, yes, I am talking about Umm Waraqah Radiyallahu Anha, the woman who devoted all her life in increasing her closeness to Allaah Azza Wa Jall through living and dedicating herself with the Qur'aan.

By Allaah, this woman devoted her attention to the Noble Qur'aan reading it, memorizing it and following its teachings and rules, she has made it her main concern in all aspects of her private and public life, and through the Qur'aan she also attained a high and noble status.

Umm Waraqah was one of the earliest Ansari female companion that entered the fold of Islaam, she was of high and noble lineage and indeed she was a very wealthy woman, but her luxuries in life didn’t shun her from devoting herself solely to things that will bring her closely to Allaah Azza Wa Jall.

And we ask, how come she was called “the martyr” when she was alive throughout the prophethood of Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam, the caliphate of Abu Bakr Radiyallahu Anhu up to the caliphate of ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattab Radiyallahu Anhu?

Well, after that incident of her asking Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam to allow her to go for jihad and was declined and told to stay in her house for she will be blessed with martyrdom by Allaah Azza Wa Jall, she believed and obeyed.

Umm Waraqah Radiyallahu Anha stayed in her house and devoted her time to her scripts [surahs of the Qur'aan were written], reciting their verses with humbleness and piety. With the passing of each day, she increases in her closeness to Allaah Azza wa jall in her piety.

She asked for a mu'adhhin for her house one day, and the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam gave her one, and she allocated a section of her big house as a praying area, and she would make this place a place for halaqa and she would lead some Muslim women of her family and her female relatives or whomsoever who came to meet her in her house for prayers.

Umm Waraqah was not married, despite her nobility, wealth and everything she had, for she was deeply influenced by the picture of the bliss of Paradise that never changes or comes to an end, but she had one housemaid and one male servant who served her in her big house, but these two were not different to her, she treated them like a mother would treat her children.

She used to sleep every little in the night, despite her old age and in hours of darkness she would seek Allaah’s forgiveness and worship Him in humbleness, and every night she would pray and recite the Qur'aan unceasingly.

One night, a caller called, “Come to martyrdom, O’ Umm Waraqah! The time has come and your appointment with death is here! The earth is confined for you in spite of its vastness! What is with Allah is best and lasting! You certainly have nearness to Allah and good place of return!”

On that very night, her servant and the maid stood up and strangled Umm Waraqah to death, they then wrapped her in a piece of cloth and put her at a side of the house and fled.

'Umar Radiyallahu Anhu, who was the Ameer ul Mu'mineen of that time, woke up for Fajr and observed something that attracted his attention, when he finished praying he went out and told the people, “By Allaah I did not hear the recitation of my aunty Umm Waraqah last night!”

It was by this that He came to her house in the company of some other Sahabah Radiyallahu Anhum to see what has happened to Umm Waraqah. When they entered, they found no one and they did not hear any movement. It was then that 'Umar sensed that something happened to her!

And suddenly they found her wrapped in a piece of cloth, dead.

Umar Radiyallahu Anhu then said, “Allah and His Messenger said the truth!” and those who were with him echoed, “Allah and His Messenger said the truth!”

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Subhan'Allaah! Did she die in vain? No she didn’t! For Paradise was her abode! What a beautiful and inspiring woman was Umm Waraqah! We pray to Allaah Azza Wa Jall that she accepts her and raises her status in Jannah! Amin

So many beautiful points to consider in this story, her love for Allaah Azza Wa Jall, her obedience towards the Messenger of Allaah Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam, her devotion to the Qur'aan, her dawah to other women and her kind treatment to her servants.

So much beautiful characters had Umm Waraqah bagged in her life! Ma sha Allaah, and her devotion to the Qur'aan was of great dedication, imagine, 'Umar Radiyallahu Anhu noticed immediately something wrong when he didn’t hear the recitation of Umm Waraqah, so realize that she has been consistently doing this recitation every night,when some of us can’t even stand even listening to 3 minutes of recitation of the Qur'aan!

Wallahi, my brothers and sisters in Islam, these are the kind of people that we should be inspired from, people we should take our deen from, martyrdom isn’t just about going to battles, for we ourselves are already in jihad with our nafs.

I ask you all, to please mention the name of Umm Waraqah in your du'as in your next salaah, may Allaah Azza Wa Jall be truly pleased with her. Amin

-Umm Umar Khaled
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Excerpt from Women around the messenger of Allah, pp. 194-199