Hafsah bint ‘Umar
CONT'D FROM LAST WEEK
For
her father it was very painful to see his daughter in this state. Her silent
courage under these circumstances, her patient prayers and her study of the
Quran irradiated her countenance with a spiritual beauty and innocence, but
there was also a sadness because of the harsh loneliness that had become part
of her life. After deep thought ‘Umar Faruq decided to approach ‘Uthman bin
Affan, whose wife Ruqayyah the Prophet’s daughter, had passed away. He thought
that sharing a common bond would help to alleviate their sorrow in losing
worthy spouses. So, having taken this decision he went direct to ‘Uthman. After
the formal greeting and expression of condolences on his wife’s death he
broached the topic closest to his heart. ‘Uthman lowered his eyes and then
after a few moments pause, he said he needed time to think it over.
‘Umar
Faruq met him again after a few days and asked him if he had thought over the
proposal. ‘Uthman answered that he was not presently planning on marriage. From
there he went to Abu Bakr Siddiq and offered him his daughter in marriage. He
too lowered his gaze and did not answer him. Imam Bukhari in his book of
Hadith, As-Sahih Al-Bukhari, has given a whole chapter to the topic of an
honorable man offering his sister or daughter in marriage.
‘Umar
Faruq was very upset because both the men he approached had either avoided or
refused marriage to his daughter. He was confident of a willing and joyful
acceptance but things turned out otherwise. He was very upset and worried at
the turn of events; in a sense it was an affront to him and his position as a
sincere defender of the faith. People, he thought, would consider it an honor
to have an alliance by marriage with him. With this grievance he went to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and explained to him the position he found himself
in. The Prophet (peace be upon him) smilingly answered that he should neither
grieve nor worry, and Allah willing he would find a man better than ‘Uthman for
Hafsah and ‘Uthman in turn, would find for himself a better woman than Hafsah.
‘Umar
Faruq was pleased on hearing this from the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself,
but also a little perplexed over who such a man could be? A few days later the
Prophet (peace be upon him) married his daughter, Umm Kulthum to ‘Uthman. ‘Umar
Faruq realized that one part of the prediction had come true, but he continued
to puzzle over the second half of the statement. Who could possibly be a better
man than ‘Uthman? Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) proposed marriage to
Hafsah. ‘Umar Faruq could not believe his ears; his daughter would have the
honor of joining the select band of women who were known as the Mothers of the
believers! ‘A’ishah and Sawdah were already part of the Prophet’s household. It
seemed too good to be true. Thus Hafsah was joined in marriage to the Prophet
(peace be upon him) in the 3rd year after Hijrah, before the Battle of Uhud.
She was about twenty-two years old at the time. On seeing off his daughter to
her husband’s house, ‘Umar Faruq told her that she should never try to compete
with ‘A’ishah, who was the Prophet’s favorite and better than her in many
respects. He said she should respect her sincerely and live happily as a member
of the first and foremost family.
Sa’id
bin Al-Musayyab, a learned scholar, states that the Prophet’s prediction that
he was a better husband for Hafsah than ‘Uthman was proved right, as was his
statement that Umm Kulthum was a better wife for ‘Uthman than Hafsah. After the
marriage Abu Bakr Siddiq met with ‘Umar Faruq and told him the truth, which was
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had mentioned to him that he planned to
marry Hafsah. That was the reason he had remained silent, as it would not have
been proper to betray his confidence. If matters were different he would have
been only too happy to accept her hand in marriage. ‘Umar Faruq expressed his
happiness by quoting the following Ayah,
“This
is by the Grace of my Lord – to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful!
And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for himself; and whoever is
ungrateful, (it is for the loss of only himself). Certainly my Lord is Rich,
Bountiful.” [Noble Quran 27:40]
After
attaining the position of the Mother of the Believers, Hafsah became even more
absorbed in studying the finer points of religion. She would store in her mind
conversations of Muhammad (peace be upon him) which would lead to a better
understanding of Islam. Often she would discuss any points that arose in her
mind about the Shari’ah.
Jabir
bin ‘Abdullah Ansari narrates an incident which was related to him by Umm
Mubasher. She and Hafsah and the Prophet (peace be upon him) were sitting and
chatting together. He said that all the people who had given the pledged of
allegiance at Hudaybiyah under the tree would go to Paradise, and not to Hell.
She asked how that was possible. The Prophet (peace be upon him) got annoyed,
but Hafsah did not give up and quoted an Ayah from Surah Maryam.
“There
is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell).” [Noble Quran 19:71]
In
reply he quoted the very next Ayah, also from Surah Maryam.
“Then
We shall save those who use to fear Allah and were dutiful to Him. And We shall
leave the wrongdoers therein to there knees (in Hell).” [Noble Quran 19:72]
This
news of Hafsah disputing with the Prophet (peace be upon him) spread in
Al-Madinah. On that day the Prophet (peace be upon him) was very disturbed; and
when ‘Umar Faruq heard about it he chided his daughter. She replied that
‘A’ishah too spoke in the same manner to him. Her father again cautioned her
not to compete with ‘A’ishah and maintain a certain decorum, or else she would
bring trouble on her
self.
Source:
“Great
Women of Islam” – by Dar-us-Salam Publications
To be continued ...
No comments:
Post a Comment