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Mother of believers

Juwairyah bent al-Harith [AAH]

 

The Growth of Juwairyah  the mother of believers [AAH]:

She is Barrah the daughter of al-Harith ibn Abi Derar ibn Habib ibn 'A'iz ibn Malik from Khuzaa, her father was a master and leader of Bani al-Mustaleq. Barrah lived in her father's house as an honored and respected one with luxury and wealth in a highborn house of noble origin. Barrah, in her newness age, got married to Musafe' ibn Safwan, one of Khuzaa's men, while she did not pass twenty of her age.

Beginnings of the light:

Ibn Kather mentioned that Bani al-Mustaleq was the biggest branch of Khuzaa tribe. It was ally to abo-Sufian ibn Harb against the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. It had a great effect on the tribes around it. At-Tabari mentioned: The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] was informed that Bani al-Mustaleq are gathering against him [PPBUH] and their leader was al-Harith ibn Derar, the father of Juwairyah bent al-Harith. When the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] heard about their gathering, He [PPBUH] went out to them and he met them at some water place of them, called "al-Muraysaa", from the side of Qudaid to the coast. Then people marched on and fought hardly. The Prophet [PPBUH] defeated Bani al-Mustalaq and many were killed. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] took their sons, women and money as spoils of war, and Allah bestowed that upon him. Musafe' ibn Safwan, the husband of Sayyda Juwairyah, was one of those who were killed by the Muslims' swords. Sayyda Juwairyah bent al-Harith [AAH] was one of the women who got captured and was in the share of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas al-Ansari [AAH], then she made a written deal with him [for releasing her] that she would pay for him an amount of money in exchange for setting her free, as she was longing for the freedom.

The Marriage of Juwairyah  to the Messenger [PPBUH]:

The destiny of sayyda Juwairyah was to go to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. When sayyda Aisha saw her she described her as "She was a beautiful and pleasant one". She also said "By Allah, when I saw her at the door of my room, I became bothered with her and I knew that He [PPBUH] will see of her what I did". Juwairyah came to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and said "I am Juwairyah bent al-Harith ibn Abo-Derar, the master of his people. It has befallen unto me what you know. Then I became in the share of Thabit ibn Qays and he contracted me to set me free for nine silvers. So, help me to be set free". Because of the fact that Bani al-Mustaleq were of the most dignified houses and honorable ancestry of the Arab, and because of the wisdom of the Prophet [PPBUH], he said to Juwairyah (would you like a better offer?) she said: "and what is it O, Messenger of Allah?" He [PPBUH] said (I will pay your written deal and marry you?). She was, a while ago, yearning for inhaling the fragrance of freedom; but she found what is greatest than that. Juwairyah  rejoiced so much and her face shined when she heard what the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said. She will be honorable by him [PPBUH] after the loss and disgrace, so she answered him without any hesitation or stutter "Yes, O, Messenger of Allah". Then the Prophet [PPBUH] married her and gave her 400 Dirhams as a dowry.

Ibn Ishaq said: Mohamed ibn Ga'far ibn az-Zubair narrated to me from his uncle Urwa ibn az-Zubair from his Aunt Aisha, that she said "when the Prophet [PPBUH] divided the captives of Bani al-Mustaleq, Juwairyah was in the share of Harith ibn Abo-Qays ibn Shammas or a cousin of her, then she made a written deal with him on herself. The daughter of the people's master always has dignity and honor. So, she made a deal with him to give him some money in exchange for her freedom. Of course the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] was having the ability to set her free without any ransom by being the guarantor. But what did He [PPBUH] do? He said (Or better than that, would you like something better than that?) She said "What?" He said [PPBUH] (I will pay for you your written deal and marry you). She said "Yes". So he [PPBUH] did.

Abo-Omar al-Qurtubi said in "The Understanding": her name was Barrah, and then the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] changed her name and named her Juwairyah. After that Juwairyah [AAH] became a mother of the believers and a wife for the Master of the formers and last ones [PPBUH].

Ibn Abbas [AAH] said: her name was Barrah, then the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] changed her name to Juwairyah, and he hated to be said: that he went out from "Barrah". Narrated by Muslim.

Ibn Hesham said: when The Prophet [PPBUH] left from the conquest of Bani al-Mustaleq with Juwairyah, while, in the same army, he [PPBUH] gave her to a man from Ansar and told him to take care of her because she was the daughter of her people's master. That was before divining the spoils. Then the Prophet [PPBUH] came to Medina and her father al-Harith ibn Abo-Derar came with a ransom for his daughter. Her father was the master of his people, so he brought some of his camels to ransom his people. When he reached al-Aqiq, he looked at the camels he brought to ransom his daughter, then he desired two of the camels. So he hid them away in a mountain pass of Al-Aqiq. Then he came to the Prophet [PPBUH] and said "O, Messenger of Allah, you took my daughter as a captive and here is her ransom". Then the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said (where are the two camels that you hid away in al-Aqiq at the mountain pass of so-and-so?). al-Harith said "I testify that there is no God but Allah and You are the Messenger of Allah. No one knew of that except Allah". Al-Harith embraced Islam and so did two of his sons and others of his people; he sent for the two camels and brought them.

The blessings of Juwairyah  [AAH]:

The news spread to the Muslims, so they sent what they had of captives and said glorifying: they are the in-laws of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. The blessing of Juwairyah for her people was one of the greatest blessings. Sayyda Aisha said about her [AAT] "a hundred house from Bani al-Mustaleq had someone who was let freed because of her marriage to him [PPBUH]. So I never knew any woman with a greater blessing than her".

Her attributes and most important features [AAH]:

Sayyda Juwairyah [AAH] was one of the most beautiful women, she also was characterized with: the judicious mind and the apposite, apt and sedate opinion. She also had honorable good morals, eloquence and knowledge of speech situations. She also was famous for her clear heart and pure inner self. In addition to that, she was conscious, pious, pure, ascetic and had Fiqh with a shining soul, and luminous heart and mind.

Sayyda Juwairyah [AAH] started to follow the mothers of believers' examples in praying, worshiping and quoting from the Messenger [PPBUH] and his praised benign morals and attributes, until she became an example in the virtue and morality. The mother of believers Juwairyah was one of the ascetic, intimately praying, praising and patient worshipers. She used to persist in: praising Allah, the Most High and the Omnipotent, glorifying Him and doing Allah's Dhikr.

The narrator of Hadith [AAH]:

Ibn Abbas, Ubaid ibn as-Sabbaq, Kuraib Mawla ibn Abbas, Mugahed, Abo-Ayoub Yahya ibn Malik al-Azdy and Gaber ibn Abdullah narrated from her. Her Musnad [her narrations of Hadith] in the book of Baqy ibn Mukhlad has seven Hadith, four of them in the six books of Hadith, al-Bukhari has one Hadith of hers, and Muslem has two Hadith. Her narrations included Hadith about fasting: that Friday should not be specialized with fasting. Another Hadith was about prayers and the virtue of praising Allah. Another was about almsgiving; that a present is permitted for the Prophet [PPBUH] even if the presenter has owned it from alms. She also narrated Hadith about liberation. And thus, with seven honorable Hadith, the mother of believers Juwairyah bent al-Harith [AAH] perpetuated her name in the world of narrations to add to her honor, besides the honor of her accompanying to the Prophet [PPBUH] and her motherhood for the Muslims, her informing of Sunna of the Prophet [PPBUH] to the nation, as much as she could.

One the Hadith of Imam al-Bukhary [AAH] narrated from Qutadah from Ayyub from Juwairyah bent al-Harith [AAH] that the Prophet [PPBUH] entered to her on a Friday, once, while she was fasting. He [PPBUH] said to her (Did you fast yesterday?) she said "No". He said [PPBUH] (do you want to fast tomorrow?) she said "No". So He [PPBUH] said (So break your fast) and this indicates the hatred of specifying Friday with fasting and even forbidding that.

Sayyda Juwairyah [AAH] was known with her great fasting, Dhikr and praising Allah, Almighty. Ibn Abbas narrated from Juwairyah bent al-Harith that she said "Once, the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] came to me in the early morning while I was praising and doing Dhikr of Allah. Then He went out for some need. When he returned around noon, he said (are you still sitting for that) I said "Yes". Then He [PPBUH] said (Do I teach you some words if it was balanced with what you did, it would weigh it, and if compared with it, it would equal it. "Subhan Allah with the number of His creation" three times, "Subhan Allah with the weight of His Throne" three times, "Subhan Allah with the content of Himself" three times, "Subhan Allah with ink of His Words" three times) narrated by imam Ahmed in his Musnad.

Her passing away to Allah:

Sayyda Juwairyah lived after the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] well pleased and well pleasing. Her life was lasted till the caliphate of the companion Mu'awyah ibn Suffian [AAH]. She passed away on the Hijri month of Rabie al-Awwal of the fiftieth year from the Honorable Prophetic Hijra, when she was sixty five years old. Marawan ibn al-Hakam escorted her funeral to al-Baqie and preyed upon her.

May Allah please and accept her and make the highest paradise as her shelter. May Allah resurrect us with her where the highest highness with the Prophets, the saints, the martyrs, the righteous ones and what a great company are those.

 

Written by Rawya Ramadan.

Translated by Fatima az-Zahraa