When we think of pioneers,
we usually imagine adults – strong, powerful people, usually men, who used
their intellect, wealth, and other talents to influence the world around them
in new ways. What we don’t think of
are people like us: young girls and women, not only struggling with the daily
challenges of a difficult world, but with the added responsibility of being the
first standard-bearers of a revolutionary religious and spiritual movement.
Islam came to Makkah, and
the world, as a provocative new call to a classic message: the pure worship of the
One True God, and an accompanying spread of Divine Justice for all. Perceived
to be insurrectionary by the elites of Makkan society, the early Muslims found
themselves persecuted mercilessly and tortured without regard for age or
gender.
Amongst the first
believers in Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his message were
various women.
First and foremost were
the women of his household: his wife, Khadijah, and his daughters, Zainab, Ruqayyah,
Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah. Khadijah was a respected and powerful businesswoman,
and in her there is the ultimate example of the career woman: a woman who was
not afraid to pursue her interests in business, capitalize upon excellent
opportunities, and invest her wealth in a cause she believed in.
Other women amongst the
early Muslims included the celebrated martyr Sumayyah bint Khayyat, Asma bint
Abi Bakr, and Nusaybah bint Ka’ab. Most of these women were considered to be
young; all of these women left their mark in Islamic history. Two of the
Prophet’s daughters were married to sons of Abu Lahab and were regularly
tormented; Sumayyah was a slave who defied her master’s orders and resisted his
agonizing punishment; Asma played a vital role in the Hijrah of RasulAllah
(sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).
These women were the
pioneers of Islam – without them, the history of the Muslim Ummah would be drastically
different; without them, Muslim men would not have been able to accomplish the
feats that they did, and Muslim women would have no examples, no role models to
follow. Every Sahabiyyah was different, in terms of both individual
personality and the roles that they played in the establishment of Islam and
the foundation of the Muslim Ummah.
What these women all had
in common, however, was that despite their circumstances – which differed from
woman to woman – they all displayed an exemplary courage. To begin with, they
live in a patriarchal society which devalued women and often considered them as
property; from the outset, their worth as human beings was belittled due to
their gender. When Islam entered their hearts, however, none of them allowed
themselves to be intimidated into staying silent over their spiritual
convictions. Whether they were stay-at-home mothers or business women; slaves
or warriors, they each drew upon their inner strength of faith and character to
stand up for what they believed in.
Today, many Muslim women
feel that their gender, their ages, their financial circumstances, or other
factors limit them in how they can practice Islam or play an important role in
modern Islamic history.
The Sahabiyaat did not allow any external factors to
prevent them from being amongst the strongest pioneers of Islam; no Muslim girl
or woman today should let herself feel intimidated by the challenges she will
face in her pursuit of Allah’s Pleasure.
“When a butterfly flaps
its wings in China, a tornado brews in Texas,” the saying goes. Every Muslim
woman is a butterfly: a small being on her own, pushed and pulled by different
forces, but even the smallest act that we do with firm conviction and a sincere
intention to please Allah can have an effect greater than we could ever dream
of.
Instead of despairing over
our lack of control over the world, let us draw inspiration from the Sahabiyaat,
from the youthful pioneers of an ancient path. Resolve to be a butterfly, and
flutter your wings as fiercely as you can.
Zainab bint Younus
(AnonyMouse) is a young woman who
finds constant inspiration in the lives of the Sahabiyaat and other great women
in Islamic history. She hopes that every Muslimah is able to identify with the
struggles of these inspirational women and follow in their footsteps to become
a part of a new generation of powerful Muslim women. She blogs at http://www.thesalafifeminist.blogspot.com