On International Women's Day, the first women we should be commemorating are those who were commemorated in the Qur'an: Hawaa', the Queen of Sheba, Hajar, Sarah, Asiyah, the mothers of Musa and Maryam, and Maryam herself.
These women shaped our history; they embodied piety and courage, wisdom and strength; they were made examples for this entire Ummah, men and women alike.
These women were inspired by Allah, spoken to by angels, were guided and comforted by their Lord even as they went through excruciating tests.
These women were inspired by Allah, spoken to by angels, were guided and comforted by their Lord even as they went through excruciating tests.
Slave woman and queen; known and unnamed; daughters, wives, mothers, but most importantly *individuals* - these #ForgottenHeroines tell us how to change the world simply by striving to please Allah.
These women were spoken about by our Creator Himself; their stories etched upon the Preserved Tablet above the 7 heavens, their greatness was praised in the Qur'an and they will be known for as long as the Qur'an is recited with our tongues and is protected within our hearts.
These women were spoken about by our Creator Himself; their stories etched upon the Preserved Tablet above the 7 heavens, their greatness was praised in the Qur'an and they will be known for as long as the Qur'an is recited with our tongues and is protected within our hearts.
Will we raise our sons and daughters to know these #ForgottenHeroines? Will we raise them to love them and seek to emulate them? Will we teach them that greatness comes not from social status or wealth or even the pursuit of worldly happiness - but from that most rare and precious of blessings: true taqwa, a faith as brilliant and unbreakable as a diamond.
Or will we be of those who simply lets their stories fade away and be forgotten, whose children will never experience the thrill of hearing about the angel whose wing let loose a sacred well for the sake of a woman who never gave up; the queen who raised a Prophet and defied a Pharoah... or about the teenage girl who worshiped her Lord in a blessed temple, whose belly began to swell miraculously, who fled to the desert to give birth to an infant whose tiny rosebud mouth proclaimed Prophethood and honoured his mother just as the angels honoured her.
Today, and every day, honour these women by reciting the Divine Words that speak of them; today, and every day, continue their legacies by living in accordance to the principles and values they lived and died for; today, and every day, make your purpose in life that which was theirs: the love and pleasure of Allah alone.
May we be of those who love our Lord and are beloved to Him, may we be of those who love those whom He loves, may we be of those brought together in this world out of love for Him, may we be of those gathered with His beloveds on the Day of Judgment, and reunited in Jannah, ameen.
اللهم إني أسألك حبك وحب من يحبك وحب كل عمل يقربني إلى حبك