5.3. THE MOTHER OF THE BELIEVERS & THE MOTHER OF THE NEEDY
On the death of her husband, she kept patient, felt satisfied with Allah’s Command, unswervingly believed that Allah would not forsake her, and put her trust in Him. After her waiting period had come to an end, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked for her hand in marriage and she made him her guardian. He gave her 12 ounces (of gold) as dowry. It is said that it was her uncle, Qabisah ibn N Amr al-Hilali, who married her to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave her 400 dirhams as dowry.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) built a room for her beside the three of his wives, Sawdah, and Hafsah. This marriage took place after 31 months of Hijrah. Ibn Qutaybah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah after 20 days of his marriage to Hafsah.
Thus, Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) took her place in the house of Prophethood and enjoyed this great status of being one of the Mothers of the Believers and the fifth wife of the trustworthy Prophet (peace be upon him).
The wisdom behind this marriage was that the Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to reward her for her commitment to Islam and fighting for the cause of Allah, and to alleviate her misfortune especially as she no longer had anyone to provide for her or defend and protect her. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) offered her proposal of marriage and treated her in a conciliatory manner. Historians and writers of biography were unanimous on the fact that she was distinguished with kindheartedness, generosity, and sympathy for the poor and the indigent to the extent that her name was hardly mentioned in a book without being accompanied by her great title “The Mother of the needy. “
Ibn Hisham said, “She was dubbed the Mother of the needy because of her mercy, pity, and benevolence towards the indigent.” Az-Zuhari was reported to have said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, while she was the mother of the needy, and she was named as such because she used to feed the needy.
It seems and Allah knows best – that she enjoyed this nickname and this good moral status before her emigration to Madinah, and even before her conversion to Islam. Ibn Abu Khaythamah was reported to have said that she was dubbed the Mother of the needy in the pre-Islamic period. Al-Qastlani also stated that in the pre-Islamic period she also was called the Mother of the needy.
She (may Allah be pleased with her) was a good example of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) which says, “People are like mines of gold and silver; those who were excellent in Jahiliyah (during the pre-Islamic period) are excellent in Islam, when they have an understanding. Distinguished with good character in the pre-Islamic era, with the advent of Islam, she promoted more good virtues, such as generosity and honesty.
She (may Allah be pleased with her) was benevolent enough to flood the inhabitants of Suffah – poor Muslims in the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) – with her charity, kindness, pity, and sympathy until they praised her and their tongues kept on supplicating Allah for her.
What an excellent lesson Zaynab bint Khuzaymah gives to Muslim women. She taught Muslim women to be humble towards the poor and the indigent and to sympathize with them and to meet their needs, console them, and support them. Muslim woman should take part in the development and prosperity of her society and provide services for the poor and the indigent. Thus, she played a great role in promoting righteousness, benevolence, training, and consolation. Under her guidance, the training of women in the fields of social services, such as creating awareness of neighbor’s rights, social solidarity, taking care of the poor family, looking after the orphans, the aged and the handicapped, first aid and nursing, learning science and teaching it, teaching home industries, etc., expanded. All these fields are some of the means through which a Muslim woman can serve her society.
The conscious Muslim woman, however, should consider that taking part in these works should not be at the expense of her duties towards her husband, home, and children and firstly she should take the permission of her husband before partaking in these services.
(SOURCE: Wives of Prophet Muhammad, Their Strives and Their Lives by Muhammad Fathi Mus’ ad)
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