WIXLIB

HADRAT ZAINABof the Quraish came forward and said that he wanted totalk. Kinanah put his arrow back in its quiver and askedwhat he wanted to discuss. Abu Sufyan said we havesuffered a humiliating defeat, misfortune, and disgrace atthe hands of Muhammadsa. If you take the daughter ofMuhammadsa from among us, we will be considered weakand cowards. We have no reason to prevent the daughterof Muhammadsa from leaving Makkah if she so wishes.However, my goal is that you return to Makkah for nowand when the situation settles down you can take her toMadinah.Kinanah agreed to this and after a few days hediscreetly handed her over to Hadrat Zaidra bin Harithahwho brought her back from Makkah.723

An ancient Arabian bow and arrow.HADRAT ZAINAB24

7A BEAUTIFULMARRIAGEHadrat Zainabwas injured so severely that she livedonly a few years after being wounded. For the rest of her life shesuffered great agony due to the severity of her wound.The knowledge of her ill health grieved the HolyProphetsa deeply and he once said, “She was my best daughterand she was tried due to her love for me.”The departure of Hadrat Zainabra to Madinahgrieved Hadrat Abul-‘Asra greatly because they had abeautiful relationship full of love and affection. Anyseparation from her made him very sorrowful. Oncewhile on a journey to Syria he remembered Hadratra25

HADRAT ZAINABZainabra with these words full of anguish, “When I went pastIram and I remembered Zainab, a prayer for her naturallycame to me that, ‘O Allah! Keep her strong and healthy, shewho is residing at a sacred place (Makkah); she who is thedaughter of the Trustworthy (Muhammadsa); give her thebest reward. Surely, a husband praises that which he knowswell.” Both husband and wife had to suffer six difficult yearsof separation.7BHadrat Abul-‘Asra was highly honest and a successfulmerchant. Once it so happened that he was returning froma business trip to Syria with a caravan of the Quraish. Whenthe Holy Prophetsa learned about this caravan he sent HadratZaidra bin Harithah with one hundred and seventy riders tofollow it. The Muslims apprehended the disbelievers at theplace of ‘Is. Since the Muslims recognized Hadrat Abul‘Asra, he was not stopped. When Hadrat Abul-‘Asra saw theplight of the caravan he immediately went to Madinah andasked the protection of Hadrat Zainabra. It was a customamong the Arabs that if one person extended protection tosomeone the whole tribe was bound by it.At the time the Holy Prophetsa was offering Fajr26

HADRAT ZAINABPrayer. Hadrat Zainabra called out that she had taken HadratAbul-‘Asra under her protection. After completing his prayerthe Holy Prophetsa asked, “O people! Did you hear anything?”They replied saying, “Yes!”When the Holy Prophetsa came home Hadrat Zainabracame to see him and said, “O Prophet of Allah! From thecloser of relations Abul-‘Asra is my first cousin and a moredistant relation he is the father of my children. This is why Ihave extended protection to him.8 Abul-‘Asra was the leader ofthis caravan therefore please kindly return their possessions.”The Holy Prophetsa addressed the people saying “Youknow Abul-‘Asra is my relative. If you choose to favour him byreturning his possessions it will make me happy. However, youhave the authority to do as you wish.” All the people agreed toreturn everything.27

HADRAT ZAINAB28

8A Generous ANDHonourable MANThe Holy Prophetinstructed Hadrat Zainabra totake good care of Abul-‘Asra and to treat him with respect.However, he instructed that they should live in separate housesuntil Hadrat Abul-‘Asra accepted Islam. After that HadratAbul-‘Asra took his possessions, kissed his children, bid farewellto his wife and left.9Upon his return to Makkah Hadrat Abul-‘Asracleared all his accounts and one day gathered the Quraishtogether and asked them if anyone had any claim onhim. They replied, “Indeed, now we have no claimconcerning you. May God reward you in an excellentsa29

HADRAT ZAINABmanner. You are indeed an honourable and generousperson.”At this moment Hadrat Abul-‘Asra declared that hehad become a Muslim, and openly recited the Kalimah. Heswore by God that the only thing that had kept him from thecompanionship of the Holy Prophetsa was that the peoplemight think he had accepted Islam in order to be freed fromany monetary obligations. Now that he had fully dischargedall his obligations, nothing could keep him from becoming aMuslim.This incidence shows the greatness of his character.Hadrat Abul-‘Asra was the son-in-law of the most trustworthyperson in the world, the Holy Prophetsa and he was exemplaryin his loyalty to that relationship.In the seventh year after the Hijrah, during the monthof Muharram, Hadrat Abul-‘Asra accepted Islam and migratedfrom Makkah to Madinah. After his arrival in Madinah theHoly Prophetsa sent Hadrat Zainabra to live with him.1030

There is none worthy of worship except Allah,Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.HADRAT ZAINAB31

9THE LoVE ofGRANDCHILDRENHadrat Zainabloved her illustrious father and herhusband, Abul-‘Asra, very much. She used to wear very niceclothes. The attendant of the Holy Prophetsa, Hadrat Anasraonce saw her wearing a beautiful yellow-striped silk shawl.Hadrat Zainabra had two children. Her son’s name was‘Alira and her daughter’s name was Umamahra. ‘Alira was born inMakkah before the migration. He was very dear to the HolyProphetsa. The Holy Prophetsa had trained him personally.After the conquest of Makkah he was riding on the camelwith the Holy Prophetsa when the Holy Prophetsa enteredMakkah. According to some traditions he was alive at thera33

HADRAT ZAINABoccasion of the Battle of Yarmuk which was fought duringthe Khilafat of Hadrat ‘Umarra. According to some otheraccounts he passed away before reaching his maturity.The Holy Prophetsa loved the daughter of HadratZainabra, Hadrat Umamahra, deeply. She was the firstgranddaughter of the Holy Prophetsa. Hadrat Umamahrawas so dear to the Holy Prophetsa that he would not part withher even when offering prayers. He would seat her on hisshoulders while offering prayer. When the Holy Prophetsawould move to his bowing position and prostration, hewould lay her down. Then, when he would raise his headfrom prostration, he would seat her on his shoulders again.The Holy Prophetsa would follow this routine through thecompletion of his prayer. This incident shows the immenselove that the Holy Prophetsa had for daughters.Once the Holy Prophetsa received a precious necklaceas a gift. The Holy Prophetsa came home and said that hewould give it to the person who was most dear to him in thefamily. It was presumed that the Mother of the Believers,Hadrat ‘A’ishahra, would receive it, but the Holy Prophetsaput the necklace around the neck of Hadrat Umamahra.34

HADRAT ZAINABAfter the demise of Hadrat Fatimahra, who was thematernal aunt of Hadrat Umamahra, she was married toHadrat ‘Alira in fulfilment of the wish of Hadrat Fatimahra.1135

10MARTYRDomHadrat Zainab lived a little over a year after HadratraAbul-‘Asra accepted Islam. The cause of her death was thesame wound that she received at the time of her migration.This places her in the circle of martyrs. She passed away in theeighth year after the Hijrah. The Holy Prophetsa pronounceda death sentence for Habbar bin Aswad who had inflictedthe wound on her. However, he pardoned the murderer of hisbeloved daughter when he asked for forgiveness at the timeof the conquest of Makkah.37

HADRAT ZAINAB ا َللّٰ ُھ َّم َص ِّل َعلٰی ُم َح َّم ٍد Allahumma salli ‘ala MuhammadO Allah! Shower your blessings on Muhammad.Hadrat ‘Atiyyahra, Hadrat Ummi Aimanra, Hadrat Saudahraand Hadrat Ummi Salamahra washed the body of HadratZainab.The Holy Prophetsa was informed after the body ofHadrat Zainabra had been washed. The Holy Prophetsaoffered his own mantle to be placed on the body inside theshroud. The Holy Prophetsa also instructed that all parts ofthe body should be washed three or five times and camphorshould be applied on the body. It is also narrated that theHoly Prophetsa said “O Ummi ‘Atiyyahra! Wrap my daughterin this shroud in the best manner, braid her hair in threeparts, and apply the best perfumes on her.”The Holy Prophetsa himself led his daughter’s funeralprayer, lowered her into the grave and she was buried inJannatul-Baqi‘. The Holy Prophetsa’s grief was evidentfrom his face. Recalling the suffering of Hadrat Zainabrathe Holy Prophetsa prayed, “O Allah! Ease the suffering of38

HADRAT ZAINABZainabra and make the confined space of the grave spaciousfor her.”Hadrat Abul-‘Asra was dejected and grief stricken atthe demise of Hadrat Zainabra. He also passed away shortlyafterwards. اِنَّــا لِلّٰ ِه َو اِنَّا اِلَ ْي ِه ٰر ِج ُع ْو َن inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji‘unTo Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.May God raise the ranks of these righteous and nobleindividuals and grant us the ability to follow in their footsteps.Amin.39

40To Allah We BELonG andTo HIM SHALL WE RETURN(Baqarah, Verse 157)HADRAT ZAINAB

PUBLISHER’s NoTEThe following abbreviations have been used. Readers are urged to recite the full salutations when reading the book:sa sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, meaning ‘may peace and blessings of Allah beupon him,’ is written after the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.as ‘alaihis-salam, meaning ‘may peace be on him,’ is written after the name ofProphets other than the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.ra radiyallahu ‘anhu/‘anha/‘anhum, meaning ‘may Allah be pleased with him/her/them,’ is written after the names of the Companions of the Holy ProphetMuhammadsa or of the Promised Messiahas.In transliterating Arabic words we have adopted the following system established by theRoyal Asiatic Society. ا at the beginning of a word, pronounced as a, i, u preceded by a very slight aspiration, like h in the English word honour. ث th, pronounced like th in the English word thing. ح h, a guttural aspirate, stronger than h. خ kh, pronounced like the Scotch ch in loch. ذ dh, pronounced like the English th in that.41

ص s, strongly articulated s. ض d, similar to the English th in this. ط t, strongly articulated palatal t. ظ z, strongly articulated z. ع ‘, a strong guttural, the pronunciation of which must be learnt by the ear. غ gh, a sound approached very nearly in the r grasseye in French, and in theGerman r. It requires the muscles of the throat to be in the ‘gargling’ positionwhilst pronouncing it. ق q, a deep guttural k sound. ء ’, a sort of catch in the voice.Short vowels are represented by:afor(like u in bud)ifor(like i in bid)ufor(like oo in wood)Long vowels by:or ( آ like a in father);aforifor ی orufor و (like oo in root);(like ee in deep);Other:ai for ی (like i in site);42

au for و (resembling ou in sound)The consonants not included in the above list have the same phonetic value as in the principal languages of Europe. While the Arabic ن is represented by n, we have indicatedthe Urdu ں as n. Curved commas are used in the system of transliteration, ‘ for ع , ’ for ء .We have not transliterated certain Arabic words which have become part of Englishlanguage. The Royal Asiatic Society rules of transliteration for names of persons, placesand other terms, could not be followed throughout the book as many of the namescontain non-Arabic characters and carry a local transliteration and pronunciation stylewhich in itself is also not consistent either.The Publisher43

GLoSSARYAllah— Allah is the personal name of God in Islam. To show properreverence to Him, Muslims often add Ta‘ala, ‘the Most High’, when sayingHis Holy name.Hadith— A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. The plural isahadith.Hadrat — A term of respect used for a person of established righteousnessand piety.Hijrah— Year of Islamic calendar that started after the migration of theHoly Prophetsa.Holy Prophetsa — A term used exclusively for Hadrat Muhammadsa, theProphet of Islam.Islam— Means peace and submission; Name of religion brought by theHoly Prophet Muhammadsa.45

Jannatul-Baqi‘— Graveyard in Madinah where many Companions ofthe Holy Prophetsa are buriedKalimah Tayyibah— The creed of Islam, There is none worthy ofworship except Allah, and Muhammadsa is the Messenger of Allah.Khilafat— Divine system of succession after the prophet.Makkah—City of the birth of the Holy Prophetsa and location of theKa‘bah.Madinah— City to which the Holy Prophetsa migrated. Its former namewas Yathrib.Quraish— the most highly respected tribe in Arabia.Ummahatul-Mu’mininra—Mothers of all Believers. Title given to allthe wives of the Holy Prophetsa. This title is based on the words of Allah theAlmighty Who refers to them as ‘Mothers’ in the Holy Quran. (Singular isUmmul-Mu’minin - Mother of the Believers)46

Beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet MuhammadsaHadratZAINAB(May Allah be pleased with her)STUDY GUIDEAND WORKBOOK47

The WoRds of ouRBeloved ProphetsaFRom the books of Hadith Muslim and Tirmidhi“Whoever raises two girls until they reach maturity and get married, he andI will be like these two on the Day of Resurrection” and the Holy Prophetsaheld together two of his fingers. (Narrated by Muslim and At-Tirmidhi. )Explain what you think this Hadith means.Give an example from the book which shows how much the HolyProphetsa loved his daughters.Can you think of or find any other Ahadith which show the high regardthat the Holy Prophetsa had for women and daughters? Write it andexplain what it means.49

50

Who SAID IT?Using the key below, draw the picture that represents the person whosaid the quote.Holy ProphetMuhammadsaHadratZainabraHadratAbul- ‘AsraTheQuraishSYMBOL:QUOTE:“How can I reject my father who is Sadiq (Truthful)and Amin (Trustworthy)? I swear by God, he is tellingthe truth. My mother and sisters, Hadrat ‘Alira son ofAbu Talib, Abu Bakrra, Hadrat ‘Uthmanra bin ‘Affanfrom your tribe, and your cousin Hadrat Zubairra binAl-‘Awwam have all accepted Islam. I do not thinkthat you will reject my father’s claim of prophethood.”“Indeed now we have no claim concerning you, mayGod reward you in excellent manner, you are indeed anhonourable and generous person”.51

SYMBOL:QUOTE:“O Allah! Ease the suffering of Hadrat Zainabra and makethe confined space of the grave spacious for her.”“I have no doubt about your father nor do I rejecthim. Indeed, nothing is more important to methan to be with you in your religion, but I am afraidthat my people will accuse me of abandoningthe religion of my ancestors for my wife’s sake.”“O Ummi ‘Atiyyahra! Wrap my daughter in the shroud inthe best manner, braid her hair in three parts, and applythe best perfumes on her.”“O Prophet of Allah! From the closer relation Abul-‘Asrais my first cousin and from a more distant relation he isthe father of my children. This is why I have extendedmy protection to him.8 Abul-‘Asra was the leader of thiscaravan therefore please kindly return their possessions.”52

A NoBle FAMILY!Using the name bank below, find the missing names on the family tree.Qus aiyy‘Abdul-Uzza‘Abdu ManafBanu Prophet MuhammadsaHadrat ZainabHadrat FatimahAliBanuHashimAbul-‘Asbin dullahUmamah53

E54

CIRCLE the ARTIFACT!Use the clues below to find the missing artifacts. Circle your answer!1.) When Hadrat Zainab was leaving Makkah to go to Madinah she wasattacked. Which weapon permanently injured her?2.) Due to the attack, she fell. Where did she fall from?55

3.) When Hadrat Abul-‘Asra returned to Makkah, before declaring that hehad become Muslim, he cleared all his accounts and made sure that he didnot owe anyone .4.) The Holy Prophetsa received a precious gift which he decided to give tothe person most dear to him, his granddaughter Umamahra. What was thegift?56

StuDY Questions1.) The Holy Quran:“And one of His signs is this, that He has created wives for youfrom among yourselves that you may find peace of mind inthem, and He has put love and tenderness between you. In thatsurely are Signs for a people who reflect.”(Ar-Rum 30:22)How do we know that Hadrat Zainabra and Hadrat ‘Abul-Asraloved each other very much?What was the only reason that they were separated from eachother?Explain what we can learn from their relationship.57

Think of three reasons why it is important for a husband andwife to love each other.123What is a martyr?Why was Hadrat Zainabra considered a martyr?Explain how the body of Hadrat Zainabra was prepared forher funeral.How do we know that the Holy Prophetsa

Eldest Daughter of Exalted PaRents H adrat Zainabra was the eldest daughter of our beloved Master, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and his first wife, Hadrat Khadijahra. She was the daughter of the most exalted parents in the entire history of the world. Before the advent of the Holy Proph