The honor of women in Islam is not to be doubted. The Prophet Muhammad SAW said that the verses of the Qur’an about women made them happy and joyful. This time, it’s about a great female Sahabiyah who managed to control her desires and leanings to get happiness in the afterlife.
She was never tempted by the pleasures and beauty of this temporary world. She understood that a single word of praise from the heart of a believer is better than the world and all its things. She made her home a mosque and appeared as a worship expert who should be an example for anyone.
She never missed her daily routine with the Qur’an. The verses of the Qur’an ran through her body and filled her life with the light of faith and the blessings of worship.
She was Ummu Waraqah bint Al-Harith al-Anshariyah. An Ansari woman also known as Ummu Waraqah bint Naufal, a name attributed to her grandfather. She converted to Islam as soon as she heard about the personality of the Prophet Muhammad SAW and his message.
Since believing and paying obedience to the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Ummu Waraqah began to study the verses of the Qur’an. She read it day and night until she became a woman who was skilled in reading the Qur’an, understanding it, and memorizing it very well.
In addition, Ummu Waraqah tried to collect the verses of the Qur’an and write them down on bones, leather, and other materials, so that she succeeded in collecting all the verses that had been revealed at her house at that time.
After the Prophet Muhammad passed away, Caliph Abu Bakr pointed to her as one of the important references when he named Zaid bin Tsabit as the head of the project to compile the Qur’an.
Abdurrahman bin Khallad narrated from Ummu Waraqah that the Prophet Muhammad often visited her house and hired someone to be her personal muezzin. In fact, Ummu Waraqah was assigned to lead the prayers for the female Sahabiyahs in her house.
Abdurrahman said, “I saw that the muezzin who served at Ummu Waraqah’s house was a very elderly man.” Ummu Waraqah was also known as a woman who loved jihad and longed to die as a shahid in the way of Allah.
When the Prophet Muhammad SAW. encouraged his friends to join the Battle of Badr, she immediately went to see the Prophet SAW and said, “O Rasulullah, allow me to join the battle with you to care for the soldiers who are injured and sick. May Allah grant me shahid in this way. “The Prophet Muhammad SAW said, “Stay in your home, for indeed Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, will grant you the blessing of being a shahid. “From that day on, Ummu Waraqah was known as Asy-Syahidah (the woman who died as a shahid).
The worshipful woman returned to her home, obeying the advice of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. She awaited the new hope of death as a shahid, as he told her. The companions also knew about this good news. Even when the Prophet Muhammad SAW wanted to visit her home with some friends, he often said, “Let’s visit the home of the woman who died as a shahid.”
At the end of her life, Ummu Waraqah died as a shahid, as the Prophet Muhammad SAW had said. She was killed by her male and female slaves. This incident happened during the rule of Caliph Umar bin Khaththab (ra).
Every night, Umar would hear Ummu Waraqah reciting the Qur’an. However, that day something was strange. “By Allah, last night I did not hear my aunt, Ummu Waraqah, reciting,” said Umar. Umar went to find out what had happened and visited Ummu Waraqah’s house.
Umar was shocked to find her lying stiff under a blanket. Ummu Waraqah had died as predicted by the Prophet. “The Prophet was right. The next day, Umar announced the news of Ummu Waraqah’s death. The two slaves who killed her were finally arrested and punished according to the law of retribution.
May Allah be pleased with Ummu Waraqah, who fought for her religion and played a major role in the project of gathering the Quran during the rule of Caliph Abu Bakr ash-Shiddiq ra. Wallahualam. [] Fahdina Dean Yustisia
