IN THE FIELD OF ACTION

5. Muslim women ~ 98 ~ perspired and became covered in dust: the Prophet had, therefore, told them to take a bath before attending prayers.88 When the Prophet was preparing to set off for Khaybar to engage in jihad, some women of the Banu Ghifar tribe approached him and said, “O Prophet of God, we want to accompany you on this journey, so that we may tend the injured and help Muslims in every possible way.” The Prophet replied, “May God bless you. You are welcome to come.”89 Umm ‘Atiyah, a Medinan woman, said that she had been present on seven expeditions: “I looked after the emigrants, cooked their food, bound up the wounds of the injured and cared for those who were in distress.” 87. Ibn Hajar al-’Athqalani, Fath al-Bari fi Sharh alBukhari, 2/284-288. 88. Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab al-Jumu’a, 2/307. 89. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat al-Kubra, 8/292. During the battle with the Jews in Medina, the Muslim women and children were gathered on the