Women in Every Field

WOMEN AND ISLAM (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 902; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 847) When the Prophet was preparing to set off for the Khaybar expedition, 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.” (Ibn Sa‘d, Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 8, p. 292) Umm ‘Atiyah, a Madinan woman, said she had been present on seven expeditions: “I treated the sick, attended to their wounds, and took care of their belongings during their journeys. I also prepared food for them.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 20792) During the battle with the Jews in Madina, the Muslim women and children gathered on the roof of a fort with Hassan ibn Thabit as their guard. Safia, the daughter of Abdul Muttalib, who was also present on the roof, describes how she saw a passing Jew taking a round of the fort: “At that time the Banu Qurayza (a Jewish tribe) were doing battle with the Muslims, which is why the road between us and the Prophet was cut off, and there was no one to defend us from the Jews. Being on the battlefront, the Prophet and his Companions could not assist us. Meanwhile, the Jew approached the fort, and I said, ‘O Hassan, look! This Jew who is walking all around our fort is a danger to us because he might go and inform the Jews of the insecure position we are in. The Prophet and his Companions are in