Great Women in Islam

The answer for this week's quiz question (Which of the Prophet's (PBUH) wives was entrusted with the great task of preserving the written verses of the Holy Qur'aan? ) is:

• She was the daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him).
• She was 1st married to a man known as Hisn ibn Hudhafah, who participated in the Battle of Badr and then fell ill at Madinah and died.
• She then became a widow and her father Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) became worried and decided to find her a suitable husband.
• Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) thus approached Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with Him) and asked him if he would marry Hafsah (May Allah be pleased with her). On this request Abu Bakr remained silent and Umar was distressed.
• Umar then approached Uthmaan (May Allah be pleased with him) for the marriage of his daughter Hafsah, but Uthmaan was still mourning the loss of his wife Ruqayyah (May Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
• The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) then saw Umar in this distressed condition and inquired about this.
• The Messenger (PBUH) calmed Umar down and said to him; “Hafsah shall marry someone who is better than Uthmaan and Uthmaan shall marry someone who is better than Hafsah.”
• Although Umar didn’t fully understand, he was calmed.
• When Umar told Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with them) what the Prophet (PBUH) had said, then Abu Bakr told Umar that the Prophet (PBUH) mentioned Hafsah to him and showed an interest in marrying her. This was the reason for Abu Bakr’s silence, and he said that he would otherwise have married Hafsah.
• Uthmaan was promised in marriage Umm Kulthoom, who was also the daughter of the Prophet (PBUH) thus the Prophet’s (PBUH) words were understood.
• That is the story of how Hafsah entered the household of the Prophet (PBUH) as one of the Mothers of the Believers.

• She was the closest to A’isha of all the Prophet’s (PBUH) wives. It was like the two of them were sisters, and they always agreed and never argued.
• Hafsah was somewhat stern and tough in nature.
• Due to her nature, the Prophet (PBUH) divorced her once.
• According to Ahadeeth, On this, the angel Jibra’eel (Gabriel) came to the Prophet (PBUH) and told him; “Take Hafsah back, for she frequently fasts and prays in the night. And she is your wife in Paradise.”
• The Prophet (PBUH) thus took Hafsah back .
• Hafsah could read and write. This was an accomplishment that was very rare amongst women and men at that time.
• An indication of the importance of this ability was that Hafsah’s house was the place where the revealed verses of the Holy Qur’aan (written on palm branches, slates and other material) was kept.

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PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GREAT WOMEN IN ISLAM SERIES WILL NOW BE POSTED EVERY SECOND WEEK INSTEAD OF EVERY WEEK- INSHAA-ALLAH.