Safiyyah Bint Abdul Muttalib: The Woman Who Raised a Warrior
This female companion was an
extraordinary woman, unlike most women. She represented a unique model among
women. She was Safiyyah Bint Abdul Muttalib, who gave the Muslims the first
warrior to draw his sword in the cause of Allah after raising him with sound
upbringing.
Safiyyah Bint Abdul Muttalib, a woman
of the Hashemite clan of Quraysh and the paternal aunt of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him), was surrounded by honor from every side.
Her father was Abdul Muttalib Ibn
Hashim, the grandfather of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and
the leader of Quraysh. Her mother was Halah Bint Wahb, the sister of Aminah Bint
Wahb, the mother of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Her first husband was Al-Harith Ibn
Harb, the brother of Abu Sufyan. Her second husband was Al-`Awwam Ibn
Khuwaylid, the brother of Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid, the first of the Mothers of the Believers, a woman
who gathered honor from every side.
From Raising a Son to Building a Warrior
Her upbringing of her son, Az-Zubayr,
has been described as a unique and advanced model of parenting. In the
difficult environment of Mecca, she was able on her own to raise one of the ten companions promised Paradise, one of the six members of the council of
consultation, and the close companion and disciple of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him): Az-Zubayr Ibn Al-`Awwam.
Her approach to parenting was aimed at
building a man for the future.
She did not raise her son Az-Zubayr to
become merely an ordinary member of Quraysh. Rather, she had a clear vision of
preparing him to become a leader capable of carrying great responsibilities and
facing momentous challenges.
She fully understood that excessive
tenderness and indulgence could weaken men and leave them lacking in courage.
When her husband, Al-`Awwam Ibn
Khuwaylid, died while Az-Zubayr was still young, she refused to allow
orphanhood to turn her son into a weak or broken person. Instead, she
transformed his orphanhood into a motivation for complete self-reliance.
A Strict Upbringing Built Around
Strength and Responsibility
According to her philosophy of
parenting, she relied on strict and practical methods to build Az-Zubayr’s
character, despite facing strong criticism from her relatives.
Some may object to her approach to
raising him. When he was young, she would beat him severely and place him in
difficult circumstances to test his endurance.
Her brother, Nawfal Ibn Khuwaylid,
often reproached her. When he saw her beating her son, he would say: “You have
killed the boy! You have ruined the boy! You beat him as though you hate him!”
She would respond with famous verses
that clearly expressed her philosophy of raising him:
Whoever says that I hate him has lied;
I only strike him so that he may acquire intelligence,
Defeat armies and bring back the spoils,
And so that his wealth will not be lost or squandered.
As for her words, “so that he may
acquire intelligence,” she refers to sound, sharp, and discerning judgment. In
other words, she struck him so that he would learn wisdom, alertness, and
awareness, rather than become careless or heedless.
Her words, “defeat armies and bring
back the spoils,” expressed her desire to instill ambition and military courage
in him and train him to stand at the forefront of warriors rather than behind
them.
As for “so that his wealth will not be
lost or squandered,” this referred to training him in financial management and
the preservation of wealth. She wanted him to become neither foolish nor
wasteful with his father’s wealth, but rather a responsible man who could be
relied upon.
Building Confidence Without Breaking the
Child
Safiyyah also aimed to strengthen her
son’s confidence and psychological resilience.
Despite the severity of her training,
she did not destroy Az-Zubayr’s personality or humiliate him. Rather, her
discipline was intended to correct and develop him, not to insult or degrade
him.
She instilled in his subconscious the
image of a falcon.
As a result, Az-Zubayr always saw
himself as someone great and dignified, unwilling to accept anything inferior.
He was the first person in Islam to
draw a sword, and he was no more than fifteen years old.
He was independent and dignified. He
was not shaken by the pressure of the polytheists or by the torture inflicted
upon him by his uncle after he embraced Islam. Instead, he remained firmly
committed to the truth, drawing strength from the upbringing he had received
from his mother.
He was an exceptional warrior. He led
military campaigns and stormed fortresses such as the fortress of Babylon,
fulfilling his mother’s prophecy: “He will defeat armies and bring back the
spoils.”
Az-Zubayr Ibn Al-`Awwam stormed the
fortress of Babylon during the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 20 AH / 641 CE by
climbing its walls and personally removing its gate.
How Az-Zubayr Stormed the Fortress of
Babylon
When the Muslim siege of the fortress
of Babylon continued for approximately four months without success because of
its resistance and formidable defenses, the initiative and idea came from Az-Zubayr.
Az-Zubayr Ibn Al-`Awwam devised a
daring plan. He constructed a wooden ladder and climbed the fortress wall at
night under a barrage of arrows from the guards. Only a small number of his
companions were with him.
He then began saying Takbir (proclaiming
the greatness of Allah) and throwing the defenders into confusion.
When Az-Zubayr and his companions
reached the top of the wall, they loudly announced Takbir, causing the fortress
to tremble with their cries.
The Romans believed that the Muslims
had already breached the entire fortress, and fear spread through their hearts.
Az-Zubayr then opened the main gate. He
descended into the courtyard of the fortress with remarkable courage and
attacked the guards stationed at the main entrance. He managed to force the
gates open, allowing the rest of the Muslim army to enter. The fortress
subsequently fell.
Safiyyah: A Woman Who Fought to Defend
the Muslim Community
Az-Zubayr inherited from his mother
the courage and bravery of the family of Abdul Muttalib.
After she migrated to Madinah, she
played a prominent role in teaching women, supporting the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him), and encouraging him to stand firmly for the
truth.
She herself also took part in
defending the Muslim community. Safiyyah was the first woman in Islam to
personally kill an enemy combatant during the Battle of the Trench.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) placed the women in the fortress of Hassan Ibn Thabit, a
fortified structure in Madinah. The Jewish forces saw this and attempted to
attack the women while the Muslims were occupied with the battle.
One of them came to investigate the
fortress. When Safiyyah saw the man, she realized that he had come only
intending harm. She went down to confront him carrying a wooden club and struck
him until she split his head.
She then ordered Hassan Ibn Thabit to
go down, strip the man of his possessions, and take his sword and weapons. He
replied: “Why don’t you strip him yourself?” Safiyyah stood firmly for
what was right and carried out this great defensive mission.
When the Jewish forces saw what had
happened, they said: “We now know that Muhammad would never leave his women
without someone to protect them.” They believed that Safiyyah was a man and one
of the warriors protecting the women inside that fortress.
Safiyyah’s Patience and Courage at the
Battle of Uhud
Her patience and steadfastness during
the Battle of Uhud were no less remarkable than her courage during the Battle
of the Trench.
When her brother, Hamzah Ibn Abdul Muttalib,
was martyred and the pain of separation became overwhelming, the Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed her son, Az-Zubayr Ibn
Al-`Awwam, not to let her see what had happened to her brother.
She responded with remarkable
composure: “Why? I have already heard that my brother was mutilated, and that
this happened for the sake of Allah. What could please us more than what
happened to him?”
When the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) learned of her patience, he
allowed her to pray over her brother and seek forgiveness for him.
Safiyyah Bint Abdul Muttalib: A Model of
Courageous Muslim Womanhood
Thus, Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased
with her) emerges as an exceptional model of a Muslim woman who combined noble
lineage with extraordinary achievement.
She was a mother who raised one of the
closest companions and disciples of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him).
She was a woman whose courage was
written into history in moments of the greatest difficulty and during the most
delicate crises.
She was a school of patience,
steadfastness, and the making of strong men. Her life continually reminds us
that greatness is not achieved through indulgence, and that great
responsibilities can only be carried by those who were raised to endure
hardship and equipped with faith.
For Further Reading:
Great Mothers Who Changed the
Course of History
Asma’ Bint Abu Bakr: Heroine of
the Hijrah and Mother of Great Men
Can Families Raise Confident
Children Despite Rising Islamophobia?
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