Woman in Islam

paradise lies at the feet of your mother

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said in a famous narration: ’Paradise lies at the feet of your mother’ [Musnad Ahmad, Sunan An-Nasâ’i, Sunan Ibn Mâjah] 

In this well-loved hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said, “Paradise lies at the feet of mothers.” This means that we gain admission to Jannah (Heaven) through the treatment we give to our mothers. We can also be denied admission through mistreatment of mothers. It is said that no person will ever be granted access to Paradise if his mother died while angry with him. Now, obviously, there are many other factors that determine whether or not a person will ever see Jannah. This hadith simply shows the importance of being kind to our mothers. 

When you have been blessed with a loving, nurturing mom, you should celebrate her every day. Do not wait for a circle on your calendar. A true mother is a divine gift and should be treated as such year-round.

The Story of Asma bint Abu Bakr

Asma-bint Abu Bakr (raa) was the daughter of Abu Bakr (raa), mother of Abdullah bin Zubair (raa) and the step-sister of Aisha (raa). She is one of the most famous women of her time. She was the eighteenth person to embrace Islam. She was twenty-seven years old at the time of Hijrat. After the migration from Mecca, when the Prophet (pbuh) and Abu Bakr (raa) reached Madinah safely, they sent Zaid (raa) and some other Sahabahs to bring their families from Mecca. Asma (raa) came to Madinah with Abu Bakr’s family. When she reached Quba, she gave birth to Abdullah bin Zubair (raa), the first Muslim baby born since Hijrat. Asma (raa) says: “When I was married to Zubair, he had neither money nor property of any kind. He had only one camel for carrying water and one horse. I would bring fodder for the animals and date-stones to feed them in lieu of grass, bring water from the well, mend bucket myself when needed and attend to other domestic duties.Attending to the horse was the most difficult of all jobs. I was not good at baking and therefore, after kneading the flour, I would take it to the Ansar women in my neighborhood, who would bake the bread for me. When we arrived in Madinah, the Prophet (saw) allotted a piece of land to Zubair (raa) about two miles away from the town. I would bring date stones from there on my head. One day when I was coming in this fashion, I met the Prophet (saw) with a group of Ansar in the way. The Prophet (saw) stopped his camel. I quite well understood that he intended to give me a lift. I felt shy of accompanying him, and I also remembered that Zubair (raa) was also very sensitive in such matters. The Prophet (saw) understood my hesitation and left me alone. When I reached home, I narrated the story to Zubair (raa) and told him that, due to my own shyness and his sensitiveness, I did not avail of the offer of the Prophet (saw). At this Zubair (raa) said, ‘By Allah, I am more sensitive about your carrying the load over such a long distance but I cannot help it.” (In fact, Sahabah remained occupied striving in the Allah’s Path and all other such jobs had to be done by their womenfolk.) Sometime later, Abu Bakr (raa) transferred to us a servant that the Prophet (pbuh) had given him. I was thus relieved of attending to the horse, which had been really hard for me.