Mothers of the Believers

Who are the Mothers of the Believers? You might have heard the expression Ummahat al-Mumineen.  This translates into English as the ‘Mothers of the Believers’ and this is a title that refers to the wives of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him.  They were his wives in this dunya and will be his wives in the akhirah.  Each of these women played a significant role in the dissemination of Islam and their behavior in various situations teaches us many lessons applicable today.  They remind and teach us how to follow the Sunnah in our daily lives.  They excelled in both religious and social lives and many received the glad tidings that their final destination would be Paradise.  They teach us integrity, loyalty, honesty and modesty and they showcase the unique status of women in Islam.

Allah refers to the wives of Prophet Muhammad in the Quran and He calls them the Mothers of the Believers.  He says, “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their (believers’) mothers (as regards respect and marriage)…” (Quran 33:6)

By using this reference and title a special status was bestowed upon the wives of Prophet Muhammad.  They were accorded a high level of respect and after Prophet Muhammad’s death, they were not allowed to marry again because legally they were considered to be the mothers of all Muslim men.

Some of them were:    Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (b.556 – d.619  CE), Sawdah bint Zam’a ( b.unknown – d.674 CE),  Aishah bint Abu Bakr (b.612 – d.678 CE) and    Hafsah bint Umar ibn Al-Khattab (b.605 – d.665 CE.

A lady along with her two daughters came to me (Aisha)  asking for some alms, but she found nothing with me except one date which I gave to her and she divided it between her two daughters, and did not eat anything herself, and then she got up and went away. Then the Prophet came in and I informed him about this story. He said, “Whoever is put to trial by having to raise daughters and he treats them generously (with benevolence) then these daughters will act as a shield for him from Hell-Fire.”

“Whenever a child was born among them, Aisha would not ask if it were a boy or a girl.  Instead she would ask, ‘Is the child healthy (and without defect)?’ If she was told, ‘Yes,’ she would say, All praise is for Allah, Lord of All the Worlds.’

No Birthday for You

The evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah indicates that celebrating birthdays is a kind of bid’ah or innovation in religion, which has no basis in the pure sharee’ah. It is not permitted to accept invitations to birthday celebrations, because this involves supporting and encouraging bid’ah. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed…?” [al-Shoora 42:21]. (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Birthday celebration is imitation of the Jews and Christians in their birthday celebrations.According to saheeh reports, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does something that is a not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) will have it rejected” (reported by Muslim in his Saheeh); and “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those which have been newly invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” There are many other ahaadeeth that convey the same meaning.