Maryam Amir – Asma bint Umays

			Once Asmaa bint, Umes and Hafsa
bint, Umar, radila huanma were
		

			sitting together when Umar walked
in, when he realized that Asmaa
		

			bintu, umays was the one who had
migrated from Abyssinia on the
		

			ship to Medina, he said to her, we
got here first, as in him and his
		

			companions, RadiAllahu, anhu,
therefore we have more of a right
		

			to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be
upon him, than you do. This
		

			narration is in Sahih al Bukhari
Asmaa, RadiAllahu, anha. She heard
		

			this from Allah, RadiAllahu, anhu,
and her reaction was, you have
		

			been with the Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him. And he's been
		

			feeding you and teaching you while
we were far away. And we were only
		

			far away for the sake of God and
His Prophet, Muhammad, peace be
		

			upon him. And she swore that by
God she wasn't going to eat and
		

			drink until she went to the
Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon
		

			him. She wasn't going to add or
subtract anything to what he said.
		

			She was just going to tell it like
it is when Asmaa radiAllahu anha
		

			went to the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam and explained
		

			what happened. The Prophet peace
be upon him, responded with his
		

			right is not more than yours. For
him and his companions, there's
		

			one migration, but for you, people
of the boat, as in the people who
		

			came from Abyssinia, there's two
because they migrated twice. When
		

			the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam said this, affirming that
		

			the Prophet peace U ham doesn't
belong more to Amal RadiAllahu,
		

			Anhu and his companions, Radi
Allahu anhu, that the reward was
		

			even greater for those who came
from Abyssinia, Abu musalah, Adi,
		

			a great companion, and other
companions kept coming back to
		

			Asmaa bint umais, radila huanha,
asking And hoping to hear this
		

			narration repeated over and over
and over. They drew strength from
		

			hearing this narration. Today,
there are so many times when
		

			someone might make us feel like we
don't belong, like we don't
		

			deserve to be somewhere, like we
don't have more of a right to a
		

			space than someone else. Alma
RadiAllahu. Anhu is a great
		

			companion of the Prophet
sallallahu, sallam, one of the
		

			people who are promised paradise,
someone who we all wish we could
		

			be like girl the Allahu Anhu. And
even with that, there could be a
		

			sense of someone being
intimidated, someone in a position
		

			of strength, like that, saying
something to someone else by
		

			mistake, goldilahu, anhu,
subhanAllah, someone could feel
		

			like maybe they don't know how to
respond, but Asmaa rodi lahuan Had
		

			she shows us how to reply. Asmaa
radila anha could have simply
		

			stated, you're right. She could
have just stayed quiet and felt
		

			that frustration internally, but
she didn't. She chose to use her
		

			agency of voice, and in doing so,
she actually changed policy,
		

			because Rama radi could be seen as
a policy maker, but she went to
		

			the Prophet sallallahu, sallam,
the ultimate policymaker amongst
		

			the people on earth, And
subhanAllah, his words became the
		

			policy so many times, whether we
are women or converts or someone
		

			of a different race from a
particular community, someone from
		

			a particular background or
relationship status, there could
		

			be times where we don't feel like
we are as welcome, that we don't
		

			have as much of a space, as much
of an investment in a particular
		

			place that we're in. We may feel
like we don't belong there. The
		

			example we take from Asmaa Lodi la
Juan Ha is that we belong, that we
		

			have as much of a right to a space
as anyone else does, and that when
		

			we use our agency of voice to
create change, we don't just help
		

			our own selves in our personal
experience, but we can self
		

			policy. We can help change the
infrastructure to help an entire
		

			community. So when you feel weak
or confused or frustrated or hurt
		

			or outcast or isolated, remember
Asmaa bids Umesh radila anha, she
		

			had the courage to stand strong
and speak up. And it's not always
		

			easy to have that, and I'm not at
all suggesting that it's possible
		

			every time, because there are very
real systems of oppression in
		

			place, but when you can use your
agency of voice, and don't do it
		

			just for yourself, but do it for
all the people who identify with
		

			you, like the people of the ship
identified with Asmaa Radi Allahu
		

			Anhu.