Mohammad Elshinawy – The Great Women of Madinah
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Once upon a time,
in a city called Medina, there arrived a man, you may know him. His name was Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa alayhi wa sallam,
he arrived at a people in a most dismal condition, a population that was basically starved the naked, to the degree that you could give one of them a shirt as a bribe, and it would be the happiest day of his life. And he'll do just about anything for you. So much so that a parent would have it in them to bury their children alive of the reasons was that poverty.
Add to that, that this was a generation of people that were sworn to violence, so much, so that if they could not find an enemy, they would create an enemy, an artificial one.
A people that you would find them worshipping stones and trees, captives of their own imaginary fears and superstitions. And then he arrived, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and this generation undergoes the most tremendous transformation humanity has ever experienced.
from war to peace, from misery to prosperity, from racism, and oppression, to equality, from the laws of the jungles, to an honor system, lives that were filled with compassion, so much so that they left their lands and their families and their lives and their success and accomplishments, and risked their lives to deliver that new discovery of there's Islam to the rest of the world. And add on top of that, that they were happy to do it. They because they also lived lives of contentment and happiness. And they became the ideal generation. And this model society that was timeless for the agents. Why? Because they were truly a pure generation. They were not perfect, and of the ways they
are perfect role models is that they were imperfect. They were human. So they committed mistakes, and sometimes very big mistakes, but they ran back and they reformed even bigger and even faster, so they were truly pure the purest of human generation could ever be. And that's why their lives triggered, can you imagine the lives of the Sahaba, a 1000 year Renaissance, even when the ingredients for the Renaissance were forgotten? Simply the inertia? The momentum of this generation lived for 1000 years thereafter?
What in the world triggered this miraculous transformation? How could they be a generation that was unworthy of being mentioned? You know, go read the history books, you will read about the empire of Rome, Persia, China, Egypt, India.
They were not worthy of being mentioned. And overnight, they became the leading nation in every field. How in the world did that happen?
See, simply put the answers Islam obviously, but you didn't fly me halfway across the world, right? To tell you Islam is the solution. And I wish to say be very careful with the word Islam don't get stuck limiting yourself to seeing Islam is simply the title of the religion because then the door of whisper will open but I don't get it. There's 1.5 People in the religion of Islam, and who are not going anywhere fast.
So how can we
replicate and become legends like them? How can we become greats and get resurrected? In the company of the greats? How can we here and now not get sucked into the negativity and get trapped by the bad press and the inferiority complexes that crawl up on our personalities? True Islam. Don't leave it as the title of the religion surrender, pure, complete, total absolute surrender. I'm going to get to the subject right now about the great women of Medina. But I wish to talk more importantly, about certain is that unintentionally very coincidental are in Surah Nisa, the chapter called the women, the fourth chapter of the Quran, verses that I want to recite to you now, and I want you to go home
and stare at them today and after today to realize and notice when you read their lives beyond this lecture beyond this conference, what was the greatest factor in making them epic human beings? The verses are 65 through 70. By the way, Allah azza wa jal says about surrender. What made them who they were
He says subhanho wa Taala so allow or a big gala you may known had you had chemo Kaffee Marcia Robina whom so Mala Ji Doofy and fusi him how Raja Mima called later Will you Salim otter slim? No by your lord or Muhammad, they don't truly have faith until they make you the judge in every dispute between them. And then not just that that's not enough. And for them to find no discomfort, no foot dragging in whatever your verdict was, and they submit in complete submission. The next verses continue. While en Catarina, la him and a Cthulhu and forsaken. We heard you mean the American mafia Allahu Allah kalido Minh, whom had we written on them to surrender to what terms to killing yourself
and walking away from your homes? Allah says many of them would not have done so by the way the Sahaba did so.
Well, I will enter home for Aluma you are gonna be like Anna. Hi, Ron Lahoma shed that Vita. Allah says and had they just done it had they just jumped in with their heart and soul? Had they just done? Did what they were advised to do. It would have been so much better for them, and so firmer a position, meaning had you just acted on your knowledge had you paired up the twins of faith, as we call it here in the conference, it would have been so much better for you. And it firmer a position you would have had such a better footing on your faith, you would have been more stable in your Eman. We're even Tina hoomin, Laguna edger on our weima and in that case, we would have given them
from us what only we can give a great reward 1000 years momentum plus and all of that replicates or translates into the hereafter to the unimaginable, we would have granted them a great reward while ahead in our home. Serato Mr. keema and we would have eased for them guidance to a straight path the straight easy life here in this world, life below the earth the best of lives and then you come out of the earth again and you go directly recognising your palaces in the hereafter we would have directed them to a straight path. Allah continues to say when men yield to Allah Rasool for Allah it can Lavina and Allah who lay him mean an OBE and I will sit the Athena will show her that he was
solid he now has sooner like Rafi and whomever agrees to these terms and truly obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will become a great they will be with the Great's they will be with those that Allah has blessed the prophets and the firmest most steadfast a firmers of truth and the martyrs and the righteous and how excellent accompany that is the last verse. There nickel fraud LUMION Allah Wa Kafa BiLlahi Alima that is the truest bounty from Allah, it's a gift, something unimaginable. Just show your worth and Allah who will gift you what Kapha Billa he Alima and Allah is best as a knower, as a knower of who deserves that gift, Khadija or the Allahu anha deserve that gift. And even though
she was a mannequin, or the one who Allah Allah, I chose to mention her first, because this shows you that the greatness you are they were eligible for the women, our counterparts in society, they were eligible for it from the first day this was never monopolized by men.
She was the one that surrendered her life to Allah she truly surrendered. She truly is slammed, if you will. She embrace the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam his pains, he would complain to her and she would relieve him she would care for him and his family. She would endorse his Dawa.
To a degree that the angels admire her Oh Mohammed Gibreel Alehissalaam would say Khadija is coming. Grant her salamangreat sent her a greeting from her Lord and from me and tell her Allah has prepared for her agenda the following
and then I showed her the Allahu Taala and her though she was making birth to but her glory was in Medina. So I consider her of the Great's of Medina no doubt I shut off the Allahu anha the most knowledgeable woman that ever walked the face of the earth as a behavioral him Oh, Allah said, How did she get there? Sometimes we look at it like she was the Messenger of Allah, his wife, so you know, like she got the freebie. Allah plays favoritism with nobody. And if there is no lesson in the story of Adam Alayhis Salam but that this is sufficient for you to know. She earned this.
She cannot earn the reward, but she earned her eligibility in that club. She truly handed her heart over to Allah to his laws by accepting them, trying her best to implement them to his Kadar his destiny by being patient with it no matter how sour and trying to be content with it. She's accused in her chastity which was more valuable to her than her life. And she said I will not await any
Want to quit to me? Not even the messenger of Allah waterwise woman, not even the messenger of Allah only Allah subhanho wa Taala wala Hoon musta Allah mythos the phone and I'll say what Yaqoob Allahu sallam said, Allah is enough for me. My heart is with him. Allah is enough for me regarding what you describe, or ordinances obeyed. Her nephew says, I issue I Isha fasted the rest of her life decades on end, meaning obviously, with the exception of the Haram days, I would enter in the morning, find her praying, reciting and weeping. So a lot of I would get tired of waiting first I'd go to the market, finish some errands and come back. She's still there doing what she's doing. She's
surrendered her life to Allah, fasting and praying and studying and teaching. No one has relayed to us the life of the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, or more of it, after Abu Hurayrah of the Allahu Anhu. And Abdullah had and then I showed the Allahu Allah. And I would say to her, because he's her nephew, he had unlimited access to her house. He would say I understand Hadith. I understand filco I understand inheritance. I understand poetry. You're even a master in medicine, like how did that happen? How do you have three four PhDs, I don't get it. I don't have the Allahu Anhu what a woman. She says I used to work hard to memorize everything I heard when anyone was sick
and a prescription was written for him from those proficient in medicine, I would memorize it. And in the last year of the Prophet sallallahu, ala we said his life people are coming into Islam in waves when he became sick, the best of doctors would visit him and I would memorize their prescriptions, or the Allah huzzah Alon.
And just to crystallize in our minds, who Aisha Radi Allahu Anhu was, I wish just to relate to you before moving on.
One of the final scenes from her life that is sufficient within the life for just that.
And that is that even our best of the Allahu Anhu uma he enters upon her and her final sickness. And at first she says Don't let him in. I have no need for him now best and he's gonna praise me and this is a moment that I want to show allah how regretful I am from her humility and her fear of Allah genuine.
They said this is one of the most righteous of your children. You're the Mother of the Believers. This is your of your children, then in the religion.
She said, if you wish to let him in, let him in. So he enters he gives Salam who sits by her, and he says, Yeah, Omar who a machete, oh, my mother, rejoice, relax. There is nothing standing between you and the end of all your hardships. You worked so hard surrendering to Allah
and all your hardships and nothing's between you and meeting Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and your loved ones ovoca Cydia from the rest, except that soul of yours leaving your body.
She said end of July best, if not best stop. She tried to stop him. But he continued this was from his wisdom. No one of you dies except while assuming the very best of Allah azza wa jal, and he says oh my mother, you were the most beloved of the wives of the messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam to him and he would never love someone that was not good and pure, pure.
Oh my mother, Allah revealed your innocence. He acquitted you of that accusation, the hypocrites made against you. From above seven skies. There is not a masjid a mask on the face of the earth now, except that they recite About You by night and by day. Oh my mother you lost your necklace on the night of an Ebola and the Muslim army with the Prophet SAW Selim stayed behind looking for it for you till they ran out of water. And as a result Allah reveals the verses Fatima memo sorry the NP but MC TM on dry ablution he says the whole Muslim Ummah received that concession. If you don't have water, it's no big deal. Just make tam dry ablutions fine because of you. Oh, my mother, oh my
mother, you are indeed a blessed woman.
And that's why when a person says Dina Serrato Muslim guide us to the straight path The path of those you've blessed think of the likes of Aisha
you know, Abdullah Hebner obey diviner or mayor
Rahim Allah Allah He used to say no one cries no one grieves over the death of Aisha except someone whom she is a mother to meaning everyone should grieve over the death of Aisha that this woman had to leave the Earth.
She's a mother to you, she pleased your Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam brought a smile to his face she brought to you Dean fresh and pure caring about every letter she would narrate May Allah Subhana Allah be pleased with her Hola Hola, me.
And, you know, Xena Radi Allahu Allah has almost the same.
She's a Moroccan right, Janet Jackson della Juan has a cousin of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who was also a star that that shines in Medina because of no other reason. Once again, I'm going to keep underlining it that she was a spectacle in her surrender. In her surrender, Jose
He said to her Salah said Mary's eat should meet Mary's aid never freed slaves No way. I'm from the heights of Polish. How can I? And so Allah azza wa jal revealed the verse you heard before the lecture, one that can mean in one minute in either called Allahu wa rasuluh Imran and Hakuna Lohan will try to mean Emery him. It is unbefitting of a believing man and a believing woman when Allah and His Messenger The Korea matter, that they have any choice in it. So she realized this is not cousinly advice. This is a directive from Allah subhanho wa taala. So she married him. She put up with the test. Allah had the test doubled for her that she was divorced. She did not object to Allah
and His messenger. She was not disappointed at the contract the sale she made with Allah. And so when that test boiled down, Allah repaid her by granting her what he never granted any other woman ever. He married her to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself in the Quran. Fela Mercado they don't mean her water runs the word Janaka when Zaid had finished his commitment with her, we married you to her own Mohammed Allahu Akbar. He walks in on her and says I'm your husband, by the way.
Allah said so.
That's not the only thing in Bukhari and Muslim I shall deliver Anna says, we asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who is the first of your wives to catch up with you in the hereafter. Allah outwell Hakuna yada, he said the one of you that has the longest arm. She said when the soul of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam returned to Allah, we would stretch our hands against the wall to see how the longest arm longing for the reunion and we realized that was Celada she was the tallest biggest of them. She had the longest arm. She says but when Xena died first she was reunited with him first. We realized he meant the farthest reaching in her sadaqa she surrendered her wealth
as well. She was more charitable than any of them and the wealthiest of them as well.
Allah spoke about her in the Quran rushed her to her messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and her husband. You know this is like how 11 To Allah behold I'm into Hakeem Radi Allahu Anhu same thing another woman Medina, she stopped Ramadan Khattab in the street
to register her objection regarding one of his decisions, and she was tough, right? To the degree that a man has said Hey, lady, cut it out. Like you don't talk to him or like that. And that's enough. Your point has come across, but I'm gonna say to him, Do you know who this is? Said back off. Do you know who this is? This is the woman who Allah has heard her complaint shouldn't Omar listen to her?
This is the woman that Allah said about God Semia Hola. Hola. Hola. de tu je de Luca FFIs LG her with a Shaquille Allahu Allahu Yestermorrow to Howard Akuma. Allah has heard listen to the one
that argues with you or Muhammad regarding her husband and directs her complaint to Allah that makes her plead with Allah subhanho wa Taala
these people walk the earth with their bodies but they were celebrities in the heavens. Can you imagine that?
And the examples are so many almost so lame, but are the Allah Tala Anna, you know, I will call her alongside who was not a Muslim yet he came and proposed to her in marriage in Medina. She says, the likes of your proposal would never be objective. You're a man of repute of money of everything. She said. But you're a disbelieving man. And I'm a believing woman. And hence it's not lawful permissible for me to marry you. But if you were to become Muslim, that will be my wedding gift. I will not ask you of anything else. No gold, no silver, nothing. My terms are Allah's terms. What a beautiful generation. And I have eight minutes left. Let me try my best to encapsulate this again,
biographies is not the intended direction I want to take this lecture. We brothers stop listening for a second or if you have daughters listen or plan on having daughters who ever want to get married or succeed in your marriage? Fine. Okay, but I'm talking to the sisters for a second.
Sisters you more than anybody
are bombarded
and your faith is challenged and attacked day in and day out by one of two things two major categories either by temptations, or either by accusations. Temptations is a wide banner shall not like you're tempted to not want to be criticized and in the spotlight, you're tempted for the easy life just go with the crowd or you're tempted with the hype of just I want to live this glamorous life of you know, being that stunning girl that finally I get the good angle on Instagram and my prints and shining armor comes and I'm from America. We made those movies. It's not true. It doesn't exist. This guy that's so well mannered. He's he opens the car door for
Every single time
listen, if the guy is opening the car door for the girl 99.9% of the time, forget it. 10 out of nine times how's that? It's one of two things, either it's a new car or a new girl.
Except those that studied with Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, right? But these temptations as ridiculous as they may be, sometimes there are reality inside right? Then there's the external challenges of the accusations are there by the Sheltie in trying to get into your heart? Why this? Why does a hadith say it like that? How come this justice What about equality, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or from the outside the shelter, and that are usually behind TV cameras, right? And they're just bashing and throwing time and time again? How in the world does someone survive?
That's what I want to talk about. For these next six, seven minutes. How do you get that mountain off your shoulders? How do you resist that avalanche from just running you over? Do you know what the solution is?
The solution is to experience Jana. I'm not promoting suicide by the way.
You guys brought a guy to tell us experience Jana how What do you mean?
There is a glimpse of Jana. Only one that exists in this world.
It's a gift that Allah places in the hearts of those that he loves, formerly known as Iman. Faith and Conviction. shiftless. I'm gonna try I'm not Hamlet has nothing in this world resembles anything in the hereafter. Except, imagine. He opens two eyes in your heart to stare at Paradise stare at the hellfire. That's it everything else is
disposable, right? That feeling of nearness to Allah there is nothing like that is greater than gender itself.
How do you get there? How do you feel your heart get it bubbling with iman. Submission once again surrender. Take the dive.
One of my favorite quote of all time among the self was Romana Dharani Rahim Allah He was asked, How does someone get to that level of feeling acquainted near to Allah, Allah, Allah it he said by obeying Him?
They said how do you get to the level of obeying him Allah be he through him, beg him to enable you to enlist yourself genuinely among his slaves that will give you life it's the G will Allah He Allah Rasool either that come Lima you he can respond, make your response time quick, when Allah and His Messenger invite you to that which will give you life, it will make you alive, it will make your struggle to submit history.
And the Sahaba yet it wasn't these women that I named to you and that's the whole generation understood that message very clearly from the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam I Isha says, for example, let's be relative here, so I had to book it when the verse came down and let them drape their veils over their bosoms, the women of the MaHA gerat The migrants from Mecca or the unsalted and other nourish in the women from Medina, they ripped their clothes in half to make enough cloth so that they can drape over themselves. Immediately. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam encourages for sadaqa believes government
almost couldn't handle
all that was dropped their immediate that's why they enjoyed the goodly life. That's how they became a betterment a contributor to the nations that knew them and the nations that didn't.
You know, we lead the world and we say this so many times, but why do we have to keep digging from the bottom of the pot for a memory? We can reproduce this Allah preserved his Deen, which is the ingredients for this greatness. And I know Wallahi I know, I know. I know. I know, that it may seem so difficult, and it may seem like such a struggle. Please just dive right.
You don't have to know the answer to every accusation. But if you dive into surrendering to Allah right, the answers are there in the Quran and you surrendering your heart hibernating with the Quran giving it your undivided attention. That's part of the surrender. But the overarching theme is just be mine.
Give me your life. I will let you live the true life. This is the message of Islam. Oh, Ibrahim slaughter your son, you're ready to do it. Okay, you can have him. That is the message. You will not enjoy anything in this world in the next except by surrendering everything for us. So Allah subhanho wa taala. And when you find it a struggle, just It's fine. It's fine to struggle. I had a conversation with a beautiful brother yesterday that said I don't feel like I'm doing it like willingly. It's not from the heart. It's just it's empty. It's void of, you know that emotional backing. Enjoy the struggle to like there's a sweetness even in that phase, the sweetness of
sacrifice this
weakness of accomplishment, the sweetness of knowing Oh Allah, you know how hard this is for me, and you will not give me an average reward when it was extra difficult for me.
There is a sweetness in that the sweetness that it hurts and I'm still going to do it. You know, they say that courage is not that a person is no longer afraid, but that he chases his fears into the corner and he remembers his duty and he becomes greater by Allah's help, of course then his fears. That's courage. That's there's a sweetness in knowing you're that courageous. And add to that the thoughts that these great women of Medina, they struggle to,
you know, the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari I'm done shall give me 60 seconds.
I shall the Allahu anha says, May Allah bestow mercy? No, forgive me this narration she says the most excellent women were the women of the unsought. They were not stopped by their embarrassment by their shyness, from learning, getting an understanding of their religion. Of course, this modesty is a cornerstone value of Islam. It's not a bad thing. But I'm saying they were discomforted, but they did not allow that to stop them from climbing that mountain. You may have discomfort as well. You want to be like your peers. You want to spend your time looking up the latest fashion and not study. It's okay. You're not a hypocrite, right? Just feed your faith, feed it. And all those worries, all
those fears will start to be Milazzo urgent. And the last thing I want to say to our sisters, it's not just about the reward of being one of the greats. It's not just the reward. It's also the responsibility you need to be this person. Because you are not like us men, the OMA awaits you. Because you are half the OMA as an acclaimed Rahim Allah says and you give birth to the other half. And let me add that you add more to the mind and heart of that other half than any other factor in society if you so choose. So may Allah azza wa jal make our brothers and our sisters an asset to this ummah, and enable us to feed off of the momentum of the greats and to see of them how potent
how real how powerful, how transforming of the planet, this Islam of ours is, enable us to truly surrender to Allah willing, beautiful, consistent surrender Allahumma Alameen wa sallahu wa Salam o Baraka, Anna Vienna, Muhammad Ali earlier so have your dream just like Aloha