Skip to main content

Discovering the Personality of Hafsa bint Umar

Read all parts here

We often are introduced to the people around the Prophet (PBUH) through his life and perspective. While there is good reason for this, it can also be of great benefit to learn about the

companions of the Messenger as individuals. They were the people who Allah (SWT) calls in the Quran, “[…] the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind.” (Qur’an 3:110)

It can be especially important to look to the lives of the honorable and honored wives of the Prophet (PBUH) to understand that they too were human beings who lived, ate, laughed and struggled to please Allah (SWT). After the Prophet, can there be a better example for us than the mothers of the believers who were all promised paradise?

Continuing in our journey to find out if our mothers were funny, sensitive, outgoing, Introspective, self-doubting, or fearless, we take a look at Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) wife, Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her). Hafsa was known for being studious, trustworthy, tough, and very devout.

Hafsa was studious

In a time when most men and women were illiterate, Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) could read and write. Hafsa devoted herself to learning the literary arts when it was not a necessity of life and was very rare indeed especially for women to have this knowledge.

But her studious habits went further than reading and writing. When she migrated from Mecca to Medina, Hafsa made special arrangements to memorize the verses of the Qur’an as they were revealed. After memorizing each verse, she would think deeply about them, paying special attention to its meaning, implications, and interpretations.

Hafsa’s devotion to knowledge went above and beyond what was required of her. She worked tirelessly to acquire knowledge and to preserve that knowledge for future generations.

Hafsa was very inquisitive

Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) never shied away from questioning. She was often discussing the finer points of Islamic law or asking the Prophet (PBUH) for clarification. Once, Hafsa, another female companion, and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were sitting and chatting together.

During this chat, the Prophet (PBUH) told his wife and this companion that everyone who had given the pledge of loyalty at Hudaybiyah would enter Paradise. She asked how that was possible. Hafsa could see that The Prophet became piqued, but she did not give up her line of questioning. She quoted a verse from Surah Maryam, “There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell)” (19:71), as her reason why she was curious about his statement.

In response, the Prophet (PBUH) quoted the very next verse from Surah Maryam as clarification to her question,

“Then We shall save those who use to fear Allah and were dutiful to Him. And We shall leave the wrongdoers therein to their knees (in Hell)” (19:72)

She was never at a loss for words, and was not afraid to contend with the Prophet (PBUH). But she never questioned the Prophet out of defiance. Hafsa just needed to know. Whether or not it was aggravating, she just truly felt a strong urge to satisfy her inquisitive nature.

Hafsa was trustworthy

After her arrangement in Medina to memorize each verse as it came down, Hafsa naturally became hafiz of the Qur’an (someone who has memorized the Quran in its entirety). Because she was literate, hafiz, and a part of the Prophet’s household, she was entrusted with the palm branches, slates, and other materials upon which the revealed Qur’an had been written.

Hafsa protected the documentation of the revelation of the Quran during the Prophet’s life “until the time of ‘Uthmaan when he (may Allah be pleased with him) decided to compile the Qur’an into a single book form”.

The Qur’an is the most important and treasured thing the world could ever contain. And Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) was entrusted with its verbal and written forms. She was considered the custodian of the Quran and the primary source in both verbal and textual forms. If she had not been of the utmost trustworthiness, the Prophet (PBUH) and the Companions would not have given her this momentous task of safekeeping the Qur’an.

Hafsa was tough

Hafsa’s personality reflected her father’s, who was renowned for his toughness, and her namesake. Hafsa, meaning “young lioness” in Arabic, meaning strong and tough.

One day, while speaking to Hafsa’s mother, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I think I shall so and so”. Whereupon his wife replied, “But it would be better if you did such and such”.  “Are you arguing with me, woman?” said Umar. “Why not?” she answered. “Your daughter keeps arguing with the Messenger of Allah until she upsets him for the whole day.”

Umar immediately put on his cloak and went directly to his daughter’s house. “Is it true that you argue with the Messenger of Allah?” he asked. “Indeed I do,” She replied.

Umar was just about to chastise her for what he considered were bad manners, when the Prophet (PBUH) came into the room and would not allow him to touch her.

So Umar went around to visit Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her), […] in order to try and influence Hafsa’s behavior through her. “I wonder at you, Ibn Khattab [Umar],” she [Umm Salama] said, after she had listened to him. “You have interfered in everything. Will you now interfere between the Messenger of Allah and his wives?”.

Umar, when relating this incident, continued, “And she kept after me until she made me give up much of what I thought proper.”

Hafsa stood her ground when it came to her right to discuss issues with her husband and even argue with him. She was brave and tough even in the face of her father’s anger. But she didn’t back down and maintained that not everything her father thought proper should or could happen in her own marriage.

Hafsa was devout

Angel Gabriel described her to the Prophet (PBUH) as frequently performing (voluntary) fasting and night prayers, and that she was to be one of his wives in Paradise.

Hafsa had her flaws, but she was also a strong woman, who knew her own mind, and would not allow anyone to convince her of something without evidence. She was a true slave of Allah and follower of the messenger of Allah (PBUH). She stands out in history as a truly great and dynamic woman.

First published: January 2017

References:

http://www.islamswomen.com/articles/hafsah_bint_umar.php

http://idealmuslimah.com/personalities/sahaabiyaat/187-hafsah-bint-umar-al-khattaab.html

http://www.alsiraj.net/English/albayt/html/page04.html

 

 

The post Discovering the Personality of Hafsa bint Umar appeared first on About Islam.



source https://aboutislam.net/family-life/husbands-wives/discovering-the-personality-of-hafsa-bint-umar/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

List of Times and Places Where Dua is Accepted

A short reminder regarding the recommended times of dua . And I think what you need to know here is that the recommended times of dua or recommended things that can cause your dua to be accepted, can be divided into two sort of large groups: Am I Good Enough to Make Dua for Myself? Situations where your dua is accepted. Times where your dua is accepted So I’m going to very briefly mention them one after the other as much as possible. As for situations where your dua has been accepted: – The person who has been wronged or oppressed . – A person who finds themselves in severe difficulty after a calamity has struck. – The person who is traveling. – Someone who is fasting. – The one who is reciting the Quran or has just recited the Quran – Someone who is performing Hajj or Umrah or jihad. – The one who is making dua for someone in their absence . Because we know that when you make dua for someone in his absence an angel says: “ Ameen and to you”. – A person...
Post a Comment
Read More »

Derechos de Las Mujeres en Islam

Durante el Tiempo del Profeta (la paz sea con él) Veamos cómo fueron tratadas las mujeres de todo el mundo durante la época del Profeta (la paz sea con él). En la Europa del siglo VIII, la religión principal era el catolicismo y durante este tiempo debatían si las mujeres tenían alma. Dijeron que las mujeres eran impuras y que no tenían derecho a la herencia. A las mujeres tampoco se les permitía tocar la Biblia. No era como ahora en el Islam, donde ellas no pueden tocar el Corán durante la menstruación, pero a las mujeres en la Europa del siglo VIII nunca se les permitió tocar la Biblia. En China e India, fueron quemadas vivas cuando murieron sus maridos. En Arabia Saudita practicaron infanticidio femenino en el que, si nacía una niña, la enterrarían viva. Si el marido de una mujer muere, un miembro de su familia se unirá a ella para demostrar que ahora es de su propiedad. Mujeres en el Islam Con el Islam llegó una nueva era para las mujeres. En el Islam, las mujeres tienen la...
Post a Comment
Read More »

Ghuraba (The Strangers): Nasheed with English Subtitles

Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings the strangers. (Sahih Muslim 145) This famous nasheed has many versions; this one is from Muhammad al-Salman and has the subtitles in English embedded. [We are] strangers and we do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah  […] Transliteration to help in the pronounciation:  Ghurabaa’ wa li ghairillaahi laa nahnil jibaa Aisha Stacey  wrote in an article for Aboutislam.net : “I think that many of you would agree that being Muslim in the 21st century makes you well acquainted with being strange. It might even be a metaphor for random, as in you have been randomly selected. […] many converts to Islam will tell you about feeling as if they were strangers, before finding Islam. They will speak of feeling that they belonged somewhere else that their lives were just slightly off center. They often speak about a vague sense of knowing they were not like everyone else...
Post a Comment
Read More »