Allegiance of Women
Abdur Rahman bin Ka'b bin Malik
used to lead his blind father to Jumu'a prayers regularly. Every time
his father heard Adhan on Friday, he would say: "May Allah bless
As'ad bin Zurarah." This continued for many years till one day
Abdur Rahman asked:
"Father, why do you remember As'ad and pray for him at Jumu'a
prayers?"
His father replied: "My son, the
first person to establish and lead us all in Jumu'a prayers in Medina
was As'ad. At the time, the Prophet was still in Mecca, and forty of us
used to assemble at the foot of the mountain and pray."
As'ad bin Zurarah was among those twelve
who secretly accepted Islam one year before Hijrah at the mountain road
to Mina, and pledged loyalty to the Prophet (SAW) on the following
terms:
To worship no other god but Allah;
To commit neither theft nor adultery nor child-murder;
To utter no monstrous falsehoods;
To bring forth no illegitimate offspring
And not to disobey in matters just or reasonable.
This allegiance is called the
"allegiance of women," because of two reasons. First, it does not
include a pledge of Jihad, and secondly, the same pledge was taken from
those ladies who embraced Islam. At the time when the secret pledge was
made the Holy Prophet (SAW) was in Mecca, and Jihad had not yet been
ordained.
Reference:
Pearls of Wisdom. A String of Incidents in the History of
Islam. The World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim
Communities. Page 9. |