THE IDEAL MUSLIMAH

The people of Maisan (a valley of many small towns between Basra and Wasit in Iraq) had collected an army against the Muslims. Mughirah bin Shu'bah took the Muslim army and went out to wait for them at Al-Murghab (a river) but the enemy did not appear straight away. Azdah, who was with the women back at the Muslim base camp, said,

"Our men are busy in combat with the enemy and I do not feel secure, as the enemy might turn back upon us, and we do not have anyone here to prevent them.

And I also fear that the enemy may be too great for the Muslims and that they may defeat them. If we go out, we can be secure from what we fear, and the pagans will think that we are reinforcements coming in aid of the Muslims, which will surely break them."

She thus strategized.

The women responded to what she wisely planned. She made a banner out of her khimaar (headscarf) and all the women made banners out of their khimaars and marched, with her in the lead, voicing out poetry for the victory of Islaam.

They reached the battlegrounds when the pagans were battling with the Muslims. When the pagans saw the banners, they believed the Muslims were being reinforced with more troops, they thus retreated and the Muslims chased them.

Thus the Muslims conquered that region. May Allah have mercy on Azdah, the wise.

Source: Translated and abridged from Umar Kahhala's Aalaam an-Nisa, vol. 1.