THE IDEAL MUSLIMAH

Regarded as an authority of hadith and fiqh, she was the grand daughter of one of the famous companions, Asad ibn Zararah Ansari (radhiAllahu anhu). The scholar, Imam Bukhari said that she was like the secretary for Aisha (radhiAllahu anha), the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam)'s wife, and one of her best students. People who sent Aisha gifts/presents and letters, would send it through her.

Imaam Ahmad said,

"She was an eminent theologian and a great scholar. She was tutored in the lap of 'A'isha (radhi Allahu anha), narrated many ahadith from her and she is very reliable, had an excellent memory and is one whose narration can be accepted."

Ibn Habban says the same about her. The scholar Ibn Hajr Askalani said that she was one of the scholars of the early Muslims as she was an authority on the hadith transmitted by Aisha (radhiAllahu anha). The scholar Ibn Hibban said she was the best person who had knowledge of the hadith of Aisha (radhiAllahu anhu). The scholar, Imam Zuhri said that when he wanted to learn hadith he would go to Umrah, saying that when he would meet her he found her in a 'deep sea of knowledge'.

'Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, the great Umayyad Khalif, who is rightly described by historians as one who was of the caliber of the khulafa ar rashidun, respected her narrations to the point that he asked Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Hazm to record them. Great scholars like Abu Bakr ibn Hazm and Yahya ibn Sa'id, who were great jurists, went to her to learn hadith.

The chief Judge of Madinah, Umrah's nephew, was asked to collect hadiths with the following order from the Caliph (ruler) of their time,

"Umrah's ahadith are to be despatched to the Caliph in black and white".

The scholar, Imam Malik said that Umrah would correct the mistakes her nephew, the Chief Judge of Madinah, would make. The scholar Imam Dhahabi classified her as a Jurist.

She died aged 77.