When the first group of Companions left for Madinah, Asma and Zubayr (RA) were amongst them. Her pregnancy was almost at full-term, yet she bore the difficulties of the journey without complaint. The Jews of Madinah alleged that they had cast magic on the families of the muhaajiroon (emigrants) so that their women would not produce offspring. The Muslims were made anxious by this claim, until Asma (RA) gave birth to Abdullah ibn Zubair. She recounts: I migrated to Medina while I was at full term of pregnancy and alighted at Quba [a settlement 3 miles distance from Madinah] where I gave birth to him. Then I brought him to the Prophet and put him in his lap. The Prophet asked for a date, chewed it, and put some of its juice in the child's mouth. So, the first thing that entered the child's stomach was the saliva of Allah's Apostle. Then the Prophet rubbed the child's palate with a date and invoked for Allah's Blessings on him, and he was the first child born amongst the Emigrants in the Islamic Land (i.e. Medina). [Bukhari]

Asma was assiduous in avoiding anything that might earn the displeasure of Allah. Her mother Qutayla sent word that she was coming to visit her daughter in Madinah. She was not a Muslim and Asma was unsure as to the protocol regarding receiving pagan parents. She sent a message to Rasoolullah (SAW) and verified that she was allowed to receive her mother as a guest, before her arrival. Asma was also noted for her generosity, as related by her son Abdullah, "I have not seen two women more generous than my aunt Aisha and my mother Asma. But their generosity was expressed in different ways. My aunt would accumulate one thing after another until she had gathered what she felt was sufficient and then distribute it all to those in need. My mother, on the other hand, would not keep anything even for the morrow." [Bukhari]

Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was far less prosperous than the affluent family of Abu Bakr, but he was married to Asma on account of his piety and outstanding character. Asma related what their early married life in Madinah was like: "When az-Zubayr married me, he had neither land, nor wealth, nor slave, nor anything else like it, except a camel to get water and his horse. I used to graze his horse, provide fodder for it, look after it and ground dates for his camel. Besides this, I grazed the camel, made arrangements for providing it with water and patching up his leather bucket and kneading the flour… And I used to carry on my head, the date-stones from the land of az-Zubayr which the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam had endowed him and it was a distance of two miles from Madinah…” [Bukhari] Asma once declined the offer of Rasoolullah (SAW) for her to ride behind him on his camel, as she was very shy and mindful of Zubayr’s jealous temperament. As it happened, Zubayr later assured her that the thought of her carrying the date-stones was far more upsetting to him than the thought of her riding with the men!

1 2 3 4