النص المفهرس

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70. Ibn as-Sinnî narrates from the slave of an Ansârî that when Rasûlullah
sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam wished to call a certain person and did not
know the latter's name, he would address him as O 'Abdullah! (i.e. O
servant of Allah!)
71. Jâbir radiyallâhu 'anhu narrates that when Rasûlullâh sallallâhu 'alayhi
wa sallam used to walk, he would not look here and there.
72. Abû Dâ'ûd narrates from someone from the family of Umme Salamah
radiyallâhu 'anhâ that the bed of Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam
was like a kafan. In other words, the cloth that he used to sleep on was
similar to the cloth that was used as a kafan. It was not expensive and
extravagant. His musjid was in the direction of his head. In other words,
when he slept, his head used to be towards his musjid.
73. In another Hadîth Hafsah radiyallahu 'anhâ narrates that his bed was of
sack.
74. Ibn 'Abbâs radiyallâhu 'anhu narrates that Rasûlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa „allam kurta used to be above his ankles. In other words, it used
to be till half his calves - as mentioned in other Ahadîth. The sleeves of his
kurtah used to be in line with his fingers. It is narrated in another narration
that the length of the sleeves was till his wrists.
75. 'A'ishah radiyallâhu 'anhâ narrates that the pillow of Rasûlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam was made of leather and filled with the bark of
the date tree.
76. Nu'mân bin Bashîr radiyallâhu 'anhu says that Rasûlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa sallam did not even have ordinary dry dates with which he could
fill his stomach. All the treasures of the world were at his feet but he
adopted abstinence. He regarded the comforts of this world as insignificant
and meaningless and chose poverty of this type. He used to spend a major
portion of whatever income he had in charity.
Dry dates are considered to be a very basic and ordinary diet of the Arabs
because they grow profusely over there.
77. Anas radiyallâhu 'anhu narrates that Rasûlullâh sallallâhu 'alayhi wa
sallam did not store anything (for himself) for the next day.
78. Ibn 'Abbâs radiyallâhu 'anhu narrates that when Rasûlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa sallam used to walk, he did not move the people out of his way
nor did he strike them.
It is the habit of proud people and rulers to have special servants who move
the people out and scold them in order to clear the way ahead of them.

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79. 'A'ishah radiyallahu 'anhâ narrates that Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi
wa sallam did not complete the recitation of the Quran in under three days.
80. Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah narrates that it was the habit of
Rasûlullâh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam of not stopping anyone from doing
anything"6. However, if he was asked and he felt that it should be
completed (or continued with), he would reply in the affirmative. If he felt
that it should not be carried out, he would remain silent.
396 As long as it was not against the Sharî'ah.

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SUPPLEMENT (B) TO BAHISHTI ZEWAR
When the eighth part (seventh of the English translation) of Bahishti Zewar
was being written, I wrote stories of pious women and I had also written a
few stories of evil women and women who had repented over their evil
ways. However, on account of fearing that this book will get too lengthy, I
only included the stories of pious women and at the end of the book I
sufficed with writing on the shortcomings of women and giving them
advice in this regard. The stories of evil women remained in their
manuscript form and occasionally when I had reason to look at this
manuscript I awaited an opportunity to print it. Coincidentally, a learned
and experienced person of my village wrote an article on the shortcomings
and defects of women with the intention of reforming their condition. Upon
reading this article, I realized the importance of those stories which I had
written but did not have the opportunity to print. I thought that it would be
good to gather all those stories and include them in the eighth part as a
supplement with the hope that such women will draw a lesson from these
stories and thereby get the guidance of making taubah. Because the article
that this person had written was a bit harsh and written in an angry tone,
and at places he was a bit general, I wrote a balanced note in the beginning
in order to compensate for this harsh tone and generality, and then his
article was included. I have arranged this collection in the following
manner: stories of evil women, stories of evil women who repented,
thereafter the precautionary note, and then the article of that person. This
collection could be regarded as a commentary of this part of Bahishti
Zewar.
(Maulânâ) Ashraf 'Al? Thânwî
15 Muharram 1330 A. H.
The story of 'Unuq
This woman lived in the era of Adam 'alayhis salâm. She is the first person
to commit adultery and thereby disgrace herself. Allah punished her in this
world by sending huge snakes as big as elephants, huge scorpions as big as
camels, huge vultures as big as donkeys from the unseen. They all came
and ate her up together.

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Lesson: Look at the consequence of this evil deed. No one should think that
it is not possible to be punished in this way anymore. Remember that it is
only because of Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam that we are not
punished so severely in this world. However, we will get all the
punishments in the hereafter. When there is no doubt about the approach of
the hereafter, how is it possible for us to be so neglectful? Furthermore, no
one should be under the misconception that one is disgraced only because
of adultery. In fact, Rasûlullâh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is reported to
have said that the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the hands, the feet and the heart
also commit adultery. If a woman peeps at a strange man, the bride-groom
or the marriage procession (in which there are men), this will be considered
to be the sinning of the eyes. If, without any compelling reason, she freely
converses with him, this will be considered to be sinning of the tongue. If
she listens to a male's voice in order to satisfy her nafs or listens to him
singing songs, this will be the sinning of the ears. If she touches a person
with whom she was supposed to be observing purdah, or places her hand
on his shoulder or head, this will be the sinning of the hands. If she walks in
order to go and meet such a person or she walks in front of him so that he
may see her, this will be the sinning of the feet. If she thinks about him or
tries to remember him all the time, this will be the sinning of the heart. The
consequences and sin of adultery will therefore also apply in these cases.
One should fear the power and anger of Allah and safeguard oneself from
all these evils.
The story of Wa'ilah
She is the wife of Nuh 'alayhis salâm. However, she did not accept îmân.
When the flood commenced and water began gushing out of the ground,
Nûh 'alayhis salâm asked the believers to board his ship. He went to his
wife and son and asked them to accept îmân and thereby board the ship.
However, they did not accept îmân, nor did they board the ship. In fact,
they did not even believe that the flood was approaching and mocked at
Nûh 'alayhis salâm for holding such a belief. When the flood came, both of
them drowned.
Lesson: Mention of this woman has also been made in the Quran in the
same way that despite her being the wife of an accepted servant of Allah
(i.e. Nûh 'alayhis salâm), but because she did not tread the path of Dîn, her
being his wife did not help her in any way and she was sent to jahannam. O

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women! Understand this well and do not depend on the piety of your
husband, father, brother or son. As long as your Dîn and îmân are not in
order, the piety of any of your relatives will be of no avail.
The wife of Lût 'alayhis salâm
She was also a kâfir and she used to help the kuffar in their evil ways.
When the time approached for Allah to send His punishment on the kuffar,
He sent angels to inform Lût 'alayhis salâm. They said to him: "Leave your
residence the following morning because the punishment of Allah is about
to descend on this village. Take the believers with you and leave this
village on this very night. No one should look back at this village." Acting
on the orders of Allah, Lût 'alayhis salâm left his village. This woman also
joined them in order to save her life. When the time came for the
punishment of this village, Allah caused stones to rain down on them and
there was a great uproar. All the believers lowered their heads out of fear
and continued on their way. No one looked around. However, this woman,
who had relatives among the kuffar and whose way of life was just like
their's, looked around to see what is happening to those people. The
moment she turned around, a stone pelted her and she fell down dead.
Lesson: The story of this woman has been related in the Quran in a similar
manner to that of Nûh's 'alayhis salâm wife (whom we have mentioned
previously). That is, despite her being the wife of a prophet, this did not
help her in any way because she herself was not on the path of Dîn. O
women! Understand this well. It is only your îman and your Dîn that will
be of any benefit to you. Some women spoil their Din on account of their
relatives by maintaining close contact with their irreligious relatives. Look
at this woman! On account of her love for her relatives she was destroyed
and she lost her life and îmân as well. Had she accepted îmân and abstained
from looking back, she would have been saved from all calamities.
Remember, you should not maintain any close contact with those who do
not follow Allah and His Rasûl sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
The story of Sadûf
She was a kâfir woman in the time of Salih 'alayhis salâm. Her ways and
habits were not good. There was another woman whose ways and habits

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were similar to her's. She had many goats and other dairy animals in her
house. It was the miracle of Salih 'alayhis salâm that through the power of
Allah, he took out a camel from a rock. A major portion of the water of that
village was obtained from a particular well. All the animals were given
water from this well. Ever since the camel was created, acting upon the
orders of Allah, the town people specified turns for drawing water in such a
way that one day all the animals will receive water, and the following day
this camel alone will receive water from this well. The reason for this
system was that this camel was very powerful and used to consume a lot of
water. If it had to drink on one day, there would be nothing left for the other
animals. All the kuffâr did not like this system of distribution. These two
women whom we have mentioned above complained to another two men
who were of similar character by saying: "We have the most number of
animals but they have to remain without water for one full day. You try and
sort out this problem and we will be pleased with you and obey you in
whatever you say." These two scoundrels rounded up a few friends of
theirs, concealed themselves on the path of the camel and awaited its
arrival. This camel was on its way to drink water. When it came in line with
these scoundrels, they pounced onto it with their swords. They chopped off
its legs, causing it to fall to the ground. Once it fell down, they killed it with
their swords. The moment this happened, the punishment of Allah
descended on these people. On the first day, all their faces turned yellow,
on the second day they turned red, and on the third day they turned black.
On the fourth day there was a gigantic earthquake and fire began raining
down from the skies. Thereafter, Jibra'îl uttered a piercing scream whereby
all their hearts burst open, they all died and their bodies were reduced to
ashes on account of the fire.
Lesson: Look! Because of the evil nature of two women, this calamity
descended on every one. These two women planned this whole conspiracy
because of their love for wealth." O women! Remove the love of wealth
and possessions from your hearts. May Allah save you because we don't
know from where the evil consequences of this (love) will cause a calamity.
As far as possible, you should have hatred for such evil women in your
hearts. If you have to converse with them or meet them, do not adopt a soft
attitude towards them. If you do so, there is a fear of you also being
397
This is because if their animals do not receive sufficient water, their numbers will dwindle
and their income will thereby diminish.

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afflicted if any calamity descends upon them. If you display displeasure and
hatred towards them, you will save yourself from sin and the punishment of
Allah.
The story of Arbîl
This woman was the wife of an idol-worshipping king during the time of
Ilyâs 'alayhis salâm. She herself was an oppressive and merciless woman.
She had killed many prophets. She had a neighbour who was a pious
person. He had an orchard on which he was dependent for his living. This
orchard was very beautiful and all the people used to speak in praise of it.
This woman was very jealous of this and was always planning to
appropriate it and kill this pious person. Coincidentally, her husband went
on a journey and left her behind. It was his habit of leaving her in charge of
the affairs of the kingdom. When he embarked on this journey, he handed
over the affairs of the kingdom to her. After he left, she rounded up a few
persons and instructed them to falsely testify in court that this pious person
had spoken against the king. It was the rule of the king that if anyone spoke
against him and was proven guilty, he would be killed. This woman had
this pious person arrested and brought to court. She said to him: "I have
heard that you have spoken against the king." He denied this allegation. She
called for those persons whom she had trained before-hand to testify
against him. They came and testified that he had spoken against the king.
This woman therefore had this innocent person killed and seized his
orchard. When the king returned from his journey, Allah revealed to Ilyâs
'alayhis salâm that he should go to the king and inform him that an
innocent Muslim has been killed and his orchard has been seized. If the
king and his wife repent and return the orchard to the person's inheritors,
well and good. If not, Allah will destroy them. When Ilyâs 'alayhis salâm
went and informed the king, he became very angry and instead of
repenting, he became an enemy of Ilyâs 'alayhis salâm. Eventually, Ilyâs
'alayhis salâm left that place after Allah ordered him to do so. A few days
later, the king's son fell ill and passed away. Before he could overcome this
grief, another king invaded his kingdom, captured it, and killed him and all
the other kuffâr.
Lesson: Look at the consequences of this. O women! It is an act of
oppression to commit the following acts: to intend to take away something

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that belongs to someone else, to say something to someone wrongfully, to
hit or harm someone wrongfully, to cause harm to someone by taunting
him, or to make ghîbah of a person. You have read the consequences of all
this. You should therefore safeguard yourself from all this.
The story of Na'ilah
There was a tribe by the name of Jurhum which had settled down in
Makkah when Isma'îl 'alayhis salâm was still a child. A woman by the
name of Nâ'ilah belonged to this tribe. She had the audacity of committing
adultery inside the Ka'bah. Allah's punishment descended on her and the
man who committed this evil act and they both turned into stone. The name
of this man was Isaf. The people carried them to Safa and Marwah and
placed one of them on Safa and the other on Marwah. They did this so that
the people will look at them and fear the punishment of Allah. They
remained there for a long time. Eventually, a time came when ignorant
persons began worshipping these two statues out of stupidity. It is for this
reason that when Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam came, he had
them removed and destroyed.
Lesson: May Allah save us from His anger. This is the consequence of
disobeying Him. If a person is saved in this world, how will he save himself
in the hereafter? We learn from this that it is more serious to commit a sin
in a holy place. In the same way, it is more serious to commit a sin at a
sacred time. Some people do not even give up sinning in Ramadân and
other holy months and days. The result of this is that the punishment is
greater irrespective of whether it is ghîbah, oppression, spending money in
prohibited things, etc.
The story of the wife of Bal'am Bâ'ûr
He was a very pious and abstinent person who lived in Syria. When the
Muslims who belonged to the tribe of Mûsâ 'alayhis salam joined Yusha'
'alayhis salâm in order to free Baytul Maqdis from the hands of the kuffâr,
the people of that place went to Bal'am and asked him to make a du'â
against the Muslims so that they may be defeated. However, he refused and
said: "It is extremely evil for a person to make du'â against a prophet and
his followers. I will never do it." The people then went to his wife with a lot

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of wealth and gold and told her to contrive a plan to influence her husband
in making the du'â. Because of her greed for all that wealth, she went to her
husband and seduced him in such a way that he agreed to make the du'â.
The moment he decided to make the du'â, he became bereft of his îmân and
his tongue drooped up to his chest. When the Muslims gained victory,
Bal'am Bâ'ûr was also killed.
Lesson: Look at what an evil thing greed is. For the sake of wealth and gold
this woman destroyed her Dîn and her husband as well in that he lost his
îmân and his life. O women! Even today, women who are overwhelmed by
greed ask their husbands to receive bribes and are extremely proud to say
that they have a lot of jewellery and a lot of money without even thinking
for a moment that both husband and wife are preparing themselves for hell.
The story of the woman who killed Yahya 'alayhis salâm
There was a king who had a wife that had been married previously. This
woman had a daughter from her previous marriage. When this woman
became old, she felt that her husband (the king) will most probably become
attracted to another woman. She therefore decided to get this daughter of
hers married to her husband. She even got her daughter to agree to this
liaison. This daughter also began making plans to attract the king towards
her with various strategies. He also became attracted towards her. When
Yahyâ 'alayhis salâm heard about this, he tried to stop the king from this.
However, all three of them became his enemies and had him captured,
brought before them, and be-headed. After this, the king decided to commit
the prohibited act with this step-daughter of his. Yahya's severed head
began speaking and said: "O you fool, she is not halal for you!" But this
wicked king paid no heed. Upon this, the blood from the head of Yahya
'alayhis salâm began to boil and overflow and did not subside. The 'ulamâ
of that time said that as long as the blood of his killer is not made to flow
(i.e. as long as they are not killed), this blood will not subside. There was a
king of another neighbouring land. When he heard about this, he invaded
this place and killed all the killers of Yahya 'alayhis salâm and 70 000
other kuffâr. Only then did the flowing of that blood subside.
Lesson: May Allah save us from satanic acts. Can you see the
consequences of following one's nafs: a prophet is killed, a sinful act is
committed, even then the nafs was not satisfied, soon thereafter they were
punished for this tyranny and all those people who had remained silent and

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did not express their displeasure at the actions of the king were all
punished. We learn from this that following one's nafs, oppressing
someone, and not expressing one's displeasure at seeing actions that are
contrary to the Sharî'ah are actions that are extremely serious. One should
safeguard oneself from all this. When the nafs prompts you to do something
contrary to the Sharî'ah, don't ever obey it and don't ever abandon the
Sharî'ah. Don't oppress anyone in any way irrespective of whether it is by
causing him psychological harm, disgracing him or causing him financial
harm - all this is considered to be oppression. If a person does anything
contrary to the Sharî'ah, hate his action in your heart. If he cannot harm
you in any way, show your dislike outwardly as well. By your liking such a
person and maintaining contact with him, there is a fear that you will also
be afflicted when he is punished.
The story of Shamsûn's Wife
When 'Asa 'alayhis salâm was raised to the heavens, this Shamsûn was a
very pious and abstinent person. Allah had blessed him with a lot of power.
There was a kâfir king who was his enemy. He sent a message to
Shamsûn's wife informing her that if she can capture Shamsûn and bring
him to him, he will take her into his marriage. When Shamsun fell asleep,
this wretched woman fastened his hands and feet and handed him over to
the kuffar. They took him to the king. The king made an announcement that
Shamsûn will be suspended on a cross and whoever wishes to see him may
do so. Thousands of people gathered to watch this spectacle. It was at this
time that Shamsûn made a du'â, the king's palace collapsed onto him, and
he died. All the people rushed to remove the king's body from underneath
the rubble. In the meantime, Shamsun freed himself and reached safely
home. Upon reaching home, he divorced his wife.
Lesson: Greed had completely overpowered this woman to the extent that
she was even disloyal to such a good and pious husband. Despite this, she did
not get what she desired for and even lost this good husband. This is how one
is always punished for evil deeds. One should protect oneself from greed.
The story of the woman who accused Jurayj
In the time between the era of 'Asa 'alayhis salâm and Rasûlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, there was a pious person by the name of

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Jurayj. He occupied himself in the ibaadah of Allah at a young age. He
distanced himself from society and built a house for his 'ibâdah in a jungle.
Once he was busy offering nafl salât when his mother came and called for
him. Because he was occupied in his salât, he could not reply to her call.
However, his mother did not know that he was busy in salat. She therefore
became angry and said: "O Allah! Make it such that he sees the face of a
prostitute." Since parents have a great right over the children, the ruling is
that when they call for you while you are engaged in nafl salat and they do
not know that you are busy in this nafl salât, you should break your salât
and answer their call. However, Jurayj did not know this rule and therefore
did not reply. In this way, he displayed a shortcoming in fulfilling the right
of his mother. And it was for this reason that she cursed him. On account of
this, a few jealous persons went to a prostitute and asked her to disgrace
Jurayj in some way or the other. She fell pregnant on account of an illicit
relationship with someone and alleged that Jurayj is the father of the child.
The people went to his house and completely destroyed it. They harassed
Jurayj and informed him that this woman claims that you are the father of
this child. Jurayj addressed this small breast-fed child by saying: "Who is
your father?" This small child (who had not yet reached the age where he
could speak) spoke and gave the name of a certain shepherd. Upon hearing
this, all the people became staunch adherents of Jurayj. They began
embracing him and told him that they will rebuild his house with gold. He
replied: "No, make it with mud, just as it was previously." Eventually, they
made him a house as it had been previously.
Lesson: Look at how that woman was disgraced by accusing a pious person
and how Allah humiliated her. Don't ever accuse an innocent person. Some
women have the habit of accusing another woman of adultery or stealing on
the slightest suspicion. These are all sinful acts. We also learn that it is not
good to curse the children all the time because we do not know when it will
be accepted. Thereafter, the children are put into difficulty and on seeing
this, the parents are also distressed. We also learn that parents have great
rights over their children. These days, many people are neglectful in this
regard. O women! Don't ever be neglectful in this regard, nor should you
display any shortcoming in this regard.
A merciless woman from the Banû Isrâ'îl
It is mentioned in Bukhârî that Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam
mentioned a story from the Banû Isra'îl. There was a woman who had

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caught a cat and kept it enclosed without feeding it, giving it anything to
drink, or leaving it open so that it could catch rats and thereby fend for
itself. This cat soon died out of extreme hunger. Allah admitted her into
jahannam. It is mentioned in another narration that Rasûlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa sallam saw this cat walking on this woman's chest and
scratching her with its nails and claws.
Lesson: You have read the consequences of mercilessness. Do not be
merciless irrespective of whether it be a human or an animal. However, if a
dog or cat troubles you a lot, it will be permissible to strike it. But it is a
great sin to tease it. Some hard-hearted persons domesticate parrots,
mynahs, and other animals - they encage such animals and do not even
worry about their food and drink. Furthermore, they have no concern over
their need to be in the sun or in the shade, nor do they even worry about
freeing them. The consequence of teasing an animal in this manner is also
disastrous in this world. Such persons are prone to various difficulties and
have no peace of mind. As for punishment in the hereafter, you have
already read what happened to this woman. O women! Safeguard yourself
from mercilessness.
An immoral woman from the previous Ummahs
'Uthmân radiyallâhu 'anhu narrates that there was a pious and abstinent
person in the previous ummahs. An immoral woman desired him, so she
sent her slave-girl to him with the following message: "I have engaged in a
major financial transaction with someone. I need a witness for this purpose.
There is a great reward in becoming a witness for the pleasure of Allah.
Please come and make yourself a witness." This person was a simple-
minded person. He therefore went to her house. The moment he entered her
house, the slave-girl locked all the doors. When he went further, he saw that
immoral woman sitting down with a bottle of alcohol at her side and a
small boy next to her. When she saw him she said: "I did not call you to be
a witness but to break your piety. Either engage in sexual intercourse with
me, drink this alcohol or kill this boy." This poor pious servant was at a
total loss, not knowing what to do in order to save his life. After pondering
over the matter, he came to the conclusion that drinking the alcohol is the
lightest of all the sins. The moment he drank the alcohol, he lost his senses
and thereby committed the other two sins as well.

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Lesson: Sins have a special relationship in the sense that once a person
commits one sin, it leads him to other sins as well. It is for this reason that
one should abstain from all sins irrespective of whether they be minor or
major. If not, the doors of all other sins are opened. It has been noticed that
a woman wishes to marry her children according to the norms and customs
of that place or her family thinking that although it is contrary to the
Sharî'ah, it is not such a serious thing. She also has the money which she
had estimated that it would cost her to have this wedding. After thinking
over all these matters, she commenced with the preparations. Upon
embarking on the preparations, she encounters so many complications, that
many major sins are also committed. At times, the expenses go beyond the
actual estimation and she has to take loans on interest. At times, she may
mix her money with that of her orphan children and spend it without
differentiating between the two. It is harâm for her to spend their wealth.
That very harâm wealth is used to feed her guests. Look at how one sin led
to another. In the same way, all other sins lead to many other sins.
A deceitful woman from the Banû Isrâ'îl
Mûsû 'alayhis salâm filled a well with water and made such a du 'â that the
water had such an effect that if an immoral woman had to drink that water,
her face would turn black in colour and she would die immediately. The
effect of this water remained even after the demise of Mûsâ 'alayhis salâm.
Once, a person suspected his wife of adultery. This suspicion of his was
true. When the husband began talking about this and mentioned it to the
judges of that time, they gave a ruling that she should drink the water from
that well and summoned for her. She had another sister who looked very
much like her. It was extremely difficult to distinguish the two. This
woman deluded her sister into going on her behalf. She went and drank the
water in the presence of everyone. Since she was pure, nothing happened to
her and all the people were surprised. When she went home and met her
impure sister, the moment her breath touched her, her entire face turned
black. She died there and then, and everyone came to know of her
treachery.
Lesson: Treachery and concealing something does not last for long. Allah
definitely disgraces the person. O women! You should keep your heart pure
in your speech and dealings, and your tongue (speech) true.

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The story of Umme Jamîl
She is the wife of the kafir Abu Lahab. She is mentioned in the Quran in
Sûrah al-Masad (chapter 111). She bore so much of hatred towards
Rasûlullâh sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam that she used to go into the jungle,
bring thorny twigs and throw them at night on the path which Rasûlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam would take so that they may prick his feet.
Once she was walking with the bundle of twigs on her head with the rope
of the bundle under her chin so that the bundle does not open up. All of a
sudden, the bundle fell backwards and the rope that was under her chin
slipped to her throat. It strangled her and she died.
Lesson: May Allah save us. The consequences of hatred and malice
towards the Dîn and pious people are terrible in this world and in the
hereafter as well. Some women are in the habit of rejecting the masâ'il that
are taught by the 'ulama. They mock at those who act on these masa'il.
This specifically happens when they act upon the masa'il that are connected
to weddings and funerals or advices in this regard. They do not like this
advice and feel insulted. This is also regarded as bearing hatred towards the
Dîn. You have already read the consequences of this in this world and in
the hereafter. Repent from such actions and abstain from them in the future.
The story of the women who were killed on the day that
Makkah was conquered
Makkah was under the control of the kuffâr. Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi
wa sallam expelled them and took control over Makkah. This incident is
known as the conquest of Makkah. There were many women among these
kuffâr who used to sing poems and songs denouncing Islam. Rasûlullah
sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam issued an order to have such women killed
wherever they are found. Among them, these four women were killed:
Qarîbah, Fartanah, Arît, and Umme Sa'd.
Lesson: Our Rasûl sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam was extremely merciful
and noble. He also prohibited the Muslims from killing the kuffâr women
who participated in the battles. However, the evils of these four women
were so extensive that it became the order of Allah that they be killed
because Rasûlullâh sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam did not do anything
without the order of Allah. The crime that they committed was that they

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denounced Islam and combined this with poetry and singing. Even today,
some women have this sickness of saying whatever they wish against the
Sharî'ah. Some women even sing songs against the 'ulama. They should
fear the consequences of this.
The story of Zaynab bint Harith
There was a place by the name of Khaybar which was inhabited by Jews.
Rasûlullâh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallamhad waged a war against them and
defeated them. Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam remained behind
after the victory. A Jewish woman by the name of Zaynab came to him and
gave him some food as a gift. This wretched woman had mixed some
poison in that food. Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and a few of
his Sahâbah began eating it. Through the power of Allah, he realized that
this food had been poisoned. He immediately withdrew his hand and
ordered his Sahâbah to stop eating. However, one Sahabî had already died
because of this poisoning. The effect of this poison remained with
Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and eventually became the cause of
his death as well. It is mentioned in some books of Hadith that after the
Sahâbî died, this woman was questioned and she admitted to poisoning the
food. She was therefore killed.
Lesson: The enmity of this woman towards Islam led her to this treacherous
act. O women! Don't ever have evil thoughts about Islam and the Shari'ah.
You should accept it happily.
The story of Labid's (a Jew) daughters
They all agreed to practice black magic in order to kill Rasûlullâh
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. He was saved from being killed but the effect
of this was that his memory became weak - not in Dînî matters but with
regard to eating, drinking, sitting, walking, etc. Thereafter, Allah revealed
Sûrah al-Falaq (chapter 113) and Sûrah an-Nâs (chapter 114). Through the
barakah of these two sûrahs, the effect of this black magic disappeared
completely.
Lesson: The enmity of these people towards Dîn debased them to the extent
that they even planned to kill Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
Don't ever bear any hatred towards the Dîn and the pious.

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The story of Salma bint Malik
This woman had become a Muslim in the era of Rasûlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa sallam. He had predicted that she will not remain a Muslim.
After the demise of Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam she became
crazed in establishing her own government and turned away from Islam.
Many other kuffar joined her. Eventually, the Muslim armies invaded her
place and killed her together with her followers.
Lesson: Just as love for wealth can lead one astray, so can the desire to
become a leader. Look at this woman who destroyed her religious and
worldly life. O women! Consider yourself to be the lowest and adopt
humility. Through this, Allah will bless you with honour in both the worlds.
The story of Qatâmah
There is a heretical group which is known as the Kharijites. Kharijites
claim to be Muslims but many of their beliefs are contrary to the Dîn. This
group sprung up during the caliphate of 'Alî radiyallâhu 'anhu. He fought
many battles against these Kharijites. They were his great enemies. Once,
three members of this group got together in Makkah. At that time, 'Alî
radiyallâhu 'anhu was living in Kûfah. They made a plan to kill him and
two other Sahabah. One person by the name of 'Abdur Rahmân bin Muljim
volunteered to kill 'Alî radiyallahu 'anhu. He went to Kûfah for this
purpose. On reaching there, he met this wretched woman. After seeing her,
he proposed to her. She replied: "If you can pay me my dowry, I will
accept." He asked: "What do you want as dowry?" She replied: "You will
have to kill 'Alî." This woman was a Kharijite. Her father, brother, uncle
and husband were killed by 'Alî radiyallahu 'anhu in battle. They were all
Kharijites as well. It was for this reason that she had made this request. This
person accepted her request, went to the musjid before the fajr salât, and
concealed himself behind the door. When 'Alî radiyallâhu 'anhu entered
the musjid, this person came out, struck him with his sword and escaped.
'Alî radiyallâhu 'anhu passed away on account of this wound. Later, this
person was caught and killed.
Lesson: If this woman had any love for her Dîn, she would not have had
any animosity towards 'Alî radiyallahu 'anhu on account of the
irreligiousness of her relatives. However, she herself was irreligious and

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therefore committed this crime. O women! Create love for the Dîn in your
hearts. If not, major sins will be committed out of irreligiousness.
The story of Ju'dah bint Ash'ab
She is the wife of Hasan radiyallahu 'anhu. She destroyed herself in the
following way: Yazid who was an enemy of Hasan deluded her into
poisoning her pious husband. Yazîd had deluded this wretched woman by
promising to marry her and giving her 100 000 dirhams. The strength of the
poison cut his intestines and liver in such a way that they were excreted
from his anus. He bore this difficulty for forty days and passed away.
Thereafter, this woman sent a message to Yazîd asking him to fulfil his
promise. He sent a clear reply that he is unable to keep her with him. In
short, apart from committing the sin, this unfortunate woman was not even
able to fulfil her worldly dreams.
Lesson: O women! All these evils took place because of love for the world.
Whatever one acquires out of greed is always considered to be little (i.e.
one is never satisfied). Remove this sickness from the heart and cleanse
your heart from the desire of wealth, possessions, jewellery, clothing, etc.
Note: Thus far we have mentioned the stories of 20 evil women. We will
now mention the stories of women who were evil in the beginning but
reformed their ways later in life.
The story of Zulaykhâ
She was first married to the governor of Egypt. The governor had
purchased Yûsuf 'alayhis salâm and handed him over to her, asking her to
rear him as she would her own child. She began having evil thoughts but
Allah saved Yusuf 'alayhis salâm. Thereafter, the governor felt it would be
better to imprison Yusuf 'alayhis salâm. Later, when the king of Egypt
released him, the latter sent a message to the king asking him to ask the
woman about him. When the king asked her, she replied that Yusuf was
innocent and that it was she who was at fault. Eventually, when Yusuf
'alayhis salâm became the king and the governor had died by then, he
married Zulaykhâ. Two daughters by the name of Ifra'îm and Mîshâ'îm
were born to them.

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Lesson: Look at what a great quality honesty is that when she had falsely
accused Yûsuf 'alayhis salâm, her difficulties and problems continued to
increase daily. When she spoke the truth, Allah cut off all her difficulties
and opened the doors for her succes; in the following way: her husband
passed away, Yûsuf 'alayhis salâm became the king, and he married her. O
women! Always speak the truth. If you make a mistake or commit a wrong,
repent immediately. Do not be persistent in the mistake and do not be proud
to admit your fault.
The story of a woman who was deluded by Qarun
In the time of Mûsâ alayhis salaam there was a very rich and miserly
person by the name of Qârûn. When Mûsâ 'alayhis salâm asked him to pay
his zakât, he became angry and displayed animosity towards him. This
wretched man went to the extent of trying to taint the honour of Mûsâ
'alayhis salâm. He got hold of an immoral woman, gave her a lot of money
and jewellery and deluded her into accusing Mûsâ 'alayhis salâm of
committing adultery with her. She agreed to this plan. Once Mûsâ 'alayhis
salâm was delivering a lecture and explained that one is punished in a
certain way for a certain sin. Qârûn stood up from his place and shouted: "If
you commit such a sin, what will happen?" Mûsâ 'alayhis salâm replied: "I
will receive the same punishment." Upon this he said: "A certain woman
accuses you of the same thing." This woman was also present. Mûsâ
'alayhis salâm addressed her saying that she should take an oath and speak
the truth. She began fearing Allah and said: "O prophet of Allah! You are
pure and innocent. He had given me so much of money and jewellery and
prompted me to accuse you. I repent and become a Muslim now." Mûsâ
'alayhis salâm became very angry at him and made a du'â to Allah against
Qârûn. Qârûn was devoured by the earth together with his wealth and was
despatched to jahannam.
Lesson: When Allah guides a person towards taubah and adopting the
straight path, the means to fulfil this are provided there and then. The fear
of Allah is the root of guidance and repentance. O women! Develop this in
your hearts and everything will be made easy for you.
The story of a woman who admitted her sin
A woman came to Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and said that she
was deluded by shaytân into committing adultery. The ruling of the
Sharî'ah in this regard is that if a husband or wife commit adultery, he or

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she should be stoned to death. This woman knew this ruling and also
understood that although she will lose her life by admitting to this sin, her
fear of the punishment of the hereafter prompted her to come to Rasûlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. She related the entire incident to him so that
he may mete out the punishment and thereby purify herself. Another ruling
of the Sharî'ah is that if someone admits to committing a sin, the person
should be deferred. Based on this, Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam
deferred this woman. However, she was so courageous that she came again
and again admitting her sin and asking him to mete out the punishment.
This woman was pregnant at that time so she was given a respite until the
child is born and weaned. Once the child was weaned, she presented herself
to Rasûlullâh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam out of her own accord so that he
may mete out the punishment. At this stage, the punishment of stoning till
death was meted out to her. When she died, someone uttered a few bad
words about her. Rasûlullâh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam replied: "Do not
utter any evil about her. Her taubah is so great in the sight of Allah that if it
were to be distributed among 70 people it would have been sufficient for
their salvation. What can be greater than the fact that she gave her life for
the sake of Allah Ta'ala."
Lesson: The fear of Allah is a very great bounty. Allahu Akbar! What a
great burden this woman bore. May Allah also give us the good fortune of
abandoning sins and making taubah. Now there are no standard bearers of
the Shari'ah. One should repent over the sins that are committed against
Allah. We also learn from this story that we should not look down upon
someone who has made taubah, nor should we criticize the person. This is
a major sin.
The story of a woman who repented for stealing
'A'ishah radiyallâhu 'anhâ narrates that Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa
sallam had chopped off the hand of a woman who had stolen something.
Thereafter, this woman used to come to my house. Whenever she wished to
say anything to Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, she used to say it to
me and I used to pass over her message to him. In other words, she had
made a good taubah from the bottom of her heart.
Lesson: Look at how clean-hearted she was that despite bearing such a
great difficulty from the Sharî'ah and Rasûlullah sallallâhu 'alayhi wa
sallam, she did not bear any grudge towards him. This is how îmân and
taubah should be - that one should not have any ill feeling on account of

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the ruling of the Shari'ah. When one is afflicted by a calamity on account
of a punishment from the Sharî'ah, one should not complain to Allah.
Instead, one should remember one's fault and be ashamed of it.
The story of Sajâh
After the demise of Rasûlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam she concocted
the madness of claiming prophethood. Many dim-witted persons joined her.
There were many encounters which took place with her. Eventually she was
unable to fight the Muslim armies any longer. She became a Muslim and
repented.
Lesson: Glory be to Allah! What a great thing taubah is. There isn't any sin
that is greater than claiming prophethood. But when she repented and
accepted Islam, this sin was also forgiven. O women! Do not delay in
repenting. We also learn that it is a great evil to consider yourself to be
great. It was the desire to become a leader over many people that prompted
her to claim prophethood. May Allah save us from this. It is best for one to
consider oneself to be the lowest.
Note: We have now mentioned the stories of five evil women who repented
over their sins and thereby completed the stories of 25 women.
A precautionary note
The condition of women that has been written in the following article is not
applicable to all women but to evil women only. As opposed to these
women, we also find women who fulfil the following qualities which Allah
has mentioned in regard to them - women who surrender themselves unto
Allah, who truly believe, devoutly obey His will, turn (unto Him) in
repentance (whenever they have sinned), worship (Him) alone, and go on
and on (seeking His goodly acceptance) ... In the same way you get certain
men who are unrivalled in their oppression, hard-heartedness, destroying
the rights of others, vagrancy, and shamelessness. Their wives exercise
patience with modesty and remain silent (over their husbands' evil ways).
The purpose of quoting this article which has been written by my fellow
village person is that if any woman possesses the shortcomings that are
mentioned therein, she should take heed and try to reform her ways.
Alternatively, the man should try to reform her in a good and favourable