AbuBakr Lineages

“Dhat an Nitaqayn” ⁽¹⁾: Sayyida Asma’ Bint Abi Bakr Al-Siddiq Bin Abi Quhafa Uthman Bin Aamer Bin ‘Amr Bin Kaab Bin Sa’d Bin Taym was the daughter of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). Her mother was Qutaylah Bint Abdul-Uzza Bin Asaad Bin Jaber Bin Malik Bin Hisli Bin Aamer Bin Luayy. She was the full sister of Abdullah Bin Abi Bakr Al-Siddiq and the paternal half-sister of Umm Al-Mu’minin, Aisha, who was ten years younger than Asma’.

Asma’ Bint Abi Bakr Al-Siddiq was among the early Muslims, becoming the eighteenth person in Makkah to embrace Islam. She pledged an oath of allegiance to Allah’s Messenger and was known as “Dhat An Nitaqayn” (She of the Two Waistbands) due to an incident in which she took her waistband and cut it into two halves, using the first half to pack the Prophet’s food, and the second half to secure his waterskin on the night during which Allah’s Messenger left with Abu Bakr to the cave (in search of refuge from their enemies).

A lovely story regarding her strong faith in Islam concerns an incident in which her mother, Qutaylah Bint Abdul-Uzza, whom Abu Bakr had divorced during the “Age of Ignorance” known as Jahiliyyah, went to visit Asma’, bringing her gifts of raisins, ghee, and earrings. Asma’ refused to accept her mother’s gifts or admit her into her home, instead sending someone to Aisha to ask Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family) what she should do. The Prophet replied through Aisha that that Asma’ should allow her into her home and accept the gifts.

Abu Bakr took his money (amounting to five or six thousand dirhams) with him when he emigrated with Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family), leaving with all that he possessed. Asma’s grandfather, Abu Quhafa (who was blind), went to visit her after this and remarked: “By Allah, it seems that he has deprived you of both his money and his presence, leaving you in a state of distress.”

“To the contrary, Grandfather,” Asma’ responded. “He left us many good things.” She then took some stones and placed them in a niche in the wall of the house in which her father used to keep his money. She then covered the stones with a thobe, took his hand, and said: “Grandfather, put your hand on this money.”

He did as she said, placing his hand on the thobe, and said: “No harm, then. If he left you this, then he has done what is proper, and this will be sufficient for you.”

The truth was, of course, that Abu Bakr had not left anything behind for his family, but by doing what she did, Asma’ wanted to reassure her grandfather that everything was okay.

Asma’s father, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, was 21 years old at the time of her birth. She married Al-Zubayr Bin Al-Awwam Bin Khuwaylid Bin Asad Bin Abdul-Uzza Bin Qusay when he possessed no wealth, slaves, or worldly possession other than his horse. Asma’ took care of his horse by managing its fodder, grinding soft date-stones for it to eat, and giving it water to drink. She also used to knead dough. Al-Zubayr was harsh with her, so she went to her father and complained to him about that. In response, he said: “O Daughter, have patience, for if a woman has a righteous husband, and he dies [leaving her a widow], and she does not marry after him, they will be joined together in Paradise.”

Asma’ participated with her husband in the Battle of Yarmouk, showing great courage. She always carried a dagger with her during the reign of Sa’id Bin Al-‘As during the time of fitnah (internal strife), tucking it under her arm. When asked what she was planning to use it for, she said: “If a thief enters upon me, I will stab him in the stomach.”

Umar Bin Al-Khattab allotted Asma’ a pension of a thousand dirhams. She bore Al-Zubayr: Abdullah, Urwah, Al-Munthir, Aasim, Al-Muhajir, Khadijah Al-Kubra, Umm Al-Hasan, and Aisha. Asma’ recited poetry and prose and spoke with logic and eloquence. When her husband, Al-Zubayr, was killed by ‘Amr Bin Jarmouz Al-Majashi’i in Wadi Al-Siba’ as he was leaving the Battle of the Camel, she recited a poem in which she addressed her husband’s killer sternly, warning him of the punishment he would face for his act of murder.

She recited other poems as well, including one in which she called her young son, Abdullah Ibn Al-Zubayr, “white like a gleaming sword” as she danced him around. Many years later, she was with Abdullah when he was killed, and said (in part):

There is no protection from Allah for people

Who committed murder between (the well of) Zamzam and the Maqam (of Ibrahim).

According to the biographers of this period, the war continued until just before the murder of Ibn Al-Zubayr. The majority of his friends had dispersed and forsaken him, and most of Makkah’s residents had left to Al-Hijjaj for security. It was even reported that two of his sons, Hamzah and Khubayb, had left in search of refuge for themselves. When he saw how people had forsaken him, Abdullah Ibn Al-Zubayr went to his mother, Asma’, and told her: “The people have deserted me, even my children and my family, and those remaining with me won’t last much longer. The people are willing to give me whatever I desire from this world, so what is your counsel?”

She said: “By Allah, my son, you know better than me your circumstances. If you know that you are upon the truth, and this is what you are calling for, then go forth. Your friends were killed for your sake, and you must not allow yourself to surrender to the people of Bani Umayyah. If all that you desire is this worldly life, then you are the worst of servants. You will have caused death to yourself and to those with you. And if you say: ‘I was upon the truth, but when my friends were weak, I became weak,’ then this is not the behavior of a free man or person of faith. And for how long shall you live in this world? Being killed is better, being killed is better.”

In response, Ibn Al-Zubayr came close to her, kissed her upon the head, and said: “By Allah, this is what I think. Whatever I have done has not been for the love of this life, and nothing motivated me to go out (and fight) except for anger for the sake of Almighty Allah due to the violations of His sanctity—but I just wanted to know your opinion regarding that. So look, O Mother, I will be killed today, so do not be too sad—and leave the matter to Allah, because your son never intended to commit a sin or any disgraceful act, nor did he ever implement  the rulings of Almighty Allah in an unjust manner or intend to be unjust towards any Muslim or ally. Further, I was never informed about an act of unjust behavior by anyone working for me and accepted it; rather I would always reject it. And nothing was ever more important to me than the pleasure of my Lord, the Almighty. O Allah, I am not saying this to praise myself. You know me better than I know myself. Rather, I am only saying this to comfort my mother and divert her mind from my situation.”

Asma’ then said: “I pray to Almighty Allah that my mourning you is rewarded should you precede me in death. Go, so that I may see what your fate is.”

Ibn Al-Zubayr responded: “May Allah reward you greatly, O Mother—and do not stop praying for me before or after.”

She said: “I will not ever stop, because someone may be killed while upon falsehood, but you will be killed while upon the truth.”

Asma’ then supplicated: “O Allah, have mercy (on him) for all of the long nights he stood up for prayer, weeping in the darkness of night. (Have mercy on him) for his fasting in the heat of Madinah and Makkah, and for his obedience to me and his father. O Allah, I have left his fate to your will regarding him, and I am content with what you have destined—so may you reward me regarding Abdullah with the reward of those who are patient and thankful.”

After Ibn Al-Zubayr was killed, Asma’ went to Al-Hajjaj Bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi, but they told her he was not there. She said: “If he comes, tell him to order the body taken down, and inform him that I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family, say that the tribe of Thaqif harbors two men, one who is a liar and one who is a murderer.” Al-Hajjaj had crucified Abdullah Ibn Al-Zubayr after his murder.

It was also reported that Al-Hajjaj swore that he would not take the body of Ibn Al-Zubayr down from the wooden slab until his mother came begging, so the body remained there for a year. His mother then walked under him and said: “Isn’t it time yet for this to be brought down?” Before this, Asma’ used to say: “O Allah, do not let me die until I retrieve his body.” She died less than a week later.

Another report says that Al-Hajjaj went to Asma’ Bint Abi Bakr and told her: “Your son apostatized in this House, and Allah made him taste a painful torment and did such-and-such to him.”

In response, she said: “You are a liar. He was obedient to his parents, and he always fasted and prayed—but by Allah, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family, informed us that two liars would emerge from the tribe Thaqif, the latter of whom would be worse than the first and be a murderer as well.”

Al-Hajjaj also told Asma’ after the murder of Abdullah: “What do you think about what I did to your son?”

She said: “You may have ruined his life, but he has ruined your Hereafter.”

Asma’ lived to the age of 100 and was blind at the end of her life. She died in Makkah a few days after the murder of Abdullah Ibn Al-Zubayr, who was killed on Tuesday, the 18th of Jumada Al-Awwal, in 73 AH (692 AD). It was narrated on the authority of Hisham Bin Urwah Bin Al-Zubayr, on the authority of his father, that he said: Asma’ Bint Abi Bakr reached 100 years of age without losing a single tooth or any of her mental faculties.

Asma’ Bint Abi Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah have mercy on her) was a generous and benevolent woman who never kept anything she had until the next day. If she got sick, she would free every slave she had, and she would tell her daughters and family members: “Spend (on the poor) and give charity, and do not wait (in anticipation of) Allah’s favor, because if you wait for His favor, you will not benefit at all, while if you give in charity, you will not regret giving it.” She is known to have narrated either 56 or 58 hadiths on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family.

Some have speculated that, had Abu Bakr’s sons been more like his daughters, Umar may not have become the caliph so easily, considering that Aisha was the leader during the Battle of the Camel, while Asma’ was the person who encouraged her son, Abdullah Ibn Al-Zubayr, to fight with honor and dignity, to strive hard, and to use the Ka’bah as a fortress. Also, when the situation became even more grave for Abdullah due to Al-Hajjaj’s siege over him, and he told her he feared mutilation more than he feared being killed, she told him: “O Son, a slaughtered goat does not feel pain upon being skinned,” which turned into a popular Arabic saying (another version of which says: “O Son, a goat is not harmed by it being skinned after it has been slaughtered.”). When Abdullah was murdered and crucified, Asma’ went to Al-Hajjaj and told him: “O Hajjaj, isn’t it time yet for your horseman to dismount?” So he finally ordered him to be brought down, although he had vowed not to bring him down or allow his mother to say anything regarding him.

 

Source: Kitab Al-Sulala Al-Bakria As-Siddiqia – Part II, by Ahmed Farghal Al-Dabassi Al-Bakri

Date of Publication

1 Ramadan 1438 AH / May 26, 2017 AD

 

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