Fatimah Bint Al-Mundhir Ibn Al-Zubayr Ibn Al ‘Awwaam

Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) is a well-known figure in Islamic history; not only was she the daughter of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the sister of Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) but she was the obedient wife of the Sahabi Zubayr ibn al ’Awwaam (may Allah be pleased with him). Her role in supporting the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and her examples of sacrifice and forbearance are ever-alive in the annals of Islamic History. She was named ‘Dhat an-Nitaqayn’ (the One with the Two Waistbands) due to an incident in which she used two waistbands in order to tie food for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and her father Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

They had left Makkah for Madinah and were being pursued by the enemy. It was Asma’s (may Allah be pleased with her) duty to deliver this food to them with the utmost secrecy. For this reason, late into her pregnancy she climbed up Mount Thawr. For those who are unacquainted with this Mount it should suffice for you to know that even the youth are caught gasping for breath when climbing its rocky tracks.

What drove Asma (may Allah be pleased with her), with her unborn, to undertake such a dangerous journey? It was no other than the deep love she had for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and her father. Later, when Abu Jahl came to the house of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), full of rage and anger he asked Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) the whereabouts of her father and the Noble Messenger (Peace be upon him). Standing strong, with Iman flowing through every inch of her being, she replied that she did not know. He slapped her across her face; she stood strong and unyieldingly with a heart full of love for this deen.[1]

Her love did not end with the demise of Rasoolullah (Peace be upon him); on the contrary, she ignited this deep love into the hearts of her children and grandchildren. One such grandchild that benefited greatly from her company was no other than Fatimah bint al Mundhir (may Allah’s mercy be upon her). Allah chose Fatimah (may Allah’s mercy be upon her) to be a light whose name would shine - even today -in the books of Ahadeeth.

Fatimah bint al Mundhir (may Allah’s mercy be upon her) is respected as one of the leading tabi'aat[2] of her time. She was a great scholar and was renowned as a Faqeehah (Jurist) and was married to her cousin Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah’s mercy be upon him). Hishaam was also a great scholar and narrator. Some of his leading students included: Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), Imam Malik (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), Shu’bah (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) and Sufyan al-Thawri (may Allah’s mercy be upon him). [3]

Although they were both cousins, Hishaam (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) had not acquired from Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) the many ahadeeth of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) that Fatimah (may Allah’s mercy be upon her) had acquired from Asma (may Allah be pleased with her). Hence, he would ask his wife and learn from her the words of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), memorising them and in turn informing his companions and students of what is wife had taught him. Many have narrated from Fatimah (may Allah’s mercy be upon her), such as Muhammad ibn Ishaaq (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), (the author of one very famous book of Seerah) and others, yet her husband Hishaam (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) comes as one of the leading figures narrating directly from Fatimah (may Allah’s mercy be upon her).

Below are just a few examples from the major and unanimously accepted books of ahadeeth, in which Hishaam (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) narrated directly from his wife Fatimah.

1- Hishaam narrated from his wife Fatimah from her grandmother Asma’ that she said: ‘A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) and said:

‘O Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) – I have a daughter who is a bride: she has a disease (hasbah) that has thinned her hair. Can I join [another’s hair] to it?

The Messenger of Allah said: "The curse of God is on the one who joins [another’s hair in this way] and the one who asks for this [joining another’s hair to her daughter’s.]”

This hadeeth is narrated in:

• Saheeh al Bukhari

• Muslim

• Al-Nas’ai

• Ibn Majah

2- Hishaam says: ‘Fatimah narrated to me from Asma’ that she said:

‘We ate meat of one of our horses in the time of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).’

This hadeeth is narrated in:

• Saheeh al Bukhari

• Muslim

• Al-Nas’ai

• Ibn Majah

3- Hishaam narrates from Fatimah from Asma’ that she said: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said to me: "Give [of your wealth], spend [from it] and pay out; do not cling to it, otherwise Allah will hold it over you; do not count [it] otherwise Allah will count it over you."

This hadeeth is narrated in:

• Saheeh al Bukhari

• Muslim

• Al-Nas’ai

4- Hishaam also narrated from her the long hadeeth found in the Saheehs of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, about the prayer on the occasion of the solar eclipse.

For some of the most leading scholars of Islam, the likes of Imam Bukhari (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) and Imam Muslim (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), to record these Ahadeeth, in which:

1- Women have narrated the hadeeth

2- A man has narrated from his wife.

This holds great lessons for those who claim that the Scholars of Islam were misogynist and androcentric. On the contrary, the very books that are considered the most reliable sources of Islamic knowledge contain ahadeeth that contain chains which bear the names of women. Further, these examples bear sufficient proof that men would, without embarrassment, narrate from their wives openly.