Women of Jannah

Asiya bint Muzahim

So when Asiya saw Musa ‘alayhi alsalam, she instantly fell in love with him and this baby that fell into her hands was even more special because Asiya ‘alayha alsalam was unable to have children. The ‘ulama say the wisdom of that is obviously that Musa ‘alayhi alsalam would be taken in as if he was her child. On top of that, that Allah (SWT) would not allow a child to be born to Asiya and Firaoun. It just wouldn’t make sense. That Firaoun would have the pleasure of having a child through Asiya.

So Asiya ‘alayha al salam, brings this baby, she falls in love with this baby, and she says to Firaoun, let us keep this baby , “” [] – he will be the coolness of my eyes and the coolness of your eyes. And Firaoun obviously wants to put Musa ‘alayhi al salam through a test, because he had already killed all of the babies that were born to Bani Israel that year. So he wants to put musa ‘alayhi al salam to a test to make sure that he won’t be capable of overthrowing him as he saw in a dream that he would be overthrown by a child that was born to Bani Israel that year. So he puts him through these tests and Musa ‘alayhi al salam is raised in this palace of Firaoun and Asiya. And Asiya dedicates herself to Musa ‘alayhi al salam as if she is indeed his mother. She raises him, she continues to love him, and subhanAllah, eventually as we know the story goes, she brings in the mother of Musa ‘alayhi al salam, not knowing that she is the mother of Musa ‘alayhi alsalam to be a wet nurse for Musa ‘alayhi al salam. Musa ‘alayhi al salam mother was reunited with him and on top of that Asiya ‘alayha al salam had the pleasure and the honor of raising this child Musa ‘alayhi al salam in her own palace.

As times goes on and Musa ‘alayhi al salam comes out and Musa ‘alayhi al salam shows that he is a Prophet and calls to Tawid, and Firaoun is infuriated. Firaoun is in this battle now with Musa ‘alayhi al salam. Asiya immediately believed in the message that was given to Musa alayhi al salam. She immediately believed in Tawhid and she started to practice the religion of Musa alayhi al salam on a personal level without Firaoun recognizing that she was amongst the monotheists and she was amongst those that were following the message of Musa ‘alayhi al salam. Why? Because if Firaoun mutilates children and has women raped the way that he does for believing in Allah, then what would he do to his wife? What sense of betrayal would he feel if he saw his own wife accepted that message of Musa ‘alayhi al salam.

As time goes on however, there is an incident that would lead to Asiya coming out and exposing her Islam. And that was the incident that is known as the incident of the hairdresser of the daughter of Firaoun. And the hairdresser of the daughter of Firaoun one day she was doing her hair and she dropped a comb. And when she dropped the comb, she said “bismAllah” , “in the name of Allah.” And Firaoun’s daughter, obviously from another wife, or a concubine other than Asiya, she said to the hairdresser, “أبي الله؟” [abee Allah?] – My father? The hairdresser responded and said no. The Lord of your father and the Lord of me and the Lord of you, Allah (SWT). So the daughter goes back to Firaoun and says to Firaoun, and narrates this incident to Firaoun. Firaoun doesn’t think twice, he doesn’t have an ounce, or an atom’s worth of mercy in his heart. Firaoun orders for a pit to be dug and copper to burned in that pit so that that woman and all her children could be thrown into that pit in front of everyone. Firaoun wanted to make an example out of everyone who believed. And subhanAllah Allah (SWT) made an example out of him for all time. To even where his corpse has been preserved so that we can see the humiliation that he was put through. But he wanted to make an example out of this woman. So Firaoun calls the town and Asiya is obviously witnessing this incident. This woman has all of her children and she is a poor woman. And Firaoun says that I am going to throw each and every single one of your children into this pit. And the woman says, ‘I have a request from you oh Firaoun.” He says, What is that request? She says, “the request is that whenever you finish burning us is that you gather our bones in one cloth.” SubhanAllah! Look at how much this mother loves her children which makes the test even greater. And Firaoun says, “لك ذلك” [laki dhaalik]- you have that request honored. So one by one Firaoun started to throw her children into that boiling oil and they were parishing right in front of her until it came down to just her and the baby that was in her arms that she was suckling. And she became hesitant because she didn’t want to throw this baby into the fire. And the baby spoke, and rasool Allah (SAWS) said that this is one of the babies that Allah (SWT) caused to speak amongst 3 babies. You can try to figure out who the other 2 babies were. This baby spoke and said to the mother, “Go ahead and jump. Throw me in.” “فإن عذاب الدنيا أهون من عذاب الآخرة” [Fa ‘inna ‘adhaab al dunya ‘ahwan min ‘athaab al akhira.] – Because torture and punishmed in this world is much lighter than the torture and he punishment in the hereafter. And so she takes this baby and she jumps with her baby into this pit and she parishes. And subhanAllah when rasool Allah (SAWS) on the night of Al-Israa and Al-Miraaj in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (SAWS) as he was going through the heavens, he smelled the beautiful scent and he said, “يا جبريل ما هذه الرائحة الطيبة؟” [Ya Jibreel, ma hadhihi al raai’ha al tayyiba?]- Oh Jibreel, what is this beautiful smell that I’m smelling? And Jibreel ‘alayhi al salam says, ‘that is the scent of the hairdresser of the daughter of Firaoun. That is her scent in Jannah.” SubhanAllah! The Prophet (SAWS) was smelling her cloth. The Prophet (SAWS) was smelling her beautiful scent in Jannah even as he was travelling on the night of Al-Israa and Al-Miraaj.

It was at that moment when Asiya saw the cruelty of Firaoun and the bravery of that woman, and by the way, history repeats itself. Whenever a tyrant oppresses believers and other believers see that, and the tyrant tries to make an example out of those believers, instead he increases the iman of those who have iman as Allah (SWT) says in the Quran that even when the believers when they’re told, “إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ” ['Inna An-NāsaQad Jama'ū Lakum] (3:173) – That everyone is gathering against you. they’re going to turture you, and do this to you and that to you, Allah (SWT) says, – it increases their faith. So Asiya sees that and Asiya says, ‘you know what if Firaoun is like that and this woman had the guts to stand up to him and that courage, then I’m also going to go up to him and stand up to him.’ So she walks up to Firaoun that night as Abu Al-’Aliyah rahimahuAllah says, and she says, “يا فرعون كفرت بك ولا أبالي وآمنت برب موسى ورب هارون” [Ya Firaoun kafarto bik w la ‘ubaali, w ‘aamant b rabb Musa w rabb Harun]- Oh Firaoun I have disbelieved in you. I don’t care what you’re going to do. And I believe in the Lord of Musa and the Lord of Harun. “رب العالمين”[Rabb al-’aalameen]- the Lord of all of the worlds. Firaoun said, ‘Do you know what I’m going to do you?!’ He was shocked! He said, ‘Do you know what I’m going to do you?!’ She said, ‘I know and I don’t care.’ SubhanAllah! “لا أبالي كفرت بك ولا أبالي” [la ‘ubaali, kafartu bik w la ‘ubaali] – I have disbelieved in you, I have rejected you and I don’t care. This was a woman of perfect iman and she saw a woman of lesser iman stand up to Firaoun. ‘I don’t care. Do what you want.’ So Firaoun drags this woman, Asiya bint Muzahim. Asiya bint Muzahim grew up her entire life as a Queen. She has never encountered any adversity. She has never had any inconvenience and she has never had to lift a finger. Anything she wanted in life she just tells her maids to do it. And Firaoun drags her to the desert, ties her down, tortures her, deprives her of water, deprives her of food, deprives of her dignity, her honor. Strips her. His own wife. And the daughters of Firaoun from the concubines and from the other wives are laughing at her. She has no support. And while that is going on, she looks up to the heavens and she says, “رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ” [Rabbi Abni Lī 'Indaka Baytāan Fī Al-Jannati] (66:11) – Oh Allah build for me with You a palace in Jannah. “ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ” [Rabbi Abni Lī 'Indaka Baytāan Fī Al-Jannati] (66:11). You know what’s so beautiful is that the ‘ulama/scholars say here that before she asked for the palace in Jannah she asked for Allah’s company. And that shows us something very significant. She didn’t ask for another husband, she asked for Allah (SWT)’s company. Her goal was the akhirah, was the hereafter. Just as the child said to the mother, “فإن عذاب الدنيا أهون من عذاب الآخرة” [Fa ‘inna ‘adhaab al dunya ‘ahwan min ‘athaab al akhira] – that the punishment of this world, this lust, and the punishment of the hereafter, she was only thinking aakhirah. So instead of Firaoun, ‘Oh Allah! I want to be with you.’ “عِندَكَ” ['Indaka]- I want to be with you. Replace the company of Firaoun with the company of Allah (SWT) and replace this palace that I’ve sacrificed for your sake with a palace in Jannah. So Allah opened up the skies and she was able to see her palace in Jannah. Therefore when the people lashed her over and over again, the angels shaded her. The angels shaded her the same way they shade the people of al-shaam as the Prophet (SAWS) said, “تلك ملائكة الله باسطوا أجنحتها على الشام” [tilk malaa’ikatu Allah baasitoo ‘ajnihatiha ‘ala al-shaam] – the same way the angels shade the people of al-shaam. That when they are tortured their iman rises. Their iman rises. So as she was being tortured she looked up, she saw what she saw, and she was shaded and she laughed. And Firaoun said to the guards, ‘look how crazy this woman is.’ And she laughed and she laughed and she laughed until Firaoun got frustrated and he said, ‘You know what? This woman is not coming back to her senses.’ He said, ‘Go to the highest cliff and tie her under there. And push off a boulder that would smash her body to pieces.’ So they go up to that cliff and they push this boulder to fall on the body of Asiya but Allah (SWT) did not give Firaoun that pleasure. Abu Al-’Aliyah rahimahuAllah said, ‘Allah took her soul when she said, “نَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ” [Najjinī Min Fir'awna] – Save me from Firaoun and his evil. Allah took her soul before the boulder landed on her body. So although to the people of this world her body was shattered to pieces, Allah (SWT) had taken her for Himself. And Allah (SWT) had given her a palace in Jannah as she requested.

What an amazing woman! And what an amazing example. And what a test of faith and subhanAllah she passed that test with flying colors.

We ask Allah (SWT) to gather us with her and those that have perfected their faith from the Saliheen, the Siddiqeen, and the ‘Anbiyaa and the Prophet (SAWS) the highest of levels jannat-ul-firdaous. Allahumma ameen.