PIOUS WOMEN

The slave-girl of 'Abû ‘Âmir Wâ‘i z

He says: "I saw a slave-girl being sold at a very cheap price. She was pale in colour and her stomach and back were almost joined (describing how thin and skinny she was). Her hair had become stuck together due to the dirt that was on it. I felt sorry for her and purchased her. I said to her: 'Go to the market and purchase some goods for Rama d ân .' She replied: 'All thanks is due to Allah that the entire year is equal in my eyes.' She used to fast during the day and engage in ‘ibâdah at night. When ‘îd approached, I intended purchasing something for her. She said: 'Your temperament is such that you are very attached to the world.' She then commenced offering s alât. She recited a verse which made mention of hell. Upon reading this verse, she sneezed and fell down dead."

Lesson : This is what you call fear of Allah. Be that as it may, it is beyond us to adopt such fear. However, the minimum you can do is that you should abstain from sins irrespective of whether they be connected with the limbs, with the heart or with the tongue.

Note : We have now mentioned the lives of 100 women: 25 from the previous ummahs , 15 that were of Rasûlullâh s allallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam family, 25 that were present in his time, 10 that came after him and who had great love for Dînî knowledge, and 25 that were inclined to sûfism. There are many other stories, but these will be sufficient in order to learn a lesson from them.