Hawzah News Agency - In the previous two issues, we had a brief overview of the general duties and the most important specific duty of women toward realizing divine goals and paving the ground for the rise of the savior of mankind. In this issue, we will answer two important questions related to the role of women in the rise and governance of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his rise).
Are women also present among the 313 special companions of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his rise)?
In a hadith narrated by Jabir from Imam Baqir (a.s), it is stated:
وَ اَللَّهِ ثَلاَثُمِائَةٍ وَ بِضْعَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً فِیهِمْ خَمْسُونَ اِمْرَأَةً یَجْتَمِعُونَ بِمَکَّةَ عَلَی غَیْرِ مِیعَادٍ.
By Allah, three hundred and some odd men will come, among whom are fifty women, gathering in Mecca without a prior appointment.
(Tafsir al-Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 65)
A notable point regarding this narration is that there are two interpretations of the phrase «فِیهِمْ»(in the group):
- One is that 50 of the 313 people are women.
- And the other is that those 50 women will be alongside the 313 men.
Another point regarding this narration is that it is mentioned in Tafsir al-Ayyashi, and the narrations transmitted by al-Ayyashi are all “mursal”, and this has diminished the value of this book. (A narration being mursal means that the chain of transmission—or rather, the narrators of the hadith—are not mentioned in it.)
This same narration is also recorded with a chain of transmission in the book Ghaybah al-Nu’mani, but without the mention of «فِیهِمْ خَمْسُونَ اِمْرَأَةً» (there are 50 women in the group):
فَیَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَیْهِ أَصْحَابَهُ ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ وَ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا وَ یَجْمَعُهُمُ اللَّهُ لَهُ عَلَی غَیْرِ مِیعَادٍ.
(Ghaybah al-Nu’mani, p. 282)
In the book Al-Ikhtisas by Sheikh al-Mufid, this narration also lacks the phrase «فِیهِمْ خَمْسُونَ اِمْرَأَةً»:
فَیَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ لَهُ أَصْحَابَهُ ثَلَاثَ مِائَةٍ وَ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا فَیَجْمَعُهُمُ اللَّهُ لَهُ عَلَی غَیْرِ مِیعَادٍ
(Al-Ikhtisas, p. 255)
Another notable point is that, based on the context, the word «رجل» (man) in the narrations is understood to mean “male,” not both male and female as it is sometimes meant.
The comparison of the special companions of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his rise) to the Companions of Badr:
یَجْمَعُ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَهُ مِنْ أَقَاصِی اَلْبِلاَدِ عَلَی عَدَدِ أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ ثَلاَثَمِائَةٍ وَ ثَلاَثَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً.
Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, will gather around him from the farthest lands—matching the number of the people of Badr—three hundred and thirteen men.
(Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni’mah, p. 264)
The comparison of the special companions of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his rise) to the companions of Talut (peace be upon him):
اَلْقَلِیلُ اَلَّذِینَ لَمْ یَشْرَبُوا وَ لَمْ یَغْتَرِفُوا ثَلَثَمِائَةٍ وَ ثَلَثَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً.
The few who did not drink nor scooped up water were three hundred and thirteen men.
(Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, Vol. 1, p. 248)
And it is clear that those 313 individuals in the Battle of Badr and in the battle of Talut against Goliath (Jalut) were all men.
Therefore, from the standpoint of hadith scholarship, proving the presence of women among the 313 individuals or alongside them is difficult; because only one hadith pointed to this matter, which was a mursal hadith and not valid, and there are documented narrations that consider the 313 individuals to be exclusively men.
However, considering what was mentioned in the previous two issues, the absence of women among those 313 individuals (according to the evidence) never meant, nor will ever mean, trivializing the status of women; because numerous companions in multiple circles—the number of whom is beyond count—will join Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his rise). Therefore, women in his rise and governance—as previously stated—will hold a special role and status.
Are women also present among those who return (Raj’ah)?
In this discussion, we aren’t looking to examine exactly when women will return, how many of them will return, or their specific names. What is significant is the principle of the return of women itself: the fact that throughout history, there have been—and will be—women who reached such high ranks of faith that they will be granted to return and accompany the final divine successor.
It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (pbuh) that he says:
یُکَرُّ مَعَ اَلْقَائِمِ (عَلَیْهِ‌اَلسَّلاَمُ) ثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ اِمْرَأَةً. قُلْتُ: وَ مَا یَصْنَعُ بِهِنَّ؟ قَالَ: یُدَاوِینَ اَلْجَرْحَی، وَ یَقُمْنَ عَلَی اَلْمَرْضَی، کَمَا کَانَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اَللَّهِ (صَلَّی اَللَّهُ عَلَیْهِ وَ آلِهِ). قُلْتُ: فَسَمِّهِنَّ لِی. فَقَالَ: اَلْقِنْوَاءُ بِنْتُ رُشَیْدٍ، وَ أُمُّ أَیْمَنَ، وَ حَبَابَةُ اَلْوَالِبِیَّةُ، وَ سُمَیَّةُ أُمُّ عَمَّارِ بْنِ یَاسِرٍ، وَ زُبَیْدَةُ، وَ أُمُّ خَالِدٍ اَلْأَحْمَسِیَّةُ، وَ أُمُّ سَعِیدٍ اَلْحَنَفِیَّةُ، وَ صُبَانَةُ اَلْمَاشِطَةُ، وَ أُمُّ خَالِدٍ اَلْجُهَنِیَّةُ.
Thirteen women will return with the Qa’im (a.s).” The narrator says: I asked: “What will he do with them?” He said: “They will treat the wounded and attend to the sick, just as they used to do with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh and his family).” I said: “Name them for me.” He said: “Qanwa’ bint Rushayd, Umm Ayman, Hababah al-Walibiyyah, Sumayyah mother of Ammar ibn Yasir, Zubaydah, Umm Khalid al-Ahmariyyah, Umm Sa’id al-Hanafiyyah, Subanah the hairdresser, and Umm Khalid al-Juhaniyyah.
(Dala’il al-Imamah, Vol. 1, p. 484)
In other books, the numbers and names of some other returning women are also mentioned. (As stated, their names, numbers, and time of return are not our topic of discussion.)
What is significant, and can assist women on the path of religiosity, is paying attention to the attributes of the women mentioned in the narrations, of which we will cite a few.
Freedom, standing firm, and resisting in front of falsehood are the most important shared characteristics that can be found in the mentioned returning women.
The Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh and his family) said regarding the honorable “Subanah,” the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s daughter:
When I was taken on the Night Journey (Mi’raj), I smelled a very pleasant scent. I said to Gabriel: ‘What is this scent?’ He said: ‘This is [the fragrance of] the hairdresser of the family of Pharaoh and his children. She was combing the hair of Pharaoh’s daughter when the comb fell from her hand, and she [uttered]: “Bismillah” (In the Name of Allah). Pharaoh’s daughter asked: “[Do you mean] my father?” The woman said: “No, rather [I mean] my Lord, your Lord, and the Lord of your father.” The daughter said: “I will certainly inform my father of this.” The woman replied: “Say [whatever you wish].” The daughter told the matter to her father. Pharaoh summoned that woman and her children and asked: “Who is your Lord?” The woman said: “My Lord and your Lord is Allah.” Pharaoh ordered a copper oven to be built and heated. Then he called for the woman and her children. The woman [facing the oven] said: “I have a request from you.” Pharaoh said: “What is it?” The woman said: “[I want you] to collect my bones and my children’s bones and bury them together." Pharaoh said: “Because of the right you hold over us (in appreciation of your past services), I will do this for you.” Then Pharaoh ordered her children to be thrown one by one into the oven until it reached the turn of her last child, who was an infant. The child [by the order of Allah spoke and] said: “O Mother! Be patient, for you are on the truth.” Then that woman [too] was cast into the oven alongside her [last] child.’ [1]
(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 13, p. 163)
Regarding the honorable “Sumayyah,” mother of Ammar, it is also narrated:
وَ کَانَتْ مِمَّنْ تُعَذَّبُ فِی اَللَّهِ لِتَرْجِعَ عَنْ دِینِهَا فَلَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَرَّ بِهَا أَبُو جَهْلٍ فَطَعَنَهَا فِی قَلْبِهَا فَمَاتَتْ.
And she (Sumayyah) was among those tortured in the way of Allah so that she would abandon her religion, but she did not. Then Abu-Jahl passed by her and stabbed her in the heart, and she died.
(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 18, p. 241)
And numerous other instances.
Note:
Environmental conditions and factors are one of the excuses that some individuals, particularly the women of society, offer for the weakness of their faith; whereas reflecting upon the lives of Islam’s history-making women indicates that on the path toward divine goals and toward connecting with the Creator, no one and nothing can halt a human being.
When mentioning the honorable Asiyah (peace be upon her) in the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty does not mention her name; rather, He refers to her with the title «امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ» (the wife of Pharaoh) to draw the attention of all believing men and women to the fact that she, within the palace of the oppressor of the era and while possessing no friend or helper but Allah, became a role model for everyone.
The final word is that Raj’ah is not exclusive only to the past generations, but also encompasses contemporary generations. It is for this reason that we are recommended to recite the Du’a al-Ahd:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ حَالَ بَینِی وَ بَینَهُ الْمَوْتُ الَّذِی جَعَلْتَهُ عَلَی عِبَادِک حَتْما مَقْضِیا، فَأَخْرِجْنِی مِنْ قَبْرِی مُؤْتَزِرا کفَنِی شَاهِرا سَیفِی مُجَرِّدا قَنَاتِی مُلَبِّیا دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِی فِی الْحَاضِرِ وَ الْبَادِی.
O Allah! If death—which You have decreed upon Your servants as an inevitable, decisive fate—should intervene between me and him [Imam Mahdi], then bring me forth from my grave, wrapped in my shroud, unsheathing my sword, bearing my bare spear, answering the call of the Caller in cities and deserts alike.
And certainly, to achieve this enchanting goal, we must become adorned with the qualities enumerated in narrations for the returners, and in this path, there is no difference between male and female.
[1]:«لَمَّا أُسْرِیَ بِی مَرَّتْ بِی رَائِحَةٌ طَیِّبَةٌ فَقُلْتُ لِجَبْرَئِیلَ مَا هَذِهِ اَلرَّائِحَةُ قَالَ هَذِهِ مَاشِطَةُ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَ أَوْلاَدُهَا کَانَتْ تَمْشُطُهَا فَوَقَعَتِ اَلْمُشْطَةُ مِنْ یَدِهَا فَقَالَتْ بِسْمِ اَللَّهِ فَقَالَتْ بِنْتُ فِرْعَوْنَ أَبِی فَقَالَتْ لاَ بَلْ رَبِّی وَ رَبُّکِ وَ رَبُّ أَبِیکِ فَقَالَتْ لَأُخْبِرَنَّ بِذَلِکِ أَبِی فَقَالَتْ نَعَمْ فَأَخْبَرَتْهُ فَدَعَا بِهَا وَ بِوُلْدِهَا وَ قَالَ مَنْ رَبُّکِ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ رَبِّی وَ رَبُّکَ اَللَّهُ فَأَمَرَ بِتَنُّورٍ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ فَأُحْمِیَ فَدَعَا بِهَا وَ بِوُلْدِهَا فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ لِی إِلَیْکَ حَاجَةً قَالَ وَ مَا هِیَ قَالَتْ تَجْمَعُ عِظَامِی وَ عِظَامَ وُلْدِی فَتَدْفَنُهَا قَالَ ذَاکِ لَکِ لِمَا لَکِ عَلَیْنَا مِنْ حَقٍّ فَأَمَرَ بِأَوْلاَدِهَا فَأُلْقُوا وَاحِداً وَاحِداً فِی اَلتَّنُّورِ حَتَّی کَانَ آخِرُ وُلْدِهَا وَ کَانَ صَبِیّاً مُرْضَعاً فَقَالَ اِصْبِرِی یَا أُمَّاهْ إِنَّکِ عَلَی اَلْحَقِّ فَأُلْقِیَتْ فِی اَلتَّنُّورِ مَعَ وُلْدِهَا.»
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