Mariya al-Qibtiyya (ra), “the gift of Egypt,” embraced Islam and her life with the Prophet ﷺ wholeheartedly, even as slander and jealousy tested her.
She delivered a baby boy, Ibrahim (ra), who wouldn’t live past being a toddler.
Find out how the Prophet ﷺ reacted and remained steadfast in his belief in Allah even during this personal tragedy.
Said Nursi (1877–1960) was a visionary Islamic scholar who sought to reconcile faith with reason in an age of upheaval. Through his writings, especially the Risale-i Nur, he argued that modern science and deep spirituality need not be in conflict, offering a message of hope, resilience, and inner renewal. This film explores the life and legacy of a man whose ideas quietly transformed hearts under pressure and continue to resonate today.
“O daughter of the noble ones!” This was the way to address the younger granddaughter of the Prophet ﷺ, Umm Kulthum bint Ali (ra).
She was a woman of piety, like her mother Fatima (ra). In the glimpses we have into her life, we see her marrying Umar (ra) and then the sons of Ja’far (ra), stepping in to help a traveling woman give birth, patiently enduring the martyrdom of many loved ones, and dying alongside her son.
When we think of Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him), we often recall the miraculous parting of the sea, his confrontation with Pharaoh, and the Ten Commandments. Yet, within his powerful story lies the quiet courage of a lesser-known figure — his sister — whose bravery and wisdom played a critical role in shaping his destiny.
The Quranic Narrative
Moses’s sister is not named in the Quran, but her role is pivotal in Surah Al-Qasas (Chapter 28). When the Pharaoh issued a decree to kill all newborn Israelite boys, the mother of Musa, inspired by divine revelation, placed her baby in a basket and cast him into the river to save his life:
“We inspired the mother of Musa, saying: 'Suckle him, but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear or grieve. We will return him to you and make him one of the messengers.'”
(Surah Al-Qasas 28:7)
To ensure the child’s safety, Moses’s sister was tasked with following the basket:
“And she said to his sister, 'Follow him.' So she watched him from a distance while they perceived not.”
(Surah Al-Qasas 28:11)
Eventually, Pharaoh’s wife finds the baby and desires to adopt him. But he refuses to nurse from any of the wet nurses brought to him. That’s when Moses’s sister intervenes:
“So We restored him to his mother that she might be content and not grieve and that she would know the promise of Allah is true...”
(Surah Al-Qasas 28:13)
In a stroke of divine wisdom and human bravery, Moses’s sister suggests a nurse — their mother — without revealing her identity. Through her, Allah fulfills His promise: Moses is returned to his family under the protection of Pharaoh’s own household.
Insights from the Hadith and Islamic Tradition
While Hadith literature does not provide extensive detail about Moses’s sister, classical Islamic exegesis (Tafsir) elaborates on her character. Scholars like Ibn Kathir identify her as Miriam (not to be confused with Maryam the mother of Isa/Jesus). Her courage, discretion, and faith are emphasized as examples of quiet but effective resistance under tyranny.
Her approach to the palace, pretending to be a helpful outsider while concealing her relation to the baby, reflects intelligence and composure. She remains nameless in the Quran, a literary technique that focuses attention on her actions rather than her identity, highlighting that heroism often comes in uncelebrated forms.
Her Legacy: Lessons in Faith and Bravery
Moses’s sister exemplifies several virtues that are relevant today:
Bravery in adversity: As a young girl, she navigated a dangerous situation with maturity and tact.
Strategic thinking: She devised a plan to reunite her brother with their mother without arousing suspicion.
Trust in divine wisdom: Her family trusted Allah's guidance even in the darkest of times.
In a story filled with prophets, miracles, and pharaohs, it's easy to overlook the seemingly small roles. Yet, it is often through these quiet acts of faith and bravery — like those of Moses's sister — that great outcomes unfold.
Though the Quran gives us only glimpses of Moses’s sister, her presence is a testament to the power of trust, intelligence, and quiet courage. Her story invites reflection on the unsung heroes in our own lives and communities — those who act with integrity behind the scenes and leave a profound impact on history.
After 7 months on the front lines, British-Iraqi surgeon Dr. Mohammed Tahir returns from Gaza with a shocking firsthand account of what’s happening inside the warzone. From hospitals collapsing without aid to thousands of patients still awaiting evacuation, his testimony exposes the true scale of suffering—and the global inaction enabling it.
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On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to legendary Pink Floyd Frontman Roger Waters. He discusses the fall of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, the horrific events in the Middle East being machinations of a dying Western empire with the mask now off, how the Gaza genocide shows the hypocrisy of the US, UK and European governments when it comes to human rights and international law, Sir Keir Starmer’s UK government’s role in the Gaza genocide and the shame he feels to being English while the genocide continues, where he finds optimism for an ‘existential battle’ for the soul of the human race, how the US deposed Assad by stealing Syria’s oil and sanctioning the Syrian economy to the point where ‘the government never had a chance’, his release of the emails between him and Tom York of Radiohead asking him to join the BDS movement and not perform in Israel, the impact of his childhood and upbringing on his politics and his opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the few brave Israelis that speak out against the Israeli government, and much more.
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad covers the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, Umm al-Mu’mineen Aisha (ra), in this 25th instalment of his popular Paradigms of Leadership Lecture Series.
She was a distinguished woman due to her lineage, beauty, and nobility before Islam. But our mother would go on to be distinguished by a specific form of worship. She was a blessing to her people through her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ and an example for our Ummah.
The easing of the persecution was brief, as the returnees soon found out. The dramatic increase in the number of Muslims following the acceptance of Islam by Hamzah and `Umar had infuriated the Quraysh more than ever. They intensified their persecution and torture to a pitch and intensity not known before. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave permission to his Companions to immigrate to Madinah. Umm Salamah and her husband were among the first to leave. The hijrah of Umm Salamah and her husband, though, was not as easy as they had imagined. In fact, it was a bitter and painful experience and a particularly harrowing one for her. Let us leave the story now for Umm Salamah herself to tell: When Abu Salamah (my husband) decided to leave for Madinah, he prepared a camel for me, hoisted me on it and placed our son Salamah on my lap. My husband then took the lead and went on without stopping or waiting for anything. Before we were out of Makkah, however, some men from my clan stopped us and said to my husband, “Though you are free to do what you like with yourself, you have no power over your wife. She is our daughter. Do you expect us to allow you to take her away from us?” They then pounced on him and snatched me away from him. My husband’s clan, Banu `Abdul-Asad, saw them taking both my child and me. They became hot with rage.
“No! By Allah,” they shouted, “we shall not abandon the boy. He is our son and we have a first claim over him.” They took him by the hand and pulled him away from me. Suddenly, in the space of a few moments, I found myself alone and lonely. My husband headed for Madinah by himself and his clan had snatched my son away from me. My own clan, Banu Makhzum, overpowered me and forced me to stay with them. From the day when my husband and my son were separated from me, I went out at noon every day to that valley and sat at the spot where this tragedy had occurred. I would recall those terrible moments and weep until night fell on me.
I continued like this for a year or so, until one day a man from the Banu Umayyah passed by and saw my condition. He went back to my clan and said, “Why don’t you free this poor woman? You have caused her husband and her son to be taken away from her.” He went on trying to soften their hearts and play on their emotions. At last they said to me, “Go and join your husband if you wish.” But how could I join my husband in Madinah and leave my son, a piece of my own flesh and blood, in Makkah among the Banu `Abdul-Asad? How could I be free from anguish and my eyes be free from tears were I to reach the place of hijrah not knowing anything of my little son left behind in Makkah? Some realized what I was going through and their hearts went out to me. They petitioned the Banu `Abdul-Asad on my behalf and moved them to return my son. I did not now even want to linger in Makkah until I found someone to travel with me and I was afraid that something might happen that would delay or prevent me from reaching my husband. So I promptly got my camel ready, placed my son on my lap, and left in the direction of Madinah. I had just about reached Tan’im (about three miles from Makkah) when I met Uthman ibn Talhah. (He was a keeper of the Ka`bah in pre-Islamic times and was not yet a Muslim.) “Where are you going, daughter of Zad Ar-Rakib?” he asked. “I am going to my husband in Madinah.” “And there isn’t anyone with you?” “No, by Allah. Except Allah and my little boy here.” “By Allah, I shall never abandon you until you reach Madinah,” he vowed.
He then took the reins of my camel and led us on. I have, by Allah, never met an Arab more generous and noble than he. When we reached a resting place, he would make my camel kneel down, wait until I dismounted, lead the camel to a tree and tether it. He would then go to the shade of another tree. When we had rested, he would get the camel ready and lead us on.
This he did every day until we reached Madinah. When we got to a village near Quba’ (about two miles from Madinah) belonging to the Banu `Amr ibn `Awf, he said, “Your husband is in this village. Enter it with the blessings of God.”
He turned back and headed for Makkah. Their roads finally met after the long separation. Umm Salamah was overjoyed to see her husband and he was delighted to see his wife and son. Great and momentous events followed one after the other. There was the battle of Badr, in which Abu Salamah fought. The Muslims returned victorious and strengthened. Then there was the battle of Uhud, in which the Muslims were sorely tested. Abu Salamah came out of this very badly wounded. He appeared at first to respond well to treatment, but his wounds never healed completely and he remained bedridden. Once, while Umm Salamah was nursing him, he said to her, “I heard the Messenger of Allah saying whenever a calamity afflicts anyone he should say, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allah, with You I leave my plight for consideration, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it.'” Abu Salamah remained sick in bed for several days and then he passed away. With his blessed hands, the Prophet closed the eyes of his dead Companion and invoked Allah to forgive Abu Salamah, raise his degree among those who are rightly guided, take charge of his descendants who remain, make his grave spacious, and grant him light in it. Umm Salamah remembered the prayer her husband had quoted from the Prophet and began repeating it, “O Lord, with you I leave this my plight for consideration….” But she could not bring herself to continue with “O Lord, give me something better than it in exchange for it.” She kept asking herself, “Who could be better than Abu Salamah?” But after a while she completed the supplication. Umm Salamah did not know a person better than Abu Salamah. She was not aware that Allah spared for her the best ever person-the Prophet himself. He (peace and blessings be upon him) married her, and so it was that Allah answered the prayer of Umm Salamah and gave her better than Abu Salamah. From that day on, Hind Al-Makhzumiyah was no longer the mother of Salamah alone but became the Mother of All Believers (Umm Al-Mu’mineen).
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The eloquent poet who was silenced, then elevated through his story to be the most narrated about repenter in the history of Islam.
When Umm Salamah lost her husband, one of the early converts to Islam and a most beloved companion, she mourned him bitterly.
But she turned to Allah with patience (sabr) and Dua:
“Allahuma ajirni fi museebati wakhlifli khayran minha - O Allah, compensate me for my hardship and replace it with something which is better.”
Even as she was saying the Dua she thought “Who could be better than Abu Salamah?”
The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was the man better than Abu Salamah, and Allah blessed her with marriage to the noble Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ .
No matter what you’ve lost in this world, Allah can ALWAYS substitute it with something better.
During tough times do your best to envision a positive future and never give up on hope and good expectations of Allah.
Hope is more valuable than we give it credit.
Hope remembers all the times in the past that you made it through.
Hope teams up with faith and believes the impossible.
Make dua and forget and know that Allah never forgets. When Allah empties our hands it's only to fill it with something greater, better and eternal.
🤲 May Allah bless us with the best of deen, duniya and akhira - Allahumma ameen.
From IdealMuslimah
