“When she is a mother, paradise lies under her feet, when she is a daughter, she opens the door of Jannah for her father, and when she is a wife, she completes half of the deen (religion) of her husband,” said Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Islam places women in a great status that even a person’s entry to paradise may depend on her.
Likewise, Islam recognizes the role of women in society and in nation building. During the early Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ life, women played big roles toward the Prophet’s success in inviting people to Islam and the establishment of Islam. Some of these famous and remarkable women in included Khadijah رضي الله عنه, Fatima رضي الله عنه, and Aisha رضي الله عنه.
But in this article, we will get to know a wife of the Prophet ﷺ, who isn’t a household name, Hafsa bint Umar رضي الله عنه. She was responsible for the foundation and core of Islam, the Noble Quran.
It hasn’t been long since we celebrated the anniversary of the Quran. Many of us spent the last ten nights of Ramadan, awake and doing different forms of ibadah, Arabic for “worship,” hoping to catch Laylatul Qadr or the night of power.
It was during the month of Ramadan when the Prophet ﷺ was 40 years old, while in the cave of Hira, when Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) first came to him conveying the words of Allah. This marked the period of Muhammad’s ﷺ Prophethood that would last 23 years. Allah gradually sent down revelations to the Prophet ﷺ, through his dreams, inspirations and through Angel Jibreel.
During the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and even after his death, the Quran was not yet compiled. Rather, it was only memorised by heart by the companions or written on woods, on rocks or leather. Umar رضي الله عنه, one of the four rightly guided caliphs, suggested to Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه to have the Quran compiled in one mushaf (written copy). It was Zayd Ibn Thabit رضي الله عنه, who was given the duty of scribe to the Prophet ﷺ. When he passed away, the mushaf was passed on to Umar رضي الله عنه and when he died, the mushaf was kept in the house of Hafsa رضي الله عنه. Therefore, the first Quran that was compiled together was kept in the house of Hafsa رضي الله عنه.
She was the eldest daughter of the second greatest man in Islam, Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه and her mother, Zaynab bint Al-Madh’un, sister of great companion Uthman ibn Madh’un رضيالله عنه. Hafsa رضي الله عنه was born five years before the first message was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ.
At a young age, she was first married to Khunais ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi رضي الله عنه, one of the companions of the Prophet ﷺwho witnessed the “Battle of Badr” and “Battle of Uhud” wherein he died later, succumbing to battle wounds. Hafsa رضيالله عنه became a widow at the age of twenty-one.
As a widow, she was overcome by sadness. Heartbroken from seeing his daughter so sad, Umar رضي الله عنه offered her hand in marriage to other companions, Uthman رضي الله عنه and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, but both refused because they secretly knew that she was meant to marry the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
A little after a year of her widowhood, she married Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. She got along well with the other wives especially with Aisha رضي الله عنه. For one reason or another, the Prophet ﷺ divorced Hafsa رضي الله عنه when Allah sent down Angel Jibreel with a message to revoke the divorce and to reconcile because of Hafsa’s رضي الله عنه nobleness and because she would be his wife in paradise. The Prophet ﷺ immediately conformed with the command.
Although Hafsa رضي الله عنه was known for her jealousy, she was also “one who fasted and prayed a lot.” She possessed the qualities of strength and intelligence of her father, Umar رضي اللهعنه. She often engaged in discussions with the Prophet ﷺ and was one of the few literate women of her time. She was from the fuqaha or Islamic jurists who were experts in fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic law. Moreover, she was so knowledgeable that her brother, Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله عنه , learned from her.
Hafsa رضي الله عنه had the honor of memorizing the entire Quran by heart. She inspired other women to memorize the Quran. After the first written form of the Quran was produced, the text was given to Hafsa رضي الله عنه for safekeeping during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه while the standardized copy of the Quran was being produced. It is indisputably thanks to Hafsa that the Quran was so beautifully preserved in both its oral and its written forms.
She was credited with the protection of the Holy Quran for all future generations. This important duty shows that if a woman was given the responsibility of safeguarding the very words of Allah, then women are certainly viewed highly by and respected in Islamic society.
Whenever Hafsa رضي الله عنه spoke, her words were few, but profound and deep. She learned a lot from the Prophet ﷺ , she taught many how to recite the Quran and she narrated around 60 hadiths (Islamic stories). Indeed, Hafsa رضي الله عنه was a woman of great nobility and virtue, who protected the Quran until her death on the 41st or 45th after hijra.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOSRH9LLDSM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRfkl9KllRo
https://themuslimvibe.com/muslim-lifestyle-matters/women/10-inspirational-women-from-islamic-history
About the Author
Sherina Benito has years of experience as a Jurist Doctor, in the legislative department of a local government unit in the Philippines. With a BA in Law and passing the bar as a Sharia Lawyer in the Philippines, Sherina also co-authored a soon-to-be-published book, entitled “Thorns into Crown.” She lives with her mother and younger brother.
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