In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
 

Umm 'Umara
The Prophet's Shield at Uhud   

By Hamzah Qassim 

 Umm 'Umara was blessed with many honours, amongst these
 her presence at Uhud, al-Hudaybiyya, Khaybar, the Fulfilled
 Umra, Hunayn, and the Battle of Yamama. But her most noble
 role came about during the battle of Uhud.

 Umm 'Umara set out to the battle with her husband, Ghaziya, and
 her two sons. Her inhad been to give water to the wounded, but
 Allah had planned for her a more rewarding role. 

 So she set out with her family with a waterskin, and arrived at the
 battle field during the beginning of the day. The Muslims had the
 upper hand, and she went to see how the Messenger of Allah
 (s.a.w) was. But then the Muslims committed a fatal error -
 seeing the Quraysh on the retreat, they ran towards the booty,
 ignoring the Prophet's command to remain on the hill. Khalid bin
 Walid, (who hadn't embraced Islam yet), seeing the open flank,
 made a charge against the Muslims and suddenly the tide had
 swung towards the Quraysh. The Muslims panicked and began
 to flee, leaving behind only the Prophet (s.a.w) and a handful of
 his Companions. Among these was Umm Umara.

 Seeing the Muslims flee, Umm Umara ran to the defense of the
 Prophet and took up arms, along with her husband and two sons.
 The Prophet noticed that she had no shield, and so said to one of
 the retreating men: "Give your shield to the one who is fighting."
 So he handed her the shield, and she defended the Prophet of
 Allah with it, using also the bow and arrow along with a sword.
 She was attacked by horsemen, but never wavered nor felt fear.
 She later boldly claimed, "If they had been on foot as we were, we
 would have trounced them, Allah willing."

 Abdullah ibn Zayed, her son, was wounded during the battle. His
 wound bled profusely. His mother ran to him and bandaged his
 wounds, and then commanded him, "Go and fight the people, my
 son!" The Prophet (s.a.w) admired her sense of sacrifice, and
 commended her, "Who can endure what you can endure, Umm
 'Umara!"

 Suddenly, the man who had struck her son advanced, and the
 Prophet called out to her, "This is the one who struck your son."
 She bravely confronted the man, who her very son described as
 being like a great tree trunk, and struck at his leg, sending him to
 his knees. The Messenger of Allah smiled so much his teeth
 became visible, and remarked, "You have retaliated, Umm
 'Umara!". Having finished him off, the Prophet then said "Praise
 be to Allah who has given you victory and delighted you over your
 enemy and let you enjoy your revenge directly."

 At one stage, the Prophet (s.a.w) was left alone, so taking the
 opportunity, the enemy Ibn Qumay'a charged at the Prophet,
 shouting "Show me Muhammad! I will not be saved if he is
 saved!" So Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, along with some other of the
 Companions, dashed to the protection of the Prophet. Umm
 'Umara was among them, and began fiercely striking at the
 enemy of Allah, even though he was wearing double armour. Ibn
 Qumay'a managed to strike a blow at her neck, leaving a serious
 wound. The Prophet quickly called on her son "Your mother! Your
 mother! Bind her wound! May Allah bless you, the people of a
 house! The stand of your mother is better than the stand of
 so-and-so. May Allah have mercy on you, people of a house! The
 stand of your foster father is better than the stand of so-and-so.
 May Allah have mercy on you, people of a house!" Umm 'Umara,
 seeing the Prophet's pleasure on her determination and valour,
 earnestly requested "Ask Allah to make us your companions in
 the Garden!" So he said "O Allah, make them my companions in
 the Garden." And this was the desire of Umm 'Umara, to which
 she replied "I do not care what afflicts me in this world!"

 That day, she received thirteen wounds, and was treated for her
 neck wound for a complete year. She also participated in the
 Battle of Yamama, where she received eleven wounds and lost
 her hand.

 Her courageous character earned her the respect of all the
 Companions, especially the Khalifa's who would visit her and pay
 special attention to her. 

 'Umar bin Khattab (r.a.a) was brought some silk garments which
 contained excellent quality material. One of the people remarked
 "This garment is worth such-and-such (meaning how expensive
 it was). You should send it to the wife of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
 Safiyya bint Abi 'Ubayd." 'Umar (r.a.a) however did not desire
 such a garment for his daughter in law. "That is something which
 I will not give to Ibn 'Umar. I will send it to someone who is more
 entitled to it than her - Umm 'Umara Nusayba bint Ka'b. On the
 day of Uhud, I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) say,
 'Whenever I looked to the right or left I saw her fighting in front of
 me'."

 This was the life of Umm 'Umara, the warrior who stood when
 many fled, who sent her wounded son back into the thick of the
 battle, and was prepared to lose her life to save the Prophet's. In
 return, she received the du'a for the Prophet's companionship in
 Paradise. 

 May Allah bless our women with such courage, self-sacrifice and
 perseverance.