Every Muslimah's Dream

Every Muslimah dreams of having a righteous husband who will lead her through the tides and turmoils of life holding tightly to her hand, while showing her love, mercy, and affection and making her feel special. A husband who will lead her in her worship of Allah and make her strive to please Allah. A husband who himself is deeply connected to his Creator and who helps his wife to be a better person.
Indeed our spouses are our companions and confidante throughout this life, and if we have a good, pious spouse it will make the journey to meet Allah (SWT) easier. Therefore, our choice in life partner will have a great affect in some of the hurdles we face in life.

But without doubt, it is through our own deeds and merits, and our own struggles to worship and please our Rabb, that we hope to see the fruits in the akhirah. On Yawm al-Qiyamah, a husband will stand in front of Allah (SWT) on his own and a wife will stand in front of Allah (SWT) on her own. We will be accounted on the actions our own selves did, and not the actions of our spouse. If we treated them well and gave their rights as given by Allah (SWT) then we will be rewarded in that.

There are many lessons in this regard that we can learn from the latter ayaat of Surah at-Tahrim.The wives of Nuh (as) and Lut (as) were married to the best of men, yet they were women of the Fire. What better husband can you get than a prophet of Allah? Yet they both disbelieved and betrayed their husbands in the Message they were given. This is what led them to Hellfire.

Aasiyah (as), the wife of Firawn, was married to the worst of men, yet she was a woman of Jannah. Her husband was an oppressive tyrant. He had everything the dunya could offer at his fingertips, and ensured that his wife had whatever she wanted. But Aasiyah (as) gave up all that she had in the dunya because she believed in Allah, her Creator and the Creator of her husband who thought himself as 'rabb'. She died due to the torture her husband enforced on her due to her belief. We can only wonder about what thoughts went through her mind as she gazed at the river Nile, and upon the kingdom of Egypt which Firawn had built in their name, and yet her heart only yearned for any kind shelter in the countenance of her Lord as she whispered to Allah (SWT) to build a house for her with Him in Jannah.

Aasiyah (as) was a thinking woman. Her contemplation led her to conclude that for surety, Allah (SWT) existed and he was the One who created her and everything that existed and that for surety, her loyalty belonged to Him (swt) and not to her husband Firawn, a mere creation. It was because of her thinking mind, and her striving to stand for the Haqq, the truth, that she gave up wealth and riches that we cannot even begin to imagine, and also sacrificed her life. It was because of this that Aasiyah (as) is one of the greatest role models to all women to this day. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) drew four lines in the ground while describing her as one of the four best women of Jannah (Ahmad) and Muhammad (pbuh) also described her as one of the perfect most women (Bukhari and Muslim).

What a sharp contrast we can see between Aasiyah wife of Firawn, and Asma wife of Bashar al-Assad. She lives as the wife of a tyrant ruler in the lap of luxury, enjoying all that the world has to offer her, and yet imprisoned by guilt and fear, while staying mute on the brutal oppression, killing and torture her husband authorises. She does nothing to stand for the truth or to stand against falsehood. What a wretched woman is Asma al-Assad and what blessed woman in Aasiyah Bint Muhazim!

At the end of Surah at-Tahrim, where Allah (SWT) talks about the women of Hellfire and the women of Jannah, there are lessons for us in the qualities we must attain if we also wish to be women of Jannah and avoid Jahannam. Regardless of whether we have a righteous husband who will help us on our journey to Allah or not, as Muslim women we must strive hard with our own selves, while having complete hope and reliance in Allah (SWT) and desiring Everlasting Bliss.

‎ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا امْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ ۖ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَقِيلَ ادْخُلَا النَّارَ مَعَ الدَّاخِلِينَ

Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, "Enter the Fire with those who enter." (Surah at-Tahrim:10)

‎وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people." (Surah at-Tahrim:11)