A Woman’s Wealth and Duty in Her Home and Community

Whenever I hear of the wealthy and rich like Sayyidatina Khadijah al-Kubra r.a. giving in charity, I rejoice.

Whenever I hear of the poor like Sayyidatina ‘Aisha as-Siddiqa r.a. giving in charity, I weep more in joy.

When Sayyidatina Khadijah r.a. inherited her wealth, she gave it up for the way of Islam for Rasulullah ﷺ in his first 25 years of his life. She showed us how women can be independent and self sufficient yet supportive. While Sayyidatina ‘Aisha r.a. on the other hand, after having raised with tarbiyah by the Prophet salallahu alaihi wassalam himself since she married the Prophet and lived with him since she was young, inherited his ﷺ knowledge and spread it to the ummah. Both men and women sat in her company, to learn from her, after their beloved Prophet ﷺ passed on.

Rasulullah ﷺ said “The scholars are the successors of the prophets. Verily the Prophets do not pass on gold and silver coins, but rather they impart knowledge”

The Prophet ﷺ also said, “Indeed, the prophets do not leave money as an inheritance. Rather, they leave knowledge. Whoever seizes it has taken a bountiful share indeed.”

So it’s beautiful how there’s hikmah in why Sayyidatina ‘Aisha didn’t bear descendants from the Prophet ﷺ although Sayyidatina Khadijah had children with him ﷺ .

There is also a wisdom and encouragement that for those who are not from the descendants of the ahlul-bayt can still be his ﷺ successor, and that is to revive and teach his ﷺ sunnah.

The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, I have only been sent to perfect righteous character.”

So if you treat your spouses and children with adab, you are too teaching them about Love. That’s killing two birds with one stone. Practicing it yourself and imparting the state of the Prophet ﷺ to the community, and every community starts from home.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of you is he who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to my family.”

That we see too when a woman becomes a man in the path of God, she is a man and one cannot any more call her a woman.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity), a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).”

May Allah ﷻ make our homes and our hearts as a zawiyah.

[Photo of SAYYIDA FATIMATOU ZAHRA NIASSE (RA), KNOWN AS YAFATOU, daughter of Shaykh-al-Islam Ibrahim Niasse (RA), the wife of the Complete Khalifah Saydi Ali Cisse, and the Mother of Imam-al-Faydah Shaykh Hassan Cisse (RA), Shaykh al-Tijani Cisse (RA) and Shaykh Muhammadou Mahy Cisse (RA)]