"My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Jannah..."
The example of Aasiyah, the wife
of Fir'own
And Allah has set forth an example
for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh when she said: "My Lord!
Build for me a home with You in Paradise (al-Jannah), and save me
from Pharaoh and his work, and save me from the people who are
Dhaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers, and disbelievers in Allah" [Soorah
At-Tahreem 66:11]
This similitude is brought forth by Allah for the benefit of the
believers affirming that they would not be harmed by their
intermingling with the disbelievers if they were in need of them. As
Allah stated: The believers do not take the disbelievers as friends
and protectors instead of the believers. Whosoever does that will
never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a
danger from them... [Soorah Aale 'Imraan 3:28]
Qataadah stated: Pharaoh was among the haughtiest of the people of
the earth and greatest in disbelief and by Allah his wife was not
harmed by the disbelief of her husband when she obeyed her Rabb.
This was so that people would realize that Allah judges with justice
and takes no one to account except for his (own) sins. Ibn Jareer
stated (after mentioning a chain of narrators): "The wife of Pharaoh
was tortured under the sun and when he would go away from her the
angels would cover her with their wings. And she was shown her home
in Al-Jannah." Ibn Jareer also narrates from another chain: "The
wife of Pharaoh asked: Who was the victor? (i.e. between Pharaoh and
his magicians and Musa and his brother) It was said: Musa and
Haaroon. So she said, "I believe in the Lord (Rabb) of Musa and
Haaroon." So Pharaoh sent for her and ordered: "Look for the biggest
boulder you can find and if she sticks to her words then cast her
upon it. If she takes back her words then she will remain my wife."
When they went to her she raised her eyes to the sky and saw her
home in Al-Jannah so she stuck by her words and her soul was taken
from her so nothing was thrown onto the boulder except a soulless
corpse.
Regarding her words, My Lord! Build for me a home with You in
Paradise (al-Jannah), the scholars said: "Aktaaratul-Jaar qabl ad-Daar
(She chose the neighbour before the dwelling.)" A statement like
this is related in a marfou' hadeeth.
... and save me from Pharaoh and his work... That is 'Rescue me from
him and I am clear before You of his (evil) deeds'
... and save me from the people who are Dhaalimoon (polytheists,
wrongdoers, and disbelievers in Allah...
This woman was Aasiyah Bint Muzaahim (radiAllahu 'anhaa).
Abu Ja'far Ar-Raazi relates that Abu 'Aaliyah said: The Iman of the
wife of Pharaoh came through the wife of the treasurer of Pharaoh.
She (the wife of the treasurer) was sitting and combing the hair of
Pharaoh's daughter when the comb fell from her hand. She exclaimed:
"Wretched is the one who disbelieves in Allah!" The daughter of
Pharaoh said, "Do you have a Rabb (Lord) other than my father?" She
replied, "My Rabb, your Rabb the Rabb of your father and the Rabb of
all there is!" So the daughter of Pharaoh slapped and beat her and
told her father. Pharaoh sent for her and said, "Do you worship a
Rabb other than me?" She replied, "Yes. My Rabb, your Rabb and the
Rabb of all there is and He alone do I worship." So Pharaoh tortured
her and had her bound to a stake, tightly tying her hands and legs
and set vipers upon her and she was left in that state. He came to
her one day and asked, "Do you give up?" She said to him, "My Rabb,
your Rabb and the Rabb of everything is Allah!" So he said to her,
"I will slaughter your son in front of you for your mouth (i.e.
statement) if you don't stop." So she said to him, "Do what you
will." So he slaughtered her son before her face and the soul of her
son gave her good news saying: "Glad tidings my mother, you will
have the reward of such-and-such from Allah." She then became
patient and forbearing until Pharaoh again came to her one day and
said the same as he had before. She replied as before, so he
slaughtered another of her sons before her and his soul also gave
her the good news, "Be patient my mother, for you will have the
reward of such-and-such from Allah."
The narrator continued: The wife of Pharaoh heard the speech of the
eldest son's soul and then the younger one as well. So the wife of
Pharaoh believed and Allah took the soul of the wife of Pharaoh's
treasurer. The veil (of darkness and misguidance) was removed from
the wife of Pharaoh until she could see her (i.e. the woman's)
reward, her station and her honor in Al-Jannah so her faith, surety,
and absolute veracity and sincerity increased and Allah brought out
her faith to Pharaoh. He said to his cronies, "What do you know
about Aasiyah Bint Muzaahim?" They proceeded to praise her so he
said to them, "She worships other than me." So they said to him,
"Execute her!" So she was put on a stake and her hands and feet tied
tightly upon it and she called upon her Rabb. She said, My Lord!
Build for me a home with You in Paradise (al-Jannah) and this was
accepted for her in Pharaoh's presence so she laughed when she was
shown her dwelling place in Al-Jannah. Pharaoh said: Aren't you
astounded by her madness?! She laughs as I torture her!" Thus Allah
took her soul to Al-Jannah, radiAllahu 'anhaa. |
