𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗙 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬

As a people, we have had more than our fair share of Heroines, but their legacies are buried in the graveyard of our own ignorance and unconscious minds. As a matter of fact, we have had several outstanding examples of female military leadership, dating back to the first decades of Islam - through to the recent colonial misadventures towards Asia and Africa.

Here are some illustrious names to get started with. Companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

• Aisha bint Abu Bakr

• Nusaybah bint Ka'ab (Umm Ammarah)

• Khawla bint al-Azwar

• Umm Hakim bint Al-Harith

Here are some fabulous Muslim Women Generals and Warriors from latter generations.

The women listed below have collectively gone to war, commanded and engaged in battles against Crusaders, Conquistadors and Colonialists all in the name of al-Islaam.

• Razia Sultana (Sultan in Delhi Sultanates)

• Princess Fannu (Almoravid Dynasty)

• Chand Bibi (Bijapur Sultanate)

• Keumalahayati (Sultanate of Aceh)

• Nāzo Anā ("the Mother of Afghanistan")

• Lalla Zaynab (Algerian Resistance)

• Lalla Fadma N'Soumer (Algerian Resistance)

• Queen Sayyida al-Hurrah (End of al-Andalus)

This list could be a hundred time as long if we included Women scholars and social reformers, however it should suffice as an starting point for those looking to discover new names and legacies of Muslim Warriors, Generals and Liberators.

𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐇 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑

Ever heard of the time when Aishah Bint Abu-Bakr entered upon her husband, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ seeking permission to take part in the battlefield.

She was wearing armor and holding onto a sword.

Aishah then asked; “O Messenger of Allah, shall we not attend the expeditions and fight in jihad alongside you?”

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ responded; “No, rather the best and most beautiful jihad for you is the Hajj, a righteous pilgrimage.”

ꜱᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ: ꜱ̣ᴀʜ̣ɪ̄ʜ̣ ᴀʟ-ʙᴜᴋʜᴀ̄ʀɪ̄ 1861 ɢʀᴀᴅᴇ: ꜱᴀʜɪʜ ᴀᴄᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟ-ʙᴜᴋʜᴀʀɪ

Aishah would later mobilise and command her own army, during the Battle of the Camel.

𝐋𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄

Remember the time when Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab completely stunned a man who had come to his residence in order to seek marriage advice but had instead accidentally overheard the Caliph being told off by his own wife at home?

Umar Ibn al-Khattab was a man feared and revered by friends and foes alike, a great warrior and leader in Islaam, but what many do not realise is that he married such a wife whose heroic feats were such that a bridge was named in her honour, following a very famous battle.

Meet 𝙐𝙢𝙢 𝙃𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙢 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘼𝙡-𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙝

Having lived a very eventful and memorable life, she converted into the faith and became Muslim while she was married to Ikramah Ibn Abu-Jahl. She had actually accompanied her husband during the Battle of Uhud, against the Muslim. She joined the women in chanting and encouraging the Quraish to destroy the Muslims.

Umm Hakim was no stranger to the battlefield and when she finally became a Muslim, she participated in the defence of Islaam. Her second husband Khalid ibn Umaiyah died on their honeymoon, literally one night before the famous Battle of Marj al-Saffar (in 634 CE) in Syria. He was killed the day after their marriage. Umm Khalid, unleashed her fury on the battlefield by singlehandedly killing seven Byzantine warriors, herself armed with nothing more than a wooden tent pole !! She is remembered as a fierce and valiant warrior of Islaam.

Her name was given to a bridge (Bridge of Umm Hakim) situated near the location where the battle took place, not far from the city of Damascus. Her next husband was none other than Umar Ibn al-Khattab!

[‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, His Life And Times, Dr Ali As-Sallaabee, Page 300]