Hazrat Juwayria bint al Harith
Hazrat
Sayyidah Juwayria (RA) was the daughter
of al-Hārith ibn Abi Dirar, the chief of the Banu Mustaliq. Her name was Barra
before converting to Islam; the Prophet (SAW) gave her the name Juwayria. Sayyidah
Zainab bint Jahash, Zainab bint Umm Salamah and Maimoonah bint Harith (RA) were
also named Barrah, but the beloved Prophet (SAW) changed their names as well. She
was taken as a captive after the successful campaign against the Banu Mustaliq
in 5 A.H.
Hadrat
Sayyidah Juwayria bint Harith, (RA), was a very charming, sweet and very
beautiful lady. All who saw Sayyidah Juwayria (RA) were stunned by her
exceptional beauty. When Sayyidah Ayesha (RA) first saw Sayyidah Juwayria (RA)
she exclaimed that she was as beautiful as a fairy.
Marriage of
Sayyidah Juwayria bint Harith (RA) with the Prophet (SAW):
She
married the beloved Prophet (SAW) in Sha'baan 5 A.H., when the beloved Prophet (SAW)
was fifty-eight years old and she was twenty, not long after his marriage to
Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahash. Before then she was married to Musaafi’ bin
Safwaan who was not a Muslim and was killed in the very battle wherein she was
captured.
Background of the
marriage
News
reached the Prophet (SAW) on Sha‘ban 2nd to the effect that the chief of Bani
Al-Mustaliq, Al-Harith bin Dirar had mobilized his men, along with some Arabs,
to attack Madinah al-Munawwarah. Buraidah bin al-Haseeb al-Aslami was
immediately dispatched to verify the reports. He had some words with Abi Dirar,
who confirmed his intention of war. He later sent a reconnoiterer to explore
the positions of the Muslims but he was captured and killed. The Prophet (SAW)
summoned his men and ordered them to prepare for war. Before leaving, Sayyiduna
Zaid bin Harith was mandated to see to the affairs of Madinah al-Munawwarah and
dispose them. On hearing the advent of the Muslims, the disbelievers got
frightened and the Arabs who were with them defected and ran away for their
lives. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA) was entrusted with the banner of the
Emigrants, and that of the Helpers went to Sa‘d bin ‘Ubada. The two armies were
stationed at a well called Muraisi. Arrow shooting went on for an hour, and
then the Muslims rushed and engaged with the enemy in a battle that ended in full
victory for the Muslims. Some men were killed, women and children of the
disbelievers taken as captives, and a lot of booty fell to the lot of the
Muslims. Only one Muslim was martyr by mistake by a Helper. Amongst the
captives was Sayyidah Juwayria, daughter of Al-Harith, chief of the disbelieve It
is written that after this battle the prisoners were distributed among the
soldiers, and Juwayria (RA) fell to the lot of Thaabit bin Qais (or his cousin,
according to some reports). Her father took along a number of camels as ransom
for his daughter, hoping to buy her freedom. As he was on his way to Sayyiduna Rasulullah
(SAW), he decided to keep back two camels that he liked. So he hide the two
camels in a valley just outside Madina Munawwarah and continued with the rest.
When he arrived in the presence of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (SAW) he presented the
camels and asked that these be accepted in lieu of his daughter’s freedom. The
Messenger of Allah (SAW) asked him: “And what about the two camels you hid in
the valley?!” Harith was totally astonished. Immediately he uttered the
Shahaadha and entered Islam, admitting that none besides Allah could have given
information to the Messenger about these camels.
Meanwhile,
Sayyidah Juwayria had made an agreement with her new master Thaabit to pay for
her freedom. This was the famous Mukaatabat Contract in Islam in terms of which
slaves could work and buy their freedom for a fixed sum of money. However, Sayyidah
Juwayria had no intention of working for
her freedom. She had a better idea. She asked to see Rasulullah (SAW).
In
fact, she demanded to see the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with the intention of
asking him to help her with the ransom money. At that time The Messenger of
Allah was in the house of Sayyidah Ayesha (RA). She was permitted to see the
Prophet (SAW) and was taken to him while he was with Sayyidah A'isha. After she
had finished speaking, the Prophet thought for a moment, and then said,
"Shall I tell you what would be better than this?" She said, “And what is that Our Messenger of
Allah?” He replied: “I pay your freedom money, and you marry me.”
Moved
deeply by this unexpected elevation in her status, she exclaimed she would be
more than happy to accept. She was freed, and swearing allegiance to Islam, she
married the beloved Prophet (SAW).
Although,
Sayyidah Juwayria was young and beautiful and of noble lineage, the Prophet (SAW) was thinking of how to save
her and all her tribe from an ignoble fate. By marrying Sayyidah Juwayria, the
Banu Mustaliq would be able to enter Islam with honor, and with the humiliation
of their recent defeat removed, so that it would no longer be felt necessary by
them to embark on a war of vengeance that would have continued until one of the
two parties had been annihilated. As soon as the marriage was announced, all
the booty that had been taken from the Banu Mustaliq was returned, and all the
captives were set free, for they were now the in laws of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
This is when Sayyidah A'isha said of Sayyidah Juwayria, "I know of no
woman who was more of a blessing to her people than Juwayria bint
al-Harith."
Merits of Sayyidah Juwayria
(RA):
Most of the time
she would be found captivated in prayer. It has been related by Sayyidah Juwayria that early one morning the
Messenger (SAW) left her room while she was doing the dawn prayer. He returned
later that morning and she was still sitting in the same place. "Have you
been sitting in the same place since I left you?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. Whereupon the Prophet (SAW) said, "I recited
four phrases three times after I left you, and if these were to be weighed
against what you have been reciting since dawn, they would still outweigh them.
They are:
'Glory
be to Allah and Praise be to Him as much as the number of his creations, and
His pleasure, and the weight of His Throne, and the ink of His words.'"
[Sahih Muslim, Kitab Al-Dhikr, Hadith 6575]
She breathed her
last
Sayyidah
Juwayria lived with the Prophet (SAW) for six years, and lived for another
thirty-nine years after his demise. She passed away at the age of sixty-five in
Safar in the year 50th after Hijrah during the caliphate of Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah
bin Abi Sufyan. The governor of Al-Madinah, Marwan bin Hakam led the funeral
prayer and she was buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
O the contented soul! Return towards
your Lord – you being pleased with Him, and He pleased with you! Then enter the
ranks of My chosen bondmen! And come into My Paradise!
[Surah al-Fajr,
Verses 27-30]
