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| Aamina, a painting by Bint Ibadh |
She was the "call" of the famous successor Imam Jabir ibn Zaid. That is because Imam Jabir said: "I asked of my Lord three things which He granted me; a good wife, a good riding camel and my daily bread upon which to live from day to day." So it was an answered call. And this woman was the choice of Allah, the Exalted, for him. Indeed, good women are for good men.
Aamina lived under the wing of the
Imam, drinking from the gushing spring of his knowledge. How not and he is the
one who the greatest scholars of his time acknowledged to be in the forefront
of knowledge.
The great companion Anas ibn Malik
said on hearing of Jabir's death: "The most knowledgeable person on the
face of the earth has now died."
And if joining the level of
successors is a great honour; this level which, although had missed the honour of
meeting the best of Allah's creatures, our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), had not
missed the honour of meeting his companions, then Aamina had received that
honour and joined this level. Not only this, but she was educated by the most
knowledgeable among them and the most superior in merit, "The Sea"
Abdullah ibn Abbas.
The biographies narrate that
Aamina had (cauterized) branded for an illness she had. So Imam Jabir got angry
on her and deserted her. She complained about him to his teacher Abdullah ibn
Abbas (may Allah be pleased about him). So his teacher asked him for the reason
behind the anger and the desertion.
Jabir replied: 'She didn't put her
trust on Allah.' And he recited Allah's saying:
(وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ)
"And whoever puts his trust
in Allah, He will suffice him."[65:3]
The Imam Jabir wanted to choose
the highest degrees for his wife. So he wanted her to take the resolutions and to
believe that the healer is Allah Almighty, to put her utmost trust in Him, and
to give up the medicine.
But the wife has another opinion. That
is, to get to the reasons behind treatment, as well as to put her trust on
Allah for He is the Healer and to take the concession. This is based on the saying of the Messenger (PBUH): "Allah
loves that His concessions are taken just as he hates for disobedience of
Him to be done."
The position of Ibn Abbas was
supporting her position and he protested his opinion by asking Imam Jabir to
complete reciting the Ayah (verse):
(إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ
اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْراً)
"Verily Allah has ordained
for everything a measure."[65:3]
And she was learning theoretical
sciences from him and he was, to her, the greatest instructor and teacher. Once,
Aamina went for Hajj and he did not go with her in that year. When she
returned, he asked her about her Hajj contractor. She mentioned the bad
companionship and she did not praise him with good words. So Jabir went to him,
admitted him into a house, bought fodder for his camels, and a food was
prepared for him. He also bought two garments for him and clothed him with them,
and he paid him for serving Aamina with water, tools and other stuff.
So Aamina said to her husband,
Jabir: "I told you about the bad companionship and you did what I'm
seeing!"
He said to her: "Shall we reward
him with something similar to his act and become like him? No, but we reward
him with goodness instead of badness and with good instead of evil."
In this there is a profound lesson
for her to ward off badness with goodness in accordance to Allah's saying
exalted is He:
(ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ)
"Ward off with that which is
better the evil [act]" [23:96]
Reference:
The Fragrant Biography of the
Ibadhi Woman, by Badria Hamad Al-Shaqsia.
Translated by Bint Ibadh.
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