Voice of British Muslim Women

Iffat Mirza, Cambridge

“Well behaved women seldom make history” is an easily marketable and repeatable slogan that now adorns T-Shirts, tote bags, restaurant walls etc. Simultaneously seen as a powerful tribute to the brave women of history, and a harsh indictment of patriarchy, this slogan reminds us of the very important role that women play in making history, but unfortunately it is always in a way that goes against the norms and to her contemporaries, the woman is almost always considered rebellious. She is relegated to a void that history sidesteps until a feminist historian such as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich comes along to rediscover the role women have played in building western society.

But what does this say about a society in which we live, where a woman can only be influential if she must break the mould and be re-discovered hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years later? Surely this is all indicative of a society that does not respect women’s achievements or ideas, whether they be political, social, domestic, or economic. It is almost always a matter of such women being honoured posthumously by other women. Now this is not to suggest that the true yard-stick of measuring a woman’s success is by how many people of her time can appreciate her. But it certainly is telling of a society where a group of people can appreciate a woman’s achievements for what they are rather than feeling the need to silence and shun her achievements until many years later for when ‘feminist theory’ itself must become a disciplinary framework in order to charitably donate some sort of appreciation to such women.

For this reason, Early Islam was a revolutionary period. Not only in how the women set a precedent of all that women can achieve and aspire to be in a society that respects them, but also because it was a society where people gave these women the recognition and respect they deserved for it.

One such woman who Islamic history deeply honours is Hazrat* Umme Ammaarah (may Allah be pleased with her). A female Companion of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Umme Ammaarah was a dedicated follower of Islam which manifested itself in many ways. A devoted wife and mother, she was also keen in spreading the word of Islam in a time which was gravely dangerous not least for women, but also for men. She would hold to the highest standard the importance of moral training. But above all this, she was a brave and skilled soldier, and a wise diplomat who served on the frontlines of many battles that the enemies of Islam waged against the Muslims and was privileged enough to participate in the historic Treaty of Hudaibiyyah.

Her achievements and sacrifices were not in vain. Not only has history been careful to honour her, but also her male contemporaries, including none other than the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said that “I have myself heard the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that ‘when I looked to my left and my right during the Battle of Uhud, I saw Umme Ammaarah fighting to defend me.’

Islamic historiography has also honoured her own testimony. That is to say, her testimony has always been given the utmost value; her achievements were appreciated by men, but equally she was perfectly capable of speaking for herself. She relates, “A person from the Banu Hawazin (a tribe) entered the battlefield on camelback waving a flag. As soon as the opportunity arose, I struck the back of the camel most forcefully. The camel stumbled and fell along with its rider. I struck the falling rider so powerfully that he could not get up.”

Sustaining wounds which would require a year of recovery, or in some cases where full recovery was never possible, such as losing her arm, she was an iconic woman who has indeed made history in a way that can and should be considered outside the context of ‘Islamic history’. Nonetheless, she is a woman who absolutely was a ‘well-behaved woman.’ Precisely because the society in which she lived was not intimidated by her conviction and skill. Her society appreciated her at the time, did not cast her as rebellious. As such, history remembered her as her contemporaries did: a brave and moral woman from whom all could learn a lot, both men and women.

*An honorific Arabic title used to honour a person.