Hadrat Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A) was among the bravest persons of his times. He had pledged allegiance to our beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) when he was only seven years old. The name of his revered mother was Hadrat Asma (R.A) who was the daughter of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) and wife of Hadrat Zubair (R.A.). She was exceeding prudent and brave. She was so intelligent that the Prophet (S.A.W.) used to consult her. When the Prophet migrated from Makka to Madina, it was she who prepared the provisions for his journey. And when the beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) took shelter in the cave of Thaur for three days, it was again she who supplied him food for all the three days, without the Makkans ever coming to know of it.

How did this great lady train and bring up her child?
To have an idea about it we narrate below, in brief, some incidents from her life.

After the beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) had made Hijra to Madina, Hadrat Asma (R.A.) also went there after some time.
When the Muslims migrated to Madina, the climate there did not suit them in the beginning. Quite some time passed and no child was born in the migrant Muslim families. The mischief-mongering infidels made it out that there will be no issues born to Muslims, because the deities were annoyed with them, and had laid curse on them. Muslims had no belief in such concoctions, but in their inmost heart they were offering benediction unto Allah: “O Allah! Put and end to the falsehood of these infidels.”
When Hadrat Asma (R.A.) reached Madina, a child was born to her. It was the first baby to be born to a migrant woman. The new-born was named Abdullah. On the birth of Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A.) there was lot of rejoicing among the Muslims and the baby gave a lie to the canard that had been spread by the enemies of Islam. Hadrat Asma (R.A.) presented herself before the beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) with the new-born baby. He too was much pleased at the sight of the beautiful bonny baby. He took Hadrat Abdullah (R.A.) in his arms, gave the infant some medicine (to clear the meconium), caressed him fondly and prayed for his well being.

Hadrat Asma (R.A.) trained Hadrat Abdullah (R.A.) right from his childhood to be bold and intrepid. When he was four or five years old, the battle of the Trench was fought between the Muslims and the infidels. Hadrat Asma (R.A.) used to make her four or five year old child watch the action and how the battle proceeded. Thus even as a child, Hadrat Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A.) had the occasion to watch the proceedings of an actual battle. In his youth Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A.) turned out to be so brave that it was difficult to find his peer amongst his contemporaries. Hadrat Asma (R.A.) also used to continuously inspire him to rise to heights of glory. Hadrat Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A.) had to fight against the powerful Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan. In this battle, the army of Hadrat Abdullah (R.A.) was very small in size, yet he clashed boldly against a much larger army. On the occasion of this battle, when he consulted his mother, she advised him in the following morale-boosting words:
“My dear son! Understand this fact very well that if you are fighting for the cause of Allah and are siding with truth, then you must put a bold front. Go and fight as befits a brave man. Fear not for your life. Receive the wounds of the sword with dignified valour. It would be thousand times better than life of ease in ignominy. If you are martyred, it shall be my highest pleasure. And if you aspire for mundane wealth and power, and all your striving is to achieve it, then who could be a more wicked man than yourself? How long will you life on this earth? One day death will, of a certainty, come to you, so better it is that you breathe your last while you are on the path of virtue and piety.”

Hadrat Asma (R.A.) lived for pretty long time. Even in her old age she had retained much of her vigour and vitality. She was not afraid of even Hujjaj, who was the tyrant ruler of her time. People used to be amazed at the retorts she used to give to Hujjaj, the governor. Once when she was angry with him, she told him on his face:

Hadrat Anas (R.A.) was the renowned Companion of the beloved Prophet (S.A.W.). Right from his childhood he was in the service of the beloved Prophet. He was exceeding faithful and obedient. He was ever willing and enthusiastic to do any work assigned to his by the beloved Prophet. He used to listen to the talks by the Prophet very attentively and with keen interest. It was with Hadrat Anas only that the beloved Prophet had cut that palatable joke which is well known as ‘Do Kan Wale’ (man with two ears). The beloved Prophet had addressed him once as “O! Do Kan Wale”, which in Arabic idiom means ‘obedient’. The delicacy about this joke is that it is a statement of fact that every man has to ears.

He is the same Anas (R.A.) whose mother’s name is Umm Saleem (R.A.), the renowned lady Companion of the Holy Prophet. To her credit she performed many good deeds in her life-time and rendered great services for the cause of Islam. Hadrat Anas (R.A.) used to say that he was deeply indebted to his mother because she gave him over to the service of the beloved Prophet. This act of hers provided him the grand opportunity to build up his character emulating the beloved Prophet. We give below some salient events relating to the bringing up and training of Hadrat Anas by his mother, Hadrat Umm Saleem.

Hadrat Umm Saleem was the resident of Madina. The name of her husband was Malik. Hadrat Umm Saleem had accepted Islam, but her husband, Malik, had not.

Hadrat Anas was yet a child when Hadrat Umm Saleem started teaching him the ‘Kalima e Shahadat’ (the Muslim confession of Faith). When her husband, Malik, noticed that their child was being taught the ‘Kalime’, he was much annoyed and said:

“First you have forsaken the religion of your ancestors, and now you wish to make this child also irreligious!”
Hadrat Umm Saleem (R.A.) replied:
“He is of course an innocent and ignorant child, but what I really want is that you should convert yourself to Islam.”
Malik did not convert himself to Islam, and in this state he once went on a journey and was killed on the way. Now Umm Saleem (R.A.) was a widow. But since she was very prudent, brave and enjoyed radiant health, many people sent her proposals for marriage, but every proposal she declined saying that her child was still too young.          
When the beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) migrated from Makka to Madina, Hadrat Anas was ten years old. Umm Saleem (R.A.) was anxious to make Hadrat Anas a man of supreme moral excellence. She conceived the ideal than that she place her son at the exclusive service of the beloved Prophet. Accordingly she presented herself with Hadrat Anas before the Prophet and entreated him:

“O Apostle of Allah! I have brought up this child in great hardship. Now I wish you should take him under your care.”

The beloved Prophet acceded to her request. Hadrat Anas thus started living in the service of the beloved Prophet. He started acquiring knowledge of ‘Deen’ (Religion). He keenly observed and remembered every act or saying of the beloved Prophet and meticulously followed in his foot-steps. With the result that Allah was so bountiful unto him that he was being reckoned amongst the great Companions of the Prophet. Many Traditions (sayings of the Prophet) are reported by him, which Muslims read and there from learn knowledge about Islam.

Imam Rabiy’a (R.A.) was great spiritual leader. He was the most erudite person amongst his contemporaries. He used to give religious lessons in the Masjid-e-Nabwi (the Pfophet’s Mosque in Madina). Many men of high learning used to attend his lectures. The young and old all respected him. How did he become such a great religious leader? The secret lies in that Allah had blessed him with a noble mother who ardently desired and also worked hard to see that her son should become proficient in not only learning but also in disseminating the knowledge of  ‘Deen’ (Religion). She spent thirty thousand Ashrafis (gold coins) on the education and training of her son. The second contributory factor was the remarkable power of comprehension which Allah had bestowed on him. Imam Rabiy’a, on his part too had taken great pains to acquire knowledge.

The story of his childhood is very interesting. The name of the father of Imam Rabiy’a was Farrukh. He served in the army during the reign of Bani Umayyah. On one occasion Farrukh was sent on the warfront for a big battle. At that time Imam Rabiy’a was in the womb of his mother. Twenty seven years passed by and Farrukh could get no respite from the series of battles. During this period he could not even return home. Imam Rabiy’a was born during his long absence and grew up to be a highly learned man during this period.

Prior to going on the war front, Farrukh had given his wife thirty thousand Ashrafis (gold coins). That prudent and virtuous lady spent all those Ashrafis on her son’s education and training till he gained proficiency in knowledge of ‘Deen’ (Religion). After twenty seven years when Imam Rabiya’s father, Farrukh,returned from war front he asked his wife about the Ashrafis, as to what use those had been put to. Thereupon, his wife replied: “They are all kept in safe custody.”

In the meanwhile, Imam Rabiy’a went to the mosque to deliver lecture on ‘Hadith’ (Traditions). Farrukh’s wife requested him: “Please pay a visit to the mosque”. When Farrukh entered the mosque, he found, to his great surprise, his own son giving lecture on Traditions, and many scholars, much older in age, listening attentively along with a number of others. His joy knew no bounds. After returning home, in an outburst of joy and pride, he praised his son before his wife, and incessantly expressed his deep gratitude unto Allah for it.

His wife then asked: “Tell me now, whether thirty thousand Ashrafis are better or this bounty!” Farrukh promptly replied: “What is the worth of Ashrafis when compared with this blessing of Allah.” Then the lady revealed: “Those Ashrafis which you had left with me I have spent in the acquisition of this bounty.”

Hadrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani was a great saint. People call him by the name of ‘Bade Peer Saheb’ (great holy man) also. Only for earning the pleasure of Allah, Hadrat Abdul Qadir performed many great deeds. He eradicated many of the social evils which were rampant in his time. At that time many people had sprung up who were spreading various concoctions concerning and creating misunderstandings about Islam, and also about our beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) and his Companions. Hadrat Abdul Qadir put up a bold front against this avalanche of rumour-mongering until the mischief-makers were all silenced.

Hadrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani was a man of outstanding virtue and learning, a great saint and sage. He used to deliver religious lectures which were highly powerful and effective. How did he turn out to be such a great scholar in the knowledge of ‘Deen’ (religion)?

The answer to this question is that Allah had blessed him with an excellent noble mother. Right from his infancy she used to tender him sound and righteous advice. She used to inculcate in him fear of Allah as well as longing for reading the Quran and learning the Traditions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). She herself was the ‘Hafiz’ of Quran (one who commits the whole Quran to memory). She used to recite the verses of the Quran while doing the household work. Thus listening to the Quran regularly right from childhood helped Shaikh Abdul Qadir memorise a major portion of the Quran.

Shaikh Abdul Qadir (R.A.) was still a child when his father died. His revered mother then brought him up. At the time of his death, his father had left behind eighty ‘Dinars’ (gold coins) for his two sons. Their mother divided the Dinars in equal parts and separated the share of each brother. She got Hadrat Abdul Qadir admitted to a school in the town of Jilan itself, which was his native place. When he finished his studies in the school of Jilan, he expressed to his mother his desire to go to Baghdad for higher studies. Baghdad in those days was famous as a seat of high class learning.

In those days traveling was hazardous and unsafe. Unlike today, in those days there was neither rail or motor, nor any other mode of conveyance except camels or horses. There were dense jungles on the ways in which dacoits used to ambush and plunder the caravan of travellers. This was the dread which lurked in the mind of the travelers. But the mother of Hadrat Abdul Qadir summoned courage and prepared herself to send her dear son to the distant land, Baghdad, for pursuing further studies. She stitched the forty ‘Dinars’ in his garment for safe keeping. This was his share in the inheritance of his father. While bidding farewell to him she in very strong words advised him never to tell a lie, even if speaking truth were to cost him dear.

Shaikh Abdul Qadir accompanied a caravan which was bound for Baghdad. On the way the caravan was waylaid by a gang of dacoits. Over powering the caravan the dacoits started looting those in the caravan. One dacoit asked him also if he had anything on his person. He replied “Yes, I have.” The dacoit took it as a joke and passed him over. But other dacoits too asked him and he frankly gave the same reply. This matter reached the ears of the leader of the dacoits. He made him to be brought before him and then himself asked him the question:

“How much amount do you have on your person?”
He replied: “I have forty ‘Dinars’ with me.”
“where are they?”
“They are stitched in my garment.”

A search was promptly made and the money was recovered. “Oh! Why did you show it to us? If you had not shown to us we would not have come to know of it at all,” exclaimed the chief of the dacoits.

“My mother has bade me not to tell lies at any cost. I have promised to abide by her advice. I have but to honour the promise made to her,” was the reply from young Abdul Qudir.

When the leader of the dacoits heard this bold and truthful statement from the mouth of a young child, he was simply amazed and lowered his head in shame. He was absorbed in thought for quite some time. Then tears began to flow from his eyes, and wailing over his sorry state, he said: “Woe upon us! We made that memorable covenant with Allah that we shall follow His Commands, do righteous deeds and refrain from the reprehensible, but alas! We have now turned grey yet we have forgotten the covenant which we had made with Allah. And this child, who had made a covenant with his mother, remembers and honours it even in the face of such adversity. What is my worth as compared to this child?”

Hadrat Sayed Ahmed Shaheed was a renowned sage of our country.  He was the native of Rae Bareily.  His mother had given him excellent education and training.  That is why, from childhood only he was very virtuous, brave and fearless.  He had great love for Islam.Heart and soul, he was ever ready to hold aloft the banner of Islam.

On one occasion it so happened that when he was still a young lad, opportunity came his way to stake his life and all in the cause of Allah.He became anxious to go to the battle-front, but it was necessary to seek permission from his mother. Accordingly he approached his mother.His mother was then offering ‘Namaz’ (Prayers).When the maid-servant came to know of his intention, she prevented him from meeting his mother, lest his life should be in danger.When the mother finished her prayers, she came to know that her maid-servant had obstructed her son to meet her.She felt bad and told her:

“Dear lady! My son cannot be so dear to you as he is to me.”
Then she addressed her son and said:

“My dear son! Go but listen, don’t ever show cowardice.Fight valiantly.And if you run away from the battlefield, I shall never see your face.”

It was the crowning result of his mother’s training only that in later life he was victorious in many battles.He made ceaseless striving in holding aloft the commands of Allah and there never was any occasion when he fled from the battle field. Ultimately he was martyred in the cause of Allah.

You must have heard the name of the Aligarh Muslim University.Just possible, someone from your family may have passed out from there.This is our big educational institution.The founder of this Institution was our beloved late Sayed Ahmed Khan, popularly known as Sir Sayed.He was the native of Delhi.His mother was an exceedingly virtuous and noble lady. She educated and trained her son in an excellent way.

On one occasion, while Sir Sayed was still as young lad, for some reason he got angry with his servant and beat him. When his mother came to know of it, she was much displeased. She turned Sir Sayed out of the house. Frightened, he went to his maternal aunt’s house. He had no courage to return home. After three days his aunt took him to his mother and recommended that he be pardoned.His mother then said:

“So long as you do not ask forgiveness of the servant with folded hands I shall neither absolve you from your guilt, nor shall I allow you to stay in the house.”
Sir Sayed then apologized to his servant and was then forgiven by his mother.

His mother always bore in mind the interest and welfare of the servants. Once she fell ill and by coincidence, her servant too suffered from the same disease. The mother procured the medicine prescribed for her. It was a costly medicine. It occurred to her that her maid-servant being a poor woman could not possibly afford such a costly medicine. With this thought instead of taking the medicine herself, she gave the whole of it to her servant. By the Grace of Allah, not only did the maid-servant recover from illness, but she too, recovered without taking any dose of medicine.

In our country there lived a lady whom the young and old, Muslims and non-Muslims, all alike, fondly called ‘Bi-Amma’; She lived in not much distant past. If you ask some elderly old person whether he knew ‘Bi-Amma’, he would at once reply: “yes, we used to call the mother of Shaukat Ali (R.A.) and Muhammad Ali (R.A.) as ‘Bi-Amma’.” She had some laudable qualities in her which were unmatched. Even men could not boast of being in any degree equal to her in moral stature.

We give below some details about ‘Bi-Amma’. She was the native of Rampur, (U.P.). In 1857 when Indians rebelled against the unlawful rule of the British, she was just five years old. Because of that she could not be properly educated but was highly cultured with chaste manners. She cherished great love for Allah and His Messenger
(S.A.W.). She was ever ready to sacrifice her life and all for the cause of Islam. She never did anything against the tenets of Islam.

She was respectful towards her elders and ‘simple living and high thinking’ was her motto in life.

‘Bi-Amma’ had four sons, Nawazish Ali, Zul Fiqar Ali, Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali. Of these, Nawazish Ali died in infancy. The other three grew up in age. In their early childhood their father died. The responsibility of bringing up and educating these children fell on ‘Bi-Amma’ alone. She educated them superbly. Of the three sons, two earned great renown. The youngest son, Muhammad Ali, acquired exceptional qualities of head and heart. He was extremely courageous and no one, a Nawab or Raja, could hold him in awe. The whole world recognized the superiority of his accomplishments. While on the subject, listen to one interesting and exemplary dialogue:

One gentleman praised Maulana Muhammad Ali in the presence of his mother and said: “It is your untiring effort and tender care that has shaped him (Maulana Muhammad Ali) to such towering eminence and capability.” Bi-Amma “you are wrong. The fact is, all this is the result of the Grace of Allah on us. Allah endows with honour whom He pleases and brings low whom He pleases.”

When Nawazish Ali, eldest brother of Muhammad Ali, died people came to give her condolences over the sad demise of her son. They found her bearing the tragedy with exemplary fortitude. She said to them: “We should all submit to the Will of Allah. Allah hath power over all things. Whatever He has entrusted to us, He has power to take it back when He pleases. Our life and death are indeed in His hands.”

When ‘Bi-Amma’ went for Hajj, she caught hold of the ‘Ghilaf’ (cover) of the Ka’ba, and made the following benediction: ‘O Allah! By Thy Grace my children have now grown upon. I beseech Thee to make them true Muslims.’

By Allah’s Grace, Maulana Shaukat Ali (R.A.) and Maulana Muhammad Ali (R.A.) became such true Muslims that they submitted to none, save Allah. It was Allah alone that they feared. At that time the British were ruling our country. Both the brothers fought against the British throughout their lives. When Englishmen used to arrest and imprison them, ’Bi-Amma’ used to be overwhelmed with excitement. She used to go to the jail and tell her sons: “My sons! Hold fast to Islam with all your might. Never mind even if your life is sacrificed in the cause of Islam.”

In those revolutionary days a poet wrote two songs on ‘Bi-Amma,’ and her two valiant sons, Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Muhammad Ali, which became very popular and were on the lips of everybody. The first song was:”so said the mother of Muhammad Ali: Sacrifice thy life my son to uphold the dignity of khilafat.” The second song was:

“The Prisoners of Karachi raise the slogan;
‘We go for two, two years!”
In the days of ‘Bi-Amma’ people of India were fast adopting the Westernized way of life. To these people ‘Bi-Amma’ cautioned:
“Countrymen! Give up the way of life of these foreigners. Stick to the traditional way of life of your ancestors. Serve not these foreigners, nor accept honours from them because these people are very crafty and fraudulent.”

How deep is the impact of good training and noble aspirations of a mother on her children can best be seen from the illustrious life of Maulana Ilyas. You must have surely heard the name of Maulana Ilyas. He was noble and saintly person. He died just in recent past I had the good fortune of seen him in person I often presented myself before him and he prayed unto Allah for my health and welfare.

His one absorbing thought was the propagation of ‘Deen’. All his life he strove to acquaint the people of Allah’s ‘Deen’, and make them act according to its injunctions so as to make them true and steady Muslims. His untiring efforts for the propagation of ‘Deen’ revived the memories of the days of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).

Maulana Ilyas was trained and brought up on the lap of a mother who was exceedingly pious and God-fearing. His mother had profound knowledge of ‘Deen’ (religion). She was ‘Hafiz’ (one who knows by hear the whole Quran). She used to offer ‘Namaz’ with complete devotion of heart and soul. She used to recite the Quran with meticulous ease because she knew the Arabic language perfectly well. She performed supergatory (nafil) prayers and observed fasts in good measure and was seen constantly engaged in acts of worship and acts of praise unto Allah, with rosary in hand. She knew the life-stories and memorable events in the lives of the Companions of Holy Prophet and other pious men. She used to inspire her son with these narrations. It was her ardent desire that her son too should imbibe these noble qualities in him.

The efforts of his mother bore ample fruits, in that Maulana Ilyas developed these noble qualities in him, and in the prime of his youth he made full-blooded efforts for the propagation of ‘Deen’ (religion).

You have read many poems of Allama Iqbal. Some of his couplets are, most likely learnt by heart by you. He is our best poet. His poetry has most powerful exposition of Islamic thoughts and its message. Intensely great was his love for Allah and His Messenger. He was a great humanist. He wished well for mankind as a whole. His heart leaped in sympathy at the pangs and misfortunes of others. He was an enthusiastic standard-bearer of Islam. He wrote stirring poems not warmed up the hearts of people. His poems not only inspire readers to supreme moral excellence, but also actuate them to strive their utmost for the success of Islam.

For his excellent qualities Allama Iqbal was indebted to the good education and training imparted to him by his mother. She was a lady with great moral and intellectual caliber. She aspired to see her son attain towering moral stature. In fact every mother wishes so, but Allama Iqbal’s mother tried her utmost from the beginning itself to turn her dream into reality.

The earning of Allama Iqbal’s father was felt to be some what dubious. His mother did not consider her husband’s earnings as wholly lawful. Therefore she persistently tried to persuade her husband to switch over to some lawful means of subsistence. However, no such alternate arrangement suggested itself early, and in the meanwhile, Allama Iqbal was born. Now the mother was in a dilemma, as to how she could breast-feed the new-born baby. She could not reconcile herself to the idea of feeding her baby with the milk that is formed out of dubious income. She knew for certain that children who grow on sustenance which is earned out of unlawful means could never develop in them qualities of moral excellence, which she so ardently aspired to develop in her son.

How to resolve this dilemma was the question. At last a plan came to her mind. She sold off her gold ornaments which was prepared out of lawful earnings. With the amount so realized she purchased a goat and fed her child on the milk of that goat. By the Grace of Allah within a couple of months, her husband too succeeded in securing a mode of living which was permissible as per Shariyah. It was then only that the noble mother commenced breast-feeding her child.