Asma bint Yazid
Companion of Muhammad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Asma bint Yazid ibn al-Sakan al-Ansariyyah[a] (c. 599/600 CE[b] – c. 689 CE), was a female companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from the Ansar of Medina.[3] Her 81 narrations are preserved in major Sunni hadith collections,[3] including those of Abu Dawud,[4] Al-Tirmidhi,[5] Al-Nasa'i,[6] and Ibn Majah.[7] She was among the signatories to the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya.[8]
Asma bint Yazid | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 599 CE |
| Died | 69 AH / 689 CE (aged 89–90) |
Resting place | Bab al-Saghir Cemetery, Damascus, Syria |
| Other name | Khatibat al-Nisa |
| Known for | Companion of Muhammad |
| Relatives | Yazid ibn al-Sakan (father) Umm Saʿd bint Khuzaym ibn Masʿud ibn Qalāʿ (mother) |
Biography
Asma was born to Yazid bin Sakan[8] and Umm Saʿd bint Khuzaym ibn Masʿud ibn Qalāʿ.[9] Her early life is not widely documented. She was born in c.589 CE.[1] She belonged to the Ansar and to the clan of Abd al-Ashhal of the Aws tribe, whose chief was Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. She was among the women of the Ansar who pledged allegiance to Muhammad after his arrival in Medina.[10] Her father Yazid ibn al-Sakan, her brother Amir ibn Yazid ibn al-Sakan, her sister Hawa bint Yazid Ansariah, and her uncle/brother Ziyad ibn al-Sakan were killed during the Battle of Uhud.[8][11]
She was the cousin of Muadh ibn Jabal[12] though this attribution was disputed by al-Dhahabi in his book Tajrid Asma’ al-Sahabah.[9] She was reportedly among the early female converts to Islam from the Ansar, having accepted Islam through the missionary work of Musab ibn Umayr.[12]
Titles
Asma is also referred to Khaṭībat al-Nisāʾ (Arabic: خطيبة النساء, lit. 'Orator of the Women'), a title denoting her role as the feminist advocate and representative of Muslim women and when they wished to address the Muhammad issues concerning women's religious duties and reward.[13]
In Islamic traditions, she is also referred to as awwal muʿtadda fī al-Islām (Arabic: أول معتدة في الإسلام, lit. 'The first woman to observe the ʿidda in Islam'), for being the first Muslim-divorced-woman to observe a waiting period in Islam. She was reportedly divorced during the lifetime of Muhammad at a time when no prescribed waiting period (iddah) existed for divorced women. According to these traditions, Quran surah Al-Baqarah (2:228), concerning the waiting period for divorced women, was subsequently revealed in connection with her divorce.[13]
Advocacy
Asma is described in Islamic tradition as having addressed Muhammad on behalf of a group of Muslim women concerning their religious status and reward.[3] In Islam, Youth and Modernity in the Gambia: The Tablighi Jama'at,[14] Marloes Janson, professor at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS University of London[15] describes Asma as a figure associated with advocacy for Muslim women's rights in Islamic tradition.[14] Asma asked Muhammad whether women, who carried domestic responsibilities while men participated in public religious and military duties, would share in the same religious reward.[16]
Muhammad praised her speech and replied that a woman who fulfilled her responsibilities toward her husband and household would receive a reward comparable to that earned by men through such acts.[16]
Narrations
Asma is cited in hadith literature as a "transmitter of narrations" attributed to Muhammad. Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah narrations on her authority.[3]
Among the reports attributed to Asma is an account concerning the revelation of surah al-Ma'idah (Quran 5). According to the report, she was holding the reins of al-Adba, the Prophet Muhammad's she-camel, when the surah was revealed to him. She stated that the revelation was so heavy that it nearly caused the animal's limbs to buckle. Muslim scholars have cited the report in discussions of the physical strain associated with Muhammad's reception of revelation through the angel Jibril Gabriel.[2]
Battles
Asma's brother Imarah ibn Yazid was among the companions who remained with Muhammad during the Battle of Uhud and was killed while defending him. Her father and uncle were also killed in the same battle.[2] These events reportedly inspired her to accompany Muslim expeditions during Muhammad's lifetime. Three years after Muhammad's death, she joined the Muslim army that marched to Syria to fight the Byzantine army. She participated in the conquest of Mecca.[2] She also participated in the Battle of Yarmuk in Byzantine Syria during the caliphate of Umar, where later reports credit her with killing around nine Byzantine soldiers using a tent pole.[16][11]
She was also a part of the Battle of Khaybar.[8] She also witnessed the Battle of the Trench, and Khaybar.[11]
In literature
Asma has been referenced in modern literary writings on Muslim women's leadership and feminism. In analyses of Mohja Kahf's poetry, she is viewed as a figure associated with advocacy for women's rights and participation in public life.[17] Kahf's poem Breaking: Aisha Claims to Be Post-Feminism portrays her as a woman concerned with women's rights and women's roles. The analysis relates her to themes of Muslim women's leadership, activism, and participation in public life.[17]
Death
After the Muslim conquest of Syria, Asma remained in the region, where she taught Islam to women. She lived to an advanced age and died in Damascus during the caliphate of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in 69 AH at 90. She was buried at the Bab al-Saghir Cemetery in Damascus.[2]
Further readings
- Webb, G. (2000). Windows of Faith: Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America. Women and Gender in Religion. Syracuse University Press. pp. 168–170. ISBN 978-0-8156-2851-4. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- Saʻd, Muḥammad Ibn (1995). The Women of Madina. Ta-Ha. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-897940-24-2. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- Hasan, Masudul (1976). Daughters of Islam: Being Short Biographical Sketches of 82 Famous Muslim Women. Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh Academy. p. 24. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- A Dictionary of Islam Being a Cyclopaedia of the Doctrines. A Dictionary of Islam Being a Cyclopaedia of the Doctrines. Allen. 1885. p. 102. Retrieved 2026-06-02.