(Mother of Moulana Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi [rahimahumallah] – Part Seven)
In her role as a wife, Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) fulfilled her domestic chores and responsibilities in the most excellent manner, and her entire life reflected her spirit of selflessness and sacrificing for the sake of others.
When serving her husband, she did so with passion and devotion. Hence, although there was a servant employed to prepare meals, she would insist on personally cooking for him, and would go out of her way to serve him exquisite dishes and desserts. In fact, her expertise in the culinary department was such that she was later able to author a best-selling recipe book named ‘Zaa-iqah’.
Her husband was a very hospitable person and would bring guests home for meals on a daily basis. Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) would always apply herself to the preparations, presenting multiple dishes and sweets to the guests.
Since she was living in Lucknow, which is a city, many of the family children from rural areas were boarding with her for study purposes. She would not only take care of all these children, but would even try to accommodate and cater for their different preferences, tastes, likes and dislikes.
Lessons:
1. In a relationship of love, it is the ‘personal touch’ that is valued, prized and enhances the relationship. Hence, when a person loves a certain celebrity, he does not only purchase his autobiography – he tries to get it hand-signed by the author himself. In the same way, Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) ensured that she ‘hand-signed’ and put a ‘personal touch’ on every meal that her husband enjoyed. Had she wished, she could have relaxed and enjoyed some leisure time while the servant did the work. However, she realized that showing love and devotion to her husband in this manner would please him, and more importantly, it would please Allah Ta‘ala. Thus, she went above and beyond in serving her husband.
2. Entertaining guests is encouraged in Islam and is a means of drawing immense barakah (blessings) into the home. Furthermore, honouring the guest is greatly emphasized in the ahaadeeth of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Hence, Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) never complained about her husband bringing guests home on a daily basis, but rather served them to the best of her ability, every single day.
3. A salient quality of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) was that they were always prepared to sacrifice their own comfort for others. Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) was indeed blessed with this quality – not only in serving her husband’s guests but also in caring for the family children boarding with her. Had she wished, she could have told them to stop being fussy, but instead, she took pity on them, sacrificed her own comfort, and tried to cater for each child’s individual preferences.