(Mother of Moulana Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi [rahimahumallah] – Part Six)
After her marriage, when Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) entered her new home, she found that the description which she had always heard regarding the home was indeed true. It was an era of poverty, and if there was food on one day, there would sometimes be hunger the next.
Despite this level poverty, she did not disclose or reveal the situation to anyone. In fact, she went to extremes in concealing the poverty of her in-laws and safeguarding their honour.
Occasionally, her mother would send a maid to her home to see whether there was anything cooking on the stove. However, as soon as she spotted someone approaching, she would hastily place a pot of water on the stove and light the fire. Hence, the visitor would be under the impression that there was food cooking in the home. In this way she concealed the true reality – that there was nothing at home to cook. Nevertheless, her mother would sometimes perceive that there was no food in the home and would pack a tray of food and send it for her daughter.
Shortly after their marriage, her husband decided to open a clinic. Allah Ta‘ala made it a success, and the barakah (blessings) that now began to pour into the home was such that the entire home was transformed. With this small income, they were able to achieve what even the wealthy were unable to achieve. All the needs of the home were seen to with extreme comfort and ease. In fact, together with seeing to their own needs, they were even able to see to the needs of others and would frequently entertain guests.
Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) herself writes: “This home became like Jannah for me, and the service which I carried out for my in-laws was a great source of Allah Ta‘ala’s mercy for me. It felt as if I was now under the shade of Allah Ta‘ala’s mercy. I had no worry or concern, and my every moment was spent in gratitude to Allah Ta‘ala.”
Lessons:
1. In the past, people did not enter a marriage expecting to find it a ready-made heaven. Instead, they understood that what they put into the marriage would be what they got out of it. Hence, they had a mindset of making the marriage and making the home – no matter what adversity they faced or what difficulty they underwent. Thus, in those times, the divorce rate was far lower than today, the homes were fairly stable, and very few children became delinquents.
2. If a person safeguards the honour of the next person, Allah Ta‘ala will bless him with great honour and respect. Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) went beyond the call of duty, even enduring hardship and difficulty, for the sake of safeguarding the honour of her in-laws. As a result, Allah Ta‘ala not only blessed her with tremendous honour and respect, but He made her find such happiness in her in-laws’ home that she herself referred to it as being “like Jannah”.
3. Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) understood that serving her in-laws would please her husband, and win his heart and the heart of his parents. Hence, although it was not compulsory upon her to serve them, she did so anyway. The outcome of her selflessness and humility was that she enjoyed a blissful marriage.
4. Ultimately, the happy, prosperous marriage that Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) enjoyed was on account of her accepting her father’s advice and basing her marriage decision primarily on piety. The barakah and blessing that followed was such that Allah Ta‘ala not only blessed her with a pious husband, but He also blessed her with wealth and prosperity, thus bestowing her with the best of both; Deen and dunya (material).