When the Battle of Badr drew near, Ummu Waraqah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) approached Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and beseeched him in the following words, “O Nabi of Allah! Allow me to leave with you (for Badr) so that I may nurse the sick and attend to the injured. Perhaps Allah Ta‘ala will bless me with martyrdom.” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “Remain in your home, for Allah Ta‘ala will bless you with martyrdom.”
It was on account of this prophecy of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that Ummu Waraqah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was thereafter referred to as “Shaheedah” (the martyr).
During the khilaafah of ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Ummu Waraqah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) owned two slaves, a male and a female. She had granted them their freedom which they would be allowed to enjoy after her demise. The two slaves however, were impatient and wanted to enjoy their pending freedom immediately. Instead of waiting for her to pass away, they murdered her one night by suffocating her with her shawl and thereafter fled.
When ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) received news of her martyrdom the following morning, he called the people of Madeenah Munawwarah and announced, “Whoever has information regarding these two slaves or has seen them, should bring them forward.” When the slaves were captured and made present, ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) instructed that they be crucified. They thus became the first people to be crucified in Madeenah Munawwarah.
(Sunan Abi Dawood #591 and Musnad Ahmad #27282)
Lessons:
1. It is not necessary for a woman to leave her home to progress in Deen. Allah Ta‘ala is the One who grants all progress and He can thus grant the women in the home the same virtue that He grants to the men who are out of the home.
2. The woman who only leaves her home out of necessity is fulfilling the command of Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). It is thus this woman who makes the greatest progress in Deen.