http://theijtema.com/2013/09/25/27-years-separation/
Have a handkerchief / napkin ready - you may need it to wipe the tears.
As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,
The Day is Done (H. W. Longfellow) THE DAY is done and the darkness, Falls from the wings of night, As a feather is wafted downward, From an eagle in his flight. I see the lights of the village, Gleam through the rain and the mist, And a feeling of sadness comes over me, That my soul cannot resist. A feeling of sadness and longing, That is not akin to pain, And resembles sorrow only, As the mist resembles the rain. Come read to me some poem, Some simple and heartfelt lay, That shall soothe this restless feeling, And banish the thoughts of day.* * *
But for 27 years for Umm e Rabaya (Umm meaning Mother), that day was not to come. For 27 years she lay in wait for her husband, Abu Abdur-Rehman Farokh who as a pious young man had left her pregnant with his child in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, for the next 27 years she lay in wait, or perhaps given up hope of ever seeing him again, alive.
But all along, she persevered, she brought up her son in the best manner possible with the resources she had, she proved to be a great wife and a mother, but more than that, she proved to be a greater servant of Deen, a strong and intelligent woman, she well knew what it was to live and sacrifice for a bigger cause.
For 27 years, she didn’t complain about the grievances, or inconveniences caused due to going through the rigors of life and bringing up a kid all by herself, living almost like a widow not knowing whether her husband was alive or dead, she didn’t complain, for she knew Deendidn’t and doesn’t spread by sitting at home, or doing empty talk, or through forums and blogs, for she knew Deen spread through sacrifice of one’s health, wealth and time, by leaving home and hearth, leaving family and relatives you lived with to live and work with total strangers and leaving familiarity and congeniality and embracing change, all for the sake of Deen, for she knew just as the Prophets (Peace be upon them all) did, Deen needed to be spread among the uninformed, the ignorant and even the hostile and for this she knew she had to leave conveniences and adopt inconveniences: Her husband leaving her young and pregnant was a great source of anxiety and inconvenience but she hung on, persevered, showing great patience for she knew this bearing of inconvenience was her sacrifice for the sake of Deen. And more importantly, a lesson for all Muslim women to come until the Last Day.
She knew… Inconvenience is Sacrifice.
The Heartrending Story of Umm e Rabaya.
A Story Of Patience, Perseverance And Suffering for the Sake of Deen.
She was the mother of Imam Abu ‘Uthman Rabaya Ar-Rai (RA) (obit: 136 H / 753 AD). She was married to a pious young man Abu Abdur Rehman Farokh, a native of Madinah who was the slave of the Bani Tamim.
Imam Rabaya was still unborn when his father Abu Abdur Rehman Farokh had to leave for the campaign of Khurasan. He gave thirty thousand gold coins to his wife before he left and told her that the money was all he had. He asked her to keep the money with care.
Saying this, he bade farewell to his wife and joined the Muslim troops in Damascus. A chain of conquests had opened loose for Muslims. One campaign after the other until twenty-seven years passed since he had left his home to participate in J!h@d. During all those years, neither he could return home nor could establish any contact. A son was born to his wife back home who was named Rabaya.
Umm e Rabaya was a sagacious and farsighted lady. Though the distance between her and her husband had discolored her life yet she brought up her son excellently. She managed a high standard of education for her promising son until all the money her husband had left was spent.
Rabaya turned to be very intelligent and hard working. He memorized the Holy Quran in very early age and within a few years, mastered the learning of Quran, Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence and literature. The fame of his erudition spread across Arabia. He was a recognized as an Imam (authority). People called him Imam Rabaya Ar-Rai. Imam Rabaya delivered his discourse daily in Mosque of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) (Masjid e Nabwi in Madinah Munawwarah) and the seekers of knowledge would come from distant places to attend his lectures.
After a long twenty-seven years, Abdur Rehman Farokh could take leave of J!had and set out for his homeland. After a long journey he entered Madinah Munawwarah with elegance, riding on a thoroughbred horse, the sword fastened along his side and a long spear in his hand. He knocked at the door with the point of spear.
Imam Rabaya came out.
Both father and the son did not know each other.
Farokh’s hasty and un-hesitant entry into the house was checked by his son Imam Rabaya, who said.
The exchange of heated words raised their voices. The neighbors gathered to hear the uproar. Each of them was threatening the other to take him to the higher authorities. Some one informed Imam Malik. He immediately reached. He addressed Abdur Rehman Farokh tenderly and asked why he was entering the house of a noble man and why he does not go somewhere else.
(Pause here and try to feel the pain in his words^ – Blog author)
Hearing the voice of Abdur Rehman Farokh, his wife peeped through the chink of the door and recognized her husband at once.
She called in both Imam Rabaya and Abdur Rehman Farokh to tell Imam Rabaya that the elegant stranger was his father. She told Abdur-Rehman that the son was born a few months after his departure. Both the father and son embraced while the eyes of both were wet with tears of joy.
After he had dined and taken rest, he asked his wife about the thirty thousand gold dinars he had left. The great lady assured him that all the amount was safe.
Meanwhile time came of prayer and the lecture.
Imam Rabaya went to Mosque of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) as he heard the Azaan (Call for prayer). The wife asked Abu Abdur Rehman to say prayer in the Nabwi Mosque. He went and saw there a graceful young man surrounded by respectful listeners. The speaker was his own son, the great Imam Rabaya but because he was putting on tarboosh on his head, he could not recognize him from the distance.
He asked someone who the noble man was?
An un-narratable happiness overwhelmed him to hear this and the tears welled up from his eyes with gratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
He came home, delighted and told his wife that the reverence and veneration which was extended to his son, he never observed before anyone else.
The.Ijtema® Conclusion
Imam Rabaya is counted among the A’immah Taba’in (The leader Successors to the Companions of the Prophet Muhammed [Peace be upon him]). He was a man of great knowledge. His erudition commanded veneration from most respected scholars, Islamic jurists and even from the kings and queens. He achieved this pride and glory because of the farsightedness, intelligence and most importantly the sacrifice of his mother who did not endear the wealth for the education of her child. Not only this but she proved to be a great servant of Deen, just imagine, 27 years…close to 3 decades spent (pause here and re-read) without the love and support of her husband all through when she was young and middle aged, if Abdur Rehman Farokh had done that today, he’d have a flurry of fatwas against him and who knows, even protests from Women’s Rights Organizations !! Nay, this is the result of forgetting the Prophetic efforts.
YES, this is Deen and not for nothing did Allah – the Sustainer of the Worlds reward them with a son who would go on to become the Imam of Imam’s of Fiqh – No less than Imam Malik himself !! Just look how Allah rabbul izzat, right in this world itself, elevated the status of the slaves who committed to the efforts of Deen with sincerity, patience, and steadfastness.
I have seen this happening over and over again in the effort of Tabligh where normal people (slaves of today who are looked down upon by people) and who over generations have never even had a Hafidh of the Quran are now proud parents of Hafidh’s, Qari’s, Aalim’s and Mufti’s – The Imam’s of the Age – Due to the patience and perseverance of the men and more importantly the women of the house – inshaAllah a sign of acceptance. Ameen.
Not by sitting idle at home and or retreating to a room away from the people and doing Zikr of Allah and saying this is the work but by going to the people and living amongst them and doing Zikr of Allah around them.
Ahem…just like what the Prophets (peace be upon them) did.
* * *
Sources: (Taba’in-Ghulaman Islam)
Leading Ladies: Women Who Made a Difference in the Lives of Others.
Inspirational
