Taking women on campaign

Sayyidah Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I took part in seven campaigns with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I would stay behind their camel-saddles, prepare food for them, dress the wounds of the injured and look after the sick."

Hashraj bin Ziyad (may Allah have mercy on him) reported from his grandmother that she, as one of six women, took part in the campaign of Khaybar with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) received word of it, so he sent for us and said: "By whose order have you come out?" We saw signs of anger on his face. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, we have joined the campaign and we have medicine with us with which we will treat the wounded, we will hand over arrows, give people barley-gruel mixed with water to drink, and spin hair into rope with which help will be given in the path of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: "Stay." Then when Khaybar was conquered, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave us a share just as he gave to the men.

It is narrated from Yazid bin Hurmuz that Najdah wrote to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) asking whether women used to take part in jihad with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and whether they received a share of the spoils. Yazid said: "I wrote to Najdah on behalf of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that women used to take part in jihad with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but they did not receive a separate share; they were given a small gift."

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Amr that Sayyidah Umm Kabshah (may Allah be pleased with her), a woman of Banu Udhrah, said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, give me permission to go along with such-and-such army." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." She said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I am not going with the intention of fighting; I want to go in order to dress the wounds of the sick and injured and to give water to the sick." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If this were not to become a custom, with people saying that so-and-so woman went out on jihad, I would have given you permission. But stay where you are (do not go along)."

Ikrimah said that on the day of the campaign of al-Khandaq, Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Khalid bin Sayhan that four or five women took part in Tustar with Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), among them Umm Majza'ah bin Thawr (may Allah be pleased with her).

It is narrated from al-Mu'thirah bint Zayd, the sister of Abu Nadrah, that Abu Nadrah took part in jihad towards Khurasan together with his wife Zaynab.

Sayyidah Umm Waraqah bint Nawfal (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was about to set out for the campaign of Badr, I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, grant me permission to go on jihad with you. I will dress the wounds of your injured and nurse your sick; perhaps Allah will grant me death as a martyr.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: 'Stay in your house, for indeed Allah Almighty will grant you martyrdom.'" The narrator said: She used to be called al-Shahidah (the martyr).

Al-Hasan disliked that women should go out towards the frontiers and the like.