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ln*Ukaz marketplace. It was not too long ago. Now you are called
Amir al-Mu minin (t]
and look after your
"Oh woman, you have
sayina to al-jar-Ud,
he Commander of the Believers) so. fear Allah
subJects ... 11 AI-Jar7d turned to her sying,
been so severe to Am! 'r al-Mulminin.
'Umar interfered
"Leave her alone; do you not know her? This is
a
Khawla whose voice was heard by Allah in the heavens. So Umar
must listen to her. "
1 .1
Az. furthe r role which some women. developed was as artisans.
For example, Salamah Bint Zamlaah (the Prophet's wife and Mother
of Belivers) was a skilful craftswoman who used to work alAýIim (a
kind of leather).
2
Raytah Bint Mulawiyyah al-Thaqafiyyah was an
artisan whose husband Abal-Allah bin Malud was a jobless man and she
carried out the burden of providing for her family.
i
Zaynab bint Uahsh was a hard working woman who used to work
with her hands and distribute charity to the poor.
4 Others worked
in fosterage for example, HalTmah al SaIdiyyah who had fostered
Muhammad in his childhood. Moreover, some women reached high
positions and held recognised jobs. For instance. Al-Sh-Ef, a bint Abd
Allah used to teach reading and writing to the Muslim women. The
Prophet himself asked her to teach Hafsa
*0
(the Prophet's wife) how to
read and write. And during the Caliphate.
C
Umar bin al-KhattAl
she was asked by him to hold the job of supervising trading in al-Madinah
marklet
Place.
4
A further aspect of life in which Islam bought changes was the ritual
of mourning over the dead. Islam forbade the manic expreSsion of grief
1. Harb al-Gha; alF,, Istiqial al-MaAh fT al-Islin (Independent Woman in
islam),
P. 58
2. See Ibn al-Athl'r,
3. Ibid -
Ibid
*P* 'it*, P*447
.
166'