Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 309
! ! 309 At that time, there was a woman , who had three or four sons fighting in the battle. F irst ly , i f the woman had been from our country, s he would have never sent any one of her sons to war but if she had been compelled to do so, she would have sent one or two and kept one or two with her self. She would have advised the one she was sending off and said , “Remember son, take care of your old mother and guard your life. ” L ook at th e example of such a mother and compare to that elder ly mother whose name was Khan s a! After three days of battle when there appeared to be no chance of any Muslims surviving , due to the fact that the Muslims were up against elephants for the first time and the Muslims were being crushed under their feet , s he told her sons, “I have never dishonored your forefather ’ s reputation and in return for safeguarding your ancestor’s honor, today I expect you to protect my honor and not retreat from the battlefield. If God Almighty gives you life, return triumphantly , but do not return while retreat ing. ” This lion - hearted woman ’s sons fought so well that day that every one praised them. God Almighty was so pleased with her sincerity that all her sons returned alive. One Muslim General ’s Wife I will narrate another incident of a woman’s bravery. Haz rat Sa’ad B in Abi Waqas ra was a very courageous man and he had participated in many battles alongside t he Holy Prophet sa. There is no doubt that later battles were not as fierce as those fought in the time of the Holy Prophet sa because at that time , the security of the Holy Prophet sa was to be taken into account also. After the time of the Holy Prophet sa , Haz rat Sa’ad B in Abi Waqas ra was made a g eneral in a battle and was accompanied by his wife. She was the widow of another Muslim general and had married Haz rat Sa’ad B in Abi Waqas ra after his death. Haz rat Sa’ad B in Abi Waqas ra could not participate in the battle as he was afflicted with boils all over his body. It is a woman’s nature , whether she be a widow or divorcee, to refrain from mention ing her first husband in front of the second. I f she truly respects her first husband and does not express [her