Umm Al-Shifaa bint Abdullah
al Qurashiyah al Adawiyah
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The Companion Al-Shifaa bint Abdallah ibn Abdushams al Qurashiyah al Adawiyah was one of the wise women of her time. Literate in an illiterate age, she was skilled in medicine, involved in public administration, and had a strong presence in early Muslim history.
She belonged to the Adiy clan of the Quraysh, which was Umar’s own clan. She embraced Islam in its early days in Makkah, and migrated with her son Sulayman to Madinah when the Muslims were instructed by the Prophet to leave Makkah.
She took the Pledge or Bay'ah to the Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), declaring loyalty to him before witnesses when it was still a dangerous thing to do.
Her real name may have been Laila. Al Shifaa is not her given name, but is a title derived from her profession as a medical doctor; it means "healing."
She used to conduct preventative treatments against antbites before the advent of Islam.
Her mother's name was Fatima bint Wahb, and she married Abu Hathma ibn Hudyfa, boring him Sulayman ibn Abi Hathma, and Masruq ibn Hudhayfa.
After Hijrah, she approached the Prophet, and said "Oh Messenger of Allah, I used to do preventative medicine for antbites during Jahilia, and I want to demonstrate it for you."
He said, "Demonstrate it."
Al Shifaa said "So I demonstrated it for him, and he said '[continue to] do this, and teach it to Hafsah [a wife of the Prophet].' In another version he said "Why dont you teach this one [indicating Hafsah] the preventative medicine against antbites, just as you taught her how to write?" She apparently taught Hafsah, and probably others, to write, at the personal request of the Prophet.
She was a very wise, educated and respectable woman. The Prophet used to visit her at home, and he would at times have his afternoon nap at her place.
The Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) used to visit her in her own home so frequently that she set aside a special mat and a cover, or izar, for his use when he took his siesta there. She kept these momentos until her death and passed them on to her children.
The Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) gave her title to a house in the Hakakin area of Madinah. His value for her company influenced the caliphs.
As Caliph, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab used to defer to her opinion. Umar's respect for Al Shifaa's competence, character, and judgement led him to appointed Al-Shifaa, as qadi hisba in the market (the marketplace supervisor), in charge of the administration of the marketplace. This position is equivalent in our world to "director of the consumer protection department." This makes her possibly the first Muslim woman to hold an official position in public administration. This example clearly show us that the ability to lead is not gender restricted in Islam.
He also assigned some aspects of supervision in the market to her son, Sulayman, who was also a wise man whom Umar Ibn Al-Khattab often asked for advice.
As administrator of the Madinah market, Al-Shifaa was a position that gave her the authority to issue rulings in commercial matters, such as being empowered to pass judgement on violations of the public right. Thus, she was a seventh-century Muslim woman judge. Al-Shifaa is said to have issue fatwas in religious matters too.
He also assigned some aspects of supervision in the market to her son, Sulayman, who was also a wise man whom Umar often asked for advice.
Al Shifaa narrates a good number of hadiths. Many Companions narrate hadiths on her authority, including Hafsah.
With her forceful character, influential counsel, and multiple professional skills, Al Shifaa bint Abdullah must have been a major figure in early Muslim society, probably a household name.
References: Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir - Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa'd
The Women of Madina - Translated by Aisha Bewley
Al Isabi fi Tamyiz al Sahaba - Ibn Hajar al Asqalani, Vol. 4.
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