A girl's instructive marriage story
The story of the marriage of the daughter of the famous Tabi'i Saeed bin Musayyab is a very instructive and shining example of sacrifice, sympathy, poverty, preference, and simplicity in Islamic history. His daughter was extremely beautiful, and educated. Caliph Abdul Malik wanted to make her his daughter-in-law. He sent a message of proposal with his crown prince. Ibn Musayyab refused. The Caliph put a lot of pressure and inflicted various kinds of hardships, but Ibn Musayyab remained steadfast in his refusal, and after a few days, he married her to Abu Wada'a, a very ordinary man from Quraish, who was one of his humble students. Abu Wada'a himself narrates about this incident that I used to go and sit with Saeed bin Musayyab regularly. Once, after a few days of absence, I happened to go. Ibn Musayyab asked where I had been absent for so many days. I said that my wife had passed away, so I could not attend. He said, "Why didn't you inform me? I would have also participated in the preparation and burial." After a while, when I got up to leave, he said, "Have you made arrangements for another?" I am a poor man with only a few pennies. Who will marry me? He said, "I will arrange it. Are you ready?" I said, "Very well!" Saeed immediately performed the marriage of his daughter to me for two or three dirhams. When I got up from there, I was so overjoyed that I did not know what to do. I went home and started worrying about the Rukhsati (departure of the bride). In the evening, Saeed Ibn Musayyab ordered his daughter to come with him. First, he offered two rak'ats of prayer and made his daughter offer two rak'ats. After that, he took her to my house. I was going to break my fast after Maghrib when someone knocked on the door. I asked, "Who is it?" The reply came, "Saeed." I thought Saeed Ibn Musayyab never goes anywhere except his house and mosque. Who is this Saeed? I got up and opened the door and saw that it was Saeed Ibn Musayyab. Seeing him, I said, "Why did you bother? You could have sent for me." He said, "No, I should have come to you." Then he said, "You were alone and your wife was present. I thought why you should spend the night alone, so I brought your wife." She was standing behind him. He put her inside the door and closed the door from the outside. My wife fell down with shame. I closed the door from the inside.
After that, I went up to the roof and announced to the neighbors that Ibn Musayyab had married his daughter to me today and brought her to my house. My mother, according to custom, adorned her for three days. After being adorned, when I saw her, she was very beautiful, a memorizer of the Book of Allah, a scholar of the Sunnah of the Messenger, and aware of the rights of her husband.
Reference:
("Tabi'een" by Shah Moinuddin Nadvi // Ibn Khalkan Volume I, p. 207)
The following instructive lessons are learned from this incident:
1. A well-read, beautiful girl who was raised by a venerable Muhaddith Tabi'i.
2. Her knowledge, beauty, character, and personality were talked about in the city. She could have gotten the best possible match.
3. But the girl's father had given her such education that instead of becoming the queen of the crown prince of the time, she happily agreed to become the wife of a poor student and presented this shining example of preferring the Hereafter over the world, which will always be written in golden letters in history for a Muslim girl.
4. The father had fixed the relationship without asking the girl, and the girl, upon hearing her father's decision, immediately submitted and added to the glory of her knowledge, actions, her father's scholarly status, and the honor of the family. The world will always remember such an exemplary woman with love, devotion, respect, and honor, and Islamic history will always be proud of such girls.
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