Saudah bint Zam’ah (ra) and the Food Fight …

𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝑨𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒂(𝒓𝒂) 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅: 

‘𝑶𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑺𝒂𝒘𝒅𝒂𝒉 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒕 

𝒔𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓… 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒓𝒂 (𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉) 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓: “𝑬𝒂𝒕!” 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅. 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅: “𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒓𝒂,” 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒕; 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝑰 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑺𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒂𝒘𝒅𝒂𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆; 𝒔𝒐, 𝑺𝒂𝒘𝒅𝒂𝒉 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒅.’ 🌹

[𝑨𝒍-𝑨𝒍𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒊, 𝑨𝒍-𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒂 𝑨𝒍-𝑺𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒉𝒂𝒉: 7/363]

One day Aisha(ra) made a special soup for the Prophetﷺ. Saudah(ra) was visiting, and was invited to join them. Perhaps out of politeness or fear of intruding Saudah(ra) held back. But the young spirited Aisha(ra) who cared for Saudah(ra) insisted, “I will stain your face with khazira!” When Saudah(ra) still refused, Aisha(ra) painted some of the soup on her face. 

The Prophetﷺ smiled at the scene and held Saudah’s(ra) hand, saying: “What are you waiting for; you smear her face, too!” So Saudah(ra) painted Aisha’s(ra) face with the soup, just the same way. The Prophetﷺ smiled at her condition, too.[Ibn Sa’d]

After Khadijah’s(ra) death, lonely, raising children and shouldering the responsibilities of Prophethood, marriage to Saudah(ra) brought the Prophetﷺ peace of mind he needed at home. Older then he, she was a tall, healthy woman unable to walk swiftly. But it was her humorous personality, big heart and sweet disposition that made her so endearing to those around her. Saudah(ra) raised the Prophet’sﷺ children as if her own, with much love. Ever sensitive to her husband’s feelings, her sense of humour lightened his worries; Once she saw the Prophetﷺ pale-faced.

Jokingly she said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I prayed behind you yesterday and you prolonged the prostration so long I felt that I was having a nosebleed.’ She held her nose with such a comical description the Prophetﷺ laughed with molars visible, his gloom soon disappearing.

As Saudah(ra) grew old, eager to please the Prophetﷺ, recognising his love for Aisha(ra), she gave up her time so that the Prophetﷺ spent it with Aisha(ra). It was a gesture that touched Aisha(ra) deeply. She would say of her; “It is only Saudah, on seeing whom, I wished my soul lived in her body.” [Thabaqat]

Aisha(ra) also reported:

'Never did I find any woman more loving 

to me than Saudah Bint Zam'ah. 

I wished I could be exactly like her' [Muslim]

Saudah’s(ra) love for the Prophetﷺ saw her thoughts align to his; she loved who was beloved to him and sought to please him. As such she displayed a distinctive affection for Aisha(ra) and the children of the Prophetﷺ. So, if we too hold the Prophetﷺ dear, we too would value whatever he said and whoever he loved. It is this very love that will fastidiously commit us to following his sunnah- the perfect model for us in our lives.

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