·        Tolerates harm for the sake of the religion: The wife of Qays ibn Al-Khateem, who was named Hawwaa’, converted to Islam, but he used to try to avert her from Islam and annoy her while she was prostrating by pushing her and turning her over her head. While he was at Makkah (Mecca) before Hijrah, the Prophet, was told the news of the Ansaar (Helpers) and he was told about the wife of Qays and the harm that she had been subjected to. During the pilgrimage season, the Prophet, met him and said: “Your wife converted to Islam and you harm her and I would like you to stop doing this!” (Al-Isaabah fi Tamyeez As-Sahaabah by Ibn Hajar 8/11064)

·        Patient during times of afflictions: Silah ibn Ashyam participated in a battle along with his son. He said to his son, “O son! Go ahead and fight so that I seek the reward of Allah for losing you!” His son fought until he was killed, then Silah fought and he was killed as well. Women gathered around his wife, Mu‘aathah, so she said, “If you have come to congratulate me, then you are welcome, but if you have come for any other reason, then return!” (Siyar A‘laam An-Nubalaa’ by Ath-Thahabi 3/498)

·        Keen on the interest of her children: Umm Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with her, believed in the Prophet, and her husband, Abu Anas, who had been away, returned and asked her: “Have you apostatized?” She said, “I have simply believed in this man!” She kept teaching their son, Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, how to profess the testimony of faith. Once, as she was telling him to testify that 'there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!', his father admonished her, “Do not corrupt my son!” She said, “I am not corrupting him.” (At-Tabaqaat Al-Kubra by Ibn Sa‘d 8/425)

·        Respects her husband: The wife of Sa‘eed ibn Al-Musayyib said, “We used to speak to our husbands in the same manner in which you speak to your commanders!” (Hilyat Al-Awliyaa’ 5/168)

·        Endeavors to serve her husband: Asmaa’ bint Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “When Az-Zubayr married me, he had no property nor did he have any slave. I used to feed his horse with fodder and draw water and sew the bucket for drawing it, and prepare the dough, but I was good at baking bread. I used to carry date stones on my head from Zubayr's land which was two thirds a Farsakh (about two miles) from my house.” [Al-Bukhari 4926]

·        Shares her husband’s feelings: Once, ‘Abdullaah ibn Rawaahah, may Allah be pleased with him, shed tears and his wife shed tears as well, so he asked her, “Why do you shed tears?” She said, “I shed tears because you shed tears!” He said, “I know that I will pass by Hell (on the Siraat) and I did not know if I would survive it or not.” (Siyar A‘laam An-Nubalaa‘ by Ath-Thahabi 1/236)

·        Faithful to her husband after his death: Umm Ad-Dardaa’, may Allah be pleased with her, said to her husband, Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allah be pleased with him: “You proposed to me in this life and my parents married me to you and I want you to be my husband in the Hereafter!” He told her, “Then, do not get married after my death!” Mu‘aawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, proposed to her after the death of her husband, but she refused. (Al-Isaabah Fi Tamyeez As-Sahaabah by Ibn Hajar 8/74)

·        Diligent to learn knowledge of the Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation). Faatimah, the daughter of Shaykh ‘Alaa’ Ad-Deen As-Samarqandi was brought up well by her father and she was a knowledgeable jurist who memorized the book that her father wrote, Tuhfat Al-Fuqahaa’. Some kings knew about what she had done; so they proposed to her, but her father refused. After this, one of the students of her father, Al-Kaasaani came and wrote Badaa’i‘ As-Sanaa’i‘, which is an explanation of the book of his Shaykh the Tuhfah, and presented it to his Shaykh As-Samarqandi. His Shaykh was very happy with this book, married him to his daughter and made this book her dowry. Her husband would sometimes make a mistake and she would correct it for him. Fatwas were passed with her approval and her father’s. After her marriage, Fatwas would have her approval, as well as her father’s, and her husband’s approval.  (Al-Fawaa’id Al-Bahiyyah by Al-Laknawi)

·        Seeks what is lawful and avoids what is prohibited: Maymoonah bint Al-Aqra‘ wanted to sell the spun yarn that she had made, so she gave to the spinner and told him, “When you sell it tell the buyer that it may not be tightly spun because I was fasting!” After that she went to the spinner and asked him to give her the spun yarn back as she was afraid that he might not tell people what she had told him. (A‘laam An-Nisaa’ by Ridha Kahaalah 5/138)

·        Calls to the way of Allah The Almighty. Umm Shareek, may Allah be pleased with her, accepted Islam when she was in Makkah, then she started going to the women of the Quraysh secretly calling them to embrace Islam until the people of Makkah discovered what she was doing. Thus, they took her and told her that they would have punished her severely, if it were not for her family and kinfolk. They returned her to her people. (Sifat As-Safwah by Ibn Al-Jawzi 2/53)

Characteristics of righteous women - I