Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
5. Muslim women
~ 94 ~
women in the neighbourhood. They were
very sincere women and they would cook my
bread along with their own. When Zubayr
reached Medina, the Prophet gave him a piece
of land which was two miles away from the
city. I used to work on this land, and on the
way back home I would carry a sack of date
stones on my head.
One day, when I was returning like this with a
sack on my head, I saw the Prophet mounted
on a camel going along the road with a group
of Medinan Muslims. When he saw me, he
reined in his camel and signed to me to sit on
it, but I felt shy of travelling With men, and I
also thought that Zubayr might take offence at
this, as he was very sensitive about his honor.
The Prophet, realizing that I was hesitant, did
not insist, and went on his way.
When I came home, I told Zubayr the whole
story. I said that I had felt shy of sitting with
the men on the camel and that I had also
remembered his sense of honor. To this
Zubayr replied, “By God, your carrying date
