Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
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bag burst I would sew it up myself. As well as
managing the house, I had also to take care of
the horse. This I found the most difficult of all.
I did not know how to cook the bread
properly, so whenever I had to make it, I
would knead the flour and take it to the Ansar
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 Madinan 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.
