One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ drew four lines and said ‘Do you know what these are?’. Those around him replied with ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ To which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The best women of the women of Jannah are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint Imraan and Aasiyah bint Muzahim, the wife of Pharaoh.’
On that beautiful day, we were told who the four queens of paradise were!
‘The best women of the women of Jannah are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint Imraan and Aasiyah bint Muzahim, the wife of Pharaoh.’”
[Ahmad]
All four of these women reached perfection in this world and were also given the titles of the best women in Jannah. They all had the perfect balance of The Four Traits of a Cherished Muslimah, namely: leadership love, wisdom and justice. Yet for the sake of learning, let’s focus on one of their defining characteristics through which we can connect with them, with the hope to attain some goodness from their perfection.
Our Lady Asiya
The Unwavering Queen
Our Lady Asiya (may Allah be pleased with her) was the wife Fir’aun – the most oppressive Pharaoh of ancient Egypt that ever lived. She was the epitome of leadership – a queen who didn’t submit to any King other than Allah – The King of Kings. Even though Our Lady Asiya was the wife of one of the most powerful men to walk the earth and lived a life of wealth, comfort and luxury, she yearned for her eternal home – a home near Allah in paradise. She was not attached to the affluence and comfort she lived in, nor was she influenced by the wickedness of her husband – who claimed that he was a god and ordered everyone to submit to him. Our Lady Asiya had an independent mind and soul and stayed true to her own beliefs, rejecting the beliefs of her husband and devoting her heart and soul to Allah.
The Loving Mother
Firaun had been informed by his advisers that one of the sons of Israel would come and destroy the pharaoh of Egypt and so, he issued a decree for all newborn baby boys to be killed. One of these baby boys was baby Musa, the prophet of Allah (upon him be peace), and under the guidance of Allah, his mother put him into a box and cast him into the river in the hope that he would be saved.
True to Allah’s caring and loving plan, Our Lady Asiya found baby Musa (upon him be peace) and immediately fell in love with him. She had no children of her own, and so she asked her husband if she could keep him and raise him as her own son.
And the wife of Pharaoh said, ‘[He will be] a comfort of the eye for me and for you. Do not kill him; perhaps he may benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son.’
Surah Al Qasas (28:9)
The Sincere Slave of Allah
Our Lady Asiya loved baby Musa like her own child. And when he became a prophet, she believed in his message. Yet, she kept her faith a secret from her oppressive and tyrannic husband until one day he discovered that she believed in the God of Musa (upon him be peace) and rejected the notion that he was a god. Our Lady Asiya was consequently tortured to death yet even still, she did not waver in her devotion to Allah. While being treacherously punished by her own husband, she made a beautiful supplication, asking Allah to build a house for her, close to Him, in paradise.
My Lord! Build for me a home with thee in the Garden!
Surah Al-Tahrim (66:11)
In response to this prayer, Allah allowed her to see where her home would be. As a huge boulder was placed upon her, her earthly life came to an end. Our Lady Asiya was a woman who refused to limited or defined by her severe and painful circumstances and was willing to die for her beliefs. Oh to be a lady of conviction and devotion, like Our Lady Asiya!
