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The woman Companion because of whom the verse (33:35) was revealed

Question

Question regaridng the situation of the revelation of the verse 33:35 A woman companion once told the Prophet (sallahu alaihi wassalam) that in the Qur'an only men were mentioned and women were often deprived of any importance..Then the above ayah was revealed.. Who was this lady ? ------------------------ according to ibn katheer's tafsir it was UMM SALAMAH. but according to the book great women of Islam by Mahmood Ahmad Ghadanfar it was UMM AMMARAH. which is correct? please clarify.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Indeed, it is confirmed in Musnad Ahmad that it was Umm Salamah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her who asked the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) this question, and then the verse was revealed. Nonetheless, it was also confirmed in Sunan At-Tirmithi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him that it was Umm ‘Umaarah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her who asked the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) this question.

It is most likely that the verse was revealed after they both asked the same question, especially that Umm Salamah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her mentioned that the verse was revealed after a period of time after she asked the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ). In Musnad Ahmad, she said: “I said: O Prophet of Allaah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) how is it that we are not mentioned in the Quran in the same manner as the men are mentioned?” She said: “Then, one day, I suddenly heard the call of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) on the pulpit while I was combing my hair, and I went near the door [of the room trying to hear what he says] and I listened directly to the voice coming from the direction of the Jareed (i.e. the part of the mosque which was thatched with the dried palm fronds, where the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) used to give Khutbah) and I heard him saying: ''Allaah Says (what means): {Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allaah often and the women who do so - for them Allaah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.}[Quran 33:35]

On the other hand, it might be that Umm ‘Umaarah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her came to ask the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) this question and Umm Salamah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her asked the question on her behalf, so the question was attributed to both of them.

Ibn Katheer  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him mentioned in his Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran) many narrations which were reported by At-Tabari  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him in his Tafseer, among which was what Ibn ‘Abbaas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him said: “The women asked the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) …'', thus he used the plural form of ‘woman’.

Allaah Knows best.

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