By Rumki Chowdhruy
It was during the Muslim army’s conquest of Al Sham (greater Syria) or “Seige of Damascus” in the 7th century AD that Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ companion and a commanding chief, Khalid Ibn Al Walid, noticed a warrior that stood out above the rest. In green and black uniform, this warrior bravely raided the Byzantine/Roman Army and with excellent swordsmanship at that. Khalid had said, “I wonder who this horseman is. By Allah! He appears to be quite daring and brave.”
This warrior was not just daring and brave, but he was, in fact, a she: Khawlah bint Al-Azwar, a woman in disguise. She was not only brave and victorious in her endeavors, but she was also considered a great beauty. Khawlah belonged to the Rashidun Caliphate. She was the daughter of one of the chiefs in the Banu Assad tribe. Her story began with her close bond with her older brother, an army general and poet named Dhiraar. Growing up, Dhiraar loved his little sister so much that he took her everywhere with him. He even taught her the skills of sword fighting. Khawlah also loved her older brother so much that she followed him into war! She initially nursed wounded and dying soldiers: “Many women are reported to have participated in the early wars of Islam…” said Remke Kruk, Emeritus Professor of Arabic at the University of Leiden and Author of “The Warrior Women of Islam.” It was not until after her brother became a prisoner of war that Khawlah decided to step into his shoes.
The famous historian, Al Waqidi (747-823AD) wrote about her in his book, “In a battle that took place in Beit Lahia near Ajnadin, Khalid [ibn Walid] watched a knight, in black attire, with a big green shawl wrapped around his waist and covering his chest. That knight broke through the Byzantine ranks like an arrow. Khalid and the others followed him and joined the battle. The mysterious warrior pounced on the enemy like a mighty hawk on a tiny sparrow in an attack that wreaked havoc in the Byzantine lines.”
In one of the battles, Khawlah’s horse was injured, leaving her defenseless against the Byzantine/Roman soldiers who took her as a prisoner of war. She was placed in a quarter with other women at the camp. The Byzantine/Roman general was so taken by Khawlah’s beauty that he wanted her all to himself. But, Khawlah had other, less exciting plans for him. She wasted no time in rallying up all of the women and encouraging them to join her in a fight against the guards. Together, the women defeated the camp guards and escaped.
After noticing Khawlah’s talents on the battlefields, Khalid Ibn Al Walid, Commanding Chief of the Prophet’s ﷺ army, demanded that she reveal her identity. Mind you, at that time, all of the warriors still did not know that this mysterious knight was a woman. After refusing to show her true identity at first, she eventually surrendered, saying, “My prince, I did not answer because I am shy. You are a great leader, and I am only a woman whose heart is burning.” She went on to explain that she needed to rescue her brother who was taken as a prisoner by the Romans. Khalid immediately ordered his army to follow Khawlah’s lead and together, they not only fought and defeated the Byzantine/Roman Army, but they also saved Khawlah’s brother, Dhiraar.
Khawlah was one of the first Muslims in history and one of the first soldiers to defend Islam. However, she is just one example of the many warrior princesses who fought to defend Islam both on and off the battlefields. Naseebah Bint Ka’ab, a.k.a. Umm Umarah, was another such warrior princess, who joined her husband and two sons to protect the Prophet ﷺ from the enemies on the battlefield. The army was impressed by her sword skills. In return, the Prophet ﷺ said, “From where can anyone get courage like you oh Umm Umarah,” and he prayed that they would be friends in Paradise. Companion to Prophetﷺ, Umar ibn Al Khattab said, “On the day of Uhud, I heard theProphet ﷺ say, ‘Whenever I looked to the right or left I saw her fighting in front of me.’”After many battles, having been injured numerous times including having lost an arm, Umm Umarah eventually settled down and dedicated her life to educating the women of Medina on Qur’an and hadith.
Sources:
https://dbpedia.org/page/Khawlah_bint_al-Azwar
https://www.islamswomen.com/articles/khawlah_bint_al-azwar.php
https://sunnahonline.com/library/history-of-islam/357-umm-umara-the-prophets-shield-at-uhud
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/the-rich-tales-of-women-who-went-to-war-1.176343
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpYaKBfAfw4
About the Author
Rumki Chowdhury is Editor of World Hijab Day Organization. She is an award-winning published author. She has an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, a BA in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey and an English Subject Teaching Degree from Gävle Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. She speaks Bengali and Swedish fluently! She has years of experience in the media and publishing worlds. Rumki lives with her husband and their three daughters.
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