Great Women of Islam

by Mahmood Ahmad Ghadanfar, Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri (Reviser), Jamila Muhammad Qawi (Translator)

This book is about the life stories of the Mothers of The Believers and 16 other Sahabyat who had been given the good news of the paradise in this world by Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasallam).

There are good examples in the lifestyle of the Mothers of The Believers and women Companions especially for the Muslim women. It is necessary for all of us to study the Seerah of these noble and fortunate women.

Besides the Mothers of The Believers, the compiler of the book has included the description of those sixteen women who had been given the good News of the Paradise in this world by the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasallam). Although the original book is in the Urdu language, the efforts of the translator have made it more beneficial for the readers.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, Womens, History, Biography, Spirituality

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Lamia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy to finally finish this but sad because the translation and content was rough. I'm noticing a pattern in saudi-published about women in islam and it's that the books tend to revolve a lot around men and the great female companions relationship to great men. Of course, it's always good to map out the relationship of these women, who were their families and the like but there would be some chapters where it felt like almost half the chapter was just about her son, uncle, father, cousin and then the great companion at hand was just an addition or extra to the story DESPITE the chapter being named after her. I can't help but think that a large portion of this tendency is a result of saudis cultural view of women and that the translation and choice of what to tell about these women were made through that cultural lens. Never have I ever noticed how strongly written works can reflect the cultural norms of the country it was written in. Perhaps i don't notice these things in western books because western books are subconsciously thought of as rational and objective + I am more familiar with western books. Something about the way a lot of the women are portrayed makes me uncomfortable but I am not sure why.

I am not questioning whether these were pious women or not, may Allah be pleased with them. It's just that I can't help but wonder if the writing and content has been greatly influenced by Saudis own cultural views on what makes a woman great.
You feel me? But I could be wrong and perhaps there are some things that I don't understand now HOWEVER, simply because something is written under the banner of Islam (excl. Quran and hadith) does not mean it doesn't contain the interpretation or transmission of a modern-day culture.
Just sayin'.

Needless to say I do love the beginning chapters with the wives of the Prophet PBUH because they felt more detailed. Again a part of the problem I had could just be due to lack of information of the less known women and as a result, the writer chose to write more extensively of the male family members of those women because the information is available. I don't know.

I do not wish to discourage anyone from readig the book. It is better to form your own opinion and understanding on the content. Wa Allahu 'a3lam.

Edit: Maybe I'm just so hard on the book because western feminism and secularity 😭

[Saja · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s very inspiring to read about the women companions of the prophet (pbuh). Learning about all their contributions to Islam was very beautiful.

Asmas bint Abu Bakr Siddeeq and Khadijahs bint Khuwaylid (ra) stories really touched my heart.

Since the book was originally written in Urdu the translation makes it a little challenging to read and there were a few grammar mistakes. Yet that doesn’t take away from how beneficial this book is.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book which told the extraordinary life stories of the Mothers of the Believers and 16 other Sahabyat who were given the good news of paradise by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him).
Not only did I learn more about these women but I learnt more about Islam which has made me want to explore it deeper. It taught me some parts of Islamic history while telling the lives of the women.
Overall, a great read.

[Lubat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masha Allah its such a beautiful book that gives us knowledge about the mother of the believers and other great women of Islam too.

[Мак Хан · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm so confused about this book that i leave it in the middle i found alot of things that there is no sign in quran or in hadith.
and i will not suggest this book to anyone to read.
it's better to read islamic or such kind of books but 1st ask from somebody who have the knowledge of Quran.

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty disappointed in this, honestly. Aside from a couple of women whom I hadn’t heard of and it was cool to learn about, there wasn’t much I really appreciated.

Mainly, I found it incredibly frustrating how little of the focus seemed to actually be on the women themselves. Big chunks of the book talked *around* the women - there were so many incidents brought up involving the Prophet (peace be upon him) and various other companions, which often had little to no connection to the woman in question herself.

Also, this book (or at least the edition I read) is RIDDLED with typos and grammar errors - usually not something that bothers me overmuch, but in a book I was already not enjoying, it was just the icing on the cake.

Plus, there’s no consistency between transliterations: multiple different spellings will be used for the same name, which is just confusing. And particularly egregious are several places where a sentence will use the wrong person’s name entirely - which becomes a problem if you’re not reading closely!

I just think that if you really want to learn about these incredible women, there are much better resources out there that actually centre their lives and characters!

[Diyanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! We need role models to look up to, and these women are just that. As I read the tales of the women that were guaranteed paradise, I am closer to visualizing what it will take from me to become like them. They depicted a character of selflessness, honesty, courage, loyalty, modesty, generosity, and more... all sprinkled with seeking the pleasure of Allah. I believe this book is a stepping stone into shaping myself into a better worshiper of Allah.

[ex libris shiropa ♠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok this took literally almost two years to finish bc tbh the way it was written felt slow to read, BUT its still a good overview of women in islam and their lives

[Iroda Toirova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring. May I will also have the characters of Women described here 🥺. The highest standards of humanity, righteousness, dignity and courage of these great Women - made me reevaluate my values. Impressed. Will definitely read more regarding this field.

[Nawroz Zahan Preety · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe - not much written records actually exists. So , there relies not much reasons to read about them. It was my pleasure to get to know about Umm 'Ammarah (may Allah be pleased with her) .

[Tubaa Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best best book out there about the Sahabyat in Islam.
Loved how our Prophet ﷺ were honoured at that time and how he respected every women.
Learnt so much about the women in Islamic history. I love how this book highlights every detail and every occupation the women held at that time and how important their role were in every Islamic event and Battle.
Such a great honor that the Mothers of the Believers and 16 other Sahabyat who had been given the good news of the paradise by Prophet ﷺ himself.
I loved every bit of it.
A must read for all of us to study the Seerah of these noble and fortunate women.

[Nanadhoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a long time to finish it. Kisah-kisah dalam buku ini menarik, cuma kadang-kadang mudah terkeliru kerana banyak nama yang disebut sekaligus. Some suggestion when reading this book is to prepare a paper and jot down the name and the relationships.

[Bookworm buddyy✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Women of Islam was an inspiring and uplifting read. It’s perfect for anyone looking to grow spiritually and connect more deeply with their faith. I enjoyed every second of it and highly recommend it.🤍

[Alishba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book for knowledge

-1 star for the glorification of yazid he is a kaffir

[hafsa khan]

Translation was in some parts a little rough but overall glad I read it over Ramadan (even if it took me almost a month)

[Aisha Aminu]

What a great book!
The women companions are a great exampleries to all Muslim women.

[Raggi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a non-fiction and rating one which is in one hand non-fiction and in other hand religious is a very tough work. The rating is based on the overall reading experience for me. It was short, precise and informative knowledge abound the life stories regarding the Mothers of the Believers and the 16 other Sahabyat. It took me a long time to complete it but was a great read.

[Shamsher Amaan Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As-salam Alaykum!

This book is about the life stories of the Mothers of the believers and female companions of the Prophet(S.A.W) they were those virtuous, pure and brave women of our DEEN ISLAM who were honored during the lifetime of the Last Messenger of ALLAH with the prediction that they would live forever in Paradise.
This book is about women but, we all males and females should read this. Because when a male is young I mean, when he isn't married it's his responsibility to guide her mother and sisters and when get married then he has to guide her wife and daughter as well.
I've always found a different taste in Islamic books which make me to read more about Islamic books and this is one of those great books.
I hope that my every sister will study this book thoroughly and try their best to follow these noble women of ISLAM.

Fe Eman ALLAAH!

[Khalid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book to read on the subject especially since some of them are related to each other and you would feel like some parts of the book are repetitive even if the event is experienced from a different angle. But this is great as it helps one remember the places and names of events and people.

It's a good read as it doesn't require a lot of focus as it's a book to be read and not to be studied. The English used is straightforward and easily understandable and hardly requires one to use a dictionary.

A good read if you have not read any other book on the subject matter.

[Samina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a person reads this book, he/she will come to know the value of Women, their Valour, acts of Worship, Courage and Piousness in the history of Islam.
It also shows how easy the act of marriage was in the time of Prophet Mohammad saw.
This book eradicates the wrong belief of Oppression, less privilege and neglect.

Taking a start out for small grammatical and spelling errors.

[Saira · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was really hard to read since the English translation was wrong a lot of the time. Lots of typos and not very organized. It’s also very name heavy and was hard to follow who exactly I was reading about.

[huriya · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have to give it 5 stars

[Oana Crâmpeie de suflet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mari femei în islam vestite cu Paradisul de Mahmud Ahmed Ghadanfari este genul acela de carte de ținut pe noptieră de care vă mai vorbeam eu în articole precedente. Nu este o carte care se citește pe nerăsuflate, ci una de care te bucuri zi după zi, în doze mici, astfel încât să ai timp să rumegi puțin cele citite și să te gândești la cât de diferită este lumea de azi de cea trecută, în ciuda așa numitului feminism și a dezvoltării pe care le tot aducem în discuție pe oriunde putem, în mass-media și chiar pe social media. Suntem slabe ca femei acum față de cele din trecut și putem învăța enorm de la ele în materie de forță, curaj, ambiție, feminitate, dragoste, relații și determinare. Tocmai de aceea recomand această lectură tuturor femeilor care au nevoie de un model puternic în viață, care au nevoie de repere morale și sociale de seamă, care simt că nu se regăsesc neapărat în societatea curentă, una a dublelor standarde și a falselor așteptări.
Deși cu ceva timp în urmă era mult mai la modă o serie de cărți cu coperta verde, recunosc că nu le-am citit și consider că este mult mai bine lucrată cartea de față. Cuprinde povești ale soțiilor Profetului Mohammed (ﷺ), ale companioanelor, pentru că ceea ce știe lumea mai puțin este faptul că Profetul (ﷺ) nu a avut doar companioni bărbați, ci și femei; mamele companionilor, toate femei extraordinar de puternice, care au făcut să strălucească locul prin care au trecut și au luptat pentru binele lor și al celor din jur, fiind exemple de urmat chiar și astăzi pentru orice femeie care își dorește să obțină succesul.
Este istoria unei întregi lume, una puternică, dar în egală măsură străbătută de cele mai sângeroase și dureroase conflicte. Este un portret al secolului al VII-lea și al unor femei nobile, care au dus mai departe mesajul Islamului și au format familii minunate și generații întregi de oameni frumoși sufletește, care duceau o viață demnă și încărcată de cele mai minunate caracteristici.
Femeile descrise în această carte au caractere de aur, au avut grijă de casă și de familie, dar, în egală măsură, au luptat cot la cot cu bărbații pe câmpul de luptă, au îngrijit răniții și au făcut ca societatea ca întreg să înflorească.
Mari femei în islam vestite cu Paradisul este o carte de nelipsit din bibliotecile femeilor musulmane, dar este, în egală măsură, un volum care ar trebui citit chiar și de nemusulmane, pentru că oferă modele demne de aplicat în viața de zi cu zi pentru a avea fericire și bucurie pe toate planurile.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the women in Islam who were promised heaven by Allah. It made me proud to read about the roles of these women in society during the Prophet’s (PBUH) time, such as their role in memorizing and passing down Hadiths, their active roles in battles and in spreading Islam, their roles as advisors/authenticators in Islamic shariah, events or traditions, and so on. This book shows Islam’s respect of mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, and women in general and gives Muslim women today great models to look up to. It also reminds us that women and men are equal in Islam and that the best person to Allah is the most pious, no matter his or her gender, race, tribe, color, position, etc.

[Haleema · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational and inspiring, describes the wives and female companions of the prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him.
The author gave detailed accounts of each woman but also included context of the events occurring at the time which made the book even more enjoyable and informative.
Loved the strength of these exemplary ladies - I especially loved the chapter on umm ammarah.
The book is a good reference point and I can see myself referring back to it in the future when needing clarification or reminders of the ladies mentioned

[Brenashh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the book talks about Prophet Muhammad’s wives. There is a lot of information about them that I hadn't known. Other women companions are also inspiring. They were devoted to Islam, helped during wars by nursing the wounded and some of them even went to war together with the Prophet, which amazes me. The author wrote each character's story and background without unnecessary repetition. Although it took me weeks to finish this book, but I did enjoy reading it.

[lovelyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. there was a lot on islamic history I never knew about and this was a great read. asides the random typos and errors, it was decent to understand . could be revised and improved though. some women that stood out to me are Umm Aiman, Umm Salamah Asma bint Yazid and Umm Ammarah. may Allāh be pleased with all the women mentioned in the book.

[Najuuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mothers of the Believers chapters were great (probably because we have more reliable information about them)

For the lesser known women, some of the chapters, most of the text was about the men they were related to. I'm assuming it's because there's not much information about them.

Also, at some points the grammar didn't make sense and I had to reread parts to make sure I understood.

[Aamina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring. A testament to the importance of women in early Islam, and their role in aiding the spread and continuation of the deen. Tales of courage, sacrifice and a remarkable love for Allah and his messenger.

[attqureshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book in 2015 and added this to my collection. The book is compiled with impeccable thought and care, I recommend this to anyone who wishes to have a thought-provoking insight on these great women. It will give you an opportunity to learn and improve yourself.