The Trial of Mashtha and Asiyah (AS)
Two ladies in the time of Musa (AS)
The daughter of Firaun had a nurse maid. The name of this nurse maid was Mashtha. There came a day when Mashtha, the nurse maid, was busy combing the hair of the daughter of Firaun. Whilst combing, the comb fell out of her hand onto the floor. In raising and lifting that comb from the floor, this maid of the daughter Firaun, uttered the following words,"Curses be upon those who reject Allah!
"Immediately the daughter of Firaun turned to her and said,"Do you believe in a god besides my father?!"Mashtha, the maid said,
"My Creator, my Allah, and your Allah and your father’s Allah, and the Allah of the heaven’s and the earth, He is one Allah, no partners have He!"Then the daughter of Firaun said,"You dare say such a word!"...and she entered the chambers of her father weeping and crying. (Hadith)What happened here was in the time of Prophet Musa (AS).
Amongst the era of the Israelites, there were many who had accepted an Islam in secret. They had come to him and accepted. They came and accept Islam, the true religion. They accepted the deen of Musa (AS), or Islam. They accepted it, but they remained in secret. Why did they remain in secret? I’ll quote it to you in the first ayah of the Quran. They accepted and remained in secret why???Firaun was an oppressor!!! He slew their male children and he preserved the females alive for personal use and aggrandizement (glorification).
So because he was an oppressor, they were afraid and fearful to reveal their Islam to him. Therefore they held it back. But there were many Muslims in the employ of Firaun. Many, many they were who had accepted the deen.One of them so happened to be the youthful maid, of the daughter of Firaun who worked in the palace, in the chambers of Firaun.Firaun with a tremendous power and strength in Egypt (the Quran says) in Surah Zukhruf 43:51-52. And Allah says:"And Firaun proclaimed among his people. O My People! Does not the land of Egypt belong to me and I am not the possessor, the maker of the land of Egypt and these are the rivers that flow in my property, the Nile and the tributies of the Nile. I have created them. They are my property.
They belong to me. There’s no god besides me. Don’t you see am I not better than Musa, who is a disgrace and can’t even express himself clearly?" (Muslimeen, you know the story of Prophet Musa, not being able to utter clearly)Now what does Firaun? He laughs at Musa,"This Musa is the Musa that grew up in MY palace. He is trying to bring about change and he is trying to bring about La ilaha illa Allah. Well he is a disgrace! He doesn’t even speak clearly. He doesn’t even have bracelets of gold or angels to attend to him in orderly procession (while Firaun had ALL these armies and parades)."He (Firaun) said,"Musa hasn’t got anything!"In the Egypt, the mark of a man of status was (you’ll see it even now in the idols and so on) they have this golden bracelet around the neck."So Musa hasn’t even got any mark of being a man of honor, of status and dignity! He’s got not blue blood! And he’s got no angels or soldiers or armies parading for him!
"That is what Allah tells us. This is how Firaun was. That’s the kind of man he was. Quran tells us in Surah Mu’min 40:25:"And when the Prophets [Prophet Musa (AS) is meant here] came to them with a troop from us, they said (O these oppressor said), ‘Slay the sons of those who have believed with him [in other words, slay the sons of those who have believed with Musa (AS)] and save their daughters alive for our use. But the strategy of the disbelievers (says Allah) was to end in vain."We’re coming to our story now…What did Firaun say?"Any believer you find in my community and amongst my people, anyone you find who is believing in the deen of Musa (AS), slay their sons (with him) and save their daughters alive."But the strategy says, all of the believers was to end in vain. Allah (SWT) also says in Surah An-Nazi’at 79:23-27. Allah says (And this Firaun, he called up a big parade on Monday, a big rally he made, and what did he say?),"And the Firaun gathered his people and he proclaimed, ‘I am your Lord and the Supreme one.’
Therefore (says Allah), Allah chastised him with a punishment of the hereafter and also of the present life (and Allah says), verily here is an example and a lesson for him, that fear of Allah."The story I am about to tell you. This is the theme of it, "That we must learn to respect, honor our deen and to fear Allah (SWT) all the time."See now the fear of a maid, in the palace. See now the courage and the bravery of a simple maid, in the palace of this powerful Firaun. Imagine what I’m going to tell you now and reveal to you now, of what is courage of iman and what is bravery of quite conviction.Here is a girl, young girl, she was a mother, yes. She’s a young girl, she comes from a very poor family. She’s working for a living. She is the comb girl and maid of the daughter of the Firaun.
But when iman came into her, look at what iman did to her.This maid’s name was Mashtha. She was the mother of two. She was the wife of Karkeel, who also had accepted the deen of Prophet Musa (AS), Islam. But Mashtha was an extrovert, meaning that she was a fearless person. Whatever she had to say, she always said it. Remember when she was picking up the comb, she said what she wanted to say. So she was an extrovert type of person. Very brave, very honorable, very courageous. And she admitted to Firaun’s daughter to believing in Allah and said that he is Lord and Creator of the worlds and of Firaun and of the heavens and of the earth.The daughter of Firaun went and reported this girl Mashtha to her father. Firaun holds court, in other words, like a court proceedings. Firaun holds court and he summons Mashtha. Soldiers, go and bring her, chained as she is. She is brought before the justice of Firaun. She comes however smiling and laughing. And in her heart she says,"Today is a test of my iman, today is the test of my faith. I, she tells herself, will never succumb because I am ever prepared to meet my maker.
Today, let the interrogation begin. Ask me what you will, but you shall not get me to change my faith or to succumb."So Firaun proceeds.After establishing her faith, she says she believes in the God of Musa, in the Allah of Musa, in the unity of Allah, Allah is one. Accepting the words which she said in front of the daughter of Firaun. She repeats it bravely and courageous in front of this powerful ruler (where Allah says what his power was, in the Quran recited above). Allah also speaks of his power. He (that said),"Everything belongs to him."That man threatens her and he tells hers, and she in front of him, without fear of punishment, she tells him exactly the truth. Then he tells her, he says,"Look here Mashtha leave your Allah and accept me as your Lord and Creator for who is going to save you now? If you accept me as your God I can save you and release you. But if you have a God, where’s your God? Can He save you now?"This was his belief. And he said,"All right Mashtha! I’ll give you a chance. Leave your God. Leave your Allah. Accept me as your Allah, as your God and I will spare your life."Listen to her reply. Mashtha replies, she says,"Not on your life! Not on my life! Do your worst you criminal, but me you will never convince! Not til the day of Qiyamah (day of judgment)!!!"This is the first time where anybody has had this bravery and courage (besides Prophet Musa (AS) of course). This is the first time in the history of Egypt, when Firaun ruled, where a young girl of this kind, a servant girl, stood up in front of Firaun and bravely told him his story. This courage and conviction came from this servant girl.So Firaun, like Shaytan, also adopted certain strategies and steps to punish people.
He orders Mashtha, he orders the soldiers, to take her to the reptile den.He had a special reptile den. If anybody who is a believer, suspected of belief is brought in front of him, he questions them. He asks them whether they are believers. If they admit they are believers, they are put into a reptile den. That is where the people are made to suffer, where there are reptiles and scorpions, and everything are kept.So, he orders Mashtha to be taken to the reptile den, and she is told,"O Mashtha, you will be released to these pythons, reptiles, snakes, and scorpions and they shall feed on you for two months. We warn you before we put you in there. Accept Firaun as your God and we will set you free."And she replied to the soldiers and she told them,"You talk of two months? To me, even if you put me in this reptile den for seventy months, that would be too little. With each day of this punishment that I have here in this reptile den, my faith will only increase without going back. Without abating one bit. No matter to what trial and test you face me or force me!"And she laughed at them in their face!In Sahih Bukhari there is a Hadith which says,"The power of iman is such that once it fills the heart of a true believing Mu’min it is impossible to be removed."Mashtha had two daughters. She’s put into the reptile den. Whatever happened there is not told to us. What period she remained in the reptile den, we don’t know.
All we know that she was taken out from there by the soldiers of Firaun UNSCATHED. So, she is removed from there.Test number two: Mashtha had two daughters. One was a five year old girl and she had a breast-feeding baby. So Firaun orders these two girls, of this young mother, the two daughters must be brought. He first says,"Take Mashtha and strap her."Now Firaun had a punishment torture chamber. On this chamber there was a big slab of stone. And on this stone, there were four places (four pegs) jetting out of the ground. And he had these little prongs and anybody he wanted to punish or torture was thrown onto this slab of stone and then they were pegged like a tent. Their two hands and feet were stretched like this and tied down. They were pronged to it.So he orders Mashtha to be tied down in this matter. This was the custom which was started, this custom of torture was started by Firaun. This is what the Quran says regarding the system of torture which was introduced by Firaun. Firaun said (O to this Mashtha) in the Quran. Firaun tells her (to Mashtha and whatever believers there were) he tells her,"Have you believed in Him, in this Allah, of Musa before I have given such permission. Verily this is a plot which you have contrived in the city to remove its inhabitants. But you shall soon know that I am the Lord and the Master and the Creator, for I will cause you, your feet and your hands to be cut off on opposite sides and cause you all to be crucified."So this system of crucification and strapping was introduced (tells the Quran to us), by Firaun.
Firaun used to strap those who he suspected of true belief in one Allah and in the deen of Musa (AS) by their hands and feet, to four sticks, fixed on the slab of stone, the torture stone, and then to torture them, torment them.So Musa saw Mashtha was tied down and prepared for torture and torment. First her eldest five year old daughter is brought, placed over the chest of her mother and in those days the system of torture was if they wanted to kill anybody, all they did was to take a sharp knife and slit their throats, cut it off completely! This was the system of punishment. This little girl is brought, placed over the breast of her mother. And in front of her mother while her mother is looking on, her neck is cut off!And then Mashtha is told,"Now listen. O Mashtha get some sense into you. Accept Firaun as your Lord and your God and we will release you. Otherwise we will have to slaughter your little baby."And she replies (as a mother only can reply),"If you bring the whole of this world and sacrifice every daughter on my chest, I will not leave Allah, my Rubb, my Rubb."Firaun then orders, let the baby be brought and slay it across her chest and her bosom.Her little child is brought. He is placed on her chest. Her body, hands and feet being strapped and fastened as they were, this mother is totally helpless. And they prepare to cut the baby’s neck.The six month old baby of Mashtha, who had only recently suckled milk from her mother and who was now undergoing the supreme test of faith and iman.
The tears flow freely down this mother’s eyes and her baby and her body (the mother’s body) contorts with the emotion of heartbreak and every nerve and tissue, every fiber of her body is wreck by the passionate pain which only a mother experiences, the love which only a mother experiences for a child.And in this tense and frightful but macabre (gruesome) moment this baby of Mashtha (AS), this six month old baby, of this mother (who should be an example to every living mother of this world) speaks out in a loud and clear tone of voice.This little baby six month old baby, as the solider holds a knife to slaughter it and to cut off its neck; this little child in a loud voice so that everybody congregated in that chamber (hundreds of them used to congregate in that chamber to see the torture meated out by Firaun ,over those who were believers). This little child in a loud voice where everyone that is present there can hear tells his mother,"O my beloved mother, why do you cry so? Why do you weep so? I can see Jennah is being prepared for you my mother. O mother! O mother, don’t weep so. When you get to Jennah, you will be blessed with a vision and the noor (light) of Allah. So be in peace, in peace and in peace!"And as he says so, the neck of this child is cut off. In front of it’s mother. When this is done and these words of the child goes into the ears of the mother, tranquillity and peace descends on her. So the child is slain and on Firaun’s orders, the mother is also then slain. The mother is also, her neck is chopped off.
This is what happens in this torture chamber.But there is another lady and a true believer in the chamber, who is sitting on one side from upstairs, you can say, from her rooms and she is like watching this entire scene. You know who is that? That is the Mother of Musa (AS), if you can call her it. One was his real mother. One was his mother in the palace. She was who? Asiyah (AS).She is watching this whole seen. She was a believer, even before Mashtha was a believer. She cannot bare it. She cannot tolerate that a girl, a servant girl, has displayed this kind of iman (faith). She cannot tolerate it, and she runs from her room. She is completely overcome with emotion. She is hysterical, and Asiyah (AS) runs down seeks Firaun. She saw this entire proceedings and was overwhelmed.What convinced her even more to reveal her faith, was not only the courage and conviction of a maid, but what she saw by the Qadar (decree) of Allah. Of the malikahs (angels) descending from the heavens.
Allah revealed to her. Allah took away the curtains from her eyes and when Mashtha was killed, Asiyah (AS) by the Qadar of Allah saw the malikahs descending from the heavens with garlands and coffin from Jennah for Mashtha. Wrapping her Ruh in these robes of Jennah and ascending they were. This was too much for her. She could bear it no longer and she became hysterical. She regarded it as contemptible to hide her faith in Allah, any longer. She went (ran about) seeking out her husband and let fly. When she met him, she let fly with these words,"Have you become so courageous, you worst amongst mankind, you worst amongst men? You have dared to raise your finger towards Mashtha for a simple belief and you have slain her?"Firaun turns to her and says,"O Asiyah have you become incensed by it and angered by it? Are you also influenced by her brand of madness, by Mashtha’s brand of madness?"She replies and she says:"No! I am no jimun (I am not mad)! But I tell you now (for this is the first time she reveals to Firaun her iman)."She says,"But I warn you Firaun and I tell, my Lord, my Creator, My Rubb, My Allah, and your Lord and your Rubb and your Allah, same with Mashtha and youth, and the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth is one Allah and nobody comes near Him. He has no partnership!"
(This is not in the Quran I am quoting Hadith)Firaun was a powerful man. He was not only a genius and a very clever man, he was also a very big man. He had a very big body. He was a very powerful man. He stood up like an enraged bull. He tore her clothes and he beat her to a pulp. And then he summoned her family and her people and he said,"Talk some sense into her."He beat her until she was black and blue. Then he called her father, her mother, and her parents, sisters and all and he said,"Now you talk to this woman! Talk to her and explain to her that if she does not accept me as God and if she continues and persists in belief, believing in the deen of Musa (AS), then I will destroy her!"So the family, came together. Listen to the families words. This is nepotism. This is what we call booty, booty. They said,"O Asiyah. Let it be. Leave well alone. But Firaun IS God. He IS All-Mighty. He IS All-Powerful on earth, and he rules as he pleases. What goes on with you? Why are you throwing such golden opportunities away? Where is your pride? Where is your honor? Where is your dignity? We are amazed at your folly and stupidity. Come to your senses, O Asiyah! We plead with you. Look at all these things which Firaun has give us, all these homes and comforts and servants and wonderful presents he has given us, and gifts he has given us. All this we must loose? Asiyah, look at you, you the queen! Everything you want, you desire, you’ve got! Are you going to kick all those wonderful material blessings and pleasures that he has given you? You’re kicking all this aside, for La ilaha illa Allah?
And for the deen of Musa (AS). What’s the matter with you, have you become mad?"And she replies. Listen to the reply of Asiyah, she says:"Don’t waste your breath any longer, O foolish ones! What moves you, but the selfishness of pride and prejudice, and not the honor of dignity and respect. The affection for glamour and splendor moves you and not the inclination of pardon and submission to Allah, who is the Rubb and the Creator of all things. Even if Firaun were to present me with a glittering crown, the glory of which would be such, that the sun appear in front of me and he put the moon at the rear and the moon is at the rear with the sparkling stars inter-spaced between the two, I will not leave my Allah, who is my Rubb. That is my decision, that is my commitment, that is my conviction!"This was too much for Firaun and he immediately ordered her torture to begin. So she was strapped and fastened on the SAME slab of stone on which Mashtha had just recently been crucified.A tray of burning fire, a slab, a stone, he had a heavy stone. One was a stone below, then they placed a stone on her chest. A heavy stone was placed on her chest and on top of this stone, a huge bonfire was lit.The system was: the top stone was a thinner slab and what happens, you light a big fire on top. The stone is a slow condenser, so it heats up slowly and then it starts burning up the body. Slowly it starts, through heat, the body burns.
In other words, if you put fire to the body it will burn immediately.So he had evolved the strict way. First the big slab of stone, on which you are laid and you are strapped up. Then he had a thin slab of stone, like a tray, which is placed which is quite heavy, which is placed on top of you, and then a huge fire is lit on top of you. The heat of the fire travels upward, but a lot of the heat goes at the bottom and it penetrates, and then starts burning you up and torturing you.This gives him time, to try and force the believer to say that he (Firaun) is God. Once you say he is God, you are set free. So this was his system of punishment. So on Asiyah, his own wife, he does this. The stone is placed on her and a huge bonfire is lit on top of her, and he tells her,"O Asiyah, now leave your God alone and accept me as your God, as your Rubb; or I will increase your torture!"And she replies,"O Firaun if you punish me, you can only torture this body of mine. But you can never touch the love which I bare for Allah. Nor lessen it in any way. O Firaun! Even if you break my body into pieces and tear it into shreds, for each drop of blood that flows out, will my love for Allah will increase the more, no matter how you batter and bruise me. Reproaching, rebuking, and reviling O Firaun, are superficial complaints, but the love for a beloved, is deep and profound. INSIDE it is unapproachable. Look at me now Firaun, blood flows from every part of my body!
A fire is placed on top of me which is beginning to burn and scorch me, but the fire of irreproachable and unlimited love for Allah burns intensely and fiercely within this body!"These are the words of Queen Asiyah. This lady of Egypt. But in the mean time word of the Queen’s discovery of faith and iman, in one true Allah, has reached Prophet Musa (AS). And Musa who had grown up in this palace, who knows every avenue, every door, every link of the palace of Firaun, he rushes to the palace. He knew the entire, he knew the severity of the test.Which, this is why he had told Asiyah when she accepted faith at his hands, he told her don’t reveal it to Firaun otherwise he will torture you to death. But now the torture and the test has come. And he rushes in, wondering whether Asiyah could withstand and endure the pain of the torture that Firaun would meat, beat out to her.However on arriving in the torture chamber, he finds her strapped and tied down in the sacrificial chamber. Blood streaming from cuts and abrasions, lacerations, all over her body. But a great smile of peace and contentment he finds on her face. And she sees Musa coming and she says,"O Musa, Do you see? I have put on the mantle of departure from this world and I have put on the coat of the hereafter. Tell me, O Musa! Is my Creator satisfied, pleased and happy with me. Or is my Rubb displeased and angry with me?"And Prophet Musa (AS) replies to her. He said:"O Asiyah bint Muzahim (daughter of Muzahim), the malikahs of the seven heavens are awaiting you with great pleasure and Allah (SWT) looks forward to the pleasure of meeting you. Allah is pleased to meet you."This is what the Qur’an has to say about these last, last moments. I am quoting to you from Surah At-Tahrim 66:11. Allah says:"And Allah sets forth for those who believe the example (the parable) of the wife of Firaun, when she said: "O my Rubb, build for me a house with Thee in Jennah and deliver me from Firaun and his doings and deliver me from these unjust people."In the heavens Allah (SWT) is indicating to the angels, the nobleness and courage of conviction of a true believing Mu’minaat and of her love for Allah, for which she is prepared to sacrifice so much of wealth, position, and status and to endure so much pain, suffering and anguish. Allah (SWT) in front of the malikahs that are gathered there who are pleading with Allah to save Asiyah, Allah (SWT) is telling them that this is ihsan (the highest level of deeds and worship),"You see malikahs, when I created him, you said this ihsan is going to do so much public, so much evil and bloodshed in the world and commit so much sin. Do you see what quality I have given to those who believe? Look at this Asiyah, look at that Mashtha, look at this Musa, look at the courage and conviction of faith."Allah is telling the malikahs this,"Verily, We created man of a most excellent fabric. So Allah tells about this creation, and in the meantime in suffering and hardship and the trials and tribulations their love and fear for me (says Allah to the malikahs) increases."Allah is holding his court. Firaun is having his court here. Allah is holding his court with the malikahs.
And Allah tells them,"In suffering and hardship and the trials and tribulations, the love of my true servants and the fear that they have for me, increases. These are the true, the sincere, the devoted, and the faithful ones. ‘O Asiyah, what do you ask for?’"Allah asks Asiyah in those words,"O Asiyah what do you want? What do you ask? What do you seek? And you tell me what does a faithful slave ask of Allah in these moments?"This is what she asks. She says,"O Allah, you are in Jennah. O Allah, build me a house in Jennah so I can be close to you and near you."Allah (SWT) orders Gabriel to reveal to her, as her eyes closes, as she is about to die, Gabriel (AS) is ordered to reveal to Asiyah her home in Paradise, in Jennah. And seeing this, she was soon overcome with joy and peace and she passes silently out of this world…
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