Abstract:
Perspectives about the ideal Muslim
woman continue to be a kaleidoscope of various
readings of different Muslim women throughout history.
The four women of paradise, as cited in the hadith
literature, refer to: Lady Maryam (Mary), Lady Asiyah
(the wife of Pharaoh), Lady Khadijah (the wife of
Prophet Muhammad), and Lady Fatimah (the daughter
of the Prophet).1 Although they are all considered to be
historical figures and there is much to be said about
them, only the first two have been mentioned in the
Qur’an, and only Lady Maryam is mentioned by name.
Lady Maryam and Lady Asiyah are particularly noted in
the chapter al-Tahrim as mathal , or role-models and
examples for all of mankind. In this paper, we hope to
provide a brief biographical sketch as well as an analysis
of the verses related to Lady Asiyah from classical Sunni
and Shi’i commentaries of the Qur’an. We also hope to
touch on the attention that her famous sentence in
Surah al-Tahrim has warranted from the gnostics (urefa )
in exegetical commentaries by the likes of Allamah
Tabatabai (d.1981).
Machine summary:
"In a detailed narration, he advised his son, quoting his father as saying, "…Whenever you ride a horse, have dinar and dirham with you so that if somebody asks you for money, you can give it to him…"5 He was also given the title Mukhtar because, like Prophet Jesus and Yahya ibn Zakariyya, he was chosen as an Imam [at a young age].
For example, consider the following narrations: × In al-Kafi by Kulayni, San‘ani said, "I was in the presence of Imam al-Rida when his little son, Abu Ja‘far, was brought in.
’"8 × According to Kulayni in his book, al-Kafi, there is a narration in which Abu Yahya San‘ani reported, "In Mecca I went to Imam al- Rida and saw him peeling a banana and giving it to his son.
We read in Shi‘a hadiths: According to a companion of Imam al-Rida and Imam al-Jawad, namely Ali ibn Asbat, "I saw Imam Muhammad Taqi coming to me.
Although a) it is considered possible through God’s will, b) Imam al-Rida had announced the Imamate of the young Imam al-Jawad, and c) the Shi‘as had been given the rational and intellectual proofs of this issue, those weak in faith continued to doubt his Imamate.
Muhammad ibn Jarir Tabari wrote, "When Imam al- Jawad was six years old or so, and Ma’mun killed his father, the Shi‘as became perplexed.
" Yahya was speechless, and the Imam al-Jawad asked him, "How come there is a man to whom a woman is haram in the morning and halal in the late morning?"