Once ‘Umar radiyallahu ‘anhu was distributing some shawls among the women of Madinah. Eventually, he was left with only one shawl. So he asked the people as to whom he should give it. They replied: “Give it to ‘Ali’s radiyallahu ‘anhu daughter, Umme Kulthum, who is also your wife.” He replied: “No. Umme Sulayt deserves to receive it.” This woman is from the Ansar and had also given the bay’ah to Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. ‘Umar radiyallahu ‘anhu said: “This woman was such that during the battle of Uhud she used to carry water skins and go around giving the Muslims water to drink. There was also another woman by the name of Khaulah who fought in the battle with a sword.”
Lesson : Look at her courage in fulfilling the work of Allah. It is for this reason that ‘Umar radiyallahu ‘anhu valued her so much. Now the level of our courage is such that we cannot even offer our five times salat properly.
