I am Lubabah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

It has been my observation that, throughout history, seismic but positive change has come about in the circumstances of humankind through the occurrence of events that were, at the time that they were happening, steeped in uncertainty, fear, confusion, and turmoil.

Many a time, the people who were involved on both sides of the ongoing ‘revolution’ of sorts, found themselves on the receiving end of extreme social (and political) persecution, opposition and backlash. This clouded their judgment and tested their commitment to their cause. Only those with nerves of steel and hard-as-nails conviction could remain steadfast upon the mission that they believed in.

Islam, as we all know, was no different. The events that led up to the Muslims’ largely peaceful conquest of the city of Makkah, and henceforth, to the spread of Islam throughout the world, were deeply marred in the blood, sweat, and tears of the first few Muslims – the ones who had dared to convert to ‘the new religion’ brought by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and stay steadfast upon it, come what may.

It is not just tumultuous revolutions and the often ‘bloody’ conquests of geographic regions after wars, which make history and alter the face of the world forever, before being buried in the sands of time, inscribed in plaques that adorn the walls of commemorative monuments, and recorded in the pages of history books – for the coming, later generations to read about, mull over, be awestruck by, and use as inspiration for their own future lives.

Even on an individual level, some human beings have endured extremely trying and difficult circumstances, in order to produce something of significant efficacy and value that would be decreed by Allah to leave behind its long-term, lasting impact on humankind, and benefit people long, long after that person was dead and gone from this world, after having painfully endured the deep throes that led to the ground-breaking change.

These past individuals and groups who endured this tremendous pain (and often, loss) to initiate this change that is making ease for and benefiting us today, need to be lauded and remembered, mentioned and praised, again and again, so that we can truly appreciate the results of their sacrifices.

One such individual is the noble aunt and female companion of our Prophet ﷺ, Lubabah bint al-Harith (رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنها).

Who was Lubabah bint al-Harith?

In order to listen to a detailed explanation of the many connections through which Lubaba bint al-Harith was related to Prophet Muhammad, and her family tree, you can click or tap here for a video lecture by brother Omar Suleiman (skip to the time of 27:01 in this video for the incident that is the subject of this blog post).

You might find it eye-opening how closely, and through how many connections, she was related to the Prophet ﷺ and his family.

Notably, she was a close friend of the Prophet’s first wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid; she was also the wife of the paternal uncle of the Prophet, who was known as al-‘Abbas; an uncle very close to the Prophet in age; last but not least, Lubabah was the mother of the notable companion ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, who went on to become a great scholar of, and the most authentic authority on, the Noble Qur’an (رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنهُم).

I find it perplexing why I have never met, or known of, a single Muslim girl or woman named Lubabah today. Such a shame, because even the root meaning of her name is noble. She was also what is referred to as ٱلْهِلَالِيَّة, meaning that she hailed from the Hilali Bedouin tribe, who were known for their resilience and strength.

We should be naming more Muslim girls Lubabah! The name carries positive connotations, besides being the name of a brave and loyal Muslim woman whom Allah chose to practically carry out one of his Qur’anic prophecies, as I will elaborate below.

In the Qur’an, Allah mentions the people of intellect as “ulul-albaab” – اولوا الالباب. The Arabic word الباب has its root in the word لُبٌّ, which means “understanding, intellect, intelligence”. The word لُبَابٌ refers to what is on the inside of something– its kernel, core, or heart. This word is also used in Urdu. The word لَبَابَةٌ means ‘a little of pasture or herbage’. (Lane’s Lexicon)

Of course, as is the case with the beautiful and deep Arabic language, there are other words and meanings derived from this root-word as well, but we can suffice with this one for now.

Her relationship with Abu Lahab

The enemy of the Prophet, Abu Lahab, was his biological paternal uncle. He was considered too old to fight, so he did not accompany the other leaders of the Quraish when the latter went off to confront the Muslims in the historic event that would eventually be known as the Battle of Badr.

Abu Lahab was the older brother-in-law of Lubabah bint al-Harith. Her husband, al-‘Abbas, was much younger than his brother Abu Lahab. When the Battle of Badr took place, her husband was taken along with the Quraish, though he harbored no intention to harm or kill the Prophet or the Muslims. Tribal loyalties, you might call it.

Unbeknownst to Abu Lahab, Abu Sufyan, and many other Makkans, Lubabah was a secret Muslim, as was her husband’s manumitted slave named Abu Rafi’, and her children.

Allah’s pre-announced Qur’anic prophecy of doom for Abu Lahab

There is a concise chapter in the last juz of the Qur’an that is titled Surah Lahab. You can read it here. Ironically, the placement of this chapter in the Qur’an is such that, whoever wants to read or memorize the last 3 chapters of the Qur’an (which are very important for protection, and should be a consistent part of the daily adhkar – remembrances uttered by the tongue – of every Muslim), will find this awe-striking chapter right before those 3 chapters.

In this chapter, Allah reveals the future doom that was harbingered for Abu Lahab, in this world also, but more lastingly, in the Hereafter. Rather shockingly, the revelation of this chapter did not deter Abu Lahab one bit in his defiant opposition to his biological, paternal nephew Muhammad’s new mission as the Prophet of Allah who was conveying Allah’s message to all of mankind. In fact, when his ally wife, who is also mentioned in Surah Lahab, heard of its revelation, she came out looking for Prophet Muhammad to further harass him. Allah hid our Prophet from her view, as a small miracle, even when he was sitting right there in front of her.

This chapter, Surah Lahab or Surah al-Masad, was revealed early in the history of Islam, when the Prophet gathered together his close family members to invite them to Islam. When his uncle Abu Lahab heard the Prophet’s message, he said, “تَبًّا لَكَ مَا جَمَعْتَنَا إِلاَّ لِهَذَا” to the Prophet (“May you perish! You gathered us only for this reason?”) before getting up in anger and leaving in a huff. Allah then revealed this chapter (Surah Lahab). It is estimated that Surah Lahab was revealed around ten years before Abu Lahab died.

You must be wondering now…..

How did Abu Lahab die?

I was wondering the same thing.

Keeping in mind the foreboding and downright frightening premonition of doom that, according to Qur’anic foretelling, was awaiting him (and his wife) because of their opposition to the Prophet; a dark prophecy that had been clearly announced for him by Allah in the Qur’an, would it not scare you to your core, and make you anxiously wait to see just how Allah would make such a doomed person perish?

It is said that the deaths of flagrant sinners and transgressors are usually very عِبْرَت ناک as we say in Urdu (meaning, that which instill fear), and serve to teach a lesson to the rest of mankind.

Abu Lahab died in very awe-striking circumstances, to say the least.

All I can say is that …. I am impressed! And I am inspired!

Because Allah chose a brave Muslim woman to send him – bleeding, decomposing, covered in pus, rotting and stinking – to his slow, macabre death.

Allah’s punishment for Abu Lahab – manifested through a death-blow delivered by the brave Lubabah

Like I said, the pagans of Makkah had just suffered a humiliating and crushing defeat at the hands of the 313 Muslims whom they had arrogantly confronted at the wells of Badr.

As the news of this crushing defeat reached Makkah, reactions to it were polarized.

The Muslims who had been hiding their faith up till then could not help but secretly rejoice and exult. As for those like Abu Lahab, who had been, for years, at the forefront in defiant and flagrant opposition to Islam and the mission of his nephew, Prophet Muhammad, they were shocked and in denial. Abu Lahab heard the news directly from the horse’s mouth.

Ibn Ishaq related that the first herald of bad tidings was al-Haisaman ibn ‘Abdullah al-Khuza‘i.

He narrated to them how their notables were killed. People there did not believe him at first and thought that he had gone mad, but soon the news was confirmed, and a state of incredible bewilderment overwhelmed the whole Makkan scene.

Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith gave Abu Lahab a full account of the massacre and the disgraceful rout they sustained, with emphasis on the role that the angels played in bringing about their tragic end.

Abu Lahab could not contain himself and gave vent to his feelings of resentment in beating, abusing and slapping Abu Rafi’, a Muslim, but reticent on his conversion, for reiterating the role of the angels.

Umm al-Fadl, another Muslim woman, greatly exasperated by Abu Lahab’s thoughtless behavior, struck him with a log and cracked his head.

Seven days later, he died of an ominous ulcer and was left for three days unburied. His sons, however, for fear of shameful rumors, drove him to a pit and keeping their distance, hurled stones and dust at him.

[The Sealed Nectar (Ar Raheeq Al Makhtum) English translation, page 227]

The above is an excerpt from the book The Sealed Nectar.

I will try to piece together what happened, which instigated Lubabah (also known famously as Umm al-Fadl) to pick up that tent-pole.

But first, please read another excerpt about the same incident, below:

“Lubabah, her husband al-‘Abbas, and their sons used to hide their Islam, in obedience to the Messenger’s command and in accordance with a well-thought-out plan. They were able to learn the secrets of the idolaters in order to convey them to the Messenger.

When the battle of Badr took place between the Muslims and the idolaters and news came of the defeat of Quraysh, Umm al-Fadl urged her sons and her freed slave Abu Rafi’ to hide their celebrated feeling at this defeat, because she was aware that the idolaters such as Abu Lahab, who was filled with hatred towards the Messenger, his companions and his message, would harm them.

However, her freed slave Abu Rafi’ could not contain his joy and happiness, and expressed his emotions at the Muslims’ victory in front of Abu Lahab.

Abu Lahab became extremely angry and vented his fury on him, beating him in the presence of Umm al-Fadl. Umm al-Fadl came and attacked Abu Lahab, shouting, “You pick on him when his master is absent!”

She struck him with one of the (wooden) pillars of the house with a fatal blow to the head. Abu Lahab did not live more than seven days after that.”

[– Seerah of Ibn Hisham,
Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir (Muhammad ibn Sa’d)
The Women of Madina (Translated by Aisha Bewley)]

Had our aunt Lubabah been ‘violent’?

Ah, the connotations of the word ‘violence’.

Spray a filthy cockroach dead inside your house, – it is not violence or killing. It is extermination of toxic vermin.

Pass a sharp knife swiftly over the throat of a well-fed goat after saying bismillah, with the intention of feeding your family, – it is not violence or ‘killing’. It is an act of worship and a sign of gratefulness to Allah for His blessings.

Hit an innocent little child hard; poach a rare breed of wild tiger without necessity; beat up or kill a human being in cold blood just to rob them of their belongings – YES, this is violence!

Unwarranted and unjust violence.

What about what this noble female companion and close relative (an aunt, and twice a future sister-in-law) of our Prophet ﷺ, Lubabah bint al-Harith, did to her husband’s older brother, Abu Lahab?

What do you think…. was what she did ‘violent’?

– When Abu Lahab heard the description, from Abu Sufyan’s own mouth, about “men in white clothes riding on horses, who could not be defeated or killed”, the physically weak freed slave named Abu Rafi’ heard it too. In his young, inexperienced state of jubilation, he could not contain his excitement, and exultantly started shouting that these men in white clothes were angels.

– In this way, Abu Rafi’ exposed to Abu Lahab that he was a Muslim, and was therefore jubilant at what was making Abu Lahab so angry: the defeat of the Makkan pagans and the victory of Prophet Muhammad, at Badr.

– Abu Lahab blew up and redirected his fury at this weak, freed slave who was showing such happiness at the Muslims’ victory, in his presence. He got up, pinned the weak Abu Rafi’ to the ground with his knees on the latter’s chest (he was a large old man) and started beating him until the young man was bleeding.

– Lubabah then intervened and told him to stop the beating, but Abu Lahab went on. Abu Rafi’, as the freed slave of her husband, al-‘Abbas, was under her care. So she got up to do the needful.

– I think that, as a secret Muslim, hearing the news of the victory of the Muslims at Badr emboldened her to do what she did next. She had just heard that Allah’s angels had helped Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions at Badr. I am sure this not only made her happy, but also gave her the courage to rush to grab that tent pole.

– She advanced towards her husband’s older brother as he was oppressively beating her husband’s freed slave, a physically weak young man. It is highly probable that Abu Rafi’ could have died had she not intervened.

– She gave her husband’s older brother, who was an aged old man, a close relative (her in-law), and a tribal elder, a fatal blow on his head with the tent-pole, which cracked it open. Abu Lahab’s blood started pouring over his face because of the instant injury that he received. He stopped beating Abu Rafi’.

Mission accomplished!

It is described in other narrations that this head wound of Abu Lahab exposed the inside of his skull, making it get infected very quickly, so that it started giving out a pungent smell.

Because of this wound, Abu Lahab retreated to his home and died within ten days. Furthermore, his whole body broke out in pus-infected lesions, which added to the stench it emanated, so that even after he died, no one could approach his house to bury the stinking, physically repulsive, pus-and-pores-covered corpse.

Only when neighbors complained of the stench and lambasted his slaves (or sons) for not giving Abu Lahab a proper burial, did they use long poles (again, poles…..ironic!) to push and drag his body to a hole dug in the ground at a distance, and drop it inside. They hurled stones into this hole from afar to cover up the body, so bad was its stink that they could not even come near it to put dust on it.

And that was the worldly end of the man about whom Allah had revealed a prophecy of doom a decade or so earlier, in the Qur’an …. saying: “تَبَّ”! “He is destroyed!”

Ode

I salute you and give you a standing ovation, O Aunt of the Believers, Lubabah! 🫡 👏🏼

May Allah make more Muslim girls and women follow your example, O خالتى Lubabah, especially in the face of persistent and defiant injustice, violence, and/or continued oppression, including that meted out by their in-laws.

Her husband was away from their abode, taken along by his family to participate in the Battle of Badr, but not as a supporter of the Prophet, but instead, to stand with the pagans of Quraish. Once Lubabah heard the news of the Muslims’ victory at Badr, she might have expected that her husband could be dead. In reality, he was in fetters.

That is probably why she got up so valiantly to defend the life of Abu Rafi’, who was being relentlessly beaten up.

With her husband out of the picture, she probably realized that she needed to take charge now, in order to protect the weak members of her household, including her several children.

It is no wonder then, is it, that Allah rewarded her bravery, in part, by granting her younger son ‘Abdullah ibn al-‘Abbas the companionship of the Prophet of Allah in Madinah, onward from the tender of age just ten. Eventually, this young boy ‘Abdullah would grow up to become one of the most honored scholars of Islam.

Scholars are not just born. Mothers like Lubabah, who take brave stands, make immense sacrifices (such as staying back in Makkah and not emigrating with the Prophet, despite being a Muslim), and conjure up the guts when the time comes to do something that is needed, to protect their weak and young family members from being harmed by enemies from among their own in-laws, such as Abu Lahab (her brother-in-law, her husband’s older brother) – are rewarded by Allah even in this world. An example of such a reward is having their little son like ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, go on to become a shining beacon of guidance for others, and a role-model of the Islamic faith.

– I find it surprising that Abu Lahab did not counterattack his younger brother’s wife in anyway, not even by harsh words of rebuke, once she had delivered the fatal blow to his head. He stopped hitting the weak young Abu Rafi’ and just slunk away to his house, defeated and humiliated – like a bona fide coward.

This is the reality of all cowards and bullies, – please take note. Bullies are just cowards on the inside, who put on an act of fake gutsiness, arrogance, and bravado. That is why they always prey on the weak, minority and marginalized members of a social group. Bullies never, ever take on people who are at their own or a higher level of power. Once they find a victim, they use physical, verbal and psychological harassment and intimidation tactics to make their victims fear them.

– If and when a victim takes a stand, or, as in the case of Abu Rafi’, is fortunate enough to be defended by a stronger member of society who bravely intervenes to defend them from the bully, the latter retreats immediately (being the spineless coward that they are at heart), and slinks away, defeated.

– It was not just Abu Lahab who died the death of a defeated coward after the Battle of Badr. Even Abu Jahl, another one of the Prophet’s antagonistic relatives who took part in the battle, was dying a slow and painful death succumbing to his injuries, behind a thicket. He had been dragged there by his son ‘Ikrimah to save him from the blows of the two young Muslim brothers who had fatally attacked him on the specific orders of the Prophet, and then abandoned there by his comrades to die, before the noble companion ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood came looking for him, and, finding him breathing his last, yet still defiant in disbelief, chopped off his head to present it to the Prophet ﷺ.

– Note: such is the end of those non-Muslims who vehemently and violently oppose Islam and sincere Muslims, for their faith and loyalty to Allah’s messenger. Even being closely related by blood to the Prophet ﷺ himself will not benefit them, either in this world or in the Hereafter, from Allah’s wrath and punishment for their disbelief in Islam and violent opposition to Muslims.

Conclusion

I find it worthy to ponder upon what kind of reactions Lubabah might have received once people in her family found out about what she had done to her husband’s brother, Abu Lahab.

I wonder, were there people around her back then, the kind of which are everywhere around the Muslims today?

Specifically, the kind that I have always encountered in my life, as a born Muslim female.

You know, the kind of people  who always encourage you to lack spine and pluck, and be the weak, two-faced, people-pleasing coward – the kind that they are, themselves?

Below are examples of the reactions that such “well-meaning”, “bridges-building”, “pacifist” type, apparently sincere people would have given to Lubabah ibn al-Harith, after this incident:

– “Do not get so angry, Lubabah! What is this that have you done? Never retaliate to violence with violence!”

– “Abu Lahab was older than you, and a revered tribal elder. He was your brother-in-law! So what if he was beating up your freed slave? How can you be so disrespectful to elders?”

– “You should have just been more patient i.e. you should have just sat there making dua for Allah to save Abu Rafi’, without doing anything more. You had told Abu Lahab to stop the beating,– that was enough. It is against a Muslim woman’s dignity to strike a man like this.”

– “Had Abu Rafi’ died, he would have been counted as a martyr, along with the other martyrs of Badr. You should repent for not being patient enough as a Muslim, and for killing your own husband’s brother! Is this the example you are setting for your children? That it is okay for their mother to hit their uncle and kill him?”

– “Go to Abu Lahab’s house at once, and apologize to him until he forgives you! So what if he is stinking? It is all your fault that the poor old man is suffering from such a smell-producing wound in the first place! Put a cloth over your nose, cook up his favorite dish of food, and take it to him to apologize at once. Do this for your children’s future, because they are so young, and he is their paternal uncle. What will become of them in future, if the rest of your tribal in-laws find out that you hit their paternal uncle so violently? Take Abu Rafi’ with you too, and both of you humbly apologize to Abu Lahab until he forgives both of you. Sort this out amicably with him as soon as possible, even if he is a flagrant disbeliever who opposes and insults the Prophet ﷺ in your presence. We should be kind and forgiving to all non-Muslims, because perchance, by receiving your apology, Abu Lahab might just convert to Islam before his death.”

***

Do you think Lubabah bint al-Harith رضي الله عنها received such “advice” from the people around her, once word got around that she had hit Abu Lahab on the head with a pole, causing it to rupture, and the wound to get infected?

She was still in Makkah, where news of the defeat of the Quraish at the hands of a handful of Muslims at Badr was spreading like wildfire, causing shock, resentment, denial and grief. Makkah was still a place predominantly steeped in anti-Islam sentiment (Islamophobia, as we call it today), and her husband was not present there to protect or support her, because he was fettered by the Prophet as a prisoner of war.

Even if she did receive such advice, do you think she heeded it?

Now do you understand, why I have titled this post the way I have?

Anyone with even a little common sense will understand fully what I am trying to say, keeping in mind the events in my personal life that have transpired since last year.

If you think, for even a second, that I am now some weakened, defeated, apologetic, fumbling, scared, simpering, and spineless coward of a woman – the kind that are found chock-full around this geographical region of South Asia, from which I hail – please remember that I am not…. because….

….. I AM LUBABAH! ✊🏻

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P.S: More than 50% of the world population is under age 30. Most of them find it difficult to read large blocks of text in any form, on paper or on screen.

Hence, if you have read the entire above blog post in one go and reached this last part, consider yourself fortunate. You are part of a dwindling demographic in the entire human race that is currently alive.

Four years ago, the pandemic of Covid-19 hit the world and changed it forever. It also claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals, most of whom were in the older age bracket (i.e. above age 60).

In this way, Allah removed a large chunk (of older people) from the world population that was not only raised without technology, but that was also unaffected by it in the holistic way that the younger generation of today is.

Now, as AI gears up to take over everything, more and more people are finding it difficult to read, write, or do trivial, everyday, manual tasks easily, without the aid of technology (such as using summarizers or text-to-speech softwares and apps to benefit from long-form writing), – the way the previous generations were able to do without problems.

I am grateful to Allah that every single word on this blog is manually typed or acquired (e.g. through copy-paste, such as the Qur’anic and Prophetic references that I quote) by me.

I do NOT use AI when I write, and probably won’t in future either, insha’Allah.

Very few people in the world, currently, have the ability to read my entire blog posts in one go.

Furthermore, all of the subscribers of this blog are 100% organic, and a number of them are PhD’s (no surprises there).

I believe that currently, only sincere people who care about me (and my children), actually read all my blog posts till the end (in addition to the years-old, dedicated set of my haters, and their agents, all of whom still tenaciously trawl my every move online to look for dirt. Such losers!).

So if you have reached this point in this post, I want you to now make a dua for my parents before you leave.

It is a rendition of the dua that Prophet Ibrahim (عَلَيهِ السَّلَام) made for his father, Azar. 

وَٱغْفِرْ لِأَبِىٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

Forgive my father, for he is certainly one of the misguided.
[Qur’an, 26:86]

I know that my parents are Muslims, unlike Azar, but that only means that they need our dua’s.

Because of their actions, … subhanAllah.

I am well-aware of my limits as a Muslim when it comes to how I react to my elderly parents, but being human and not doing so well health-wise, I have my shortcomings.

Nowadays, I am making the dua below for my parents, day and night:

وَٱغْفِرْ لِأَبِىٓ وَ اُمّى إِنَّهُمَا كَانَا مِنَ ٱلظَّالِمينَ

And forgive my father and my mother, (for) indeed they are both from the wrongdoers.”

It is an altered form of the Qur’anic dua that Prophet Ibrahim made for his father, Azar.

My parents have become mean, harsh, rude, selfish, sadistic, mentally twisted, and unjust – to the point of neurosis. Nevertheless, they are aces at turning on their signature charm for keeping up social appearances.

Anyhow, the good news (if you can call it that, because for me, it is sad) is that Allah has granted sweeping victory to me and my children.

For me, it is pathetic to even acknowledge that there is a situation in which I have to ‘fight’ against and ‘win’ over my own parents. With my toxic and characterless in-laws, yes, I have deliberately been estranged, and at loggerheads with the low (گھٹیا) actions and morals of those liars, for years now, but my own parents, at an age when they are elderly?

What happened to these two?
How could they have sunk to such a low level of morality and integrity?
How could I be subjected to such a severe test?

Anyhow, once I moved on from denial and saw clearly what needed to be done, I stepped up and did it, by the guidance of Allah, and with the help of my children.

And it worked, all praises to Allah. Physically (health wise) and regarding their daily activities, my parents are doing much better.

But my ‘cold’ fight with them will not stop until they lay down their arms completely – when it comes to being sadistic, committing injustice, speaking falsehood, engaging in slander of the tongue, and reviling respectable religious Muslims (not me, those who are much better than me), – and doing all of this with defiance.

That has not happened yet.

But I am working on it. 

My health is not doing so good. Like I have already said, I suffer considerably in the unrelenting heat of the dusty, filthy, polluted city of Karachi (the condition has many labels – it is called heat exhaustion, heat fatigue, heat stress, heat stroke, – all lying under the umbrella term of hyperthermia), and this year, we have had another heat wave, so you can imagine how I must be doing.

Last month, Allah decreed for this physical condition to become the cause of martyrdom for several hundred Muslim pilgrims during Hajj (may Allah grant them all the status of martyrs), so increasing temperature during summer is a worldwide tribulation now, and one of the signs of the Hour (“the Sun will come closer”). However, it is the persistently high humidity of Karachi that exacerbates this condition for me.

But relief is near, insha’Allah.

So I want to say جَزَاكُمٌ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا to anyone of you, and everyone else, who has been making dua for our family, specifically for me and my children.

Surely, Allah the All-Compassionate, heard your dua’s and responded to them. All praises to Him! I pray that He eases all your hardships and grants you relief, as well. Aameen.

Now please, before you leave, recite the dua below for my neurotic, sadistic, unjust and defiant parents. They are aged 78 and 73 years old, so your dua’s for them are extremely important, because they are, as we speak, wiping out the many good deeds that they have done in their past with their current vile actions, which they commit with defiance, showing no signs of stopping.

Your dua’s might stop their Hereafter from being ruined even further, and hopefully, lead them to repent with sincerity.

I request you to recite this dua for them:

ٱللَّٰهُمَّ ٱغْفِرْ لِأَبِهَا وَاُمَّهَا إِنَّهُمَا كَانَا مِنَ ٱلظَّالِمينَ

“O Allah, forgive her father and her mother, (for) they are among the wrong-doers.”

Aameen! 🤲🏼


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7 comments

  1. Assalamalaikum Sadaf! Hope you are doing well. I just wanted to say, how did you know I needed to read this? Going through a soul-crushing and exceedingly difficult time in life. I have no hope or solace. Just made sincere dua to Allah s.w.t to grant me a sign and subhanAllah! You posted. Thank you for writing and inspiring, may it be a sadqa jariyah for u and ur kids. Hope you are all safe, happy, and taken care of in every way by our Rabb. Ameeeen!

  2. I commented above before reading the whole article. May Allah s.w.t grant you shifaa and allow you to move to Islamabad, Rawalpindi or Muree so you can recoup in a cleaner and less intense environment iA! I also hear its super green, the verdant environment will be shifaa for you and your kids iA!

    may Allah s.w.t grant you and the kiddos many victories ahead and grant you ease and a clear opening. Made dua for ur parents as well. ❤️

    • Wa alaikum ussalam sister Nasreen.

      Jazaki Allahu khairan for your supportive and empathic comment, and for your dua’s. I have seen the recent ‘miracle’ of sorts that has made my life circumstances turn around for the better (since Ramadan this year)…and I am convinced that it was the result of some well-wishers out there who were sending dua’s our way, in addition to our own earnest dua’s as well, of course.

      Truly, after a certain point, victims of invisible abuse should not remain silent. They should speak out and seek help! Perhaps some ‘Lubabah’ out there will get up and do the needful to the ‘Abu Lahab’ who is kneeling defiantly on their chest and delivering them one blow after another. Allah does not just send His angels to help His slaves in the battlefield. He also sends brave human beings like Lubabah to practically carry out His preordained prophecies.

      Now I will return the favor. I pray that Allah grants you immediate relief from your hardship, and enthuses your existence with ease and happiness that does not abate, ever. Aameen ya Rabbal A’lameen. ❤ 🤲🏻

  3. Dear Sadaf, that was the most beautiful comment I have ever read. May ALLAH s.w.t preserve you and your children and put so much barkat and blessings in your life and allow this miracle to blossom in profound ways Ameen. I cant thank you enough, seriously, as you know when a person is going through hardship and invisible abuse, a true heartfelt dua and kind word can completely eviscarate the darkness and bring about newfound hope and light. From the depths of my heart and soul, JAZAKALLAH KHAIR for your comment and duas and Ameen. I hope ALLAH s.w.t allows me to be a Lubaba.

    I always look forward to your posts, in the same vein of Lubaba, would it be possible if you could write a post or maybe redirect me to a post you have written addressing the injustices against women in society, particularly those who have fathers who dont care, or dont have fathers or brothers to stand up for them so society tries to mistreat them and crush them.

    It doesnt particuarly have to do with social class or education. I am educated and middle class, living in America, but since I am single and not financially independent, was laid off from a minimum wage job and working towards higher ed to gain financial freedom. I dont want to air my dirty laundry in your comments section but just looking for guidance and understanding on why people oppress women with weak Qawwam if you can call a Qawwam “weak” or no Qawwam at all. Our imams dont address this and Shaykhas assume all women have trustworthy and reliable Qawwam so they dont bother to answer as well.

    Sorry for the farmaishi program lol, I just needed a little guidance so I thought I would ask. No obligation whatsoever, just putting it out there. And, JAZAKALLAH Khair for everything 🙂

    • Wa iyakum. Your suggestion for a post on this topic is relevant, sister. Especially in the current time, when attitudes towards women taking charge have changed to such a great extent (whether this is good or bad, right or wrong, is a secondary consideration). Survival is a necessity of life, and men have changed. It takes two to tango, so while it is easy for religious leaders to ‘blame’ women for no longer being submissive or servile, how do you take into account the weak, emasculated qawwams of today, who desire, expect and outright encourage their wives, sisters, and daughters to take charge at home, wear the pants (if only partially), and “bring home the bread”?

  4. May Allah (SW) ease your family’s affairs for you.
    May Allah overlook all our shortcomings
    Aamin.

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