Sufi Haraki Daie Murabbi

Nusaybah bint Kaab is perhaps the most celebrated of the many women warriors, since she helped save Muhammad's(pbuh) life in the battle of Uhud. When the Muslim army was dispersed in an enemy charge, she was among the ten fighters who managed to hold their ground, shielding the prophet's body with their own. She received thirteen wounds during her valiant stand; one, a near-fatal sword cut to the side of her neck, took more than a year to heal. Lying close to death the day after the battle, she heard Muhammad(pbuh) calling for volunteers to pursue the enemy and tried to rise to answer the call, but fainted from loss of blood. In a later battle she lost a hand. Muhammad(pbuh) clearly honored Nusaybah's contribution. He often visited her house and took dinner there.

Stories of Muslim women's battlefield courage abound. Muhammad's(pbuh) aunt, Safiyah, was the first Muslim woman to kill an enemy in battle; Asma bint Yazid killed nine men of the opposing forces at the battle of Yarmouk. Khawla bint al-Azwar rode to battle with her mantle pulled close around her face. As she charged the enemy, observers asked each other if they knew the name of the brave man riding beside the prophet. After Muhammad's(pbuh) death, women continued to take part in campaigns. When the Muslims attacked a Persian seaport, a band of women, led by Azdah bint al-Harith, turned their mantles into banners and, marching in phalanx toward the enemy, were mistaken for fresh reinforcements.