Ramadan Reflections 1444/2023 Part 26
Story of Aasiah bint Muzahim
“Indeed, Pharaoh ˹arrogantly˺ elevated himself in the land and divided its people into ˹subservient˺ groups, one of which he persecuted, slaughtering their sons and keeping their women. He was truly one of the corruptors.
Pharaoh’s household picked him up, later to become an enemy and a source of grief for them: Pharaoh, Haman, and their armies were wrongdoers. Pharaoh’s wife said ˹to him˺, “˹This baby is˺ a source of joy for me and you. Do not kill him. Perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” They were unaware ˹of what was to come˺.”
[Surah Al-Qasas/The Narrative, Verses 4, 8-9]
1. Queen Aasiah's story is narrated to us in the context of the story of the Prophet Moses. Aasiah rescues the baby Musa from the box that floats down the Nile river to the Palace of Pharaoh, the very tyrant from whom his mother is trying to save him, when she is inspired to place her baby in a box and then into the Nile river.
2. Aasiah convinces Pharaoh to allow her to raise Moses as her own son in the palace, and thereby plays a pivotal role in the life of the Prophet Moses and the eventual exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
3. Aasiah accepts the faith of her foster son but she keeps her faith hidden for a very long time, in fear of the man she is married to. Imagine the Queen’s intense loneliness when she cannot connect with her most intimate partner in spirituality because she has a deep faith in The One God of Moses. She is married to a narcissist, with grandiose notions of power; he who is not only 'The Pharaoh', but he is so arrogantly delusional that he claims to be god and viciously tortures and kills anyone who opposes him in the land.
4. There comes the day when Queen Aasiah tires of the mask she wears (in part due to the incident of the hairdresser of pharaoh daughter from another wife, which is a story for another day). Aasiah (witnessing the courage and bravery of the hairdresser), stands up herself, speaks, and declares her testimony of faith to and alegience to The God of Moses, knowing very well what the devastating consequences to herself will be (as she had witnessed what had happened to the hairdresser). Aasiah has had quite enough of inauthenticity of her life, lived in abject pretence, with an oppressive, abusive, arrogant tyrant, with grandiose delusions of divinity and realises that such a life isn't worth it.
5. Queen Aasiah of Egypt is stripped of her power, status, wealth, shelter, clothing, food and water. She is tortured publicly under the scorching heat of the Egyptian sun, while she is laughed at, mocked at and humiliated openly. Despite all of this, her faith remains strong and she makes her fervent supplication to her Lord…
“And Allah sets forth an example for the believers: the wife of Pharaoh, who prayed, “My Lord! Build me a house in Paradise near You, deliver me from Pharaoh and his ˹evil˺ doing, and save me from the wrongdoing people.”
[Surah At-Tahrim/The Prohibition, Verse 11]
6. In response, Allah not only shows her residence in paradise but makes her story an example for all people until the end of time. As Aasiah laughs in joy upon seeing this heavenly vision, Pharaoh orders his soldiers to crush her with a boulder thrown from atop a mountain. Aasiah’s soul is taken before the boulder crushes her body, preventing further worldly torment to her. Inna lillahi wa inna illaihi rajioon. To God we belong and unto Him we shall return.
7. Thus, Queen Aasiah leaves the man who who considers himself the most powerful in the land and the gilded life of wealth, status and power, for the Lord of Heavens and Earth. She trades the life of this world for the life of the next world, and what an amazing investment that is, multiplied manifold for manifest rewards and closeness to her Lord. Subhan’Allah.
8. In the story of Queen Aasiah are lessons for everyone, both men and women. There are lessons in her story specially for women trapped in abusive marriages. For women and children in such marriages, their very safety and security are affected to the point that they don’t feel safe in their own bodies. Their body heart, mind and soul are in such turbulent states of never ending fight/flight/freeze, constantly releasing a cascade of stressful hormones that harm and age the body leading to allergies, autoimmune illness and sensory processing disorders. Such women can neither live in peace nor worship their Lord in peace, without being mocked at, laughed at and called the ‘mullah’ type, for simply wanting to practice their faith, dress modestly with the hijab, and become closer to their Creator, because of the tormentors they are trapped with, tormentors who pretend to be someone else in the public eye. Most are terrified to leave because they instinctively know how dangerous it is to leave an abusive, oppressive, tyrant.
Sisters, let me tell you, that this is no way to live life. This is no way for children to live, laugh, grown and thrive. As adults we have limited choices but children don’t have a choice until they come of age, and children are a sacred amanah. Homes that lack love, mercy, safety, security and tranquility is not a home; it’s a prison, no matter how gilded the cage is. If you have lived in such a situation or are living in such a situation, then you know.
9. This is the month of Ramadan, with Night of Power and Decree. These are the days and nights in which to raise your hands and seek help from Allah and then to take steps to rectify your situation. Only Allah can guide you to what your next steps are and only you can take them. Sadly, there are no white knights left in the world to attempt a rescue, as these are nothing but the stories of fairytales.
10. Tonight is the eve of the 27th of Ramadan. So ask Allah. Ya Rabb. Beg Al-Fattah (The Opener). Plead with Al-Lateef (The Subtle & Gentle). Ask with all of Allah’s names and attributes, known and hidden. Then rise, stand up, speak, like Queen Aasiah did and take steps to rectify your situation. No human soul deserves to be oppressed, abused, demeaned, maligned, put down and slowly suffocated to death in a marriage or an abode meant to be filled with love, mercy and tranquility. I won’t call it a home, because it is not.
May Allah grant each of you wellbeing (aafiyah), strength, patience, fortitude, perseverance and may Allah create and open doors for you, out of His Manifest and All-Encompassing Mercy; may He provide you with the means of finding a mode of escape and the ability to be able to take care of yourself and your loved ones, in ways and means that you haven’t eve imagined. Ameen ya Rabb.
والله أعلم
