Sufi Women

Hazrat Zahida

She was a Sahabi (Companions of Prophet Mohammad). She was the governess of the 2nd Caliph Hazrat Umar. She was a very devoted woman. Once she went to meet Prophet Mohammad, who was pleased to see her. Zahida said to him: "I'm stressed & confused about a matter". Prophet Mohammad asked her to tell him about the matter.

She said: "In the morning I went to collect the wood, and after collecting woods when I was about to put them over my head, I saw a rider descending from the sky. He came to me & saluted, then he told me to also convey his Salaam (salute) to Prophet Mohammad and tell him that Rizwan (the angel who is responsible for the matters of heaven) has convyed him the good news that his (Prophet Mohammad) followers is divided into three groups. The first group will be entered into the heaven without any quesioning; The second group will be entered after some simple questioning; And the third group will be entered into the heaven after his (Prophet Mohammad) mediation." Then she said: "After telling me that, the rider started to ascend, and looked towards me from there that I am unable to pick up all the woods to put over my head. That rider said to me: 'O Zahida put the woods on the rock' then he ordered the rock to take these woods to the house of Umar."

After listening to her story, Prophet Mohammad said: "All praises are for Almighty Allah, who conveyed the good news of forgiving my followers within my life time, through Rizwan. And bestowed the rank of Mariam (Mary) to one of my follower woman (Zahida)."

Hazrat Nafisa

She was born in Makkah in 145 A.H. Her father's name was Hassan bin Zaid, who was the grandson of Hazrat Hassan (Grandson of the Holy Prophet). Her father had been appointed governor of Madina in the year 150 A.H. She accompanied her father to Madina at the tender age of five. There she memorized the entire Qur`an and studied Islamic jurisprudence in depth. Hazrat Nafisa used to pray the five prayers regularly behind her father in Masjid Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque in Madina) from the age of six. Her father used to take her by the hand and enter inside the room of the grave of the Holy Prophet, where he would address the Prophet  directly saying: "Ya Rasullullah!, O Beloved Prophet of Allah! I am pleased with my daughter Nafisa!" He continued these visits repeatedly until one day the Prophet appeared to him in a dream saying to him, “O Hassan, I am pleased with your daughter Nafisa, because you are pleased with her, and Allah is pleased with her because I am pleased with her.

In 161 A.H. at the age of sixteen years, Hazrat Nafisa married her cousin Is'haq al-Mu’taman, a direct descendant of Hazrat Imam Hussain. She bore from him a son named Qasim & a daughter named Um-Kulsum. She performed Haj (Pilgrimage to Makkah) thirty times, most of them on foot. She also stayed some time in Palestine at the tomb of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) & contemplated there. At the age of 44, she moved to Egypt, where people were happy to find her among them.

When Hazrat Nafisa arrived in Egypt and settled in her home, there was a non-Muslim family living beside her, whose daughter was paralyzed from the waist down. One day the girl’s mother brought her to Hazrat Nafisa to watch while she went shopping. She left her daughter in one corner of Hazrat Nafisa's house. Hazrat Nafisa began making Wuzu (ablution) and water from her ablution flowed towards the girl. As the water touched the body of the girl, she experienced something strange. She began to take the water from Hazrat Nafisa’s ablution and rub it on her paralyzed feet and legs. Suddenly the paralysis disappeared completely and she was able to stand. After that incident, whole family of that girl accepted Islam.

Hazrat Nafisa died in 208 A.H. And after her death, her husband wanted to bury her in Madina, but the Egyptians had a great devotion for her, so they insisted to bury her in Egypt. Therefore, she was buried in Egypt.

Hazrat Sha'dana

She was also a very devoted & God intoxicated woman. She had a charming voice, by which she always sung the devoted songs. She often cried for God by saying: "The eyes, which are unable to see thir beloved (God) and want to see Him, such eyes would never stop filling tears." She died in 175 A.H.

Hazrat Rabia Basri

She was one of the greatest Sufi Saints. Even some of the great Sufis & Dervishes had visited her for seeking Divine Knowledge. Hazrat Sufyan Thauri, who was also a great Sufi of that time, was used to visit her to learn. She died in 185 A.H.

(Detailed Biography of Hazrat Rabia Basri)

Hazrat Fatima Nishapuri

Hadhrat Zunnun Misri was once wandering in the desert he heard a voice supplicating: "O Thou of Boundless Bounties! O Thou of Boundless Generosity! O Thou, The Eternal One! Strengthen the gaze of my heart with immersion in Your bewilderment. Permeate my resolve with Your Sublimity. O Thou of Boundless Munificence! Save me with Your Splendour from the paths of the proud and rebellious. Keep me as Your slave in both hardship and comfort. O Thou Who has brightened my heart! O Thou Who are my True Goal! Only You be with me in my resolve."

Hearing this wonderful supplication, Zunnun Misri went in the direction of the voice, and he saw a woman who was like a burnt out coal, having been consumed by the fire of Divine Love. Allah’s Love had melted her body. She was as lean as a rake. She was wearing a woollen dress and a scarf of mohair. Zunnin Misri said: "Assalaam-u-Alaik!" She replied: "Wa Alaikumus Salaam, O Zunnun!". Zunnin Misri was surprised that how could she knew his name, and asked: "How do you know my name? Until today you have never met me." She said: "Zunnun! My True Beloved has removed the veils of mysteries from me. He has eliminated the blindness of the heart. I therefore know your name."

Hadhrat Zunnun then continued: "Repeat your supplication." The woman said: "O Thou of Glitter and Brightness! Remove from me the evil of what I am perceiving. I am fearful of this life." A few moments later she fell down dead. While Zunnun Misri stood there bewildered and confused, an old woman appeared. Looking at the face of the dead young woman she exclaimed: "All Praises are due to Allah, Who has ennobled her." Zunnun asked her: "Who are you and who is she?" The old woman replied: "My name is Zahra Walihanah. She is my daughter Fatima Nishapuri. She has been in this state of Divine Love for twenty years. People thought she was mad. But, the Love of Allah had reduced her to this condition.’"

Hazrat Tohfa

She was also a great Sufi Saint. Hazrat Sirri Siqti once was distress, even he didn't perform the Tahajjud prayer. After Fajr he went to the mental hospital by thinking that may be he his mental distress would be vanished after seeing the mad ones. There he saw a young & beautiful woman, reciting God-Devoted poetry. Hazrat Sirri Siqti went to hear & queitly heard her poetry, and his distress was completely vanished. Later he talked to that woman, and he found that the woman is really a God-intoxicated one & higher spiritual.

Later when the master of Hazrat Tohfa came to the hospital, Hazrat Sirri Siqti asked him to free this woman. Tohfa's master replied that he has purchased Hazrat Tohfa in twenty thousand Dirhhams. Hazrat Sirri Siqti said to him that he will pay him more than that tomorrow. Hazrat Sirri Siqti then came to home, and was thinking about how to pay the master to free Hazrat Tohfa, as Hazrat Sirri Siqti was a poor man, didn't have a single penny. He prayed to Allah that He should keep the words & honor of His devotee, as he promised to free Tohfa. While he was still praying, some one knocked his door. When Hazrat Sirri Siqti opened the door he saw a rich man is standing there with four of his servants. Hazrat Sirri Siqti asked him that who is he? He replied that in dream God ordered him to go to Sirri Siqti & give him five pouches full of golden coins, as he has to free Tohfa, and Tohfa is also our beloved one.

One the next day Hazrat Sirri Siqti went to the hospital, Hazrat Tohfa saw him and said by crying: "O God! You have disclosed my secret!" Hazrat Sirri Siqti when tried to give those golden coins to Tohfa's master, he refused to take them & said that he is freeing Tohfa on God's will, as last night he encountered some great Divine punishment. Then after freeing Hazrat Tohfa went to the Ka'ba & lived there till her death.

Hazrat Um-Mohammad

She was the mother of Shaikh Mohammamad Abi Abdullah Khafif. Once in the month of Ramadan, she was praying inside her home, and her son was on the rooftop. Suddenly whole room filled with Nur (Holy Light). She called her son by saying: "O Mohammad! come down, what you are asking to God, is present here." When he came down into the room, he also witnessed the Nur, and fell down on the feet of his mother.

Hazrat Memuna Wa'iz

She was also a very devoted woman. She was a poor woman and her home was very fregile & damaged, even once the wall of her home was about to collapse. Her son asked her mother to establish a new wall, otherwise the home would collapse. But she wrote something on a blank paper, and told her son to paste it on the damaged wall. After her death, when her son wanted to see what she wrote on the paper (as the written side was pasted on the wall). So as he separated the paper from the wall, the wall collapsed.

Hazrat Fatima

She was a God-intoxicated Sufi woman from Egypt. She was in the state of Juzb (Spiritual Ecstasy) for thirty years, even it is said that she ate nothing during that period. She had many disciples, especially females. And she took many female Sufis on the higher spiritual stages.

Bibi Jamal Khatun

She was the sister of Mian Mir Lahori. She lived in Sivistan (Present day's Pakistan) and was a Sufi Saint of Qadriya Sufi Order. Once she bought some flour & put them in a pot. She daily distributed the flour among the poor & needy from them for more than one year, but the pot was still full of the flour. There are many other miracles related to her. She lived a life of more than 60 years, and only went out from her home for three times during her lifetime.

Mariam Bi

Mariam Bi Amma was disciple of Baba Tajuddin Nagpri. She was born in India, at Kajleshore town in 1885. She had 3 brothers and 1 sister. Her father’s name was Aziz-ud-din and mother's name was Ayesha Bibi. Marium Bibi completed her studies in the Holy Quran (i.e. Islamic studies). She had a deep relish in her worship. Most of her time passed in contemplate and recluse. Her prayer schedules were not affected even after being a house wife and holding all her married life responsibilities. Her brother Qutb-ud-din brought her back at his home after a few days of her marriage.

Under the Spiritual Guidance of Baba Tajuddin, soon she reached to the higher rank of Sainthood, even Baba Tajuddin told his devotees & disciples to first visit Mariam Bi before coming to him.On one stage she completely fell into the Spiritual Ecstasy, even till her death she was in the same condition. She died in 1919 in Shakardara (India). The people & disciples around her, witnessed many miracles from her.