WOMEN’S JIHAD?

FEMALE WARRIORS IN EARLY ISLAM

At the end of this scene, from the book Futūh al-Shām (The Conquests of Syria) of unknown author ship, we are introduced to the fearsome warrior, Khawla bint al-Azwar. She had accompanied the Muslim army and decided to join the fray when she heard that her brother Dirar was captured. Her sisterly love and desire to free him spurred her into action. To do so, in this story, Khawla had to conceal her womanhood. Having witnessed her valour, the Muslim general allowed her to lead the armies in pursuit of her brother’s captors.

While there are no traces of Khawla bint al-Azwar in historical and legal treatises dealing with the Muslim conquests predating the twelfth century, her character is built upon similar non-fictional examples of women present in the camps and on the battlefields of the period. Their stories occur in the earliest extant Muslim biographies and chronicles of the conquest period. These women belonged to the first Muslim generation and accompanied Muhammad and the first armies in their conquest of Arabia and beyond. Unlike Khawla, these women did not have to hide their gender identity by dressing like men but were present as women. However, like Khawla, these women were only called upon to join the fray in exceptional circumstances.

Umm ‘Umara is an example of a real woman whose military exploits resemble those of Khawla, her fictional sister in Islam. Umm ‘Umara Nusayba bint