The veiled horsewoman was Khawla bint al-Azwar ibn Malik
al-Asadiyya. She was born in Mecca. Her courage surpassed that of the men
of her time. She was known for her bravery and valor and for her love for her
brother, Dhirar ibn al-Azwar.
She embraced Islam with her brother after the conquest of
Mecca and participated in many battles, such as the Ridda Wars and the conquest
of Syria.
Dhirar
was a courageous horseman who embraced death as readily as life, fearing no
enemy and never fleeing from battle. When Khalid ibn al-Walid ordered him to
lead the Muslim army to Syria, he answered the call, determined to achieve
victory or martyrdom.
He took his sister Khawla with him, and she participated
alongside the other women warriors in the battles against the Romans, providing
water and tending to the wounded.
When the battle intensified, she and a group of women were
taken prisoner by the Romans. Khawla rose up for her captivity and for
the captive Muslim women of her family and tribe and cried out to them, “O
daughters of my uncle, the wind is favorable, and the opportunity for
liberation is upon us. The time for action has come, and death is more
honorable for us than the disgrace that will befall us in these latter days. We
must launch a sincere attack that will astound the enemy so that we may either
be saved or be martyred in the cause of God.
Take the tent poles and pegs in your hands, and let us
charge together against these guards. Let us stand firm, let us support one
another, and let there be no gap between us through which anyone can infiltrate
us. Strengthen me, for God is with us, and God is the Greatest!”
The captive women responded to her call, uprooting the tent
poles and pegs, and they attacked the guards. Some were killed, and others
fled. The women, led by the valiant warrior, returned to the ranks of the
Muslims.
Among her heroic acts, for which she became known and
famous, and whose story spread among the people, was her rescue of her brother
from captivity. Disguised as a knight, she rushed to her brother's aid,
wielding her sword to fell every Roman soldier she encountered. Panic gripped
their ranks at the sheer awe of this valiant warrior's bravery.
The Muslims were impressed and mistook him for Khalid ibn
al-Walid. When Khalid witnessed the knight's courage and genius in battle, he
approached him to reveal his identity. The knight replied, "O Prince, I
only turned away from you out of modesty, for you are a noble leader, while I am
a woman of the inner sanctum, a daughter of the veil. What compelled me to do
so was my burning grief and overwhelming sorrow. I am Khawla bint al-Azwar.
News of my brother's capture reached me, so I mounted my horse and did what I
did."
At that moment, Khalid ibn al-Walid rallied his troops, and
they charged the Romans. Khawla joined them and continued her fight until she
rescued her brother from the Romans.
Khawla was known for her intelligence, shrewdness, boldness,
courage, bravery, dignity, and strength. She was a role model for women. Known
for her eloquence and clarity of expression, she composed poetry. Among her
eloquent and precise verses, she composed the following lament for her brother
after he died in the plague of Amwas:
After my brother, can my eyes find pleasure in sleep? How
can one with sore eyelids rest?
I will weep as long as I live for a brother dearer to me
than my own right eye.
We are a people who, when one of us dies, do not die the
death of the meek.
They asked, "Why do you weep?" I replied,
"Wait! Should I not weep when they have severed my jugular vein?"
Khawla bint al-Azwar died in the year 639 AH and was buried
in Balqa.
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