The four women of Paradise, as cited in the hadith literature, refer to:

Lady Maryam (Mary),

Lady Asiyah (the wife of Pharaoh),

Lady Khadijah (the wife of Prophet Muhammad), and

Lady Fatimah (the daughter of the Prophet (saw) and wife of Imam Ali (as).

Lady Maryam (sa) and Lady Asiyah (sa) are particularly noted in the chapter al-Tahrim as mathal, or role-models and examples for all of mankind.

Allah draws an[other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said,

'My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot.' And Mary, daughter of Imran, who guarded the chastity of her womb, so We breathed into it of Our spirit. She confirmed the words of her Lord and His Books, and she was one of the obedient. [66:11-12]

They are noted as examples worthy of emulation due to their dedication to the truth and their relationship with God.

While Lady Maryam, on account of her importance and her crucial role in Christianity, has been explored in much depth in Islamic literature, Lady Asiyah has not warranted as much attention.

This may be because Lady Maryam is referred to more frequently in the Qur'an: She has been mentioned by name in the Qur'an thirty-four times and a chapter has been titled after her.

On the other hand, in the verses regarding Lady Asiyah, she is not mentioned by name. Nevertheless, her place as one of the few women mentioned in a positive light in the Qur'an, her piety as an example for all of mankind, and her status as one of the four women of paradise in hadith literature, gives her a status in Islamic literature much unlike most other women.

The verse in Surah al-Tahrim speaks about the Lady Asiyah's famous words and her rank as an example for those who believe. In order to explore the verse, benefit from its wisdom, and truly take Lady Asiyah as an example, we will peruse various commentaries to see what the exegetes have said about her and the verse in question.

According to the most common Muslim rendition of events, Lady Asiyah was the wife of Pharaoh and was actually an Israelite. Her father's name was Muzahim and it is reported that she was barren, much to the Pharaoh's dismay.

She is mentioned two times in the Qur'an, in two different scenarios. The first is when she finds Prophet Musa (a), still an infant, floating in a basket and suggests to the Pharaoh that they keep him:

Pharaoh's wife said [to him], '[This infant will be] a [source of] comfort to me and to you. Do not kill him. Maybe he will benefit us, or we will adopt him as a son.' But they were not aware. (28:9)

Thus, it is through her encouragement (and God's master-plan) and mercy over the child (perhaps increased due to her alleged barrenness, Arastu notes) that Prophet Musa (a) is raised in the house of Pharaoh, all the while being fed and cared for by his birth mother. In fact, according to a narration in Bihar al-Anwar, it is Lady Asiyah who named him: "Let us call him Moses, because I found him in the water among the reeds."

The second occasion in which she is mentioned in the Qur'an is in Surah al-Tahrim, where her station as a pious woman is noted and can be understood through her words, and where Allah presents her as an example for all of those who believe. The verse reads:

Allah draws an[other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, 'My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot.' (66:11)

The common story narrated behind this verse is that this is what she said at the time of her death, when she was murdered by the Pharaoh for her belief in God. Although her assassination is not specifically stated in the Qur'an, it has been mentioned in the hadith and tafsir literature quite extensively, with little to no qualms amongst commentators and Muslim scholars.

In Arastu's rendition of events, heavily based on Allamah Majlisi's (d.1698) Bihar al-Anwar, Lady Asiyah "had always been devoted to Moses and to the one God he served and had despised her husband. She too had managed to conceal her beliefs from her husband all these years. But as she saw her husband's brutality spiral out of control, she grew more eager to disavow him, no matter what the cost."

After she saw him murder one of his servants and all of his children by burning them alive owing to their belief in God, Lady Asiyah cursed Pharaoh and his actions. He accused her of being insane to which she said, "I am not insane. I believe in God, who is my Lord, your Lord, and the Lord of all realms."

At this, he decided to punish and torture her severely. The description in the hadiths is quite gory and explicit, saying that "He forced her to lie on her back in the hot sand and had her wrists and ankles bound with rope and staked to the ground. He proceeded to torture her to force her to recant." It is here that she is said to have uttered the phrase mentioned in the Qur'an, imploring Allah to build her a house in paradise in proximity to Him.

It is reported that she sees paradise and smiles before her soul is taken from her body due to the "pleasure of God's acceptance."

Tafsir Majma' al-Bayān was written by Abū Ali Fac. ibn Hasan Tabarsī (d.1154), more commonly known as Allamah Tabarsi. This tafsir, written in Arabic, was modelled after Shaykh Tusi's (d.1067) historical tafsir al-Tibyan.

In his discussion on this verse, Allamah Tabarsi states that Lady Asiyah attained faith when she saw the miracle of Prophet Musa (a) in his competition against the magicians (i.e. when his rod turned into a snake that devoured that of the magicians). He goes on to say that:

... because her faith became apparent to Pharaoh, he forbade her (from her faith). As such, Lady Asiyah refused and rejected the Pharaoh's demands, and as such, the Pharaoh (may God's curse be upon him), crushed her hands and feet with a nail under the burning sun.

He then ordered that a large rock be put over her chest. As death approached, she said 'My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise.' Then, God the Almighty brought her towards paradise and (currently) she is eating and drinking in paradise (narrated from Hasan and Ibn Kaysan).

It has also been said that she saw a castle in paradise made from pearls and that is when God took her soul from her body.

After that, the large rock was thrown onto her soulless body, so she never felt the pain from it and from Pharaoh's torture. Salman says: She was being tortured under the sun, and every time they would leave her alone, the angels would surround her and she would see a castle in paradise.

With regards to the next part of the verse where she says "and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct," Tabarsi says that this is referring to his 'din', i.e. religion.

Tafsir al-Mizan

Allamah Tabatabai references several points in the commentary of this verse that point to a deeper understanding of the verse.

Allamah Tabatabai begins by saying that when Lady Asiyah makes her prayer of ''My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise," in a sense, God is summarizing all of her hopes and wishes in the path of her worship. He goes on to say that:

... when the faith (iman) of a person reaches perfection, their exterior (dhahir) and interior (batin) will be fully in line with each other, i.e. one's heart and tongue will be in unison with each other. Such a person will not say anything except that which they will do, and they won't do anything except that which they say. And they don't entertain hopes, and their tongues do not say anything, except for that which they seek to do with their actions. Because God brought this lady forth as an example, and alluded to her special status in her worship, he narrates the prayer that she called with, and (it is this prayer) that shows the type of her holistic obedience to Him.

Throughout her life, it was exactly this wish that she was after -, that God would build a home for her in paradise, and that He would save her from the Pharaoh and his evil actions. So, the wife of Pharaoh implored to her Lord for mercy, and this request was to become close to God. This closeness to God had preference over closeness to the Pharaoh. This closeness to the Pharaoh was also accompanied by every type of pleasure; In his court, she could find everything that her heart desired, and even those wishes that didn't usually reach a person, could be found there. As such, it is obvious that the wife of Pharaoh had closed her eyes from all of the pleasures of the life of this world. And this was not because it was not in her reach, but rather, all of these were available in abundance to her. Even with that, she had closed her eyes from it, and she was attached to the glory that lied with God, and to His proximity. She had attained faith in the unseen, and stood strong and upright with her faith until she left this world.

And this step that the wife of Pharaoh took in her path to serving God, is a step that can be an example for anyone who wants to follow in this path. It is because of this aspect that God summarized her hopes and her state throughout her entire life in one short prayer; a prayer that does not give any meaning except that she had cut herself off from all comforts of this world, from anything that caused inattention to God, that she has sought refuge with her Lord, and that except for attaining proximity to God, she has no other wishes or desires, and that she is choosing a home in His house of mercy.

It has been said that the name "wife of Pharaoh" who is an example for the believers, has been mentioned in the traditions as Asiyah. When she says ''My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise," in this prayer, she is requesting a home that should both be in proximity to God and also in paradise, and this is to the fact that in paradise. Homes are in proximity to God, (in the same way that) God has said: "They are living and provided for near their Lord," (3:169).

In addition to this, one's presence in proximity to God and closeness to him is a special type of intangible spiritual blessing, whereas a permanent home in paradise is a tangible spiritual blessing, and as such, it makes sense that a servant of God would request both from Him...15

The reason that Allamah Tabatabai's points with regards to this verse are so significant and extraordinary is because he touches on the idea that this is perhaps not a prayer that literally came out of Lady Asiyah's mouth, but that this is something where "God summarized her hopes and her state throughout her entire life in one short prayer."

Here, the narrator is being attributed to God. It is true that He is narrating her reality and truth, and that does not affect the truth of her saying this; however, it could be said that this quote is speaking from the language which is a reflection of the true state and reality of matters, as opposed to a literal and explicit language referring to something she said with her physical mouth. Taking this into consideration, her words take on a deeper significance.

They are not simply the words of a martyr dying in pain and under torture, but rather a reflection of her spiritual reality. With this in mind, we can later explore the notable points and lessons that we can derive from this verse and her story in depth.

Lady Asiyah is a beautiful example of righteous rebellion. It is her defiance of her tyrannical husband that is her saving grace. This point is rather interesting considering that, in discourse concerning Muslim women, there is often the notion of the ideal Muslim woman being subdued, submissive, and obedient.

However, stories like that of Lady Asiyah make it clear that it is only in submission to God and righteousness that submissiveness is seen as a positive feature. With regard to oppressors like Pharaoh who work actively against God, active and righteous rebellion is celebrated and admired. This is the central feature that makes Lady Asiyah so great; that is, her active resistance against her husband in the path of monotheism. It is only in her submission to the One God that she is celebrated, not in her unquestioning submission to her husband, the tyrannical demagogue we know as Pharaoh. She fights the admirable "good" fight.

Rawand Osman, in her Female Personalities in the Qur'an and Sunna: Examining the Major Sources of Imami Shi'i Islam, writes

As Allamah Tabataba'i noted...her words followed her heart, and therefore, it is possible that she sets an example for religio-political jihad. Asiya refused to submit to the highest political and religious power, and she withstood tyranny by being steadfast in her faith and prayer. Her jihad is not necessarily an outward one, yet it is the foundation for active jihad. Imam 'Ali said, "The first kind of jihad that will overpower you is the jihad of your hands, then of your tongues, then of your hearts. He whose heart neither knows right conduct nor disapproves of indecency has a heart that has been turned upside down". While jihad with words or actions may be deemed either inevitable or contingent, jihad with the heart is indispensable, and without it the human becomes misshapen.2

Her actions are reminiscent of the following verse of the Qur'an:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُكُمْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ ۖ أَنْ تَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ مَثْنَىٰ وَفُرَادَىٰ ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُوا ۚ مَا بِصَاحِبِكُمْ مِنْ جِنَّةٍ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ

Say, 'I give you just a single advice: that you rise up for Allah's sake, in pairs or singly, and then reflect: there is no madness in your companion; he is just a warner to you before [the befalling of] a severe punishment.' (Saba 34:46).

When we read this verse alongside the tradition we narrated in Part I in which Pharaoh accuses Asiyah of being mad and crazy, Asiyah's rising seems all the more in line with the Qur'anic spirit of rebellion and movement for the sake of God.

A woman's independence in her destiny

Another point that can be taken from Asiyah's story is her spiritual independence and autonomy. Even though she is the wife of Pharaoh, her spiritual reality has nothing to do with him; they are spiritually polar opposites. One of the pivotal messages that the Qur'an emphasizes is that one's destiny and spirituality is in one's own hands. In Part I, we saw that Al-Tabari particularly noted the tradition that mentions this spiritual autonomy, and cited the verses of the Qur'an that allude to God's ultimate justice. Regardless of who your spouse is, your actions are your own and you alone will be answerable for them. This idea is mentioned in several verses of the Qur'an:

ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ

...then every soul shall be recompensed fully for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged (Aale Imran 3:161).

الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ ۚ لَا ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

Today every soul shall be requited for what it has earned. There will be no injustice today. Indeed Allah is swift at reckoning (Ghafir 40:17).

وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

No soul does evil except against itself, and no bearer shall bear another's burden; then to your Lord will be your return, whereat He will inform you concerning that about which you used to differ (Al-An'am 6:164).

The phrase "no bearer shall bear another's burden" is quoted by al- Tabari in his commentary in relation to Asiyah's independence from Pharaoh's actions. The phrase is mentioned on four different occasions in the Qur'an. Two of them include:

مَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا

Whoever is guided is guided only for [the good of] his own soul, and whoever goes astray, goes astray only to its detriment. No bearer shall bear another's burden. We do not punish [any community] until We have sent [it] an apostle (Israa 17:15).

وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ وَإِنْ تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَىٰ حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَىٰ ۗ إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ وَمَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَتَزَكَّىٰ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

No bearer shall bear another's burden, and should someone heavily burdened call [another] to carry it, nothing of it will be carried [by anyone] even if he should be a near relative. You can only warn those who fear their Lord in secret and maintain the prayer. Whoever purifies himself, purifies only for his own sake, and to Allah is the return (Faatir 35:18).

The meaning of these verses is self-evident.3 In chapter al-Tahrim, this message is brought forth very specifically, albeit in a different way, taking into account examples of women who were independent in their destinies. The chapter begins by reprimanding the prophets' wives for their behaviour; just because they are the prophets' wives does not mean they are absolved of their unrighteous conduct.

The chapter ends by giving the examples of four women, two of whom were doomed to hell because of their unrighteous behaviour, even though they were the Prophet's wives and women of God:

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا امْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ ۖ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَقِيلَ ادْخُلَا النَّارَ مَعَ الدَّاخِلِينَ

Allah cites an example of the faithless: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of our righteous servants, yet they betrayed them. So they did not avail them in any way against Allah, and it was said [to them], 'Enter the Fire, along with those who enter [it]' (Tahrim 66:10).

Finally, it gives the examples of the two women who were righteous: Lady Asiyah-a woman of paradise despite her husband's doom to the hellfire-and Lady Maryam-an unmarried woman who achieved her station through her own actions and worship prior to her son, Prophet Jesus's, birth. Gender and relationships did not help or hurt these women in their path to God; rather, it was their beliefs, actions, and efforts that defined them and absolved or cursed them.

Rejection of material wealth

Another admirable point about Lady Asiyah is her rejection of material wealth, a point that Allamah Tabatabai expands on. It is easy to accept faith when one is disenfranchised and has nothing to lose. A much more meaningful test is when one has everything to lose by embracing the faith and embraces it nevertheless. Despite losing their family, wealth, and life, they submit to God-this is precisely what Lady Asiyah paid for professing her faith in God.

Although she was the Queen of Egypt, she rejected the position of power, wealth, and glory, for she saw something that was better: proximity to Allah. She rejected every possible material pleasure to have something was more worthy in her eyes, which was nothing other than a home in paradise in proximity to her Lord.

Her rejection of material wealth and her request for a home with God are reminiscent of the following two verses of the Qur'an: