Asmaa bint Abi Bakr: The Woman of the Two Belts (UK Profile for British Muslim Families)
By admin on 12/22/2025
Asmaa bint Abi Bakr (Arabic: أسماء بنت أبي بكر; born 27 BH / 595 CE, died 73 AH / 692 CE) was the daughter of the first Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA), the elder sister of Aisha (RA), the wife of the senior Companion Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (RA), the mother of the rebel-Caliph Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA), and one of the longest-lived Companions, dying at over 100 years old. She is best known for her role on the night of the Hijrah, when she delivered food to the Prophet ﷺ and her father in the Cave of Thawr at the cost of being beaten by Abu Jahl. Her famous nickname is Dhat al-Nitaqayn (the Woman of the Two Belts). This UK guide presents her life, her courage, and what British Muslim families can take from her example.
Her family
Asmaa was born in Makkah in 595 CE, the elder daughter of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA) by his first wife Qutaylah bint Abd al-Uzza. Through her father she was a member of the influential Banu Taym clan of Quraysh; through her sister Aisha (RA) she became sister-in-law to the Prophet ﷺ. Her family is woven into the highest moments of early Islamic history.
Her marriage was to Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (RA) — one of the ten Companions promised Paradise (al-ʿasharah al-mubasharoon), the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ through his aunt Safiyyah (the Prophet's ﷺ paternal aunt). Together Asmaa and Az-Zubayr had several children, the most famous being Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA) — who later led the rival Caliphate against the Umayyads from Makkah for nine years.
Her early embrace of Islam
Asmaa embraced Islam very early in the Makkan period. She was approximately the 17th or 18th person to convert — her father Abu Bakr (RA) was the first male adult, and she was among his immediate household to follow. Through her teens and early twenties she lived through the persecution of the Makkan Muslims, the boycott of Banu Hashim, and the migration to Madinah.
The night of the Hijrah and the Two Belts
The most famous moment of Asmaa's life came on the night of the Hijrah in 622 CE. Her father Abu Bakr (RA) and the Prophet ﷺ were hiding in the Cave of Thawr after escaping Makkah. The Quraysh were searching everywhere with reward money for capture. Asmaa and her brother Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr were the family's lifeline to the cave, bringing food and information.
To carry food provisions to the cave, Asmaa needed to bind them to her waist for the climb. She tore her belt (nitaq) into two pieces — using one to tie the food bag and the other to keep her clothes secure. From that night onwards, the Prophet ﷺ called her Dhat al-Nitaqayn — "the Woman of the Two Belts".
The Prophet ﷺ said to her: "Allah has replaced for you these two belts with two belts in Paradise." (Sahih Muslim 2493)
The confrontation with Abu Jahl
After the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr (RA) had escaped, Quraysh leaders came to Abu Bakr's house demanding to know where they had gone. Abu Jahl himself led the search party. He confronted Asmaa, demanded the information, and when she refused to speak, struck her so hard across the face that her earring fell out.
This moment of physical violence against a young woman is preserved in classical sources (al-Tabari, Ibn Hisham, others) as one of the most despicable acts of pre-Islamic Quraysh hostility. Asmaa never disclosed the location and the Prophet ﷺ and her father safely reached Madinah.
Migration and life in Madinah
Asmaa migrated to Madinah while pregnant with her first child Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA). The journey was so difficult that she gave birth at Quba (a suburb of Madinah) immediately upon arrival. The Prophet ﷺ chewed a date and rubbed it on the newborn's lips (the Sunnah of tahneek) — making Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA) one of the very first children to be welcomed into the Madinan Muslim community.
Asmaa lived in Madinah through the rest of the Prophet's ﷺ life and the Caliphate of her father Abu Bakr (RA), Umar (RA), Uthman (RA), and Ali (RA). She moved between Madinah and Makkah depending on her family's situation.
Her witnessing of her son's martyrdom
The most extraordinary episode of Asmaa's later life: her son Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA) led the rival Caliphate from Makkah from 64-73 AH (683-692 CE), opposing the Umayyads. In 73 AH, the Umayyad general al-Hajjaj besieged Makkah for months. Abdullah's supporters dwindled. He came to his mother Asmaa — then in her late 90s — for advice.
The famous exchange (preserved in Sahih Muslim 1545 and other sources):
Abdullah said: "O mother, the people have abandoned me, even my own family. Should I surrender for safe passage?"
Asmaa replied: "My son, you know yourself best. If you are upon the truth and you call to the truth, then go and fight. Better to die fighting than to live in humiliation. Do not let men insult your face after your death."
He said: "Mother, I am about to be killed today."
She said: "Then, my son, go forward."
Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA) went out, fought, and was killed. Al-Hajjaj had his body crucified in Makkah. Asmaa was around 100 years old when she saw her son's body hanging publicly. She is reported to have approached al-Hajjaj and said: "Has the time not come for this rider to dismount?" — demanding her son's body be brought down for burial. He eventually granted it.
She died a few days later in 73 AH (692 CE) at around age 100.
Her children and lineage
Beyond Abdullah, Asmaa had several other notable children including Urwah ibn al-Zubayr — one of the seven jurists of Madinah and a foundational scholar of Islamic jurisprudence whose students included his nephew Hisham ibn Urwah and the next generation of Madinan scholars.
Through Urwah, Asmaa is the maternal grandmother of generations of Sunni scholarship in Madinah. The Madinan school of hadith and fiqh that produced Imam Malik traces in part to her.
What British Muslim families can take from Asmaa's life
- Courage in early adulthood pays compounding returns. Asmaa's risks at age 26 (the Hijrah night) were the foundation of a life that influenced 60+ years of Islamic history. UK Muslim teenagers in their late teens making courageous Islamic choices set up a lifetime of trajectory.
- Mothers shape rebels and scholars alike. Asmaa raised both Abdullah (the political rebel-Caliph) and Urwah (the senior scholar). Her household produced both. UK Muslim mothers' influence reaches across decades and unlikely paths.
- Stand for principle even at the cost of your child's life. Asmaa's advice to her dying son — "go forward, do not live in humiliation" — is one of the hardest moments in Sahabah history. British Muslim parents who teach their children that some principles are worth physical cost shape the rare kind of person who actually holds those principles.
- Long life is a gift to be filled with deen. Asmaa lived to 100 and was actively shaping Islamic events into her 90s. UK Muslim grandparents have generations of influence still ahead.
- Female agency in Islamic history is rich and central. The standard narrative that Muslim women were peripheral is false. Asmaa, Aisha (RA), Khadijah (RA), Fatimah (RA), Umm Sulaym (RA), Umm Salamah (RA), and many others shaped Islam's trajectory directly. UK Muslim girls deserve to know this.
How Eaalim helps British Muslim children learn from the women of the Sahabah
Eaalim's one-to-one online lessons integrate the lives of the women of the Sahabah into Quran study, particularly when teaching the surahs revealed in connection with key events. Lessons are 30 minutes (15-20 for under-7s), GMT/BST, in pounds, free real trial. Start here.
Frequently asked questions
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Asmaa bint Abi Bakr (595-692 CE / 27 BH-73 AH) was the elder daughter of the first Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA), elder sister of Aisha (RA, the Prophet's wife), wife of Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (RA, one of the ten Companions promised Paradise), and mother of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA, the rival Caliph). She is famously called Dhat al-Nitaqayn ('the Woman of the Two Belts') for her role on the night of the Hijrah.
On the night of the Hijrah in 622 CE, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and her father Abu Bakr (RA) hid in the Cave of Thawr. Asmaa carried food provisions to them, climbing the rough terrain in late pregnancy. To bind the food bag, she tore her belt (nitaq) into two pieces — using one for the bag, the other to keep her clothes secure. From that night the Prophet (peace be upon him) called her Dhat al-Nitaqayn — 'the Woman of the Two Belts'. He said: 'Allah has replaced for you these two belts with two belts in Paradise' (Sahih Muslim 2493).
Yes — classical sources (al-Tabari, Ibn Hisham, others) record that after the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr (RA) had escaped to the Cave of Thawr, Quraysh leaders led by Abu Jahl came to Abu Bakr's house demanding to know where they had gone. When Asmaa refused to speak, Abu Jahl struck her so hard across the face that her earring fell out. She still did not disclose the location. This is one of the most documented acts of physical violence against a Muslim woman by Quraysh leadership.
Asmaa was Aisha's elder half-sister. Both were daughters of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA), but by different mothers — Asmaa's mother was Qutaylah bint Abd al-Uzza, Aisha's mother was Umm Ruman bint Amir. Asmaa was approximately 10 years older than Aisha. They remained close throughout their lives, and Aisha (RA) is one of the major narrators of hadith about Asmaa's deeds.
Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (624-692 CE) was Asmaa's eldest son and one of the most consequential political figures of early Islam. He was the first child born among the Muhajireen in Madinah after the Hijrah, welcomed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself with the tahneek (chewed date on lips) Sunnah. From 64-73 AH (683-692 CE) he led the rival Caliphate from Makkah against the Umayyads. He was killed in 73 AH when al-Hajjaj besieged and took Makkah. His mother Asmaa, then in her late 90s, advised him to go forward and die in honour rather than surrender.
In 73 AH, after months of siege by al-Hajjaj, Abdullah came to his mother Asmaa for final advice. He said: 'O mother, the people have abandoned me, should I surrender?' She replied: 'My son, you know yourself best. If you are upon the truth and you call to the truth, then go and fight. Better to die fighting than to live in humiliation. Do not let men insult your face after your death' (Sahih Muslim 1545). He went out, fought, and was killed. The exchange is one of the most quoted moments of female Sahabah courage in Islamic history.
Yes — most classical sources record her age at death as around 100 years (some say 101 or 102). She was born approximately 27 years before the Hijrah (595 CE) and died in 73 AH (692 CE), giving 100 years. She retained mental clarity and political weight into her late 90s, as evidenced by her advice to her dying son and her famous confrontation with al-Hajjaj demanding her son's body be brought down from public crucifixion.
After Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA) was killed and his body crucified publicly in Makkah by al-Hajjaj's order, Asmaa (about 100 years old) approached al-Hajjaj and said: 'Has the time not come for this rider to dismount?' demanding her son's body be brought down for burial. Al-Hajjaj, despite his cruelty, granted the request. The exchange is preserved in classical sources and remains one of the most striking moments of late-Sahabah female courage. She died a few days later.
Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (born about 22 AH / 642 CE, died 94 AH / 712 CE) was one of Asmaa's other prominent sons and one of the most important scholars of the Tabi'in generation. He was one of the Seven Jurists of Madinah. His writings on the Seerah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are foundational sources for later Seerah works. His sons (especially Hisham ibn Urwah) and his Madinan school produced the next generation of Sunni scholarship including the foundations of Imam Malik's Madinan tradition.
Three lessons stand out. First, courage in early adulthood — Asmaa risked her life on the Hijrah night at age 26 while pregnant. Second, female agency in Islamic history is central, not peripheral — the Hijrah itself succeeded partly because of her. Third, decades of consistent influence matter — she lived 100 years and shaped Islamic events into her 90s, including her son's political life and her grandchildren's scholarly contributions. UK Muslim girls deserve to know that women like Asmaa shaped Islam directly, not just from the sidelines.
