Egypt mourns the loss of Lady Nafisah, a paragon of faith and virtue

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Lady Nafisah was a highly respected descendant of the Messenger of God. She was renowned for her unwavering devotion to God and her exceptional acts of worship. Her holiness and karamat were acknowledged by everyone who knew her.    

A virtuous woman

Allah ta^ala says:

﴿أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَكَانُواْ يَتَّقُونَ﴾

This means, "Surely the saints have no cause for fear or sorrow, those who have believed and shown piety" [ Suratu Yunus / 62-63]. The saint is a believer who is upright in obedience to Allah.

Among the virtuous saints is the honourable Lady Nafisah Bintu l-Hasani l-'Anwari bni Zaydini l-‘Abla ji bni l-Hasani bni ^Aliyyi bni Abi Talib. She was born in Makkah in 145 AH and grew up in Medina. She devoted herself to worship and asceticism, fasting during the day and performing acts of worship at night. Eventually, she married'Ishaqu l-Mu'taman Ibnu Ja^farini s -Sadiq and moved to Egypt where she settled. She passed away in 208 AH while residing there. 

The Lady Nafisah was an honoured descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. She was known for her devoutness and dedication to worshipping Allah. Her saintliness and dazzling karamat were unanimously recognised. She dug her own grave and regularly prayed and recited the entire Quran six thousand times within it.  

Some of her karamat, which are well-known to the inhabitants of Egypt, include the following: she had non-Muslim neighbours who had a daughter with a disability that prevented her from walking. One day, when her mother was heading to the hammam (the public bathhouse), the girl refused to join her. When asked if she would stay at home on her own, the daughter replied: “I would rather go to the house of our neighbour of honoured descent”, she meant the lady Nafisah .” The mother sought permission from Lady Nafisah-who allowed it- and then left her daughter in a corner of Lady Nafisah 's house while she went to the hammam. 

While Lady Nafisah was making wudu' (ablution), the water from the wudu' flowed until it reached the little girl. Allah inspired her to take some of that water and pass it over her legs. By the omnipotence of Allah ta^ala she immediately stood up on her feet and began to walk as if she had never been ill. Lady Nafisah, who was immersed in her prayer, did not know what had happened. 

"When her mother returned home, the little girl knocked on her door. As her mother opened it, the girl rushed into her arms, filled with joy at the sight of her. However, her mother failed to recognize her own daughter." She asked, "Who are you?" The little girl replied, "I'm your daughter!" 

She proceeded to recount in vivid detail what had happened to her. Upon hearing her daughter's narrative, the mother exclaimed, "By Allah, her faith is true, and our own is woefully flawed." Overwhelmed by emotion, the mother exited the room, approached Lady Nafisah, kissed her feet, and exclaimed, "Please extend your hand to me. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad, your ancestor, is His messenger." 

The mother and daughter, along with a circle of non-Muslim neighbours, embraced Islam inspired by the blessings of the esteemed lady with honoured ancestry. 

Lady Nafisah's Passing 

Lady Nafisah, may Allah accept her deeds, departed from this world in the year 208 of the Hegira. Even as she lay on her deathbed, she maintained her fast, a testament to her unwavering devotion. Concerned well-wishers urged her to break her fast, but she resolutely declined, remarking, "It's astounding that for thirty years, I've supplicated to Allah subhanah to grant me the honour of passing away while fasting. Now, you suggest otherwise? That cannot be." Then she recited Suratu l-'An^am and when she reached His word ta^ala: 

﴿لَهُمْ دَارُ السَّلَامِ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ﴾

which means, "They shall have the abode of peace from their Lord," she passed away. After her passing, a profound sense of sorrow engulfed the hearts of the Egyptian populace upon learning of the news. They congregated in vast numbers to perform the funeral prayer, assembling in a gathering of unprecedented magnitude. She found her resting place in Egypt, laid to rest in a grave she had prepared with her own hands.