Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) is in one of those greatest Companions (Sahabiat) of The Holy Prophet (PBUH) who faced the most difficult cruelties for the sake of Islam. Despite of being very weak and old Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) tolerated very much difficulties but she didn’t left saying the words of righteous path. She is in one of those seven people of Makah who embraced Islam firstly.
[i.e. Hazrat Khadija (R.Z), Hazrat Abbu Bakar (R.Z), Hazrat Bilal (R.Z), Hazrat Khabbab (R.Z), Hazrat Sohaib (R.Z), Hazrat Ammar Yasir (R.Z) {son of Hazrat Summayah (R.Z)}, Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) and her husband Hazrat Yasir (R.Z)]. These are the people who not only responded positively with true heart on the True call of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) but also proved from their act that their passion and belief is really true.
At that time when the Tribes of Arab had been disregarded the difference of the right and wrong path by blindly following the path of ignorance and evilness and were not ready to step back even an inch from their belief and culture, embracing Islam of these people was an open challenge for the opposition of non-believers of Makah but this small family [i.e. husband Hazrat Yasir (R.Z), son Hazrat Ammar Yasir (R.Z) and Hazrat Summayah (R.Z)] firmly gripped the flag of Oneness of Allah.
Idolaters gave different types of discomforts to the Righteous persons. Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) was old and respected and also a sensitive lady. But the non-believers bitterly punished her along with her son and husband. They made her wear an armor of iron and got her standing in harsh sunshine so that this metal should get hot by the heat of the Sun of Makah and then give her sensitive body a painful temperature and she should stop saying the righteous words. But the Love of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had been too much pinched into the hearts of those sacred personalities that they were not ready to return towards shirk.
When Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) used to see them being tortured by Banu Mugheera bin Abdullah bin Makhzoom in the burning afternoons of Makah, then he used to say, “O the family of Yasir, don’t lose heart, Allah has promised paradise for you.”
So, all the day used to be spent by bearing such penalties. One day, Abu Jahal came to Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) at night and got angry on her and said, “O old lady! Have you got mad? you have got your husband and son out of our religion including yourself.”
During this talk he got too much angry that he hit the old lady Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) by javelin with as much power that she could not bear this misfortune and pain and got martyred on the spot.
The first martyred woman of Islam Hazrat Summayah’s (R.Z) complete name was Summayah binte Khabat. It is imagined that the entire period of the life of Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) was spent in front of {Hazrat Yasir (R.Z), Hazrat Summayah (R.Z)} Hazrat Abdullah (R.Z) and Hazrat Ammar (R.A) and they took a great effect of the personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). That is why the whole family didn’t hesitate to accept the call of the righteous path the Holy Prophet (PBUH) started after being assigned by the Almighty Allah, instead they responded positively by saying Labaik. This was a hot-tempered time for the righteous people. Whoever used to embrace Islam he used to be victimized by angry, bitter and cruel torture of the idolaters of Quraish, even idolaters didn’t use to leave their relatives.
Hazrat Yasir (R.Z) and his sons were poor people and Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) hadn’t been let free from Banu Makzoom. Idolaters used every method to torture these unfortunate people. Hazrat Yasir (R.Z) and Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) were too much weak but their power of belief was too much stable. The quality of this stability was also present in their sons. Making wear these unfortunate people the armors of iron and getting them lied down on the burning sand and burning their backs with ashes and giving them dives in the water was daily routine of the idolaters.
When Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) got the honor of first martyred woman of Islam then Hazrat Ammar Yasir (R.Z) was shocked on the death of his mother. He came to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and said, “O Allah’s Apostle (PBUH)! Now it’s the limit of cruelty.” The Holy Prophet (PBUH) advised him to be patient and prayed, “O Allah! Protect the generation of Yasir from hell.”
Being the son of Hazrat Summayah (R.Z), Hazrat Ammar Yasir (R.Z) could not forget the martyrdom of his mother but it is the fact that whenever the history of Islam would be written, the pain and helplessness of Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) would be felt with extreme grief and sorrow. That is why the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself remembered this cruelty of Abu Jahal and the pain of Hazrat Summayah (R.Z). Therefore, in 2nd Hijri when the battle of Badar was fought and Abu Jahal was killed and was sent to hell the Holy Prophet (PBUH) called Hazrat Ammar bin Yasir (R.Z) and Said, “Allah has taken the revenge of your mother from her killer.” Hazrat Summayah (R.Z) was martyred before many years of the migration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), therefore all Historians has declared her as the first martyred of Islam.
