A Tradition Invented 57 mislead their husbands. Similarly, Umayma bint Ruqayqa has two traditions attributed to her. The better-attested one repeats the Qur’anic framework for women’s pledges: that women are asked to disavow polytheism, stealing, fornication, infanticide (Id naqtulu awladand), falsely attributing paternity in cases of adultery, and disobedience (to the Prophet).140 SEEKERS AND SUBJECTS OF FATWAS A final category of women in this group comprises seekers or subjects of fatwas from the Prophet that would later have legal significance in communal debates. In biographical sources, these women are sometimes recognized or deemed prominent for reasons other than the legal rulings associated with them. However, in the badith compilations, their utility rests primarily on a single incident in their lives that comes under the scrutiny of later generations of Muslims. One example is Barlra, a slave freed by ‘A’isha bint Abl Bakr, who was a notably influential, strong-willed woman. Ibn Sa‘d cites Ibn ‘Abbas’s report: When Barlra was given the choice of staying with her husband, he was a slave of the Banu Mughlra. He was called MughTth Aswad. I happened upon him in the streets of Medina trailing her and trying to please her; the tears flowed upon his beard, and she was saying, “I have no need of you.”1 tI Choosing independence, she resisted all of Mughlth’s entreaties. In addition to this account of her strong personality, a report that the Umayyad leader ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan sought her company highlights her status as a respected Companion.1 f~ Barlra narrates only one tradition. Yet its influence in legal discourse is considerable. 1 Her report recounts three of Muhammad’s fatwas : that 139 The Prophet responds that this means that women should not give away their husbands’ property without their permission. For her biography, see Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, al-IstVab , 4:1861-62, and for her badith , see Ibn Hanbal, Musnad , 6:471, #27364. 140 See Malik, al-Muwatta’, 2:578-79. For other versions of this report, see Ibn Hanbal, Musnad , 6:401; Ibn Maja, Sunan , 2:959; al-Nasa’I, Sunan , 7:148-49; and al-Tirmidhl, Sunan, 3:219-20. The second tradition relates that the Prophet had a vessel that he kept under his bed to relieve himself at night (see Abu Dawud, Sunan , 1:7, and al-Nasa’I, Sunan , 1:31). 141 Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat , 8:190. 142 As mentioned earlier, ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan was the fifth Umayyad caliph. It is not clear whether he sought Barlra’s advice during his caliphate or before it. For the report about her interaction with ‘Abd al-Malik, see Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba , 12:156-57. 143 al-Nasa’I, Sunan al-Kubra (Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Risala, 2001), 5:49-50.