The Firsts | The Forerunners of Islam

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Episode 172

Umm Mahjan (ra): The Woman Who Cleaned the Masjid | The Firsts | Sahaba | Dr. Omar Suleiman

Omar SuleimanMay 6, 202625 min0 comments

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Hadith Sahaba Death & Afterlife Seerah Masjid Taqwa Social Justice in Islam Women in Islam

Episode 171

Bishr ibn al-Baraa (ra): The Story of the Poisoning of the Prophet ﷺ | The Firsts | Dr Omar Suleiman

Episode 173

Zahir ibn Haram (ra): Low Self-Esteem Until He Met the Prophet ﷺ | The Firsts | Dr. Omar Suleiman

About this lecture

In this episode of The Firsts, Dr. Omar Suleiman tells the story of Umm Mihjan (or Mahjana), a formerly enslaved African woman who lived in the Prophet's ﷺ masjid and dedicated herself to cleaning and perfuming it. Through her moving backstory — her miraculous liberation and journey to Islam — and the famous hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ personally prayed her janazah and illuminated her grave, Dr. Suleiman draws powerful lessons about the virtue of serving the masjid, the Islamic principle that nobility lies in taqwa, and the danger of overlooking those society deems insignificant.

Dr. Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and an Adjunct Professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University. Born in New Orleans to Palestinian parents, he began traditional Islamic study in 2000, spending years learning in the UAE, Jordan, and Malaysia, and completed a PhD in Islamic Thought and Civilization from the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He served as Imam of the Jefferson Muslim Association in New Orleans, where he led interfaith rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and is now resident scholar of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, and Co-Chair Emeritus of Faith Forward Dallas. One of the most influential Muslim figures in America, he is known for his Ramadan series, civil rights activism, and prolific scholarship bridging tradition and contemporary life.

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