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In the name of Allāh, the most Gracious, the most Merciful

Rufaydah bint Sa’ad al-Anṣāriyyah or al-Aslamiyyah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها

In the Islāmic world, Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها is considered the first professional nurse (Kasule, 2010). Rufaydah bint Sa’d رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها learned medical care from her father, who was a physician and trained a group of women as nurses. These women prepared food, established tent hospitals, and attended the sick and wounded during the time of the

Prophet Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم in battles during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. She is believed to have started the first nursing school in Islām when she taught women and girls the art of nursing the sick and wounded. She is described as having set down the first code of nursing rules and ethics in the world and is still considered a symbol of noble deeds and self-denial in the modern Islāmic world. Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها was also involved in social work, providing assistance to the poor, the orphans, and the handicapped.

About 1,200 years before Florence Nightingale, considered the founder of modern nursing, Rufaydah bint Sa’d رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها was the first to introduce the nursing profession to the Muslim world.

Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها, also referred to as Ku’aibah in Prophetic narrations, was amongst the fortunate women of the Ansār who welcomed our beloved Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to Medīnah. She was from the Al-Aslam tribe of the Al-Khazraj tribal federation. She acquired her skills in taking care of the sick and wounded from her father, a physician named

Sa’d al-Aslami رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْه, and attained expertise in the field. Along with tending to the sick, Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها would also prepare patients before invasive procedures by providing the necessary hygiene and care.

During times of war, Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها used her skills to care for wounded soldiers, and is credited with establishing the first mobile care tents to treat soldiers on the field. Today, mobile tents are used during triage and emergency events like the pandemic of COVID-19. The tents were used to separate the infected patients from the uninfected patients to help reduce the spread of the virus. During triage, the mobile tents are placed on-site at the event to provide the necessary nursing care to prevent complications that may result in death.

Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها is said to have contributed her knowledge and skills to major battles in Islāmic history such as Badr, Uḥud, Khandaq, Khaybar, etc. She is also mentioned in the Prophetic narrations for tending to the wounds of the famous Ṣaḥābi, Sa’d ibn Mu’ādh, the chief of the Aws tribe in Madīnah, upon whose death the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said the Throne of Allāh shook and whose janāzah was attended by 70,000 angels.

When Sa’d ibn Muādh رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْه was wounded at the Battle of Khandaq,

Rasulullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم instructed the Ṣaḥābah to take him to Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها.

She was a lady who would tend to the injured and look after the weak Muslims.

It should be noted that she was among those Ṣaḥābiyyāt who would tend to the wounded. It would be incorrect to say she was the only one. Other Ṣaḥābiyyāt such as Umm ‘Atiyyah, Umm Sulaim, Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh رضي الله عنهم and others would tend to the wounded as well.

Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ states in Tahdhīb Al-Tahdhīb:

[She was] a woman from Aslam who would medically treat injured soldiers. ‘Āsim Ibn ‘Umar Ibn Qatādah narrated from Maḥmūd Ibn Labīd رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْه that when

Sa’d Ibn Mu’ādh رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْه was gravely injured in the battle of the Trench, he was sent to the care of a woman known as Rufaydah. Ibn Sa’d رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْه referred to her as al-Ku’aibah, so he mentioned her as Ku’aibah bint Sa’d al-Aslamiyyah. She pledged her allegiance to the

Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم after the pilgrimage. She is the one who had a tent in the Masjid where she treated the injured. Sa’d Ibn Mu’ādh رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْه was being treated by her until he died under her care.

She was such an important asset to the Islāmic cause that the

Prophet Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is said to have given her a share from the spoils of war equal to the soldiers. In fact, at the end of the Battle Khayber, the

Prophet Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was so impressed by Rufaydah’s رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها nursing skills that he permitted her to maintain a small clinic in a tent by Masjid Al-Nabawī, the central mosque of Madīnah, to continue her nursing care for people in need. It was in this clinic that she trained women who wanted to learn how to care for the sick and wounded, thus, she is credited with founding the first nursing school.

Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها emerged as a leader in her field and is said to have trained famous Ṣaḥābiyyāt who volunteered to go out to battlefields رضي الله عنهم. She impacted the Muslim world by demonstrating that women can provide excellent care to any individual if given the proper training. Having established the first code of nursing rules and ethics in the world, she is still considered a symbol of noble deeds and self-denial in the modern era. She was also able to provide general health education regarding hygiene and cleanliness to the people of Madīnah.

Rufaydah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها had exemplary skills, knowledge, leadership, and character. She demonstrated how a nurse should treat a patient by being caring, kind, empathetic, and devoted to helping them through their illnesses. Her legacy remains through initiatives such as colleges being named after her in countries like Pakistan and Jordan, and awards such as the Rufaydah Al-Aslamiyyah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عنها Prize which is awarded to students who excel in nursing care. She was able to inspire many women globally and beyond the Muslim world to seek education in the medical field.

May Allāh guide all of us in striving to be like the amazing companions and use our favour sand blessings to benefit the ummah and the world at large,

Āmīn.