“My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Jannah…”

iloveAllaah.com And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh when she said: "My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise (al-Jannah), and save me from Pharaoh and his work, and save me from the people who are Dhaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers, and disbelievers in Allah" [Soorah At-Tahreem 66:11]

This similitude is brought forth by Allah for the benefit of the believers affirming that they would not be harmed by their intermingling with the disbelievers if they were in need of them. As Allah stated:  "The believers do not take the disbelievers as friends and protectors instead of the believers. Whosoever does that will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them..." [Soorah Aale 'Imraan 3:28]

Qataadah stated:  Pharaoh was among the haughtiest of the people of the earth and greatest in disbelief and by Allah his wife was not harmed by the disbelief of her husband when she obeyed her Rabb. This was so that people would realize that Allah judges with justice and takes no one to account except for his (own) sins.

Ibn Jareer stated (after mentioning a chain of narrators):  "The wife of Pharaoh was tortured under the sun and when he would go away from her the angels would cover her with their wings. And she was shown her home in Al-Jannah."

Ibn Jareer also narrates from another chain:  "The wife of Pharaoh asked:  Who was the victor? (i.e. between Pharaoh and his magicians and Musa and his brother) It was said: Musa and Haaroon.  So she said, "I believe in the Lord (Rabb) of Musa and Haaroon."  So Pharaoh sent for her and ordered:  "Look for the biggest boulder you can find and if she sticks to her words then cast her upon it. If she takes back her words then she will remain my wife."  When they went to her she raised her eyes to the sky and saw her home in Al-Jannah so she stuck by her words and her soul was taken from her so nothing was thrown onto the boulder except a soulless corpse.

Regarding her words, My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise (al-Jannah), the scholars said: "Aktaaratul-Jaar qabl ad-Daar (She chose the neighbour before the dwelling.)"  A statement like this is related in a marfou' hadeeth.

... and save me from Pharaoh and his work... That is 'Rescue me from him and I am clear before You of his (evil) deeds'
... and save me from the people who are Dhaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers, and disbelievers in Allah...

This woman was Aasiyah Bint Muzaahim (radiAllahu 'anhaa).

Abu Ja'far Ar-Raazi relates that Abu 'Aaliyah said: The Iman of the wife of Pharaoh came through the wife of the treasurer of Pharaoh. She (the wife of the treasurer) was sitting and combing the hair of Pharaoh's daughter when the comb fell from her hand.  She exclaimed: "Wretched is the one who disbelieves in Allah!"  The daughter of Pharaoh said, "Do you have a Rabb (Lord) other than my father?"  She replied, "My Rabb, your Rabb the Rabb of your father and the Rabb of all there is!"

So the daughter of Pharaoh slapped and beat her and told her father. Pharaoh sent for her and said, "Do you worship a Rabb other than me?" She replied, "Yes. My Rabb, your Rabb and the Rabb of all there is and He alone do I worship."

So Pharaoh tortured her and had her bound to a stake, tightly tying her hands and legs and set vipers upon her and she was left in that state. He came to her one day and asked, "Do you give up?" She said to him, "My Rabb, your Rabb and the Rabb of everything is Allah!"  So he said to her, "I will slaughter your son in front of you for your mouth (i.e. statement) if you don't stop."  So she said to him, "Do what you will."

So he slaughtered her son before her face and the soul of her son gave her good news saying: "Glad tidings my mother, you will have the reward of such-and-such from Allah."

She then became patient and forbearing until Pharaoh again came to her one day and said the same as he had before. She replied as before, so he slaughtered another of her sons before her and his soul also gave her the good news, "Be patient my mother, for you will have the reward of such-and-such from Allah."

The narrator continued:  The wife of Pharaoh heard the speech of the eldest son's soul and then the younger one as well. So the wife of Pharaoh believed and Allah took the soul of the wife of Pharaoh's treasurer.  The veil (of darkness and misguidance) was removed from the wife of Pharaoh until she could see her (i.e. the woman's) reward, her station and her honor in Al-Jannah so her faith, surety, and absolute veracity and sincerity increased and Allah brought out her faith to Pharaoh.

He said to his cronies, "What do you know about Aasiyah Bint Muzaahim?"  They proceeded to praise her so he said to them, "She worships other than me."  So they said to him, "Execute her!"

So she was put on a stake and her hands and feet tied tightly upon it and she called upon her Rabb. She said, My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise (al-Jannah) and this was accepted for her in Pharaoh's presence so she laughed when she was shown her dwelling place in Al-Jannah.

Pharaoh said: Aren't you astounded by her madness?! She laughs as I torture her!"

Thus Allah took her soul to Al-Jannah, radiAllahu 'anhaa.