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On October 28, 2024, the X (formerly Twitter) account of Hafiza Aisha Siddiqi published a Dari-language video of herself addressing a group of female students. In the film, she was teaching them how mothers should prepare their sons and daughters for jihad.
The first word in her name, Hafiza, is an term for a woman who has memorized the Quran. Hafiza Aisha Siddiqi, also known as Maryam, is a teacher at a madrassa in Kabul, and is a supporter of the Afghan Taliban.
In the video, Hafiza Aisha Siddiqi draws on early Islamic history, noting that Muhammad's female companions, such as Hamsa and Asma, prepared their sons for the battlefront of jihad and martyrdom.
Following is a translation of the video:
"We must revive jihad. How beautiful is this phrase that says: 'Mothers, stop baking cakes; enough training sheep; Enough, we have baked too many sweets. Teach your sons, teach your daughters, educate them, and train them in the belief of jihad, train them in the belief of jihad.'
"Hamsa, may Allah be pleased with her, trained her sons well; she guided them so well. When she went to Ghazwa [battle] with our Prophet, she told her sons: 'My sons! Stand in the front line.'
"Do you remember Asma, may Allah be pleased with her? When Abdullah bin Zubair went on jihad, he was seen wearing a shield.
"[She said:] 'My son, what are you doing? Take it off; you die in the path of Allah. When she saw her martyred son, she said, 'I suckled this hero for this day. This Ummah needs mothers like this. We must train them in the belief of jihad.'"
The audience addressed by Hafiza Aisha.
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