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Women in Islam
By Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi
http://www.islamfortoday.com/turabi01.htm
Muslim Women used also to participate in military expeditions bringing water
to the thirsty combatants, treating the wounded, and carrying them to safety,
and sometimes engaging in active warfare. The Quran refers to this and other
exploits of men and women,
"And their lord responded to them: I suffer not the work of any worker male
or female to be lost. You proceed one from another. So those who fled and were
driven forth from their homes and suffered harm for my cause and fought or where
slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds and shall bring them into gardens
underneath which rivers flow as a reward from God, and God offers the fairest of
rewards". (All-Imran, 3: 195)
3:195 Their Lord answered their prayer, saying, "I
do not let go to waste the labour of any worker from among you whether male or
female, for all of you (human beings) are the offspring of one another.
( 139 )
i will, therefore, forgive all the shortcomings of those who left
their homes or were expelled from them for My sake or were persecuted, and of
those who fought for My cause and were slain, and admit them to the Gardens
underneath which canals flow." This is their reward from Allah and with Allah
alone is the richest reward.
( 140 )
139. That is, "In My sight all of you are alike as human bungs and I have the
same standards of justice and judgment for all, and men should not forget that
women are of the same "human status as they themselves have. I do not
discriminate between man and woman, master and slave, the black and the white,
the high and the low."
140. There is a Tradition that VV. 190-195 were recited by the Holy Prophet
before some non-Muslims who came to him and said, "All the Prophets brought one
Sign or the other with them. For instance, Moses had the miraculous staff and
his bright hand to show, and Jesus healed the blind and the lepers. Please tell
us what sign have you brought us as a proof of your Prophethood." The Holy .
Prophet recited these verses and said, "I have brought this."
Even the Prophet's own wife, Sayyidah Aishah, actively participated in such
military services. Anas stated, "In the Battle of Uhud when the Muslims were
routed and were put to flight from the Prophet, I saw how Aisha bint Abu Bakr
and Umm-Saleem were extremely busy carrying water skins on their backs and
emptying them into the mouths of the Muslims". (Bukhari)
There were other prominent ladies who equally participated in the war effort:
Umm-Sinan Al Aslamyiah, and Ummyah bint Qais (as reported by Tabaqat). Hamnah
bint Jahash was one of those ladies who pledged allegiance to Islam and
participated in the battle of Uhud, bringing water to the thirsty, transporting
the wounded to safety and giving them the necessary treatment. (Al Isabah). Al
Rabee bint Mua'weth, also known as Laila al-Ghifariah, used to accompany the
Prophet (peace be upon him) in his military campaigns, treating the wounded and
looking after the sick. (Al-Isabah). Bukhari gives the following report from
her: "We were with the Prophet (peace be upon him), giving water to the thirsty,
treating the wounded and bringing the dead bodies of the Muslims to Madina".
Umm-Dhahhak bint Masoud also accompanied the Prophet in his military campaign of
Khaiber. The Prophet gave her the same share of spoils there as he gave to man.
(Al-Isabah)
Safyiah bint Abdul Mattalib, too, was one of those women who actively
participated in the battles: "When the people took off for the military campaign
of Al Khandaq, the Prophet (peace be upon him) placed his women in a small
fortress called Fari, and Hassan bin Thabit was also left with them. Later a Jew
came and climbed up the fortress till he was in a position to command a full
view of all. Saifyah belted herself around the waist, took a pole and descended
upon him striking him with the pole till he died". (Al-Isabah)
Nusaybah bint Ka'b is another lady who witnessed the battle of Uhud. She
intended to bring water to the wounded, but she in fact took an active part in
the fighting, and on that day brought great havoc to the enemy and wounded
twelve of them severely. When the Muslims pulled back and exposed the Prophet,
she stood her ground firmly in his defence. (Tabaqat). The Prophet (peace be
upon him) appreciated her much and praised her. When she heard the news that her
son Habib was killed in battle, she swore either she would die in front of
Musailamah, or kill him. She participated in the battle of Al Yamamah along with
Khalid bin Al Waleed. Her son Abdullah, too, was with her. He was killed in
battle while she as well lost one of her arms. (Al-Isabah)
Another case is Umm-Haran bint-Malhan. The Prophet (peace be upon him) went to
the daughter of Malhan and stood by her side and then laughed. She said to him:
"Why are you laughing, O Messenger of God?" The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said: "Some of my people would sail on the Green Sea (the Mediterranean) for
God's sake". She said to him: "Please pray that God may include me with them".
The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for her. (Bukhari). About Umm-Saleem bint
Malhan, Sahih Muslim reports that, in the battle of Junain, she had a dagger
which she carried about.
From the preceding exposition, it is evident that in defence and other
collective duties and obligations of public life Muslim women may participate.
But they are not duty-bound to do so, except when the urgency is such that their
participation becomes mandatory. The Mother of Believers, A'yishah, is reported
to have requested the Prophet (peace be upon him) for permission to participate
in Jihad (fighting). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to her, "Haj is your
Jihad".
According to Ibn-Batal, a commentator, the tradition of A'yishah mentioned above
proves that participation in fighting is not binding on women, but the statement
that Haj is their Jihad does not bar them from volunteering for Jihad. Bukhari
seems to express the same opinion.
On the basis of the uniform principles of Islamic jurisprudence, a Muslim
Woman enjoys the same capacity and freedom enjoyed by a man. She too can propose
to a man for marriage, orally or in writing, she can freely choose her spouse,
reject a suitor she does not like or obtain divorce from an estranged husband
against his will. But a male relative normally formalises the marriage contract,
and marriage dissolution or divorce on a woman's initiative is only granted by a
judge.
Umamah bint Abi'l-As was one lady companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
who proposed for marriage in writing. She sent a message to Al Mugheerah bin
Naufal saying: "If you feel you stand in need of us then proceed forth". He then
sought her hand in marriage from Al Hasan, her cousin, who duly solemnised the
marriage. (Al-lsabah)
An account about Sahal bin Saad Al Saidi in the books of authentic traditions
tells about a Muslim woman who proposed verbally to the Prophet (peace be upon
him) himself. She told him: "I present myself to you". She then waited for quite
some time while the Prophet kept looking at her. A man said to the Prophet: "If
you don't need her please marry me to her". The Prophet (peace be upon him)
asked him: "Do you have anything to offer as dowry?" The man replied: "I don't
have anything except this loin cloth". The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to
him: "If you give her your loin cloth you will remain without one, look for
something else". The man said: "I can't find any". The Prophet (peace be upon
him) then advised him, "Try to find even an iron ring". He tried in vain. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) finally asked him: "Do you know anything from the
Quran (learnt by heart)?" The man replied: "Yes, such and such Surah of the
Quran", and he named the Surahs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then declared:
"I solemnize your marriage with her with whatever verses of the Quran you have
as dowry". (All Six Reporters of Tradition)
Regarding the making of marriage proposals to women, one may read the
provisions of the Quran about proposing to a woman whose husband has died, while
she is spending the period of transition, "Iddah". God says, "There is no harm
to you if you make a hint of an offer of betrothal to women or hold it in your
hearts; God knows that you cherish them in your hearts. But don't make a secret
engagement with them, except in terms indirect and honourable, nor resolve the
bond of marriage till the term prescribed is fulfilled. And know that God knows
what is in your hearts. So take heed of Him. And know that God is most forgiving
and most forbearing". (Al Baqarah, 235).
Regarding the freedom of marital choice of a woman, one may read the
provisions of the Quran about not preventing a woman, by force, from marrying:
"And when you divorce women, and they fulfil the term of their Iddat, either
take them back on equitable terms or set them free on equitable terms. But do
not take them back to prejudice them or to take undue advantage thereof.
Whosoever does that, indeed, he harms his own self". (Al Bagarah, 232).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered that a woman should not be married
but with her own authority and consent. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
ordered: "Do not marry a non-virgin except on her instruction, nor marry a
virgin except with her permission; and her silence may go for permission".
(Bukhari). Whether a girl is a virgin or not, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
would not allow their marriage under compulsion. Ibn-Abbas stated that a virgin
girl came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and told him that her father had
got her married without her approval. The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave her
complete freedom to choose whichever course that pleased her. (Reported by Abu
Dawoud, Ahmed, and Ibn-Majah). Another girl came to the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and complained that her father had married her to his nephew against her
wish, the Prophet gave her the choice of rejecting the marriage. But she said to
the Prophet (peace be upon him), "I endorse what my father did, but I wanted to
show women that parents have nothing to do in the matter". (Ibn-Majah).
The dissolution of marriage and the grant of divorce by the judge on the wife's
application is normal practice in personal law. A wife can have whatever creed
of scriptural religion at variance with her Muslim Husband without any
compulsion. She can and should acquire any education without any limit or
hindrance. It is reported that Prophet (peace be upon him) strongly recommended
the good education of girls. Abu Bardah Ibn-Abi Musa quoted his father as saying
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, three people will be doubly rewarded
by God. Any one from among the people of the scriptures who believed in his own
Prophet as well as in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a slave who
endeavors to meet his obligation towards God as well his masters and anyone who
has a slave girl and strove to educate her and teach her well and then gives her
freedom and marries her. (All the six reporters of tradition). It is worthy of
note that women have been attending the general assemblies for learning held by
the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Women are entitled to full freedom of expression of their proper views.
Sayyidah Ayeshah is famous for going all-out to advance her juristic opinions.
Muslim ladies used to venture their views in the presence of the Prophet (peace
be upon him) as well his successors, the Caliphs. Ibn Al-Jauzi narrated the
virtues and merits of Umar bin Al-Khattab (God bless him) in the following
words: Umar forbade the people from paying excessive dowries and addressed them
saying: "Don't fix the dowries for women over forty ounces. If ever that is
exceeded I shall deposit the excess amount in the public treasury". As he
descended from the pulpit, a flat-nosed lady stood up from among the women
audience, and said: "It is not within your right". Umar asked: "Why should this
not be of my right?" she replied: "Because God has proclaimed: 'even if you had
given one of them (wives) a whole treasure for dowry take not the least bit
back. Would you take it by false claim and a manifest sin'". (Al Nisa, 20). When
he heard this, Umar said: "The woman is right and the man (Umar) is wrong. It
seems that all people have deeper insight and wisdom than Umar". Then he
returned to the pulpit and declared: "O people, I had restricted the giving of
more than four hundred dirhams in dowry. Whosoever of you wishes to give in
dowry as much as he likes and finds satisfaction in so doing may do so".
According to Islamic jurisprudence a woman is competent to own property and
dispose of it in any manner. The Sharia generally provides for an equitable
and fair role for women in the economic life of Muslim society. Just as much as
they share in the management of family affairs, they can contribute to the
support of the family, although they are not legally bound to provide
maintenance. A woman can share outdoor work with the man to earn a common
living. Asma bint Abu Bakr is said to have narrated that when Al Zubair married
her, he had no land property, nor a slave, nor anything else, except a camel for
* lmgation * and a horse. She said: "I would give fodder to his horse, draw the
water, patch his water skin, knead the flour. I was not good at baking and
preparing bread; but I had some sincere Ansar neighbour ladies who used to help
me with the baking. I used to bring, on my head, fruit kernels from the land
which the Prophet (peace be upon him) had given to Al Zubair. That land was at a
distance of three farsakhs (about ten miles). One day I was on my way home with
a load on my head when I met the Prophet with a number of Ansar. the Prophet
(peace be upon him) asked me to ride, behind him on the camel, but I felt shy of
joining the company of men. The Prophet (peace be upon him) realised that I was
feeling shy and, therefore, continued his journey without me. Later I came to Al
Zubair and told him how I met the Prophet (peace be upon him) with a company of
Ansars, and how I declined his offer when he bade the camel to kneel so that I
might ride behind him. I told Al Zubair I felt shy and remembered your jealousy
over your self-respect and honour. On hearing that account Al Zubar said, 'By
God your carrying fruit kernels is far more distressing for me than riding the
camel with the Prophet'. Later Abu Bakr sent me a servant to save me the trouble
of looking after the horse and I felt as if I had been relieved of the bondage
of slavery". (Bukhari).
Muslim couples are supposed to cooperate and consult over matters relating to
their family, even after divorce. The Quran so provides that "Mothers shall
breastfeed their babies for two complete years, if a father desires that the
term be completed. The father of the baby shall provide them food and clothes in
the established manner. None shall be charged more than his capacity. No mother
shall be prejudiced with respect to her child, nor father with respect to his.
The same is the responsibility of them. If both spouses decide, by mutual
consent and consultation, on weaning, there is no blame on either. If you want
to have your babies breastfed by a foster mother you are not doing anything
blame-worthy provided you pay to the fostermother what you had agreed to offer,
in accordance with the established manner. Fear God and know that God is aware
it what you are doing". (Al-Baqarah, 233).
In an Islamic Society women also take part in the appointment of counseling
and control officers responsible for the public affairs of society. This may
be done either through the process of election or consultation. The account of
the Shura process following Umar's death firmly establishes this matter. Muslim
ladies did actually participate in that general consultation. Ibn Katheer, the
historian, told, "then Abdur Rahman bin Auf undertook to consult the people
about (the candidates) Uthman bin Affan and Ali bin Abi Talib. He was collecting
and collating the general opinion of the Muslims through their leaders. he
consulted them singly as well as collectively; privately as well as publicly. He
even reached to the Muslim ladies in their privacy". (Al Bidayah Wa-'Nihayah).
The tradition of early Muslim Society was for women to attend all public
meetings and festivals. Authentic reports about life with Prophet (peace be
upon him) give account of women going to attend the two Eid (festive days)
prayers. Even those who were excused from prayer, would also come to attend the
congregation. Hafsah, the Prophet's wife (God bless her) is reported to have
said: "We used to forbid young girls to go out to attend the Eid prayers. But a
woman came to visit and stayed in Qasr Bani Khelf, and told about her sister,
whose husband had participated in twelve military campaigns of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), her sister took part in six thereof". She said: "We treated
the wounded and looked after the sick. I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him):
would there be any harm in not going out if we do not have julbabs (wide loose
gowns)?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "Let her friend lend her a
jilbab so that she may attend the blessed occasion and the preaching of Islam".
Hafsah went on: "when Umm Salma came I asked her (to confirm): 'Did you hear the
Prophet (peace be upon him)?' she replied, 'Yes indeed I heard him say: all
girls, young, screened or in their monthly periods should go out to attend the
Eid congregation and witness the blessedness and publicity of social Islam. The
menstruating ladies should however stand by during the prayer'". Hafsa asked:
"The menstruating ladies too?" she replied: "Don't you see that they attend the
congregation in Arafa for pilgrimage?". (Bukhari).
Another aspect of women in Apostolic society was revealed by an account of
Sayidah Ayishah about how she attended a spectacle of the Ethiopians: "By God
the Prophet was by my chamber's door while the Ethiopians were showing their
spear games in Al Haram. The Prophet (peace be upon him) covered me with his
shawl so that I may too watch their feats. I was watching them from behind his
shoulder. He would pose there for my sake till I choose to break off". Ayeshah
suggests: "you should fully appreciate a young girl's interest in fun".
(Bukhari).
Excepting those specific tasks of public life which are obligatory on men and
only voluntary to women, male Muslims in an Islamic Society have no exclusive
prerogative or specialization.
They have no power or authority over women except in the context of conjugal
relationship. That relationship itself is established and dissolved with the
consent of the female party, and should be conducted in a spirit of mutual
respect, consultation and conciliation. The man is in charge of the family, but
that amounts only to responsibility for financial maintenance and authority for
direction and discipline exercised in a reasonable manner. Both spouses should
share in the management of family affairs, and have equal authority over their
sons and daughters.
Public life is no stage where men alone can play. There is no segregation
of sexes in public domains which call for joint efforts. Thus both men and
women are supposed to participate in congregational prayers. The Prophet, (peace
be upon him) is reported to have said: "Don't stop women form going to mosques
at night". A son of Abdullah bin Umar, on hearing this statement, said to
his father: "We would not allow women to go out of the house at night for fear
of any abuses". * Ibn-Umar * reprimanded his son: "I say the prophet (peace he
upon him) said so, and you still say you won't allow it". (Muslim).
From the foregoing, it is clear that the Prophet's directive is for women to go
out publicly to frequent mosques even at night, and to attend and offer Eid
prayers. It is also recognised that pilgrimage (Haj), despite its displacements
and thick crowds, is a function performed in common by men and women. Some
over-scrupulous Muslim rulers endeavored to introduce some modification in this
respect with a view of segregating men and women in the Tawaf (going round the
holy Kabah). But scholars who upheld the Sunna and favour strict adherence to
Tradition, opposed any change in the practice current in the Prophet's own
times. Consequently, the traditional practice of Tawaf in common remained
established and the change fell through. That was when Muhammed bin Hisham, the
governor of Mecca, stopped ladies performing Tawaf alongside men. Ata, the
famous scholar of tradition objected: "How do you stop them when the Prophet's
own wives did Tawaf of Kaba alongside men?" The practice had continued without
any change even after the introduction of the restrictive regime imposed on the
Prophet's wives, although they used to steer clear of the men around them, while
all other women used to mix with men and huddle to touch and kiss the Black
Stone in the wall of Kabah (Bukhari). Educational assemblies, too were attended
by men and women jointly. The Prophet (peace be upon him), in teaching the
Muslims, used to address men and women together even where he was giving
instruction, relating to conjugal matters. Once he was lecturing Muslims after
prayer about tales they would tell the morning following their conjugal
activities. Abu Hurairah is quoted to have reported this as follows: "The
Prophet (peace be upon him) had just finished his prayer with us, when he
directly turned and asked us to keep sitting, and then asked: 'Is there amongst
you any who would shut doors and draw curtains when he approaches his wife, but
would later go out and tell every body how he did so and so?' all men present
kept silent. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) turned to the ladies and said:
"Does any one of you openly discuss her conjugal matters with other women?" A
young lady in the audience, when she heard this, knelt up on one knee and craned
her neck so that the Prophet (peace be upon him) might see her and hear her
speak. She said: 'Yes by God, all men discuss these matters among themselves and
so do all women, too'. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Do you know whom
does one doing that compare to?' 'Indeed it is like two satanic couples who meet
on a high street and indulge their sexual desire in full view of the people'".
(reported by Ahmed, Abu Dawood, and Albazar).
In another mixed audience, a woman intervened during a sermon the Prophet (peace
be upon him) was delivering to a congregation of Muslims by publicly asking:
"Why do you reckon most women would go to hell?". This was reported by
Ibn-Umar who quoted the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: "O women! Give alms,
and beseech God excessively for his forgiveness, for I see that most of the
inmates of hell will be from amongst you". Some of the ladies present in the
congregation asked: "What it was that made women outnumber the male inmates
of hell?". The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Because you curse
excessively and are ungrateful to your partners. I haven't seen anything so
deficient in wisdom and religion". The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied:
"The testimony of two women equals that of one man; further, she has to abstain
from the prayer for days" (Meaning that limited experience and abstinence from
prayer during her period may impinge on her proper conduct and judgement).
(Muslim).
Separate meetings exclusively for ladies were sometimes convened, but that was
for practical reasons, mostly the dominance of men, sitting close to the Prophet
(peace be upon him) after prayer and the inability of women sitting behind to
hear him well. Bukhari narrated, in a chapter titled, 'Is a day set aside
exclusively for the education of women?', that women told the Prophet, "men have
dominated us around you", the Prophet (peace be upon him) promised to give them
a separate day. He would meet them on the scheduled day and deliver his lecture
and instruction. It is in such a session that he once told them: "Any woman who
loses three children would find it a barrier from hell". A woman said, "and what
about two?" The Prophet (peace he upon him) replied, "even two". (Bukhair).
On the authority of Ibn Abbas, Bukhari stated that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was on his way after delivering his Eid address and Bilal was with him. He
felt that the ladies attending the congregation did not hear his lecture. He
therefore went to preach to them especially and to ask them to give alms.
A woman is quite entitled to go out for any
need. She may go to the market to do business or otherwise; even
though this may entail someone inconveniencing her. After the Prophet's wives
were curtained away and segregated, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would still
permit them to go out of their houses for their needs. Sayyidah Ayishah is
quoted as saying that after the introduction of segregation "Saudah went out of
her house to pursue some need. She was a bulky lady and anyone who knew her
could easily recognise her. Umar bin Alkhatab saw her once and said, 'O Saudah
you are not unrecognizable to us. Just see how you have come out?' when she
heard that, she withdrew and returned. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was at
that time in my (Ayishah's) house for his dinner. Sauda entered and said to him,
'O Prophet of God, I went out of my house for some need and Umar said to me so
and so'" Sayyidah Ayeshah Said, "Then revelation came from God and later, when
it was over, the Prophet (peace be upon him) regained his hand and said to
Sauda, 'God has permitted you to go out of your house for your needs'".
(Bukhari).
The following verse of the Quran clearly bears out that ladies can go out of
their houses: "O Prophet! tell your wives and daughters and the women of the
believers to lower their outer garments on their persons. That is likely to
allow them to be recognised and by consequence, not be molested, and God is most
Forgiving and most kind". (Al Ahzab, 59). The occasion for the revelation of
these verses of the Quran was the fact that some rogue individuals would
inconvenience ladies in the streets of Madinah. Explaining the meaning of:
"To lower their outer garments on their person", Mujahid (a famous early
authority on the exegesis of the Quran) said, "they covered themselves with
their outer garments so that it is known that they are free-born women of good
social standing and no depraved person may level at them undue words or
suspicions".
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Muslims, if they had to sit by the road,
to lower their gaze as women pass by. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri quoted the Prophet
(peace be upon him) as saying, "try to avoid sitting by the roads and paths".
The Muslims said, "O Prophet! sitting by the roads is unavoidable for us". The
Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, "If you insist on sitting there, then
give the highway its due". The Muslims asked, "what is that?" the Prophet (peace
be upon him) said, "lowering of your gaze, desisting from hurting any one,
exchange of greetings, asking others to do good, and warning others off anything
foul". (Muslim).
Women can engage in business and commerce. Take the case of Qailah
Umm-Bani Atmar, one of the merchant ladies. She said, "I am a woman who buys and
sells". (Al Isabah). Umar Ibn Al Khattab entrusted the supervision of
administrative market affairs to Shaff'a bint Abdullah bin Abd Shams. Umar used
to seek her counsel, pay due regard to her and hold her in high esteem.
(Al-Isabah). In this regard the dialogue between Abu Al-Yasar and a woman who
came to purchase dates from him, is also significant to show how women went
about shopping (Trimithi).
Islam does not call for segregation between men and women. A woman may,
therefore, receive the family guests, serve and entertain them. Consider the
story of Ibraheem (Abraham) (peace be upon him), when he received the angels in
the guise of (human) guests who told him, "We were sent to the folk of Lot". And
his wife, standing by, laughed. They gave her good tidings of the birth of Isaac
and after Isaac of Jacob. She said, "O woe to me, shall I bear a child when l am
an old woman and this is my husband an old man? This is a strange thing?" (Hud,
70-72)
There were some elderly ladies whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) used
to visit, regularly. He might take meals in their places and pray there, and
when they fell sick he would call upon them to console them. Take, for instance,
Umm-Ayman. She migrated from Makkah to Madinah walking all the way on foot with
none to keep her company and in extremely hot weather. The prophet (peace be
upon him) used to honour her with his social visits (Seerat Ibn-Hisham).
Khaulah bint Qais is another such lady. According to Al Tabrani, Ibn-Harith
heard Khaula hint Qais say: "the Prophet (peace be upon him) and I took meals in
the same dish". (AI-Isabah). Al-Shaffa bint Abdullah was one of the wise and
prominent ladies of Madinah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to visit her
and took his mid-day nap in her house. She arranged a bed and a sheet for him to
sleep in. (Al-Isabah)
Al-Shaykhan (i.e Bukkari and Muslim) give an account of Maleekah Al Ansariah on
the authority of Anas who said that his grandmother Maleekah invited the Prophet
to meals which she herself had prepared. The same tradition relates how the
Prophet (peace be upon him) offered his prayers in their houses: Anas said, "An
orphan and I would stand behind him, and the old lady behind us". (Al-Isabah)
Lubabah bint Al-Harith, it is stated, was one of the first ladies after Sayyedah
Khadijah, to embrace Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to visit her
and take his mid-day nap in her house. Umm-Waraga was a lady that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) used to visit. The Prophet (peace be upon him) allowed her
to pray at home and to lead her staff, male and female, in prayer (Abu Dawoud).
It was she who, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) conducted the battle of
Badr, requested him to allow her to accompany him so that she might treat the
patients and that perhaps God might bless her with martyrdom. (Al-Isabah).
Fatimah bint Asad bin Hashim was a very pious lady. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) used to visit her and take his mid-day nap in her house. (Tabaqat)
Umm al Fadhl bint Al-Harith was the first woman to embrace Islam after Sayyedah
Khadijah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to visit her and take his mid-day
nap in her house. (Tabqat). All these were women of social distinction worthy of
the Prophet's consideration.
Even a bride may undertake to serve guests personally. Sahal bin S'ad Al Ansari
stated that Abu Saeed invited the Prophet (peace be upon him) to his wedding
feast. His bride Umm-Saeed was the one who prepared the meals and served the
guests too. She put some dates in a stone vessel to soak in water. When the
Prophet (peace be upon him) had finished the meal she crushed the dates with her
own hand and gave the prophet (peace be upon him) to drink, as a special favour.
(The Shaikhan, Bukhari and Muslim).
The practice of family visits was also common in the early period of Islam. For
instance, the visits of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Al Rabee bint Muawiz
and her husband Ilyas bin Al Kabeer, were well-known. Abu Dawoud, At-Tirmithy
and Ibn-Majah quoted a number of traditions on the authority of Ibn-Aqeel. Al
Rabee bint Muawiz gives a description of the Prophet's ablution. She said that
the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to come to them and say, "please pour water
so that I may do the ablution (wadu)". (Al-Isabah)
So far as the familiar Hijab is concerned,
it refers to the special regulation pertaining to the Prophet's wives due to
their status and situations. They occupied a position different from all
other women, their responsibility is thereby stiffened. God has ordained that
their reward as well as punishment be double compared to that for any other
woman. "O wives of the Prophet whoever of you commits a vile deed will have her
punishment doubled. And that, for God, is quite easy. And whosoever of you
serves God and his Prophet devoutly and acts righteously, we shall give her
double reward. And we have prepared for her honourable sustenance in the
hereafter". (Al-Ahzab, 30-31).
The verses of the same Sura ordained that the wives of the Prophet (peace upon
him) draw a curtain (to ensure privacy in the Prophet's room which naturally
attracted many visitors of all sorts), and that they dress up completely without
showing any part of their bodies including face and hands to any man; though
all other Muslim women were exempted from these restrictions. Thus the Quran
goes: "O you who believe don't enter the Prophet's homes except when you are
invited for a meal and don't come too early awaiting its preparation. But when
you are invited, do enter (the prophet's home). When you have finished the meal,
disperse, without (lingering) for familiar talk. Such behaviour used to
inconvenience the Prophet who was too embarrassed shy (to ask you to disperse).
But God is not embarrassed to say the truth. And when you ask the Prophet's
women something ask, them from behind a curtain. This is purer for your hearts
as well as for theirs. It is not proper for you to annoy the Prophet.
None of you will at all marry the Prophet's
wives after his death. God considers that an enormously great sin".
(Al-Ahzab, 53).
The text of this commandment is evidently restricted to the Prophet's house,
dialogue with his wives, and impermissibility of their remarriage after his
death. The circumstances surrounding the revelation of the commandment confirm
that the provisions of the commandment are so confined. An authentic tradition
demonstrates that this commandment vindicated a specific suggestion advanced by
Umar bin al Khattab. Sayyedha Aishah is quoted as saying that Umar bin Al
Khattab asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to confine his wives. She said,
"but the Prophet (peace he upon him) did not do so. Then God sent down the
verses relating to confinement". (Bukhari). Anas reported that Umar said: "My
Lord granted me three wishes: I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), 'how
about adopting the spot of Prophet Ibraheem for prayer?' and later the verse,
'Adopt the spot of Ibraheem for prayer' was sent down. I said to the Prophet
(peace be upon him), 'O Prophet the pious as well as the dissolute enter your
house to meet your wives. How about ordering them to withdraw themselves?'
Subsequently the verses of confinement were sent down. Similarly the wives of
the Prophet (peace be upon him) conspired, out of jealousy, against the Prophet
(peace be upon him), and I said to them what was later sent down the verse, 'God
may, if he divorced you, give him in exchange wives better than you'". (Al
Tahreem, 5) (Musand Al-Imam Ahmed Ibn-Hambal).
The verses may directly concern the prolonged stay of the guests who came to
attend the wedding to Zainab bint Jahash. Ibn-shihab reports that Anas bin Malik
gave him the following account: "When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in
Madinah, I was a boy of ten. And I spent 10 years serving him. None knows more
than myself about the revelation related to the confinement of his wives. Ubai
bin K'ab used to ask me about the Prophet's marriage to Zainab bint Jahash. The
Prophet (peace be upon him), as bridegroom, invited the people in the morning to
feast. Most took the meal and went away. A group of them, however, remained with
the Prophet (peace be upon him) and stayed rather long. The Prophet (peace be
upon him) stood up and went out. I followed him out so that they might likewise
go. The Prophet (peace be upon him) walked up to the threshold of Sayyedah
Ayishah's room, and thought that by that time they might have left. But when he
returned, with me after him, to Zainab's, that group was still sitting and had
not dispersed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) returned, and again I followed,
till he reached threshold of Sayyedah Aiashah's room that they might go. It was
only when we returned that they had just gone out. As a consequence the verses
relating to confinement were revealed. A curtain was then lowered between me and
the Prophet's private quarters". (Bukhari).
A further confirmation of the foregoing conclusion in respect of the scope of
the confinement rule is that those women who were separated from the Prophet
(peace be upon him) before consummation of marriage, were not given the title of
Mothers of the Believers nor was confinement imposed on them. Some did, in fact,
remarry after the Prophet's death. Take, for instance, Asma bint Al Numan. There
is consensus over the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did marry her;
but there is some controversy about the circumstances surrounding his separation
from her. Some said that she remarked, "I seek refuge in God from you". The
prophet (peace be upon him) said, "You sought sure refuge and God has granted
you protection from me". He, therefore, divorced her. (Al-Isabah). Another
example is the case of Qeelah bint Qais whom the Prophet (peace be upon him)
married in the tenth year A.H., shortly before his death,and died soon after. He
did not receive her; and the marriage was not consummated. It is also said that
he married her only two months before his death. It is said that he married her
during the illness that led to his death. It is reported that the Prophet's
instructions were that if she liked she might be confined and abstain from
remarriage. Otherwise she might marry whomsoever she liked. She opted to marry
Ikrimah in Hadramaut. When the news of the remarriage reached Abu Bakr, he
threatened to burn their house. but Umar told him that she was not reckoned
among the Mothers of the Believers, and that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did
not consummate his marriage with her, nor was she confined. (AI-Isabah).
The commandments regarding confinement were sent down in the month of
Dhul-Qaidah of the fifth year of Hijrah. It did not affect the position of the
generality of Muslim ladies.
Life in Islam is oriented towards God. If it allows men to come into contact
with women that is indeed a test. A Muslim should make such association an
opportunity for furthering the aims of worship and gratitude to God. At least he
should observe the limits of what is permissible in that association. There can
be no legitimacy in exploiting the relations between persons of opposite sexes
as an occasion for illicit sexual enjoyment in contravention of God's commands
and in deviation from the proper system for conjugal relations. There is no
scope in religion for licentious sexual pleasure, which reduces man to a
situation of slavery to passions, instead of to God, or to which man dedicated
his time and exploits his total energies as ultimate purpose in life. There is
no room for unbridled and uncontrolled passions outside the bounds of marriage.
Fornication, therefore is strictly forbidden; and as commanded by the Quran, no
man is allowed to approach a woman with that intention. "Don't get close to
fornication. it is indeed atrocious and a bad way". (Al-Isra, 32).
One should even avoid any perverse sight or touch that may excite sex. Abu Saeed
Al-Khudri reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "No man should
look at another man's private parts, nor a woman at another woman's. No man or
woman shall rub skin with another in the same dress". (Abu Dawoud, At-Tirmithy,
Muslim).
It is not permissible for a man and a woman not tied by marriage to seek privacy
- the two of them alone hidden from the view of other people. Indeed in such a
situation the temptation of sex would be dominant and would engross one's
thoughts, whereas in larger company one is more likely to be oblivious of sex
and preoccupied by the pursuits and affairs of the community.
Ibn-Abbas says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Keep it in mind that
in the absence of a mahram (real father, real brothers, real uncles, etc. to
whom a women can not be lawfully married) no man shall be alone with a woman".
(Bukhari and Muslim). Abduallah bin Amr bin Al-A'as said a number of men of the
tribe of Bani Hashim came to see Asma bint Amees. In the meantime Abu Bakr Also
came. She was at that time his wife. When Abu Bakr saw those people, he did not
approve of their being in his house. He told the Prophet (peace be upon him)
about it and said, "I did not see anything wrong", the Prophet said, "God has
acquitted her of that suspicion". Then the Prophet ascended the pulpit and said,
"In the absence of her man, no woman shall meet a man but in the presence of
another man or two". (Muslim)
In public, however, man and woman can confer privately at a distance from
others. Anas reports that a woman who was slightly abnormal said to the Prophet
(peace be upon him) "O Messenger of God! I need you for something". The prophet
said, "O mother of such and such, look which way you want to go, that I may
arrange your need". He went with her along some path till all what she required
was over. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawoud)
The story of Moses (peace be upon him) and the two daughters of Shuaib, as
narrated by the Quran, is very instructive: "and when he came onto the water of
Madian, he found there a group of people watering, and he found apart of them
two women holding back. He said: 'what is the matter?' They said: 'we cannot
water until all the shepherds leave, and our father is an old man.' He watered
for them and withdrew to the shade... shortly afterwards, one of the two maidens
came to him and said: 'my father calls you that he might reward you for watering
for us....' One said, 'O my father, hire him, for the best you can hire is one
who is strong and trustworthy'". (Al-Qasas, 22-28)
A man should not gaze at a women nor a woman at a man so fixedly that temptation
is stimulated. Instead, whenever any such thing strikes the mind, one must
desist from looking on. "Tell the believers to lower their looks and guard their
private organs. This is purer for them. God is fully aware of what they are
doing. And ask believing women to lower their looks and to guard their private
organs...." (An Nur, 30-31)
In the traditions, Jabir bin Abduallah is reported to have said, "I asked the
Prophet (peace be upon him) about looking at some woman by chance, the Prophet
(peace be upon him) told me to divert my looks".
The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised Ali, "O Ali, you must not gaze at a
woman. You are allowed the first look but not the subsequent". But Ali's report
does not mean that looking at a person of the opposite sex is absolutely
forbidden. It is only when one seeks sexual pleasure or finds and relishes it.
Indeed, in the model society of Islam, Muslims used to assemble freely and
frequently; they were mostly acquainted with each other, men and women; they
conversed and interacted intensively. But all those activities, were undertaken
in a spirit of innocence and in the context of a virtuous society.
The meaning behind the prohibition of some looks at women is borne out by the
correlation between such looks and sexual intercourse: "Allah decreed for every
human being his unavoidable share of sexual intercourse. The eye partakes of
that by looks, the tongue by speech the soul aspires and craves, and the genital
organs fulfil or deny the final act". (Bukhari and Abu Dawooed).
Similarly Abdullah bin Abbas reports that the Prophet was riding a camel with
Al-Fadhl, Abdullah's brother, behind him. A beautiful woman came to ask the
Prophet about the Haj of her father. Al Fadhl began to stare at her; her beauty
impressed him a lot. The Prophet (peace be upon him) having noticed this while
Al Fadhl was busy looking, put his hand behind and turned his face away from her
hither and thither as she went along with them. Al Abbas said to the Prophet,
"you are twisting the neck of your nephew!" The Prophet replied, "I noticed that
both the boy and the girl were young; and I feared that Satan may intervene".
(At-Tirmithy and Bukhari).
When assembled men and women must not be crammed in such a manner that breaths
and bodies are very close to each other. If the practical exigencies demand,
they may, however, get closer, as for instance during Haj. And wherever there
are men and women in homes, streets, meetings or public occasions, it is
advisable that some distance between the two sexes be maintained. It is on the
basis of the same principle that men and women occupy conspicuously separate
rows in prayers. During the prayer, sitting or standing, people take up their
position in a very compact manner; and while praying one should be completely
detached from everything that may divert one from attending fully to God. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) designated a door exclusively for ladies to enter
and leave the mosque. Ibn-Umar reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
said, "may we restrict this door for ladies only". (Abu Dawoud).
Similarly, on the highway, men and women must maintain some distance. Hamza bin
Sayyed Al Ansari cited his father as saying that he heard the Prophet (peace be
upon him) ask the ladies, "you stay apart, for you can not walk in the middle of
the road; you bear to the sides of the road". "A Lady", he added, "would walk so
close to the walls along the road that her clothes would touch the walls". (Abu
Dawoud). The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to defer his departure so that the
ladies might leave the mosque first. (Bukhair). Umm-Salama reported that when
the Prophet (peace be upon him) finished with his prayer, the women would
immediately get up from their places to leave, while he would remain in his
place for a short while, and then would rise to go.
The dress of a man or a woman should be modest. By no gesture, word or
appearance should man or woman deliberately tempt the other. God says: women
shall not show their adornment except what is naturally visible. They should
draw their scarves(veils) on their bosoms. And they must not show their
adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers or the fathers of their
husbands, or their sons or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers or the
sons of their brothers or the sons of their sisters or their women slaves, or
male servants uninterested in physical needs, or small children who are not
sexually aware. Nor will they kick with their feet, to announce whatever is
invisible of their adornment. (An-Nur, 31). "0 Prophet tell your wives and your
daughters and wives of the believers to lower their outer garments on their
persons. That is likely to make them known, and, as a consequence, not be
molested. And God is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful". (Al-Ahzaab, 59).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) directed that excepting face and hands no other
part of a woman's body should be exhibited. Sayyeda Ayeshah is said to have
reported that Asma bint Abu Bakr came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) wearing
a dress made of thin cloth. The Prophet (peace be upon him) turned his face away
and said to her: "when a girl matures it is not appropriate for her to show but
such and such", pointing towards his face and hands. Abu Dawood quoted this
tradition, And the majority of Muslims have accepted it in practice. MURSAL
HADITH.
Thus temptation is the basic criterion on which these rulings rest. "For women
of advanced age who do not expect to be married, there is no harm if they set
aside their outer garments provided they do not play up their charms. But it is
better for them if they abstain from doing so. And God is All-seeing and
All-knowing". (An-Nor 60). The Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited women from
passing by men after perfuming themselves. he warned women in these words:
"after using scents no lady should attend Isha prayer with us" (Muslim). Abu
Musa Al Ashari reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "any woman
who, after perfuming herself, passes by the people so that they may find her
smell, is a fallen woman". (Musnad Imam Ahmed). The Prophet (peace be upon him)
warned against women who walk swinging ostentatiously and temptingly: "two
categories of the inmates of hell I did not see before: a group of people
holding whips resembling cow tails lashing at people, and women, half dressed
and half naked, walking swingingly to all allure, with their heads like inclined
humps of camels. They shall never enter Heaven nor get the inclined nor get the
smell thereof, even though its smell can be felt from such and such distance".
(Muslim)
Any relationship or situation which may be instrumental to temptation or illegal
sexual contact between men and women, is thus not permissible. God says, "don't
approach fornication. It is indeed a vile deed and what an evil practice it is".
(Al Isra 32) That is the standard which determines cases which we did not
mention. Thus Islam tolerates that one may greet women or talk to them in decent
and chaste language and with good intent. The Prophet used to do so. Asma
bint-Yazeed reported that one day the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed through
the mosque where a group of women were sitting. He greeted them by waving his
hand. (At-Tirmithy). In the chapter Kitab ul-adab of his collection of
traditions, Abu Dawoud gave the following account on the authority of Asma: "the
Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by us and greeted us". Imam Bukhari has given
a chapter in his collection of authentic traditions under the title, "Greeting
Women by Men". Ibn-Hazim reported that his father cited Sahal, why so? he said,
an aged lady used to send me some goods. She would take the roots of salaq (a
salad) and put them in a pan, and then prepare some barley bread. After offering
Juma prayer we would go and greet her and she would serve us those dishes, which
gave us a lot of joy. On Fridays we always took our meal and mid-day nap after
offering Juma prayer. (Bukhari)
Asma bint-Yazeed narrated that, "the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by us,
the women, and greeted us". (Al-Tirimizy)
When greeting a lady, shaking hands in a spontaneous manner may be permissible,
especially if it is a customary practice in a chaste setting. One may find in
Islamic texts strong admonition against touching strange women. But the word
"touch" or the like is, in this context, a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
Whenever women came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the oath of
allegiance, it is reported that he would not shake hands with them. This is
obviously a reservation unique to him. It is quoted by Al Bukhari that the
Prophet (peace by upon him) said: "I don't shake hands with women". Other
reports say that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did shake hands with the ladies
covering the hand with a garment. (Abu Dawoud cited that on the authority of Al
Shaabi and Abdul Razzaq). Sometimes the Prophet (peace be upon him) would
deputise Umar for that function (Al Tabrani).
So long as the conditions already mentioned are observed, family gatherings and
joint meals, both at home or elsewhere are permissible. Abu Hurairah (may God be
bless him) narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said,
"I am completely exhausted with hunger". The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent a
message to one of his wives. She told him, "by God, who sent you with the truth,
I don't have anything except water". The Prophet (peace be upon him) then sent
the message to another of his wives. She, too, told the same thing. It was the
same with all the rest of his wives: "By God, who sent you with the truth, I
don't have anything except water". "By God, who sent you with the truth, I don't
have anything except water". The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said,
"whosoever takes this man as his guest God will grant him mercy". An Ansari of
Medina stood up and said, "O Messenger of God, I shall take him as my guest".
He, then took him to his dwelling, and said to his wife, "Do you have
something?" "Nothing except the meal for my children", she replied. He said to
her, "you distract them with something: when our guest arrives, put out the
lamp, and show him that we. too, are eating". He narrated how they all sat down
and the guest took his meal. Next day when the Ansari went to the Prophet (peace
be upon him) the latter said to him, "God appreciated so much the treatment you
extended to your guest last night". (Muslim)
More than anybody else, it is permissible for those who are seeking each other's
hand in marriage or are divorced, to see or talk to each other. Mughirah bin
Shubah stated that he proposed to a woman for marriage. The Prophet (peace be
upon him) told him, "Have a look at her. that some affection might develop
between you two". Mughirah went to the girl's parents and told them about the
Prophet's instruction. It was as if they were reluctant. The lady, who was in
her private room. having overheard this, called out, "If the Prophet has ordered
you to see me, then do so". Mughirah said: "I saw her and married her". (Ahmed,
Ibn-Majah, At-Tirmithy, Ibn-Habban and Al-Darimi).
A case in point is the famous story of Mughith who used to go after his ex-wife
Burairah through the streets of Madinah. He would try to appease her with tears
flowing from his eyes in order to bring her back; but she would refuse to do so.
When Burairah was set free, her husband, a negro, was a slave of Bani al
Mughirah. "By God" Ibn Abbas said, "I still recall how he followed her all over
the streets of Madinah with his beard bathed in tears trying to please her in
vain". The prophet (peace be upon him) himself tried to intercede but the girl
declined as long as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not order her to
reconcile (At-Tirmithy).
The application of the standard of temptation depends subjectively on what a
person finds in his soul - that is what he experiences by way of feeling in the
case. This is naturally a function of his religious education and integrity.
Objectively, it would depend on the seriousness of the affair in any association
of men and women such as would distract them from thinking of sex, and partly on
the innocence of the particular social context.
The juridical principle is sound: that the avenues and approaches of wrong-doing
should be closed by barring acts innocent in themselves for fear of what might
ensue. But over-caution may inhibit legitimate conduct on the pretext that it
exposes to the risk of temptation and vice. This may lead to the distortion of
the general social system of Islam which is based on the full participation of
men and women in everyday life with piety and chastity. Indeed, segregation and
isolation may well protect a woman from temptation, but it essentially denies
her the benefits of the communal life of Muslims.
It denies and abrogates her legitimate role in the social process of cooperation
in the promotion of knowledge and good work, in the mutual counselling of
Muslims to do all that is beneficial and avoid all that is objectionable, in
their solidarity for the maintenance of their well-being and the defence of
their establishment. God says, "The believing men and women, are associates and
helpers of each other. They (collaborate) to promote all that is beneficial and
discourage all that is evil; to establish prayers and give alms, and to obey God
and his Messenger. Those are the people whom God would grant mercy. Indeed God
is Mighty and Wise". (Al-Taubah, 71) The benefits drawn from that communal life
of Muslims more than outweigh any preventive considerations in the segregation
of sexes in ways not ordained or clearly implied in the formal text of the
Sharia.
CHAPTER III: WOMEN IN MUSLIM SOCIETY
The Muslims in history have experienced a significant derivation from the
general ideals of life as taught by Islam. It is, therefore, not at all
surprising that their loss is equally great in the area of social guidance which
Islam offered regarding women. Whenever weakness creeps into the faith of Muslim
men they tend to treat women oppressively and seek to exploit them. This is
natural and is amply demonstrated by the fact that most of the rulings of the
Quran regarding women were sent down as restrictions on at men with a view to
preventing them from transgressing against women, as is their natural
disposition and their actual practice in many societies. Only a few of the
Quranic injunctions impose restrictions on women.
We here quote some of those rulings that guarantee a fair deal for women. "When
you divorce women and they fulfil the term of their Iddat, then retain them in
kindness or release them in kindness. But do not retain them to prejudice them
or to take undue advantage. Do not take the revelations of God as a laughing
matter. Remember God's grace upon you and that which he has revealed upon you of
the scripture and of wisdom to exhort your. be pious and know that God is aware
of all things. When you divorce women and they fulfil their term do not prevent
them from marrying their former husbands, if they agree on equitable terms. That
is an admonition for him among you who believes in God and the day of judgement
and God knows, but you do not know". (Al-Bagarah, 231). "O you who believe, it
is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will [by maliciously
retaining them captive in formal marriage till death], nor to put constraint
upon them to take away part of what you have given them unless they be guilty of
flagrant lewdness. Consort with them in kindness for if you hate them it may
happen that you hate something wherein God has placed much good". (Al-Nisa, 19).
"When they have fulfilled their term, there is no blame on you if they [women]
dispose of themselves in a decent and reasonable manner. And God is well aware
of what you do" (Al-Bagarah, 234)
Most if not all of the verses of the Quran regarding oath (of abstinence from
sex), divorce and Iddat (term of transition) were revealed to bring an end to
the oppressive traditions and customs according to which a woman was retained in
formal marital captivity and for long periods of time while her fate remained in
suspense. The same is true of the verses concerning inheritance which restored
rights which had been denied to her by guaranteeing her a definite share. Other
verses were revealed which criticized the pessimism and dejection that used to
attend a female birth and the abominable practices of female infanticide. The
Quran says, "When any of them receives the tidings of the birth of a female his
face becomes dark and he is filled with sulkiness. He keeps hiding from people
because of the unfortunate news, [wondering] whether to hold on to it as a
contemptible thing or just bury it in the soil. O! what a foul judgement".
(Al-Nahal, 58-59). "When the [female] buried alive will be questioned: for what
fault was she murdered?" (Al-Takwir, 8-9).
There are furthermore, many traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which
warn menfolk against meting out an ill-treatment to women, beating or detaining
them. The Prophet said, "None of you will flog his wife like a donkey and later
towards the end of the day have intercourse with her". (Bukhari). He once
warned: "A large number of women have come to the Muhammads complaining about
their husbands. Those husbands are not the best amongst you". (Riad
Us-Saliheen). The Prophet's traditions encourage the Muslim to care for the good
upbringing and education of women, and for their well-being in general: "The
best of you is one who is best towards his family and I am best towards the
family". (At-Tirmithy. "None but a noble man treats women in an honourable
manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully". (At-Tirmithy).
Weak commitment to religion tends to cultivate unjust and hostile treatment of
women. For unlike man, a woman is created and brought up gentle and delicate.
Performance of her natural functions keeps her away from the toughening
experience of everyday public life. Man, uncultured by religion, tends to
oppress her as is common in many a human society. Men normally purposefully keep
women weak, and the jealousy which they entertain in respect of women induces
them to multiply the means for restraining and monopolising them. They like to
dominate the property and life of the female with a view to assert their vanity
and arrogance.
Male jealousy is but one aspect of masculine capricious tendencies which only
godly men are immune from and which inculcated the myth that women, by nature,
suffer from excessive incapacity. Men use that fantasy as an excuse to ban women
from active participation in the broad spectrum of human life and to deprive
them of experience and training - thereby devitalizing and debilitating them in
fact. and finding reason for further ill-treatment and prejudice. These male
tendencies and the appending customs and ways are manifest in many societies
where male arbitrariness runs amok with no religious or human limitation.
Take, for instance, the Arab, Persian and Indian Societies. Although the message
of Islam has spread in these societies from early times, the teaching and
inculcation of Islamic cultural values was not coextensive with the horizontal
expansion. Consequently some pre-Islamic values and prejudices have continued to
persist, despite the domination of Islamic forms. In some cases there was
manifest historical religious decline and a relapse to anterior social ethos and
mores.
This phenomenon has sometimes occasioned an even more serious development. New
or degenerate Muslim societies would sometimes, out of ignorance, attribute
their un-Islamic legacy or custom to Islam itself. By attaching an
Islamic value to these practices they seek to give them legitimacy and sanctity,
the values of Islam being accepted as sacred and supreme. This explains the
unabated influence on the minds of many otherwise good Muslims of attitudes
abhorrent to Islam, especially in the sensitive area of sex relations where
passion is strong and custom is sacrosanct.
Many latterly juristic rules and stratagems have been adopted to qualify the
Sharia to suit cherished customs and traditions. For instance, with a view to do
this, express provisions of the Sharia are sometimes compared and contrasted,
not to give relative effect to all, but to claim the abrogation of provisions
purporting to extend rights, immunities or liberties to women; or to restrict
their general scope almost to a vanishing point. Another tricky approach is to
read liberally and broaden the scope of rules granting authority to men, while
reading literally and strictly those imposing limitations on women. This
discriminatory attitude of interpretation is very widespread. Yet another aspect
of this tendentious jurisprudence is to generalize the provisions of the Quran
and the Sunna that were meant to apply exclusively to the Prophet or his wives
due to their unique position.
But the most popular anti-feminist argument derives from the abuse of the
juristic principle that means and preliminaries assume the value of their ends
and results. Thus the maximum precautionary prohibitions have to be observed to
bar approaches to sexual temptation and avoid its undesired consequences. But
the proper jurisprudential judgement in the absence of an express provision is
to balance in consideration the risks of temptation with the positive merits of
the integration of men and women in Muslim society, and not to forfeit all
freedom for some necessary reserve in social intercourse.
The traditional Muslim Society, which is over-impressed by its historical
decline, had developed a general preference for circumspection and cautiousness
over the demands of positive pursuits. It has become unduly conservative for
fear that freedom of thought would lead astray and divide the community; and
that freedom of women would degenerate into licentious promiscuity - so much
that the basic religious rights and duties of women have been forsaken and the
fundamentals of equality and fairness in the structure of Muslim Society, as
enshrined in the Sharia, have been completely overlooked.
Pseudo-religious arguments have been advanced for justifying a complete
metamorphosis of the patterns of social life initiated by the Prophet (peace be
upon him) himself under the guidance of the Quran. The most popular is the claim
that the magnificent Quranic and Sunnic regulations had relevance for the
virtuous society which prevailed during the Prophet's own life. Later however,
it is argued that people have changed and corruption became the order or
succeeding societies and latter days. Hence the necessity to correct this
degenerative tendency by adjusting the norms of social conduct in the sense of
greater circumspection. This would be a liberal manner of interpretation that
underlines the spirit and purpose rather than the letter of the law, in order to
allow for a progressive application thereof. But this is not the prevailing
manner of thinking among Muslims who advance conservative views on female
affairs. They are normally very literal in their understanding of texts; but
they tendentiously opt for an understanding that suits their prejudice. Islam is
not a matter of a single rule that can be flexibly understood; it is a whole
order of norms that establish the entire way of life or social structure of
Islam, and is not liable to variation.
Furthermore, the claim is based on a pious but excessive overvaluation of the
society of Madinah. In fact not all its members were like the rightly-guided
companion of the Prophet; some elements were hypocrites or new converts not yet
free of Jewish or pre-Islamic Arabic influences and manners. The very verses of
the Quran that prescribe proper dress for ladies refer to the presence of
hypocrites and rumor-mongers (Al-Ahzab 59-60). Whatever the comparative
character of our present-day society the proper reform policy is to reshape it
after the example of the Sunni society by changing its deviant ways and
re-establishing Islamic Social practices and institutions now in disuse. It is
not sound social policy to submit to the dominant ways of the de facto
historical society and then either to forsake Islamic institutions in an attempt
to save some of the ideals in that alien social context.
The thought and practice of Muslims have come lately to misrepresent most of the
doctrinal and normative teachings of Islam on female affairs. The female is
hardly ever religiously addressed except through the mediation of the male and
as an addendum to him. In the fallen society of Muslims, women have little
freedom to marry the person she likes, or to separate from a husband she
loathes. Nor is she, as wife, entitled to full consultation and gracious
companionship by her husband. In many cases she hardly enjoys an equal
opportunity to earn and own property, or the full capacity to manage her
property or to dispose thereof. All sorts of subterfuges are employed to deny
her inheritance. Her role in private life has been reduced to that of a
housewife chosen not for her personal merit, for she was denied the education or
the opportunity to acquire merit, but for the merit of her men folk.
In the domain of public life she is not allowed to make any original
contribution to the promotion of the religious quality of life. Whenever she was
allowed to work towards the material development of life that was likely to be
in a context of exploitation or as mundane work with little spiritual
satisfaction or significance.
The greatest injustice visited upon women is their segregation and isolation
from the general society. Sometimes the slightest aspect of her public
appearance would be considered a form of obscene exhibitionism. Even her voice
was bracketed in the same category. Her mere presence at a place where men are
also present was considered shameful promiscuity. She was confined to her home
in a manner prescribed in Islam only as a penal sanction for an act of adultery.
She was so isolated on the pretext that she might devote herself exclusively to
the care of her children and the service of her husband. But how could she
qualify for attending to domestic family affairs or to the rearing of children
in a satisfactory manner without being herself versed through education or
experience, in the moral and functional culture of the wider society?
CHAPTER IV: THE RESURGENCE OF WOMEN
The traditional customs and practices of the historical Muslim Society could
not have endured long in the face of challenges posed by alien cultures and
unconventional patterns of life. The external influences are represented mainly
in the ideological inroads of western civilization which have swept the whole of
Muslim World. The Cultural domination of Muslims by the West has shattered their
confidence in almost the whole legacy of ideas, Islamic and traditional.
Furthermore Muslims have imbibed and assimilated cultural attitudes and modes
which are very liberal with regard to women. This trend of women's liberation
constituted a serious temptation for the downtrodden Muslim women.
The western liberal tendency has itself been a revolt against a sickly religious
tradition which maltreated women in ways which closely resembled the aberrant
traditional ways of the Muslims. In early European Society women were not
equated with men in humanity or religion, in fundamental rights or obligations,
nor in legal capacity or social consideration. The revolt of the new European
society against religion and convention was universal. It was in particular a
complete departure from the absolute homogeneous and monotheist order that once
prevailed under the authority of the Church. Society became secular and
humanistic in its values and therefore heterogeneous and free, pursuing no
single ultimate end in life and tending to nonconformism and libertarianism.
Thus, politics, economics, science and arts - all became free and autonomous.
Likewise the petrified traditional forms of social life relating to sex
relations and conduct broke down towards promiscuity, permissiveness and sexual
indulgence. Like power, pleasure, knowledge and beauty, sex almost became an
object of total uninhibited devotion. As a consequence the woman, once again,
began to lose her primacy and autonomy as a human being, to become an object for
physical pleasure and commercial promotion. Her purpose in life became more to
realize her femininity than to fulfil her humanity. She would fake her natural
physical aspect by all sorts of artificiality and cosmetic treatment or surgery:
and waste her energy, wealth and time simply to maximize her seductiveness in
the eyes of men. She would dress up, adorn herself and go out simply to attract,
charm and excite, by her tempting nudity, beautiful form, sweet scent,
delightful colours and sex appeal. This she would do to invite the fixed
attention of men, to entice some to seek her privacy. Similarly the man, when
overcome by the wanton pursuit of carnal pleasure would relate to women only as
male, and would affect looks and conduct simply to attract them. He might waste
all energy and wealth in satisfaction of his base desires. The privacy of sex is
thereby shattered in society, matrimonial relations are subverted and the
institution of family is undermined as the special stable milieu for nursing,
rearing, and educating the child.
This way of life has become universal in the West; but some aspects of it have
swept over most of the modern sectors of our Islamic societies, just as much as
economic materialism and political secularism have spread to break some Muslims
loose of their solid religious moorings and thereby to weaken the norms of
social control in their life. This was brought about by the dominance of western
culture and the debility of the Muslim society that has become prone to
adulteration and blind imitation.
On the other hand, economic and social developments in Muslim lands have
precipitated the destruction of the old social order. That order, with all its
conventions and traditions was rooted in the past and could not withstand the
change of circumstances. Neither man nor woman was holding on to the values of
the past consciously, it was merely a legacy received from historical custom
giving way to practices and developments of new times. Religion was hardly
present in people's minds, and then only as a cultural value to sanctify custom.
Anyway, religious values were waning as religious institutions which used to
promote them date and die away.
As consciousness of the growing economic needs spread in the impoverished
society of Muslims, and as they became less resistant to material temptation and
more deprived of the close social ties of economic solidarity, the strong
pressures for a better life swept away the reservations of the past. Fathers and
husbands came to encourage daughters and spouses to go out, not in pursuit of
knowledge or good works, but to earn a living and supplement the family income.
Women took advantage of this new-found experience and power to assert their
freedom from the vanity and authority of men. This was not so much a full choice
of a new and better way of life, but a liberation from the old order: a revolt
against control and a fancy of the permissive model of the West. Furthermore,
increased urbanisation brought more people into a new and impersonal social
context with little of the close community ties of acquaintance, kinship and
solidarity, that used to cultivate regard for the norms of public decency or for
family honour, and that was a deterrent to acts of indecency and ignominy. The
crowded urban conditions brought about much more direct contact and, as a
result, many occasions for temptation between men and women. The old-time
institution of 'harem', the barrier of female privacy, was dismantled for
practical considerations, with no compensating development of personal piety or
moral barriers. The new urban attitude was one of indifference and emancipation.
in lieu of the considerate, reserved attitude of before. Under the impact of
cultural change and alien domination, the traditional society of Muslims is
falling apart. No lamentations by conservatives over the changing times or
tenacious clinging to the past would save much. The fate of the traditional way
of Muslims would not be different from that of the European old orders when its
theoretical and material foundations collapsed and new social values and
structures were ushered in by the revolution. If conservatives hold on to rigid
customary forms of the past and fail to direct the process of change according
to Islamic guidance, the change will come to pass all the same; and even faster
and more tragic than in the case of Europe, if only because the European example
has become so compelling.
A revolution against the condition of women in the traditional Muslim societies
is inevitable. The Islamists are urged by their own ideals to reform the
traditional society and to close the gap between the fallen historical reality
and the desired model of ideal Islam. This is even more urgent with respect to
the present state of women. Contemporary social trends in an ever closer world
require an early initiative to take the direction of change in hand before it
takes its free course, when the alien trends take root and are assimilated, and
it becomes too late to undertake right-guided Islamic reform. The Islamists
should beware of an attitude that seeks refuge from the invading liberating
western culture in the indigenous past as a lesser evil that should be preserved
with some accommodation. Conservation is a wasted effort. The Islamists are
worthy of the leadership of the movement of women's liberation from the
traditional quagmire of historical Islam, and that of their resurgence towards
the heights of ideal Islam. They should not leave their society at the mercy of
the advocates of westernization who exploit the urgency of reform to deform
society and lead it astray. The teachings of their own religion call upon
Islamists to be the right-guided leaders for the salvation of men and women,
emancipating them from the shackles of history and convention, and steering
their life clear of the aberrations of mutative change.
SOURCES
1) Tafseer Ibn-Katheer
2) Tafseer Al-Tabari
3) Fath Al-Bari, By Ibn-Hajar Al-Asqalani Commentary on Sahih Al-Bukari
4) Al Jami Al Saheeh By Al-Tirmithy
5) Saheeh Muslim
6) Sunan Abu Dawoud
7) Sunan Ibn-Maja
8) Al Isabah Fi Tamyeez Al Sahabah By Ibn-Hajar
9) Tabaqat By Ibn-Saad
10) Tareekh By Tabari
11) Sunan By Al Nisai
________________________________________________
http://www.islamfortoday.com/feminists_veil.htm#Equality%20of%20women%20and%20men
For Mernissi, the hijab (which is conflated to mean the veiling and seclusion
of the Prophet's wives as well as the veiling and later seclusion of the
generality of Muslim women) is a dramatic example of the failure of the
Prophet's egalitarian dream[41]. In defining hijab, and thus reacting against
it, Mernissi relies heavily on the rather uncharitable definitions given in the
Encyclopedia of Islam[42] in which the hijab is defined in four ways: the
traditional head-cover of Muslim women, worn at the on-set of puberty; the
Umayyad-introduced curtain behind which the caliph hid himself (and presumably
his excesses) from the purview of his subjects; the mystical veil which divided
the sacred and the mundane and which the mystic seeker attempted to destroy[43];
and finally as an amulet or talisman[44]. Consequently, Mernissi spends a great
deal of time attempting to present the hijab as inauthentic to the truer message
of the Prophet's Islam. She has the Prophet in a period of great stress and
turmoil 'giving in' to the advice of the sterner 'Umar who urged for the
adoption of veils by the wives of the Prophet[45].
Likewise, Ahmed attempts to demonstrate that the practice of veiling was
assimilated from surrounding cultures, and not indigenous to Islam (although
this is not necessarily contested - it was the Prophet's practice to take
previously pagan rituals and reinvest them with a new Islamic meaning[46], a
point Ahmed does not address). In particular she makes reference to the phrase
'taking the veil' as being understood to refer to a woman's marriage to the
Prophet[47]. Neither Ahmed, nor Mernissi assess the strength of those ahadith
which appear to imply that ordinary Muslim women of the Prophet's community took
up the veil toward the end of the Prophet's Madinan period[48].
Ahmed is also concerned that the late twentieth-century adoption of 'Islamic
dress' has had a deleterious effect on the women's rights movement by
unconsciously affirming traditional patriarchy and buying into the colonialist
discourse[49]. Having developed as a resistance narrative against western
colonialism, Ahmed argues, the Islamist adoption of the new veil simply
entrenches the debate over veiling and cultural identification. In short, she
maintains Islamists say if to be 'Western' is to be unveiled; then to be veiled
is to be Muslim.
There is an element of truth in Ahmed's perspective: Islamist discourse is
heavily interested in negating western colonialism but it identifies this
influence as jahiliyyan. Ahmed misses the correlative adoption of a new moral
code[50] by those who have taken on Islamic dress, which mandates not only the
hijab for women, but for men also[51].
Nevertheless for El Guindi, arguments of Islamic authenticity of veiling are
moot. El Guindi presents a comprehensive analysis of (mainly) Arab veiling[52].
For her, it is important to point out that Arab culture carries connotations of
sacredness in the private domain[53]. Just as Muslims convert ordinary mundane
space into temporarily sacred space through the ritual cleansing and performing
of prayer wherever they may happen to find themselves - so too, El Guindi
argues, Muslim women carry their sacred private space into public by use of the
veil. El Guindi's weakness is that she does not attempt to place any value
judgement on the various forms of veiling and seclusion she describes, and thus
does not present her views on women's equality.
Freedom of choice
As for what Muslim feminists argue women should wear to conform to Islamic
ideals: unlike Islamists, who maintain that the hijab stands as the very symbol
of Muslim piety; the most important element for Muslim feminists appears to be
the element of freedom of choice in interpreting the Islamic dress code.[54] Mai
Yamani writes: "The relevant question for Muslim feminists today is the element
of choice attached to the garment, and whether it is a woman's right to choose
whether to veil or not."[54]
Likewise, Amina Wadud emphasizes the idea that the Qur'an teaches the
importance of modesty but that specific injunctions as to type of dress depend
on culture and context[56]. This is similar again to the opinions of reformists
Muhammad Shahrur and 'Abdul-Halim Abu Shaqqa. For Shahrur, the Qur'anic
injunctions about dress for both men and women are read in the context of
maximum and minimum limits of respectability. Both a naked woman and a totally
covered woman have brought themselves outside the bounds of Qur'anic
respectability, according to Shahrur[57]. 'Abdul-Halim Abu Shaqqa on the other
hand argues, a cultural relativism in regard to dress[58]. However it should be
pointed out that both Shahrur and Abu Shaqqa nevertheless are still male
scholars defining women's dress for women; albeit in a modern-friendly fashion.
So in conclusion, I propose that the fundamental reason why women's veiling
is important to the question of women's rights according to Muslim feminists, is
because power over the veil represents freedom of choice. In particular, the
ability to choose whether to veil or not, in accordance with the Muslim
feminist's own personal interpretation of Islamic faith and morality, is at the
very heart of what Islam represents to Muslim feminists: the basic Qur'anic
ethic of the sovereign right of both women and men as human beings who have the
freedom of self-determination.
Likewise in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) - which is the second source of the Islamic religion - we find that the
Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said in a Hadith that indeed
verily women are the twin halves of men. The Arabic word shaqaa'iq, which I
translated as twin halves, means taking something and splitting it in half. The
understanding is that there is a single humanity, a single essence which is
shared, and there are twin halves of that - one is man and one is women. This is
repeated often in the Qur'an. The words of the Prophet Mohammad (sallallaahu
`alayhi wa sallam) also emphasize this. As I said, this is a very important
concept to understand when one reflects on how traditional western civilization
looked at women as not being full partners and not sharing in humanity. Although
now, we might not find much surprise to that because it is a given perhaps that
men and women are full human beings. But this is something that is a late
occurrence in western traditions.
Muslim Women in History
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa031101a.htm?IAM=sherlock_abc&terms=muslim+women+in+history
Despite the stereotypes, Muslim women have always played a vital role in the
Muslim community, and not only in traditional roles. Early Muslim women served
the community through scholarship, teaching, nursing, and other important
activities. Among them:
Asma bint Abu Bakr - a noble woman known for her intelligence
and generosity
Aishah bint Abu Bakr - known for her spirit and good memory, she
became a teacher to other Muslims and a narrator of hadith
Barakah - the only person who was with the Prophet (peace be
upon him) from his birth to his death
Fatimah bint Muhammad - the Prophet's daughter was deeply
devoted to him, and spent her time in prayer and worship
Hafsa bint Umar - a women who was not afraid to speak her mind
Khadija bint Khuwailid - the Prophet (peace be upon him) described
her: ""She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people
rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend
me a helping hand."
Nasibah bint Ka'b - a "woman warrior" - she fought in the battle of Uhud
and others
Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan - a courageous woman who embraced Islam
despite the protests of her father, a fierce enemy of the Muslim community
Rumaysa bint Milhan - known for her bravery and excellent
character
Sawda bint Zama - a widow who was the first Muslim to emigrate to
Abbyssinia
Umm Salamah - one of the first believers, she remained
steadfast despite persecution
Sister Mohja Kahf wrote a
series of articles for Usenet outlining the lives of some of the
lesser-known Muslim women in history. From Naseeba bint Ka'b to Azdah bint
al-Harith, the lives of these women give important insight into the nature of
women's lives in the early centuries of Islam.
Far from being downtrodden, meek slaves to the
men in their lives, these women served Allah and their community with bravery
and wisdom. Muslim women look to them as role models, may Allah be pleased with
them all.
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