MuslimHeart
18-03-2005, 02:57 PM
How Islam regards woman:
· Islam regards woman as equal to man before Almighty Allah with respect to all the duties, rights, reckoning, reward, punishment, Paradise and Hell, and the Qur’an substantiates this, together with giving consideration to the difference in roles between man and woman.
· As the physiological nature of woman differs from that of man, thus under certain circumstances their roles differ, but the origin is full equality between them.
· The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Women are the counterparts of men, only the noble treats them kindly, and only the wicked treats them meanly.” This is the scale of legislation and the balance of Islam, as the noble verse says (what means): “For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned,”[An-Nisâ', 4:32]
· There is equality in Reckoning in worldly life and the Hereafter, where Allah, Blessed and Exalted be, He says (what means): “So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), "Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female. You are (members) one of another”[Âl-'Imrân, 3: 195]
· And also in another glorious verses saying (what means): “And whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female and is a true believer (in the Oneness of Allah), such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided therein (with all things in abundance) without limit.”[Ghâfir, 40:40]
· “For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women Who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.” [Al-Ahzâb, 33: 35]
· “Allah has promised to the believers -men and women, - Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of 'Adn (Eden Paradise). But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success.” [At-Taubah, 9: 72]
· Not only this, they are also from one origin, as the noble verse clarifies: “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women…”[ An-Nisâ':4:1].
· With a wife man finds tranquility and they both enjoy affection and mercy in the company of one another. The Noble Qur’an says (what means), “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” [Ar-Rűm, 30: 21]
· Allah, the Exalted and Ever-Majestic, ordered His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to take the pledge of allegiance from women same as from men, and ordered him to supplicate and seek forgiveness for them same as men, saying (what means), “Ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women.” [Muhammad, 47: 19] Also, the Praise Allah gave for women who show obedience is the same expressed for men. The Most Exalted, says (what means), “The Believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy.” [At-Taubah, 9: 71]
· Thus the principle is complete equality and the glorious verses clearly indicate this.
How the occident regard woman:
· The occident calls for full equality without respecting any differences of roles, or the difference of the nature of woman from that of man. In addition to forgetting the physiological and psychological nature of woman and her anatomy. For they consider that there is no difference between man and woman.
· What is then the outcome of the occidental equality between man and woman? It resulted in the following: she has become on the same footing with man, in a society governed by materialism, thus she has to work to earn her living. (Worth mentioning, that Islam does not reject the lawful working of woman, but it has to be appropriate to her nature, and has to be by her own choice and will and for a lawful purpose).
· When the occidental woman has entered the working field, and worked in all fields, she has forfeited the most precious attribute she possesses, her femininity, and her motherhood. Thus, in some cases she is deprived of maternity, because she has to secure a source of income to herself, and if she is married she must share in the expenses of the household. For it is a society that depends on materialism, and according to such equality between man and woman, she has to shoulder her livelihood.
· She has worked in all fields, a taxi driver, an autobus driver, and a train worker, and in fields we cannot imagine a female to be found.
· Another adverse result that issued from this occidental equality is the absence of a uniform structure for building a family, thus there appeared other forms, like having a man and woman living together under the same roof, not as husband and wife, but rather as partners, thus the ultimate result is separation, which is usually the decision of man, because woman’s passion forbids her from deserting her children.
· It has become a common phenomenon to have a family made only of a mother, as the father is unknown; he has brought the child, and then cast him with the mother. Thus marriage according to the traditional frame for building a family has dwindled till it has reached 20% of the conjugal relationships between man and woman in the occidental society. Thereof, as woman grows older, her relations with different men multiplies, as the first has deserted her, and the second, followed by others, till ultimately, she is left with no man by her side, and only then she discovers the reality when she is over forty. She realizes that she has become now lonely, for what has attracted men to her has waned, and there she starts to suffer from depression.
· Treating women as merchandise, bought and sold, even a matchbox bears the photo of a bare woman. Women are put under much pressure to be used as merchandise but at the age of fifty a woman begins to suffer from a state of depression, for she is no longer wanted, no longer fit to be used as merchandise. Such a depression may lead her to commit suicide after realizing that she is only valued in terms of outward appearance and beauty. On the other hand Islam honors women by Hijab (veil) because she is far precious, far honorable and far superior. She is the wife, the mother, the grandmother, the sister, and the daughter.
The following statistic reveals how many female companions have taught men:
· Lady ‘Aishah has taught 232 men and 67 women.
· Umm Salamah has taught 78 men and 23 women.
· Lady Hafsah has taught 17 men and 3 women.
· Asmaa bint Abu Bakr has taught 19 men and two women.
· Asmaa bint A’mis taught 11 men.
· Ramlah bint Abu Sofyan taught 18 men.
How can the religion that trusts women with such sublime task, be accused of disparaging women!
Now we shall try to borrow from the beam of guidance of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and enlighten our souls and life with it, and see how the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has preserved to women their esteem and how he regarded them, honored them, cared about them, and most kindly treated them. What we will cite is just a tiny drop in the sea of his nobleness (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
· The Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) respected the opinion of woman, and adopted her opinion in certain decisive events. As in Al-Hudaibiah Peace Treaty, where after the ratification of the peace treaty between Quraish and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the companions were so depressed that when he ordered them to slaughter their sacrificial animals, they did not respond, the thing that perturbed and caused the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to feel anxious. However, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) advised that he take the initiative and slaughter his animal and have his head shaved, thereupon his followers raced to follow his example.
· Enough to know that the first hospital in Islam was built during the life of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and it was for a woman, where he has designated a large tent to Lady Rufaydah (may Allah be pleased with her). Thus, she used to treat men and women, not only this, but the hospital was then transformed inside the Prophetic Masjid.
· The scene of a European man sitting with a lady in a restaurant, cutting a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth, inspires in us romantic feelings. Such romantic gestures the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has taught to his followers towards their wives. He taught them how they should treat their wives lovingly and kindly, telling them: “The best of charity is a morsel of food you put in your wife’s mouth.”
· Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Prophet used to lean on my lap and recite Qur'an while I was in menses.”
· The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the one who said, “The believer most perfect in faith is the one most nobly mannered and the kindest to his family.”
· Let us enlighten our heart more with the nobleness of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his guidance, and see how affectionate he was, and considerate to the mood of his wife Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) during her menstruation, where woman are usually depressed. Out of tenderness towards her during such a period he used, whenever she drank from a cup, to search for her lips print over the cup and drink, all this in order to show her, that there is nothing wrong about her in such a period.
· In his last illness the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) enjoined men, saying, “Fear Allah in (treating) women).”
· He also feared lest men should fail to fulfill the rights they owe to women, and said, “I enjoin you to be good to women.”
· About daughters the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Do not hate your daughters, for they are the dear amiable ones.”
· Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked, ‘What did the Prophet use to do in his house?’ She replied, ‘He used to keep himself busy serving his family and when it was the time for prayer he would go for it.
· Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, “I raced with the Prophet (peace be on him) and beat him in the race. Later, when I had put on some weight, we raced again and he won. Then he said, ‘This (win of mine) makes up for that (win of yours).’”
· The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Whomsoever has three daughters, or three sisters, or two daughters or two sisters, and is very kind and nice to them, and fears Allah in their treatment, will enter Paradise (as a result of his good actions for these females).”
· The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Whomsoever has three daughters and exercises patience with them, feeds them, clothes them according to his own income, they will become like a barrier for him, to protect him from the torture of the Hellfire.”
We wind up this concise account, by the advice given by the Messenger of mercy (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to men regarding women, where he said: “Show leniency to qawarir (tender glasses).”
· Islam regards woman as equal to man before Almighty Allah with respect to all the duties, rights, reckoning, reward, punishment, Paradise and Hell, and the Qur’an substantiates this, together with giving consideration to the difference in roles between man and woman.
· As the physiological nature of woman differs from that of man, thus under certain circumstances their roles differ, but the origin is full equality between them.
· The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Women are the counterparts of men, only the noble treats them kindly, and only the wicked treats them meanly.” This is the scale of legislation and the balance of Islam, as the noble verse says (what means): “For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned,”[An-Nisâ', 4:32]
· There is equality in Reckoning in worldly life and the Hereafter, where Allah, Blessed and Exalted be, He says (what means): “So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), "Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female. You are (members) one of another”[Âl-'Imrân, 3: 195]
· And also in another glorious verses saying (what means): “And whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female and is a true believer (in the Oneness of Allah), such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided therein (with all things in abundance) without limit.”[Ghâfir, 40:40]
· “For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women Who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.” [Al-Ahzâb, 33: 35]
· “Allah has promised to the believers -men and women, - Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of 'Adn (Eden Paradise). But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success.” [At-Taubah, 9: 72]
· Not only this, they are also from one origin, as the noble verse clarifies: “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women…”[ An-Nisâ':4:1].
· With a wife man finds tranquility and they both enjoy affection and mercy in the company of one another. The Noble Qur’an says (what means), “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” [Ar-Rűm, 30: 21]
· Allah, the Exalted and Ever-Majestic, ordered His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to take the pledge of allegiance from women same as from men, and ordered him to supplicate and seek forgiveness for them same as men, saying (what means), “Ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women.” [Muhammad, 47: 19] Also, the Praise Allah gave for women who show obedience is the same expressed for men. The Most Exalted, says (what means), “The Believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy.” [At-Taubah, 9: 71]
· Thus the principle is complete equality and the glorious verses clearly indicate this.
How the occident regard woman:
· The occident calls for full equality without respecting any differences of roles, or the difference of the nature of woman from that of man. In addition to forgetting the physiological and psychological nature of woman and her anatomy. For they consider that there is no difference between man and woman.
· What is then the outcome of the occidental equality between man and woman? It resulted in the following: she has become on the same footing with man, in a society governed by materialism, thus she has to work to earn her living. (Worth mentioning, that Islam does not reject the lawful working of woman, but it has to be appropriate to her nature, and has to be by her own choice and will and for a lawful purpose).
· When the occidental woman has entered the working field, and worked in all fields, she has forfeited the most precious attribute she possesses, her femininity, and her motherhood. Thus, in some cases she is deprived of maternity, because she has to secure a source of income to herself, and if she is married she must share in the expenses of the household. For it is a society that depends on materialism, and according to such equality between man and woman, she has to shoulder her livelihood.
· She has worked in all fields, a taxi driver, an autobus driver, and a train worker, and in fields we cannot imagine a female to be found.
· Another adverse result that issued from this occidental equality is the absence of a uniform structure for building a family, thus there appeared other forms, like having a man and woman living together under the same roof, not as husband and wife, but rather as partners, thus the ultimate result is separation, which is usually the decision of man, because woman’s passion forbids her from deserting her children.
· It has become a common phenomenon to have a family made only of a mother, as the father is unknown; he has brought the child, and then cast him with the mother. Thus marriage according to the traditional frame for building a family has dwindled till it has reached 20% of the conjugal relationships between man and woman in the occidental society. Thereof, as woman grows older, her relations with different men multiplies, as the first has deserted her, and the second, followed by others, till ultimately, she is left with no man by her side, and only then she discovers the reality when she is over forty. She realizes that she has become now lonely, for what has attracted men to her has waned, and there she starts to suffer from depression.
· Treating women as merchandise, bought and sold, even a matchbox bears the photo of a bare woman. Women are put under much pressure to be used as merchandise but at the age of fifty a woman begins to suffer from a state of depression, for she is no longer wanted, no longer fit to be used as merchandise. Such a depression may lead her to commit suicide after realizing that she is only valued in terms of outward appearance and beauty. On the other hand Islam honors women by Hijab (veil) because she is far precious, far honorable and far superior. She is the wife, the mother, the grandmother, the sister, and the daughter.
The following statistic reveals how many female companions have taught men:
· Lady ‘Aishah has taught 232 men and 67 women.
· Umm Salamah has taught 78 men and 23 women.
· Lady Hafsah has taught 17 men and 3 women.
· Asmaa bint Abu Bakr has taught 19 men and two women.
· Asmaa bint A’mis taught 11 men.
· Ramlah bint Abu Sofyan taught 18 men.
How can the religion that trusts women with such sublime task, be accused of disparaging women!
Now we shall try to borrow from the beam of guidance of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and enlighten our souls and life with it, and see how the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has preserved to women their esteem and how he regarded them, honored them, cared about them, and most kindly treated them. What we will cite is just a tiny drop in the sea of his nobleness (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
· The Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) respected the opinion of woman, and adopted her opinion in certain decisive events. As in Al-Hudaibiah Peace Treaty, where after the ratification of the peace treaty between Quraish and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the companions were so depressed that when he ordered them to slaughter their sacrificial animals, they did not respond, the thing that perturbed and caused the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to feel anxious. However, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) advised that he take the initiative and slaughter his animal and have his head shaved, thereupon his followers raced to follow his example.
· Enough to know that the first hospital in Islam was built during the life of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and it was for a woman, where he has designated a large tent to Lady Rufaydah (may Allah be pleased with her). Thus, she used to treat men and women, not only this, but the hospital was then transformed inside the Prophetic Masjid.
· The scene of a European man sitting with a lady in a restaurant, cutting a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth, inspires in us romantic feelings. Such romantic gestures the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has taught to his followers towards their wives. He taught them how they should treat their wives lovingly and kindly, telling them: “The best of charity is a morsel of food you put in your wife’s mouth.”
· Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Prophet used to lean on my lap and recite Qur'an while I was in menses.”
· The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the one who said, “The believer most perfect in faith is the one most nobly mannered and the kindest to his family.”
· Let us enlighten our heart more with the nobleness of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his guidance, and see how affectionate he was, and considerate to the mood of his wife Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) during her menstruation, where woman are usually depressed. Out of tenderness towards her during such a period he used, whenever she drank from a cup, to search for her lips print over the cup and drink, all this in order to show her, that there is nothing wrong about her in such a period.
· In his last illness the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) enjoined men, saying, “Fear Allah in (treating) women).”
· He also feared lest men should fail to fulfill the rights they owe to women, and said, “I enjoin you to be good to women.”
· About daughters the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Do not hate your daughters, for they are the dear amiable ones.”
· Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked, ‘What did the Prophet use to do in his house?’ She replied, ‘He used to keep himself busy serving his family and when it was the time for prayer he would go for it.
· Lady Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, “I raced with the Prophet (peace be on him) and beat him in the race. Later, when I had put on some weight, we raced again and he won. Then he said, ‘This (win of mine) makes up for that (win of yours).’”
· The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Whomsoever has three daughters, or three sisters, or two daughters or two sisters, and is very kind and nice to them, and fears Allah in their treatment, will enter Paradise (as a result of his good actions for these females).”
· The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Whomsoever has three daughters and exercises patience with them, feeds them, clothes them according to his own income, they will become like a barrier for him, to protect him from the torture of the Hellfire.”
We wind up this concise account, by the advice given by the Messenger of mercy (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to men regarding women, where he said: “Show leniency to qawarir (tender glasses).”