Ali Shariati's "Expectations from the Muslim Woman"

Category: WEAK

Here's a rare political/philosophical addition. Dr. Ali Shariati is an interesting figure. An Iranian sociologist inclined to Socialism yet also prominent in the field of contemporary Islamic political theory. He drew inspiration from the last major political thinker of the Sunni world, Allama Iqbal and the famous Sufi poet, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (the former also being heavily inspired by the latter).

Here is the Wikipedia article on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Shariati

There are two things to take into account.

1) He was inclined to Socialist views. Wikipedia: "Shariati's worldview was shaped by the Marxism and Third Worldism he encountered as a student in Paris - ideas that class war and revolution would bring about a just and classless society. He sought to translate these ideas into cultural symbols of Shiism that Iranians could relate to."

2) He was Shi'ite. However, his forays into historical politics are usually kept seperate from his modern political views even within a work, he just uses Ahl-ul-Bayt as role models. As such, one can take his preoccupation with the Prophet (saw)'s family and easily include most of the Sahaba with mentions of Hazrat Ali (ra), Fatima (ra), and their family to further reinforce his original ideas even better.

These two points while also being weaknesses, wind up serving as strengths. The political orientation that Socialism gave him let loose his amazing mind on Western capitalism/civilization in awe-inspiringly, potently meaningful words that still hold a transcending sort of spiritual grace. To call these reflections of his sociological imagination simply "enlightening" would be an understatement. Keeping that in mind, I have pasted relevant excerpts from his lecture, Expectations from the Muslim Woman here, carefully excising any Shi'ite-Sunni political conflicts (which weighed down most of the latter half of the work). I have grayed the paragraphs which I felt were leaning too much towards either socialism or Shi'ite beliefs. I made the font slightly larger to distinguish where the good stuff starts.

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Prior to beginning my lecture, I would like to propose some practical suggestions. Just speaking about women's rights, women's personality and Islam's view of women is very different from realising the actual value which Islam gives to human beings, and to women in particular. Most often, we are satisfied by pointing out that Islam gives great value to science or establishes progressive rights for women. Unfortunately we never actually use or benefit from this value or these rights. We could benefit from these if we were to act according to the understanding which we could acquire of them.

A great many people are acquainted with Islamic views of society, social relations, women's rights, children's rights and family rights, but these same people then actually follow non-Islamic, ancient cultural traditions and do not dare to base their lives upon Islamic values. That is, they do not practice what they preach. Thus we always remain at the stage of talking. We must complete Islamic views and intellectual discussions with practical solutions. We must find a way whereby we reach these values and rights in practice. After proposing my views, the question should be asked as to how we can actually put them into practice. Throughout history, the problem of women's rights and their role has always been considered to be an intellectual problem. Thus, various religious, philosophical and social systems have reached varying views in this respect.

Unfortunately the crisis of the problem of women's liberation which began in the West and has been strengthened by the ruling superpowers in the 20th century has influenced all human societies, even closed traditional and religious societies. There are only a few cultural, traditional and even religious societies which have been able to properly stand against this flood. Such societies have frequently been confronted by a particular kind of modernism, which they have adopted under the guise of the liberation of women, either by rejecting old traditions or by undertaking reckless struggles. None of them have succeeded in standing against this attack. In such societies the newly-educated class, the pseudo-intellectuals, who are in the majority, strongly and vigorously welcome this crisis. They themselves even act as one of the forces that strengthen this corrupting and destructive transformation.

In traditional religious societies, including Islamic communities, neither group could stand against the attack of the modern view of the liberation of women as announced by the West. The pseudo-intellectual and modern class of Islamic and non-Islamic societies in the East considered a modern style of dress to be the symbol of modern civilization, progress and awareness. The old, traditional group passed through and confronted this crisis with non-scientific and illogical tactics due to their lack of experience. It is a general law that when there is a fire resulting from a spill of oil, if someone tries to hurriedly and unskilfully put the fire out, it only spreads more rapidly and more vigorously! Thus such unskilled struggles against the West have frequently been carried on in a manner that has created complex and differing reactions inside such societies. In this way they have paved the way for acceptance of Western ideas and innovations. There are very few societies who have been able to stand against, to adequately resist, and to show an effective reaction to the modern West by consciously selecting their own manner and type of lifestyle.

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Then suddenly the phenomenon of sexual liberation appeared. Women realized that under the banner of sexual liberation, all of the inhuman limits, restrictions, and bonds which restrained them could be destroyed. Women welcomed this change wholeheartedly to the extent that sexual liberation entered the arena of science! What is normally designated as the scientific understanding of religion is not a pure scientific and scholastic understanding. It is rather a bourgeois cognition. After the Middle Ages, Science, which had been in the service of religion and the Church, was made to serve the contempory ruling bourgeois system. If nowadays Science appears to oppose religion and moral values, it is not really Science that opposes these, but it is the ruling bourgeoisie which does so, just as in the Middle Ages, it was feudalism which defended aristocratic social-moral traditions in the name of religion. It was Christianity which was, in fact, defending feudalism, and now it is Science which, in fact, defends the bourgeoisie. It is intellectuals - those who believe that economic and materialistic social foundations are the basis of all social transformations - who will more easily accept my argument and logic. Up to the appearance of Freud (who was one of the agents of the bourgeoisie), it was through the liberal bourgeois spirit that scientific sexualism was manifested. It must be taken into consideration that the bourgeoisie is always an inferior class. Although feudalism was an inhuman system, it nevertheless relied on an aristocratic elite and their moral values, even though these moral values led to a decline. The bourgeois mentality denies all of the elevated, exalted human values, and believes in nothing except money.

Therefore, a scholar or scientist who lives, thinks and studies during the bourgeois age, measures collective cultural and spiritual values (the sacrifices of mankind, the martyrdoms, struggles, literature, art etc.), with only the scale of naked economy, with production and consumption and with nothing else. One who studies psychology or anthropology, looking at all the dimensions and manifestations of the mystic spirit of human beings, that which religion believes to be the spirit of God and the manifestation of metaphysical virtues, sees only unsatisfied sexual appetites. Belief, culture, mental illnesses all are related to the struggle to release an imprisoned and condemned sexual complex. The bourgeois social scientist looks at all of the delicate human sensations and feelings (even a mother caressing her child, or the worship of the beloved by the lover, and all other issues) in relation to sex. Freud, a modern bourgeois, armed himself against all moral and human values, against all elevated and exalted manifestations of the human soul, and called it "realism". Freud's realism was not that of the bourgeoisie, but rather that of the scientist, scholar, philosopher, psychologist, and anthropologist who serve the bourgeois class, for all of these bring the human being down to the level of a sexual and economic animal! Thus, the bourgeoisie, by alienating all values and virtues, made only one religion, one school, one temple and one messenger for all the miserable men of this age; a religion for which all must be sacrificed. This messenger was named Freud. His religion was sex. His temple was Freudianism, and the first to be sacrificed on the threshold of this temple was woman and her human values.

We who live in the East always speak about Western colonization, but I would like to explain that this does not mean that Western colonization only colonizes or exploits the East. It is a world-wide power representing a class of people that exploit and colonize both the East and the West. If I had the opportunity, I would explain that this power has alienated the European masses even more than the Eastern masses. The European has been overtaken by colonialism's legacy of unemployment and misery and will continue to be in the future. They will continue to be victims of anti-colonialism. This ruling colonial power influences Eastern people in many ways, such as placing emphasis upon unimportant, sensational and emotional matters; spreading rumors, discrimination, and hypocrisy; and sowing discord and pessimism, to keep Easterners occupied with mundane and unimportant issues. By these means Easterners are kept in a state whereby they are unaware of what Western colonization is doing to them, unaware of their fate and destiny. These conspiracies then cause young Europeans, likewise, to become alienated and destructive, and commit more deception and crime. All of these actions are taken in the name of the colonization of Eastern countries without the Easterners realizing it...

For example, we all know about the widespread international police network and the extensive intelligence services which observe even the minutest movement anywhere in the world. And yet there are tons and tons of narcotics which are freely transferred from the East to the West. They are distributed and sold by huge international organizations and transferred through their factories, planes, ports, ships and offices. Why is it that the international police cannot prevent the distribution of narcotics among the younger generation in Europe and the U.S.A.? Why? Because the ruling powers prevent the young generation from understanding what is going on in Europe and the U.S.A. The ruling powers prevent them from caring about who rules the destiny and fate of humanity. These are the same ruling powers which colonize both West and East; only their methods and relationships differ. At any rate, in both East and West, human beings are victims of this inhuman world-wide power.

One of the most important tools that has been created by this ruling power from the intellectual, social, economic and moral point of view, is Freudian sexualism. This has become the communal social spirit of our age and has become the substitute for all values, virtues and liberties. It is not accidental that Freud's view of sexuality came to prominence after the Second World War and became the fundamental basis and foundation of art. Most motion pictures are based on only two elements; violence and sexuality. Both of these are legacies of the war. Motion pictures are one of the most important examples of the relationship of art to Western capitalism because film production is the only art which cannot exist and develop without the aid of capital. Thus it differs from the arts of painting, literature, poetry and music. A poor painter, writer, poet or musician can create the greatest work of art, but a film producer must have capital of millions of dollars to create a saleable film. Thus, this art is unconsciously supporting capitalism. The pseudo-intellectuals and pseudo-scholars of the third and fourth worlds suppose that Freudism is really the science of the present age. Modern scholars research and record Freud's works in a special way. It is interesting to note that in underdeveloped countries, under the guise of intellectuality and modern scientific psychology, scholars and scientists serve these universal powers free of charge. In the name of Science, they freely propagate inhuman ideas among the intellectuals and the younger generation. How miserable are these thinkers and intellectuals who serve the capitalistic ruling powers! They really believe that they are serving humanity, freedom, liberty and science!

Thus, in order for the superpowers of bourgeois scientism to dominate, both the East and the West must be sacrificed. They must become the victims of narcotics as well as Freudianism. From Scientism's point of view, every young person who is still human and who still shows sympathy and sensibility towards the destiny of his or her nation and other nations, must be caused to change his or her mind, must be made indifferent to his or her destiny and the destiny of others. In order to accomplish this, any means is permissible and advisable, whether it takes the form of science, art, sports, literature, history, tradition, or religion. It does not make any difference. One must be amused by any form. One must be removed from the scene so that one takes notice of nothing. The best way is scientific and mental stupifaction and the strongest factor, particularly among the younger generation, is sex! Why sex? Because it can be logically explained. It is new. It can easily and freely be accepted. It is the most important factor that can attract the young generation, who, in turn, are the most important victims of Freudianism. Thus all of their intellectual, human, artistic, social, political and financial investments must strengthen this School of thought. It is not strange to see how rapidly it progresses and develops.

It must be noted that there is another group who co-operates, albeit unconsciously, in a most effective way with this world-wide power, to achieve the aim of attracting the younger generation, particularly women, to Freudianism and to sex. This group unskilfully fights Freud's innovations by relying on old, strict, illogical and inhuman traditions to create restrictions and produce psychological complexes in the young generation, particularly women. You may want to know how they co-operate in this inauspicious endeavor.

They co-operate by pushing the young generation towards pessimism. While Freudianism invites woman out of the house, this old group tries to hold her inside by creating bonds, obligations, and restrictions, and by depriving her of all her human and religious rights, thus unconsciously preparing the way for Freudianism. It is in this way that they co-operate with Freud. Statistics show that the insidious invitation of Freudianism has been most successful in traditional societies and countries where women have been most deprived. Thus we cannot fight and confront this universal illness and danger only by relying on ancient traditions, customs, restrictions, bonds, etc. which deny rights to women. There is only one solution; to give human and Islamic rights back to women. Yes! This is the only way! If the human and Islamic rights of woman are given back to her, you have armed her with the weapon whereby she can personally resist and confront Freudianism. But if you deprive her of her rights, you insure that this satanic invitation will ensnare her. You have pushed her towards it.

The essential and important problem, which we have confused, is the distinction between culture and religion. Culture and religion have mixed with each other throughout history. They make up the collection of ideas, tastes, behavior, feelings, customs and legal relationships which are sacred and honored in a society. For example, in Islamic societies, Islamic rights, values, precepts and laws relating to the economy, the family, the community and even the social system have been mixed with local and tribal traditions formed over the centuries. These are certainly not related to Islam. They are only ancient tribal and local traditions and customs supported and protected by society. Thus an intellectual wishing to be released from such ancient, local, tribal traditions, must fight a combination of religion and custom in order to be free of both. Thus, both groups who defend religion and those who do not, must defend the mixture of ancient customs. Those who fight against traditions also confront the living and uplifting values of Islam. None of these groups, neither the progressive modern intellectuals nor the old traditional religious group, can distinguish between religion and culture. Why should they be separate and distinct from each other? Because we Muslims believe Islamic rights and laws are derived from the essence of humanity and the essence of nature, and are made by the Will of the Creator of the laws of nature. The laws of nature are stable and never grow old. Thus laws which are based on the general dignity of creation never grow old. On the contrary, social traditions based on production and consumption (in cultural systems where they are not fixed laws) have to change.

Religion, a living, permanent phenomenon which could be effective in the present age, can no longer play an effective role in the social life of a community, a society or a generation, because Religion has been captured by ancient, declining, ossified, deviated traditions, and thus can no longer effectively confront the danger of the superpowers. An aware intellectual is a historian, traditionalist, Islamologist, chronologist and sociologist whose most important cultural mission and responsibility is to distinguish Islam as a living faith, removed from the old traditional moulds which are not Islam but rather tribal customs, and to put the true Islamic ideas and faith into new moulds which match the necessities of the present age. The everlasting, living, moving, progressive Islamic contents must be protected, and put into new moulds which meet the challenges of each age. Based on my own experience, I have to say that even the most progressive, intellectual, rebellious and revolutionary thinker, when confronted by pure Islamic values and virtues, (once these values have been separated from inherited, tribal, ancient, ignorant customs), will be attracted to them and submit easily to them.

The visage of Fatima; the visage of the woman who existed, who spoke, who lived, who played a role in the mosque, in society, in the home training her children, in her family's social struggles and in Islam; a woman whose role should be made clear in all its dimensions to the present generation (not only to Muslims, but to any human being, man or woman, who has human feelings, who believes in human values, and who is faithful to real freedom) should be accepted as the best and most effective role to be imitated by the present generation. I myself have experienced this. I have seen so-called religious histories which lack religious feelings, which have no idea about religion, which even deny and oppose religion. When a proper picture of the Prophet's family, all of whom showed humility and submission, emerges, we feel that they are really living personalities. When I say that Islam is living, I mean it is a collection of living thoughts and ideas. It is alive because of its living social laws and rights. It is alive because exemplary, living personalities have been trained by it.

When the beautiful image of Hossein is presented, no human society, no matter what form of production it may have, no matter what social system it may use, no matter at what cultural stage it may be, can deny his unique and exceptional personality. No one can deny he is an eternal human symbol who should be followed, admired and praised. All accept him.

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Such people are living. They are symbols of Islam. To be alive means to be effective, to show the right way, to guide humanity in whatever stage it may be, in whatever land it may live, and to whatever race it may belong.

But, unfortunately, customs and religion have been mixed together. This mixture of customs (which are changeable, and vary from one social, tribal, and local system to another, and which are related to and produced by economic and social relationships), and Islamic values (which are unchangeable, eternal and related to inspiration, revelation and the prophetic mission) is defended in the name of religion. The intellectual, seeing the deprivations and abuse of women on one hand and the semblance of social freedom, class advantages and sexual liberty on the other hand, becomes confused. When the religious group in a community (who are acquainted with religion and believe it), are unable to distinguish between the religion and the local, tribal, cultural customs, how can we expect young, modern intellectuals (who are willing to fight against ancient customs) to make a distinction between religion and customs? If the distinguished scholars of Islam, who are acquainted with Islamic truths, do not perform this task, then what organization, what power, will do so?

The Prophet of Islam, who was such an elevated personality and one before whom history is humbled, when he entered his home was kind, lenient and gentle. When his wives quarrelled with him, he left his home and made a place for himself in the storage area without showing any harsh reaction against them. This behaviour of the Prophet of Islam must be considered as an Islamic example, in contrast to the behaviour of a supposedly religious, but in reality an abusive, man. Such un-Islamic, abusive behaviour was based on an ethnic, cultural tradition. Therefore, distinctions should be drawn between ethnic, cultural customs and Islamic religious instructions. The Prophet's behaviour was so humane that it amazes us....

In the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, there was a porch used for social affairs. Each corner of it was devoted to a different social purpose. In one corner was the tent of Ruqiya who, at the Prophet's command, had established a tent inside the Prophet's mosque, Islam's place of prayer, to hospitalize, care for, and nurse the war-wounded. Sad ibn Maaz (the Islamic chief officer who was wounded in the Battle of Khandaq by a spear) was hospitalized there. This tradition of looking after the sick and nursing them, continued for many centuries afterwards in Islam. I personally read about this in Ibn Yamin's book in which he praised Aladdin, the governor of Sabzevar, and mentioned that Aladdin built a hospital in a very large paradise-like garden in a village near Sabzevar. Describing the hospital, Ibn Yamin says that there were beautiful girls, like angels, who looked after the patients and nursed them.

When there was such a hospital, with such staff, in a remote village near Sabzevar in the 7th and 8th Islamic centuries, there must certainly have been more important and well-equipped hospitals in larger cities like Rey, Tus, Balkh, Bukhara and Baghdad. But we see that our ethnically-oriented intellectuals announce that a European or American woman serving in the First World War established Nursing in the world. They deny and denigrate the nurses who worked in the early phase of Islam, because it is a religious tradition. Therefore, you can see how facts may be confused, how rights are abolished, how great talents are sacrificed in the name of religious traditions, and how many great religious values and Islamic virtues are forgotten in the name of intellectualism and opposition to traditional religious beliefs!

Thus the responsibility of those who understand both present society and Islam (and who live in the present century) is very heavy. They must bear the burden of many centuries of emotions, ideas and faith. It is not an easy task to travel such a long distance and discover the truth which exists beyond it.

As I mentioned, one of the most important factors that enables Islamic communities to stand against and resist the insidious invitation of pseudo-scientific Freudianism and its dreadful use of sexuality is the presence of exemplary religious models in a humane culture. In the same way that Western world-wide colonialization stupefies the minds of its own youth through narcotics, Western colonialism designs and promotes Freudianism and sexual liberty for Eastern countries. Western colonialism exports sexual liberty to the Eastern countries in exchange for their raw materials. In return for the oil, diamonds, gold, rubber, etc. which the West takes from the East, it gives them sexual liberty. When a young man or woman is introduced to sexual liberty, he or she will become pre-occupied with it and will not think about other things, such as the problems of freedom. And when such young people have matured, they will be so involved with installment payments, sexual obsessions, etc. that they will never come to look at or think about other problems! The most important weapon of Islamic youth against this insidious invitation from the West is the possession of symbols leading the mind to genuine spiritual experiences. The spiritual symbols made available to the present generation, which is unwilling to be enslaved either by hollow, conservative, anti-human, anti-Islamic ethnic traditions or by the stupefying culture of indecent Western modernism, are the best weapons against the West's attack.

The woman of the Third World must be one who selects, who makes a choice. She is the woman who neither accepts the inherited mould nor the imported novelty. She recognizes both of them. She knows and is aware of both of them. The one which is imposed upon her, in the name of tradition which she inherits, is not related to Islam at all but is related to the ethnic customs of the period of paternalism and even slavery. And the one which is imported from the West is not science, not humanity, not freedom and not liberty. It is not based on sanctity and respect for women at all. Rather it is based on the low tricks of the bourgeoisie, stupefying consumerism and mindless self-indulgence. She wants to select, to choose, but what role-model should she choose? She wants neither the model of the traditional, strict woman, nor the model of the modern degraded woman. She wants the face of a Muslim woman. Fortunately both the material and history are available to construct this third figure. And even more authentic than history, more logical than scientific arguments are the objectively exemplary personalities who are symbols from our Islamic history....

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Thus it is sufficient for any intellectual woman to read a book about Fatima (or about other distinguished Islamic women like Khadija or Zeinab), to know these figures and compare them with figures who are introduced in the name of modernism. When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, Fatima bore the difficulties of the period of migration. Even in marrying Ali, she showed social commitment. Any women comparing Fatima with women who are introduced through modern magazines will recognize significant differences and reach the proper and inevitable conclusions. Therefore the most important duty of the aware, responsible, writers and preachers is to introduce these figures clearly, enthusiastically, responsibly and accurately, to the present generation, thus holding up the most efficient, responsible, humane role-models, to defend against and resist the West's attack.

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Thus when a woman, a thinking and responsible, committed woman, sees such heroics from a woman who belonged to Fatima's family, she understands where she must look, how she must be. She realizes that a woman of any epoch and any century can emulate this model. These are the values that will not change or grow old, nor do they depend upon the customs of the social, cultural or economic systems. These are stable and permanent values which will be destroyed only when there is no longer any humanity in existence.

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At this point, I'd recommend reading the previously posted Stories of Sahabi Women.

Stories of Sahabi Women

Category: SOUND

Hazrat Umme Salmah (ra)

Ummul-Momineen Hazrat Umme Salmah (ra) was first married to Abu Salmah (ra). The husband and wife were very much attached to each other. Once Umme Salmah said to her husband:

'I have heard that if a husband does not marry another woman during the life or after the death of his wife, and also if the wife does not remarry after the death of her husband, the couple when admitted to Paradise is allowed to live there as husband and wife. Give me your word that you will not marry after my death, and I too pledge that I will not marry again if you happen to die before me'.

Hazrat Abu Salmah said: 'Will you do as I say?'

She replied: 'Of course'.

He said: 'I want you to take a husband after my death'.

He then prayed, saying, 'O, Allah! Let Umme Salmah be married after my death to a husband better than I. May he give her no trouble whatsoever'.

In the beginning, the couple emigrated to Abyssinia. After their return, they again emigrated to Medina. Hazrat Umme Salmah (ra) says:

"When my husband made up his mind to emigrate to Medina, he loaded the camel with the luggage. He then made me and our son Salmah ride the camel. He led the camel out of the town, holding the string in his hand. The people of my father's clan (Banu Mughirah) happened to see us leaving. They came and snatched the string from Abu Salmah (ra)'s hand saying, 'You can go wherever you like but we cannot allow our girl to go and perish with you.' They forcibly took me and my son back to their clan. When the people of my husband's clan (Banu Abdul Asad) learnt this, they came to Banu Mughirah and began to argue with them saying, 'You can keep your girl if you like, but you have no claim over the child who belongs to our clan. Why should we allow him to stay in your clan, when you have not allowed your girl to go with her husband?' They forcibly took the boy away. Hazrat Abu Salmah (ra) had already gone to Medina. All the members of the family were thus seperated from each other. Daily, I would go out in the desert and weep there from morning till night. I lived in this condition for one full year, seperated from my husband and my son. One day, one of my cousins taking pity on me said to the people of the clan, 'You have seperated this poor woman from her husband and son. Why don't you have mercy on her and let her go?' Due to the humanitarian efforts of this cousin of mine, the people of Banu Mughirah agreed to let me go and join my husband. Banu Abdul Asad also made over my son to me. I got a camel ready and, with my son in my lap, I sat on its back and set off for Medina all alone. I had hardly gone four miles, when Hazrat Usman bin Talhah (ra) met me at Tan'eem. He inquired, 'Where are you going?' I said, 'To Medina!' He remarked, 'With none accompanying you!', I said 'No, I have nobody except Allah to accompany me.' He took the rope of my camel and began to lead. By Allah, I have never come across a person more noble than Hazrat Usman (ra). When I had to get down, he would make the camel sit and himself go behind a bush and when I had to climb up he would bring the camel and make it sit close to me. He would then hold the rope and lead the animal. Thus we reached Quba (a suburb of Medina). He informed me that Hazrat Abu Salmah (ra) was staying there. He then made us over to my husband and then returned all the way back to Mecca. By Allah, no one else could bear the hardships that I bore during that single year'."

After reaching Medina she had another son, 'Umar', and two daughters, Durrah and Zainab (radhiyalloanhum).

Hazrat Abu Salmah (ra) was the eleventh man to embrace Islam. He participated in the battle of Badr as well as Uhud. He got a severe wound in Uhud, which did not heal for a long time. He was sent by the Prophet(saw) in an expedition in Safar, 4 AH. When he returned from the expedition, the old wound had again started giving trouble and at last he died of the same on 8th Jamadil-Akhir, 4 AH. Hazrat Umme Salmah (ra) was pregnant at the time. Zainab was born to her after the death of her husband. After she had completed her Iddat (waiting period), Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) proposed to marry her, but she declined.

Later, the Prophet(saw) offered to marry her. She said:

"O, Prophet of Allah! I have quite a few children with me and I am very sensitive by nature. Moreover, all my people are in Mecca, and their permission for getting remarried is necessary."

The Prophet(saw) said:

"Allah will look after your children and your sensitiveness will vanish in due course. None of your people will dislike the proposed marriage."

She then asked her (eldest) son, Hazrat Salmah (ra) to serve as her guardian and give her in marriage to the Prophet (saw).

She says: "I had heard from the Prophet(saw) that a person struck with a calamity should recite this prayer: 'O Allah! Recompense me for this affliction by giving me something better than what I have lost': then Allah would accept his prayer. I had been reciting this prayer since the death of Hazrat Abu Salmah (ra), but I could not imagine a husband better than he, till Allah arranged my marriage with the Prophet(saw)."

She was the last of the Prophet(saw)'s wives to die. It was in 59 or 62 AH. She was 84 at the time of her death.

"In the Khaibar campaign, I along with five other women reached the battlefield. The Prophet(saw), having learnt this, sent for us. he said with anger, 'Who permitted you to come over here? Who brought you to this place?' We said, 'O, Prophet of Allah! We know knitting and we have some medicines with us. We shall help the Mujahidin by supplying them with arrows, by attending them when they are sick, and by preparing food for them.' The Prophet(saw) permitted us to stay."
-Hazrat Umme Ziyad (ra)

Hazrat Umme Salim (ra) joined the Huneyn campaign in the state of pregnancy. She kept a dagger on her person. The Prophet(saw) inquired:

'What is this dagger for, O, Umme Salim?'

She replied: 'I shall run it through the belly of any Kafir approaching me.'

She had also taken part in the battle of Uhud, wherein she tended the wounds of the fighting men.

Anas (ra) says:

'I saw Hazrat Aishah and Hazrat Umme Salim (radhiyalloanhuma) running to and fro in the battlefield, carrying water for the wounded.'

Umme Salaim (ra) was the mother of Hazrat Anas (ra). After the death of her husband, she remained a widow for some time with a view of devoting herself to the proper upbringing of her son. She was then married to Hazrat Abu Talhah (ra) and got a son named Abu Umair from him. The Prophet(saw) used to go to her house and play with the child.

One day, Abu Umair was ill and Hazrat Abu Talhah (ra) was fasting. While Abu Talhah (ra) was out on his job, the child died. She washed and enshrouded the dead body and laid it on the cot. She then herself used the bathroom, took a bath, and changed her clothes. When the husband returned home and had his Ifter he asked her:

'How is the child?'

She replied: 'He is now in peace.'

He was satisfied. The couple shared the bed for the night.

When they got up in the morning, they had the following conversation.

Umme Salaim: I have a question to ask you.
Abu Talhah: What is that?
Umme Salaim: Suppose a person is entrusted with something. Should he deliver up on demand that which is entrusted to him or not?
Abu Talhah: He must deliver up. He has no right to hold it back.
Umme Salaim: Abu Umair was entrusted to us by Allah. He has taken him back.

Hazrat Abu Talhah (ra) was filled with grief. He simply said: 'But why did you not inform me before?'

He went to the Prophet(saw) and narrated the story to him. He prayed for him and said: 'Allah is likely to bless your sharing the bed with your wife last night.'

One of the Sahaba says:

'I lived to see the effect of the Prophet(saw)'s blessing. As a result of his union with his wife on that night, Hazrat Abu Talhah (ra) got a son named Abdullah. This Abdullah had nine sons, all of whom where Qaris.'

Hazrat Zainab (ra) was the one who married to the Prophet(saw)'s adopted son, Zaid (ra). After they divorced, her marriage to the Prophet(saw) was ordered by Allah to break the custom of the non-Muslims in treating adopted children like their own blood in terms of marriage. It is always said about her, that while the rest of the Prophet(saw)'s wives were given to him by their relations in marriage, she was given to him by Allah.

She was the first of his wives to die and join him, and he had prophesied that the one who did this was the one with 'long arms' (i.e, most giving in charity).

After the Prophet(saw)'s death, the Amir ul Momineen, Hazrat Umar (ra) would pay her annual allowances numbering in the thousands of dirhams a year and she promptly gave it all away. Upon hearing this, he'd send even more, and she gave even that away. The Muslims at this time were conquering territory after territory so money was pouring into Medina like never before but she left nothing behind except her house.

Hazrat Saffiyah (ra) was the aunt of the Prophet(saw) and a sister of Hazrat Hamzah (ra). She took part in the battle of Uhud. When the Muslims were defeated and some of them began to flee from the battle, she would smite their faces with her spear and exhort them to go back and fight.

In the war of the Khandaq (Trench), the Prophet(saw) had collected all the Muslim women in a fortress and had deputed Hazrat Hasaan bin Thabit (ra) to look after them. The Jews of Medina who had sided with the polytheists despite a treaty with the Muslims, surrounded the place and sent one of them to find out if there were any men with the ladies. Hazrat Saffiyah (ra) happened to see the Jew approaching the fort. She said to Hazrat Hasaan (ra):

'There is a Jew coming to spy on us. You must go out and kill him.'

Hazrat Hasaan (ra) was a weak person. He did not make bold to do the job. Saffiyah (ra) got a hold of a tent peg and went outside the fortress and gave a blow on the head of the Jew that killed him on the spot. She came back and said to Hasaan:

'The man is dead. I have not removed the clothes and arms from his body for reasons of modesty. Now you go and remove everything from his body. Also bring his head after severing it from his body.'

Hazrat Hasaan (ra) was too sensitive to do that even. She herself went again and brought his head, and threw it over the wall amidst the Jews. When they saw this, they said:

'We were wondering how Muhammad (saw) could keep the womenfolk alone in this fort. Surely, there are men inside to guard the ladies.'

Saffiyah (ra) died in 20 AH at the age of seventy three. The war of the Trench was fought in 5 AH. She was, therefore, 58 then.

Hazrat Asma (ra) interviews the Prophet (saW) regarding Rewards for Women

Hazrat Asma bint Yazid Ansari (ra) came to the Prophet(saw) and said:

"O, Prophet of Allah! You are dearer to me than my parents. My Muslim women have deputed me as their representative to talk to you on their behalf. Verily you are the Prophet of Allah for both men and women. We stay for the most part of our time within the four walls of our houses. We remain pinned to our duties of fulfilling the sexual desires of our men, bearing children for them and looking after their homes. Not withstanding all this, men excel us in getting rewards for things which we are unable to do. They go and say their daily Salaat and weekly Jummah in the Masjid, visit the sick, attend the funerals, perform Hajj after Hajj and, above all, fight in the way of Allah. When they go for Hajj or Jihad, we look after their property, bring up their children and weave cloth for them. Do we not share their rewards with them?"

The Prophet (saw) addressing the Sahaba sitting around him, said:

'Did you ever hear a woman asking a better question?'

The Sahaba replied: 'O, Prophet of Allah! We never thought that a woman could ever put such a question.'

The Prophet (saw) adressing Asma (ra) said:

"Listen attentively, and then go and tell the ladies who have sent you that when a woman seeks the pleasure of her husband and carries out her domestic functions to his satisfaction, she gets the same reward as the men get for all their services to Allah."

Hazrat Asma (ra) returned very happily after getting this reply to her question.

Obedience to and good behaviour towards husbands is a very great asset for the women, provided they know its value.

"I once saw a very deep cut on the shoulder of Hazrat Umme Ammarah (ra). I inquired how she had got that. She said, 'I got it in Uhud. When people were running about in confusion, I saw Ibn Qumiah coming towards us and shouting, 'where is Muhammad(saw). Let somebody tell me his whereabouts. If he is saved today, I am no more.' I, Hazrat Mus'ab bin Umair (ra), and some others intercepted him. He gave me this deep cut on my shoulder. I also attacked him, but he escaped on account of the double coat of mail that he was wearing.'"
-Hazrat Umme Sa'eed (ra)

"In fact, we were very much handicapped in Uhud. The enemy had strong cavalry, while we fought on foot. There would have been a fair fight if they too had been on foot. When somebody came riding on his horse to attack me, I stopped his sword on my shield and when he turned about, I attacked his horse from the rear and cut its leg. This caused the horse as well as the rider to fall on the ground. As soon as this happened, the Prophet(saw) would shout to my son, who would run to my help and then we both finished the man in no time."
-Hazrat Umme Ammarah(ra)

"I had a wound on my left arm, which would not stop bleeding. The Prophet(saw) said to my mother, 'Put a bandage over it.' My mother took out a bandage from her belt and after bandaging my wound, said, 'Now, son! Go and fight again with the idolaters.' The Prophet (saw) was watching us. He said, 'O, Umme Ammarah, who can have courage like yours?'"
-Hazrat Abdullah bin Zaid (ra)

"I was standing with the Prophet(saw) when one of the enemy passed in front of me. The Prophet(saw) said to me, 'Umme Ammarah! He is the man who wounded your son.' I jumped at him and hit his leg. It made him fall down. We then went forward and finished him. The Prophet(saw) smiled and said, 'Umme Ammarah has avenged her son.' When the Prophet(saw) was praying for us, I said to him, 'O Prophet of Allah! Pray for my company with you in Paradise.' He favoured me with this prayer too, and after that I cared little for what happened to me in this life."
-Hazrat Umme Ammarah(ra)

After the death of the Prophet(saw), Umme Ammarah(ra) took part in the fierce battle of Yamamah which was fought with the renegades. She lost one of her arms and received eleven other wounds in this battle. She was 43 in Uhud and 52 in Yamamah.

Hazrat Umme Hakim (ra) was the wife of Ikramah bin Abi Jahl. She participated in Uhud on the enemy side. She embraced Islam on the fall of Mecca.

She loved her husband very much, who would not become a Muslim on account of his father, who was the worst enemy of Islam. After the fall of Mecca, her husband fled to Yemen. She secured pardon for him from the Prophet(saw) and went to Yemen and induced her husband to return to his home. She told him:

'You can be safe from the sword of Muhammad (saw) only when you put yourself in his lap.'

She returned with him to Medina, where Ikramah embraced islam and the couple began to live together happily. They both participated in the Syrian war during the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). Ikramah was killed in a battle. She was then married to another Mujahid, Hazrat Khalid bin Sa'eed (ra). It was at a place called Marja-us-Safr that her husband wanted to meet her. She said:

'We have enemy concentrating on all fronts. We shall meet after they are done away with.'

He said: 'I am sure I shall not survive this battle.'

They then shared the bed for the first time in a tent at that place. Next day, Hazrat Khalid bin Sa'eed (ra) was arranging for the Walimah when the enemy attacked with full force and he was killed in the battle. Hazrat Umme Hakim (ra) packed up her tent and other luggage, and, with a tent-peg in her hand, fought the enemy until she killed seven of them.

The first Shahid

Hazrat Sumayyah (ra) was one of the first Muslims and was persecuted severely in Mecca. She bore the trials patiently and did not weaken in her love and devotion to Islam. She was standing one day when Abu Jahl passed that way. He first hurled all manner of profanity at her, then speared her through her private parts. She was the first to meet martyrdom for Islam.

The Prophet's daughter, Hazrat Zainab (ra)

Hazrat Zainab (ra) was born after five years of the Prophet(saw)'s marriage to Hazrat Khadijah (ra), when the Prophet(saw) was thirty years of age. She came of age and then accepted Islam. She was married to her cousin, Abul Aas bin Rabi. Her husband fought in Badr for the Quraish and was captured by the Muslims.

When the Quraish were paying ransom to secure release of their prisoners, Hazrat Zainab (ra) gave over as ransom for her husband the necklace she had received in dowry from her mother, Hazrat Khadijah (ra). When the Prophet(saw) saw the necklace, the memories of Hazrat Khadijah (ra) came to his mind and tears were in his eyes. After consultation with the Sahaba, he returned the necklace to Hazrat Zainab (ra) and released her husband without ransom on the condition that he would send Hazrat Zainab (ra) to Medina on his return to Mecca. Two men were sent to stay outside Mecca and bring Hazrat Zainab (ra) safely to Medina. Her husband asked his brother Kinanah to take Hazrat Zainab (ra) outside Mecca and make her over to the Muslim escort. As Hazrat Zainab (ra) and Kinanah were moving out of the town on camel's back, the Quraish sent a party to intercept them. Her own cousin, Habar bin Aswad flung a spear at her, which wounded her and made her fall from the camel. As she was pregnant, she had an abortion. Kinanah started sending arrows towards the interceptors when Abu Sufyan said to him:

'We cannot tolerate the daughter of Muhammad leaving Mecca so openly. Let her go back and you can send her secretly after a few days.'

Kinanah agreed. Hazrat Zainab (ra) was dispatched after a few days. She suffered from this wound for a long time, till at last, she died of it, in 8 AH. The Prophet(saw) said at the time of her death:

'She was my best daughter, for she has suffered much on my account.'

The Prophet (saw) buried her with his own hands. As he went into the grave to lay her down, he looked very sorrowful but when he came out of the grave, he was very composed. On the query by the Sahaba, he said:

'In view of the feebleness of Zainab, I prayed to Allah to remove from her the tortures of the grave, and the prayer has been answered by Allah.'

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Just imagine, even the daughter of the Prophet who sacrificed her life for Islam needed a prayer from the Prophet (saw) for protection from difficulties in the grave. What about us people who are much steeped in sins? It is necessary that we should always seek protection from the difficulties in the grave. The Prophet (saw) would often seek refuge in Allah from the horrors of the grave. This was all for the instruction of his followers.

Hazrat Hafsah (ra) was the daughter of Hazrat 'Umar (ra) and the fourth wife of the Prophet(saw). She was very pious and would fast during the days and pray during the nights. Once something happened between them and the Prophet(saw) became very displeased with her and even pronounced the first divorce. Hazrat 'Umar (ra) was naturally very shocked over this.

Angel Jibrail (as) came to the Prophet and said: 'Allah wants you to take Hafsah back, as she is fasting often and spending her nights in Salaat, and also Allah wants it for Hazrat 'Umar's (ra) sake.'

The Prophet(saw) therefore took her back. She died in 45 AH at the age of 63. This incident shows the high position of the Sahaba, of Hazrat Umar (ra) especially, as well as the Prophet(saw)'s wives. Allah even ordered the Prophet(saw) around on their interests and for their sake.

Testimony of Women in Islam

Category: SOUND

"O ye who believe! When you acquire a loan for a fixed period, record it in writing, and let a scribe write it down between you with fairness; the scribe should not refuse to write, and just as Allah has taught him to write, he should also write for others; the one who has incurred the debt should have [the document] written and fearing Allah his Lord, he should not make any reduction in it. If the debtor is indiscreet or feeble or unable to have it written, let his guardian do so with justice. And call in two male witnesses from among your men, but if two men cannot be found, then one man and two women from among your likable people so that if one of them gets confused, the other reminds her. And witnesses must not refuse when they are summoned. And whether the loan is big or small, be not negligent in documenting the deal up to its period." (2:282)

this verse literally says you should ask 2 men or 1 man and 2 women to be witnesses.

"ask"... meaning the majority of this verse is not talking about court. its talking about the BUSINESS DEAL happening OUTSIDE of court. and is saying to have those sets of witnesses in case it ever DOES go to court so a fair set of witnesses can be provided to the court/judge. the judge can call whomever he or she wants to testify. this way there's a standard the judge can reasonably expect.

the verse really doesn't have much to do with law or court. its social behaviour.

by the way... technically that also means there's 1 female "witness", the second woman just backs up her account. so to say it means 2 women = 1 man even in testimony is kinda off the mark. if you have 2 male witnesses, they could interact again and talk about what they witnessed and remind each other. what if you had 1 man and 1 woman as witnesses? it might even force the woman to interact alone with a strange guy. this would be unusual in an islamic society and very unlikely. if she had a woman backing her up, she's not alone. on top of that, its not out of the question the woman may marry the male witness... in which case she'd have an emotional attachment (and cultural/societal) and could be influenced by her husband's decisions. that's not fair so another witness is needed to break the 1 man/1 woman possible tie. which would be another woman so as not to require the first woman to have to interact again with a non-mahram man too much. so the preference is for 2 male witnesses, since in islamic society they would interact more. and if only one male witness is found, 2 women can substitute for the second. if a male witness 'forgets', his testimony is rejected, the other can't substitute or remind.

it has nothing to do with the worth of one or the other. its based on environmental factors more than anything. "if one of them gets confused, the other reminds her" is attributed to things like PMS more by guys who haven't been around women too often. PMS is not the concern here. That comes around once a month and the odds she'd be called in to testify that day are not great... especially considering if she's exempt from praying/fastying while menstruating, then it stands to reason she can have the court appearance delayed for personal reasons too. the real reason is environmental. in a perfect islamic society, women aren't used to going out of the house for much of anything since they have no responsibilities there and most likely even have servants for the menial daily affairs... let alone being called up to testify in court.

its an experience thing. it wouldn't matter if most women were working outside of the house and could ably participate in court, the law itself has to account for giving the women the right to NOT have to go outside of the house. to give women and men completely equal treatment would give them equal responsibilities which would then rob them of the right which Islam considers they should have... that is to say, they can stay out of the public eye if they so choose. men do not have this priviledge. some women would appreciate that kinda thing.

and again, that is for WITNESSES. i.e, women NOT INVOLVED in the deal. a woman can run a business, in which case, she can't be witness to her own loans now can she? that makes no sense. but if she were called to testify in court as a party involved in the transaction itself, she alone would suffice. not only that, women can be judges. which defeats the entire idea of 'a woman is worth half a man'.

people tend to think that the 1 man/2 women rule applies to circumstantial evidence as well. this is only for business.

and lastly, this verse doesn't indicate a propensity to forget on the part of women. men and women are equally likely to remember or forget something. adam and eve both forgot equally. had either been better people, they would have reminded the other. one person being better than one another comes down to raw heart and soul, always.

Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) said in his last address that nobody is better than anybody else on the account of race or anything else (including gender) except through "piety and good action".