Women Mothers of the Prophets
Women, Guides to Humanity An answer to a question asked.... by William C. King, Halifax NS Canada The Quran does not say that women and men should be totally segregated and this, as well, was not practiced by the Prophet PBOH. At the time of the Prophet, women exercised prominent positions in society. In fact a women named Fatima Al Fihri was founder of the world's oldest and current degree granting institution! Ever heard of her? Why not? In fact the President of the North American Islamic Association for the last few years is a woman Dr. Ingrid Matteson. Are these stories you hear in the general media? Why not? At the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, he advised the women to remain in prayer with their faces on the ground until the men stood up so that the men could arrange their clothing as some men were so poor they did not have enough to fully cover (as the men have a dress requirement or hijab as well – as the hijab is the requirement of modesty for both men and women)…… this proves that at the time of the Prophet that their was no barrier between men and women in prayer and they prayed in the same place. Men and women are created differently however and the prayer position indicates this. As outlined with all human beings, the sexual urge is the strongest desire after food… and perhaps even before that……. while women and men prayed in the same area at the time of the Prophet PBOH it was advised that the best row for men was the front and the best for women was the back…. this is because of the innate nature of the MAN and his weakness…. a man is stimulated very highly visually and by smell (why do you think the fashion and perfume industry represents millions and miullions of dollars) while many sociologists state that generally a woman is attracted by a man who will offer her security and a good environment for her and her children. Ofcourse these are general statements made by scientists and ofcourse we recognize exceptions exist. Societies regulations work on priniciples based on the general number of people. While a strong society makes understanding exceptions for specific incidents. For example even in Islam where pork is fobidden if a Muslim was in desperate need of food to maintain his or her life then it is allowable to eat pork. Our society sells everything by flaunting the sexuality of women…. even now 5 year olds I was reading the new fad is for high heel shoes for them, as well as manicure and pedicure parties! The inherent attractive pull that women have over men (which we can not deny based on how the marketers exploit this knowledge) is one reason the women and men line up in different prayer lines but still can within the same area. It would be difficult for a man to pray and concentrate on honouring and supplicating to God Almighty in a serious and contemplative manner while his foot was resting next to an attractive foot of a sister, or while a woman was bending in front of him….the time of prayer and the coming together in a place of worship is not to socialize at that moment but to humble oneself before God and to let go of earthly desires and connections. the prayer is for God alone and the Creator knows us best. Too often in our society we look at any difference and think unequal……. Islam says men and women are equal but different and have different responsibilities and expectations under God. Islam is a codified way of life and when followed in its balanced way it protects the interest of the man and the women and protects their integrity and honour as well as that of the orphan and children and places the FAMILY UNIT above all other than the Creator of course. Believing men have been advised to lower their gaze concerning women and to be careful about where their desires lead them as this can lead to many problems as we advance these desires in ways that are not pleasing to our Creator….we then are left with social problems to address…. And children in the end are ultimately harmed irepairably during their early years of social and cognitive development. It is Islams concern for children as well that encourages certain ettiquettes that may at first seem different to people that do not understand that these are commands from God who has all wisdom and knowledge of his creation's strengths and weaknesses. We have to look beyond immediate response to behavior and look deeper into it….. For instance a woman receives inheritance of 1/3 and a man 2/3 while a woman can keep her 1/3 to herself while a man must share his 2/3. Nowhere in Islam does it say that a woman is not capable, quite the contrary….but the natural way is falling apart and it is causing anxiety and tension in society beyond belief. A man can not breastfeed a child….. God did not give Him this ability….. This takes me to your question of women prophets and Imams……..Four of the most honoured figures in Islamic Theology that come to mind immediately were women……. 1. Mary mother of Jesus,peace be upon him and may God be pleased with her, who even has a chapter of the Quran named for her and is honoured by Allah almighty. I should hope to rise in her ranks in the day of judgment yet this is an impossible feat for me to do based on my own actions… She is better than I am and better than almost every human being that walked on this earth, man or woman! 2. Hagar, mother of Ismael and wife of Abraham, peace be upon him,….. every MAN and woman walk in her footsteps while attending the pilgrimage at Hajj…. we walk in the footsteps of a woman! 3. Khadija , may Allah be pleased with all the mothers of believers, whom was the Prophets, peace be upon him first wife whom was also his employer and whom asked him to marry her after she was twice widowed and with children herself. Muhammad PBOH who was 15 years her junior and at the physical prime of his life married her…. and by the way she kept her last name as Islam does not condone the practice of the husband taking his wife as property so the woman retains her last name….. If he was only out for sexual gratification and taught other than pure kindness to women then why did he marry a woman much much older than him with children at a time that this would have been against the norm of society. He used to do the household chores and let his grandchildren ride his back. One time he, peace be upon him, was praying and stayed on his face for a while while his grandchild climbed over him….. 4. the wife of Pharoah, may Allah be pleased with her, who was tortured by her husband for believing in the God of Moses may peace and blessings be upon him…… she was however shown her place in paradise as she was dying and she was smiling. Dr. Jamal Badawi’s works about gender and women in Islam is a fantastic learning resource!. Regarding Prophethood and Imans as women……First there are and have always been great Women Muslim theologians and Scholars, again I also point to the Islamic Society of North America President being a woman. Mary, Khadija, Pharoah’s wife, Presidents of Islamic Universities, Doctors, Lawyers, Surgeons, also wives and homemakers whom our society values very little economically and TV shows generally make a mockery of (just think "Depsperate Housewives") and totally ignores while Allah sees the contribution of a woman taking care of her children as one of her greatest roles…. for she is the future through her good raising of her children although society now does not even look at you with value if you are a single mom trying your best…but Allah raises this status high. The Prophet said” paradise lies at the feet of your mother”. He PBOH him also said, when a man came to him and asked who is best that i give my company to…. and the Prophet said “your mother” the man asked then who and the prophet said your mother….then the man asked then who and the prophet said your mother…. then the man asked a fourth time and the prophet said and then your father…… Because of the most important and difficulty and dignified role of a Mother in Islam (take Mary for instance)….. we see why Allah has chosen the Role of Mother of the Prophets for women and the role of Prophet for men…… without Mary, no Jesus and guidance for the Israelite lineage, without Sarah, no Isaac and without the sacrifice of HAGAR no Ismael and no Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon and no guidance for the Ishamelite brethren of Issaac and also for humantiy., peace and blessings be upon all of the Prophets…. Each of these woman’s roles must not be lowered by always setting the standard to be reached the behavior and actions of men.. Allah judges women according to His standard for THEM not societies expectations of sameness being the same as equal….. and these women had the most important roles in society! Do not fall for the trick of wanting to be like a man to be better. I repeat my earlier statement that I can only hope to be raised in the next life at a level equal to that of Mary or Hagar or Sarah or Khadija or any number of women whom are better than me in righteousness towards the Almighty. and again it is not my deeds and actions which will give me hope of this but only the Grace and Mercy of Allah. The physical demands on women are difficult. If we believe in God then we know women and men are both the creations of God and God knows us better than we know ourselves. Allah’s ways are balanced and perfect….. Equal but not the same!….. Imagine the strain placed on a woman prophet while leading her people against an oppressor having to raise a people while she was breastfeeding or having the pain of menstruation or trying to attend to her babies…… something would have to give and if it was the attention to her children then SOCIETY IS LOST…… Without strong mothers society is doomed! Again the Prophet, peace be upon him, said "Paradise lies at the feet of your mother"! If we look beyond differences being unequal and look at the role of men and women as being complementary to each other, if we see each other as being brothers and sisters concerned for each others welfare, in all respects including emotionally and spiritually we will see that both have roles before God and neither the man or women is better. As far as a women obeying her husband and a husband not having to obey his wife, don't be fooled! A Woman is a trust from God for a man and his behavior toward her will be judged by the one who truly owns her and that is God. Like I said, the Prophet pbuh used to do the house chores. Too many men only take from the teachings of Islam what they can find that benefits them and ignore the commandments placed on them. It is a Males responsibility to maintain the family in goodness and to be of excellent character to his wife and of course the wife has responsibility….. The arabic word in the QURAN applied to husband and applied to wife is the same word….. Zawj……. we can translate this to partner…… PARTNERS, ALLAH uses the same word for BOTH! Also the word for WOMB is Rahim….. a derivative of the word MERCY……… and we say Allah is aRaheem, te Most Merciful…… All these are clues to the fact that GOD views men and women as being equal in respect to their spiritul essence. “According to Quran the relationship between the husband and wife should be based on mutual love and kindness. Allah says: “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.” (Quran: Ar-Rum 21) Finally in Islamic theology it was not eve who tempted ADAM and was the cause of the fall: The Qur’an says we are independantly responsible for our actions. “And Adam disobeyed his Lord, and was disappointed” (20:121) The QURAN says: “Surely the men who submit and women who submit, and the believing men and the believing women, and the obeying men and the obeying women, and the truthful men and truthful women, and the patient men and patient women, and the humble men and humble women, and the charitable men and the charitable women, and fasting men and fasting women, and the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard, and the men who remember Allah and women who remember – Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and mighty reward.” |