IN
THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS THE MOST MERCIFUL
Rays of light from the life of
prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings upon him)
Followed by
The historical position of
Women from a Muslim and a non Muslim perspective, a brief summary
Prepared by: Dr.
Translated by:
In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most
Merciful
Glimpses into the life of prophet Muhammad
When we speak
The Qur`an states: He has est
We sent revelations to you as We did
send revelations to Noah and the prophets after him and We sent revelations to
Speaking
Muhammad did not separate or
segregate his message from that of the preceding prophets in human history, he
insisted that his message was a part that completes and perfects the great
moral structure that has been contributed to by all the messengers of Allah and
their divine messages. He stated as
narrated by Abu Huraira: “My example
and that of the prophets before me is like that of a man who built a structure,
he beautified it and decorated it except for the place of one brick in one of
its corners. The people would walk
around this structure and marvel at it and say: only if a brick would be put in
this place? I am that brick and I am the
seal of the prophets” narrated in Sahih Muslim, Nawawy Exgesis.
As speaking
Aicha, may Allah be pleased with
her, narrated: “The prophet peace and
blessing upon him was not given to excess or obscenities, neither would he
resort to tumultuous behavior in the markets nor did he reward evil with evil,
he in fact would forgo and forgive.”[2]
The son of Abi Hala described him
as: “He was always cheerful, easy going, good natured, he was not rough nor
Anas narrates: “I was with the
prophet peace and blessings upon him on an occasion when he was wearing a thick
rough garment, a desert Ar
There are numerous examples from his
life of magnanimity and generosity towards his neighbours, business contacts, fellow
citizens, wayfarers, even towards his persecutors for whose guidance he would
constantly pray.
His humility was such that he said: Do not honour me over Jonah nor
distinguish between the prophets nor treat me better than Moses, and we have
just as great a right to seek the truth as Abraham.
The books of Hadith and Seerah (his
traditions and his biography) provide many examples of his great love to the
prophets and messengers who preceded him.
They show his keenness to follow their example even in the way he would
overlook some of life’s necessities – in emulation of them and in love for His
Lord so that affluence does not distract him from praying to Allah in like
manner to his preceding prophets and messengers.
Aicha said: The belly of the prophet peace and
blessings upon him was never filled, yet he never complained to any one, being
poor was dearer to him than wealth, he would crunch his body out of hunger all
night and still fast the next day. Had
he wished, he could have asked His Lord for all the treasures of the earth and
its fruits and comforts. I used to weep
for him out of compassion for his condition, I would run my hand over his
stomach when I see him hungry and I would say:
I would ransom you with my soul, would you take from this world your
sustenance? He would say: O Aicha, what would I want from this world,
my brothers, the resolute messengers persevered through what was more strenuous
than this, they continued in that condition until they met their Lord, He honoured
them and increased
their reward, I fear that if I give my self any luxury that I may fall short of
their standard, I would love nothing more than to follow my brethren and my
beloved, Aicha said: He lived for one month after this and then died.[4]
Ali may Allah be pleased with him
said: “I asked the prophet peace and blessings upon him
Glimpses into the overflowing mercy of
the prophet
Humanity before his birth and
mission
His mission was a rescue for
humanity from heathenism because it introduced people to their Lord through a
most truthful path and with the strongest of evidence.
The world has not known anyone like
Muhammad to direct the human mind towards knowledge of Allah and to fill the
human heart with awe of Allah. He est
Actions and behaviour
Muhammad brought to humanity a faith
that commands decency and forbids vice, permitting what is good and wholesome
and prohibiting what is harmful, he released people from their heavy burdens
and their yokes which bound them.
The manner of his dealings with
people
The system of human interactions
revealed by Allah for people is reflected in the great compassion that is
exhibited in the prophet’s dealings with others. Even though people issued from two parents,
they differ in their talents and social circumstances, this is very testing for
people.
This is explained in the verse of
the Noble Qur`an: “We made you as a
test for one another, will you patiently persevere? Your Lord is Ever
Watchful.” (25:20). A society is
constituted of the knowledge
The basis for human relations
Money and status will win a person
no honour with Allah if
this person withholds the benefits of his learning and wealth from others. On the other hand, when a person is
encouraged to grow without holding a grudge or looking down on others, issues
of class and societal conflicts will be resolved.
The prophet said: “He is not one of us who does not respect
the old, does not show compassion to the young and is discourteous to the
learned.”
Islam looks at people as forming
branches of the same tree, the basis of their connection is cooperation and
familiarity. The prophet peace and
blessings upon him stood with parents to ensure that their children are kind
and loyal to them and stood with children to make sure that their parents
guarantee them a good life and sound upbringing, he stood with the oppressed
until their oppression is stopped, he stood with the ill until they are cured
and he stood with the lost and confused to ensure that they find the path of
guidance. Islam reminds people of the
importance of mercy and compassion, he reminds people of the importance of
being kind and forgiving and he rejects claims of faithfulness by hard-hearted
non-forgiving people.
Islam places great emphasis on
compassion not just towards people, but also towards animals, a prostitute was
forgiven and would enter paradise because she gave drink to a thirsty dog. Mercy towards an animal received such a great
reward, imagine the manifold increase when one alleviates the concerns and
addresses the needs of fellow human beings.
The prophet peace and blessings upon
him said: The weak is the prince of the procession. He would say, leave me with those who are weak
and needy. He would also say: Do you think that your provisions and
victory come for any other reason than to champion those who are weak in your
society.
The most beloved people to Allah
He was asked as to who were the most
beloved people to Allah, he said: the most beloved is the one who is most
beneficial to others.
The most beloved action to Allah is
one that brings happiness to a Muslim (or a fellow citizen), that you alleviate
his suffering, or repay his debt or repel his hunger.
He said: To walk with my
brother (in humanity) so as to fulfill
his need is more dear to me than a month of worship at this mosque.
He also said: if a person
suppresses his vengeance when he is
The spiritual bond between
believers.
Love and compassion represented the
spiritual bond in human society, they united the human spirit and produced the
same sentiments in the differing individuals, any pain to one was felt by all
and all would rise to allay that pain and bring happiness to him. The mainspring of this noble teaching is the
heart of the messenger Muhammad peace and blessings upon him.
Pure hearts love Muhammad peace and
blessings upon him
It is not strange to find an
increase in the number of people who love the prophet Muhammad peace and
blessings upon him, this love is in fact a tenet indicating the truthfulness of
one’s faith, the more it increases, the more a believer is blessed with
In delivering his comprehensive
message, the prophet Muhammad is incompar
Only those who study his life will
understand his greatness
We only begin to have a brief
glimpse of the greatness of the prophet Muhammad when we start looking into the
writings of moral, social and political reformers and study the lives of great personalities;
statesmen, military leaders, authors of cultural models and founders of nations. Once such a person completes his research and
begins to compare his notes he will find other greats dwarfed by the life and
achievements of prophet Muhammad and the guidance that he has provided, the
inspiration and spirituality that he brought which enlighten and fill the
hearts with peace and tranquility.
Praise for the messenger of Allah
peace and blessings upon him
Praise for this great messenger
springs from our gratitude to the Creator for providing us with such a
distinguished personality who made sacrifices and endured great suffering for
us. Celebrating the life of prophet
Muhammad is not like celebrating the life of any other. When we celebrate the achievement of
historical greats, we do so for the legacies they left behind which attest to
their genius and to those aspects of their lives that deserve praise. However, when it comes to the messenger,
there is something else altogether.
The spiritual and intellectual
leader
He was both a spiritual and an intellectual
leader, his life example is a role model for all believers throughout history
bringing purity to heart from sin and protection to the mind from superstition.
He is referred to constantly
The name Muhammad is not just
remembered once a year on his birthday, his name is in fact cited in every call
to prayer and even during every prayer where people stand before their Lord, in
humility and sincere devotion to Allah witnessing His Oneness and the message
of His messenger.
The messenger and role model
Muhammad is a permanent role model
to his followers, his is a beautiful example to those who love Allah and hope
for His mercy. “You have a beautiful
example in the messenger of Allah for those who hope for Allah and the final
day and who remember Allah much.”(32:21).
The position of the prophet with
respect to plurality and acknowledgement of the Other.
The Muslim learns from Muhammad
peace and blessings upon him that plurality and respect for others is not just
a matter of personal choice, it is in fact a religious obligation. Plurality and differences in race, language, colour and religion are a fact of life,
Unity is for God, everything else is plural and different, this is one of the
miracles of creation. Whilst this appeals
to the sentiments of observers, it carries a special significance to the
learned who are
As diversity is a law of existence,
there is no sense or necessity in forcing people to carry one creed, the Qur`an
states: “Had your Lord willed,
everyone on earth, all of them would have believed, so would you compel people (against
their will) to believe!” (10: 99)
“Had your Lord willed, he would have
made people one community, however, they continue to be diverse.” (11:118).
The position of Islam in relation to
other faiths
Islam did not come to demolish what
the previous prophets had built, it came to complete the structure. Faith is not complete for any Muslim unless
he believes in all the messengers and prophets preceding Muhammad. Historically, Muhammad brings together the
purpose of all his predecessors into one era without discrimination between one
prophet and another. He calls on his
followers to believe in all of them without distinction, the foremost of these
believers is Muhammad peace and blessings upon him. The Qur`an states: “The messenger believes in what was
revealed to Him from His Lord, as do the believers, all believe in Allah, His
angels, His books and His messengers, we make no distinction between any of His
messengers, they say: We hear and we obey, Your forgiveness Our Lord, to you is
the (final) destination.” (2:285)
“Say (you all): We believe in Allah
and what He revealed to us and what he revealed to Abraham and Ismail and Isaac
and Jacob and the tribes and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was
given to the prophets by their Lord, we make no distinction between any of
them, to Him (God) we are Muslims.” (2:136)
“Say (you all): We believe in Allah
and what He revealed to us and what he revealed to Abraham and Ismail and Isaac
and Jacob and the tribes and what was given to Moses and Jesus and the prophets
by their Lord, we make no distinction between any of them, to Him (God) we are
Muslims.” (3:84)
“We sent revelations to you as We did
send revelations to Noah and the prophets after him and We sent revelations to
The source of inspired revelations
is One, the source of religious law is One even if some aspects of it may
differ in accordance with time, place and the condition of the people. The Qur`an states:
“He has est
“We took from the prophets their
pledge and from you and from Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus the son of Mary, we
took from them a solemn pledge.” (33:7)
Geographically, he brings together
aspects of place uniting people and nations, making believers in the divine
messages and messengers as one community regardless of their ethnic
differences. The Qur`an states after
mentioning a large number of prophets and messengers amongst whom Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Lot, David, Solomon, Job, Jonah, Zachariah, John and Mary
the mother of Christ in Chapter 22 verses 69 to 92: “This, your community, is one community
and I am your Lord, worship Me.”
The position of Christ and Mary with
Muslims
Islam and the prophet Muhammad peace
and blessings upon him taught believers to look towards Mary with respect, honour and reverence and to see her as a
pure and holy woman. Her honour precedes that of the mother of prophet
Muhammad. She is also to be loved more
than his own mother, father, family and tribe.
It is a rite of worship for Muslims to declare our love and praise for
Mary and her son the Messiah, peace and blessings upon them. Allah Most High declares in the Qur`an: “Behold! The angels said: O Mary, Allah
has chosen you, purified you and chosen you
“Behold! The angels said: O Mary,
Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, his name is Jesus son of Mary,
honour
“Behold! Allah said: O Jesus, I will
take you and raise you to Me and clear you (of the falsehoods) of those who
blaspheme; I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith
to the day of resurrection: then shall you all return to Me and I will judge
between you on the matters wherein you dispute.” (
“When Jesus came with the clear
signs, he said: I have come to you with wisdom and in order to make clear to
you some of the issues which you dispute, fear Allah and obey me.” (43: 63)
“We sent in their footsteps Jesus
the son of Mary, confirming what is between his hands of the Taura and we gave
him the Gospel, in it is guidance and light, confirming what is between his
hands from the Taura and a guidance and advice to the God-fearing.” (
“Behold! Allah said: O Jesus the son
of Mary, remember my bounty over you and over your mother, I supported you with
the Holy Spirit, you would speak to people in the cradle and in maturity, I
taught you the book and wisdom and the Taura and the Gospel. You create from clay the shape of a bird with
My permission, you blow into it, it becomes a bird with My permission. You cure the blind and the leper with My
permission, you bring up the dead with My permission, I restrained the
descendents of
“Behold! The disciples said: O
Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord bring down to us a t
“Jesus the son of Mary said: O Allah, send down to us a t
“And Zachariah, John, Jesus, Elias,
all were righteous.”
(6:85).
“Then we sent in their footsteps our
messengers, and in their footsteps, Jesus the son of Mary and We revealed to
him the Gospel, We placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who
followed him, but they adopted celibacy (monasticism), We did not prescribe it
for them, (they did so) seeking the pleasure of Allah.” (57:27)
“Behold! Jesus the son of Mary said:
O children of Israeli, I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what is
before my hands of the Taura and giving glad tidings of a messenger who will
come after me, his name shall be Ahmad, yet when he brought them the clear
signs, they said: This is magic manifest.” (61:6).
“Believers, be supporters of Allah
as Jesus the son of Mary said to the disciples: Who are my supporters to Allah?
The disciples said: We are the supporters of Allah, a group
believed from the children of
This is the position of Islam in
relation to religious plurality and the recognition of the other divine faiths,
it also shows the position Islam takes to other earlier religious law
culminating with its position in relation to Mary and Christ. We will next go on to look at Islam’s
position in relation to non-Muslims in general.
Islam’s
position towards non Muslims in general
Now that we have explored the
position of Islam in relation to the divine faiths, a position of respect and
complete confirmation for the truths that the messengers were sent with, it is
not strange to see Islam est
Internecine, tribal, and civil wars
find no sanction or justification in the Islamic teachings. Muslims have been taught by Islam and by the
direction of prophet Muhammad to treat others with kindness and as good neighbours.
In general matters of life, Islam has dictated to its followers to
exercise respect towards those who differ with its teachings. It does not subject them to Islamic law, it
guarantees their complete rights, it does not force them to change their
beliefs, it respects their life, property and honour.
Islam left others to choose their own creeds. Islam never seeks to impose itself as the
only global faith, the prophet Muhammad is the first to know and understand
that any attempt to impose a global faith will fail because such an attempt is
at odds with human nature and is contrary to the Will of the Creator who
said: “Had your Lord willed, he would
have made people one community, however, they continue to be diverse.” (11:118).
“Lo! Most people, no matter how hard
you try, will not be faithful.” (12:103)
“Had your Lord willed, everyone on
earth, all of them would have believed, so would you compel people (against
their will) to believe!” (10: 99)
From this arises the conclusive
Islamic principle in relation to freedom of belief: “Let there be no compulsion in religion,
truth is clear and distinct from falsehood.” (2:256).
Islam teaches that true faith is the
fruit of a free will, a person who is deprived of freedom is under no
obligations. A person who acts under
duress cannot be made responsible for the effects of such acts because the acts
were not of their own volition but a result of force and threats. In like manner, a person who is forced to
embrace a faith cannot be treated as a believer even if this person goes
through all the motions. Islam is not
satisfied with just this passive or some may say negative position, which is
its refusal to compel people to accept it, Islam in fact goes a step further
and designs for us positive steps to honour the humanity of the non Muslim, even if this
non Muslim was a heathen or an idolater, something far removed from Islam. If you would turn to Chapter 9 of the Qur`an
and read verse 5: “If one of the polytheists was to seek your protection,
protect him and give him the chance to hear the words of Allah, then deliver
him to safety.” Islam is saying that
it is not enough to give them protection and board, it is not satisfied that we
just show them the path to guidance and goodness, it in fact orders the
believers to protect them and look after them whilst they are transported to a
safe place. Can one see anything more
just, merciful, protective of human rights and the unity of humanity than this?
Islam does not only give them protection
for their person, wealth and honour and guarantees their freedom of movement and access to justice to the
same level as Muslims, it says: They
have the same rights as we do and are subject to the same legal protections.
The rights of non Muslims in Muslim
society
The right to protection
The right to protection relates to
their lives, wealth, honour, property and freedom to practice the tenets of their faiths, their
rituals of worship and much more than the limited space of this brief treatise.
This right can be divided into two: the right to protection inside and the
right to protection outside as I will illustrate.
The right to protection inside
Despite the fact that all human
societies require minorities to live by the laws imposed by the majority, Islam
has given non Muslim minorities greater rights, even though they are a minority.
Islam has raised the position of a
minority to that of a nation and entered into an agreement or treaty with them
under the Islamic code for international relations. Islam chose a curious title to this treaty
referring to it as “The treaty of conscience”.
One may ask: the conscience of whom to be exact, is it the conscience of
the mayor? Or is it the conscience of the minister for multicultural
affairs? Is it the conscience of the
Premier or the Prime Minister?
Islam has given rights to minorities
that Muslims must observe, it did not make it a mere contract like other
ordinary contracts where the judge would seek to enforce its written
clauses. It in fact gave sacredness to
this treaty, not just in the conscience of the ruler, but also the conscience
of Allah and His messenger thus granting the non-believer the highest level of
respect and loyalty. We find many verses
and traditions in this regard. This in
turn was reflected in the behaviour of Muslims throughout most of human history both in practice and
principle thus embodying the highest degrees of adherence, care, support,
generosity and magnanimity. Allah
commands his devotees to be just and kind.
Islam does not ask the Muslim to just set aside the emotions of love and
hate when doing so, it goes further to demand that the Muslim exert the
greatest effort to seek
Allah Most High said: “Believers, be upright in justice,
witnesses to Allah even if it be against your selves or your parents and near
kin, if he be wealthy or poor, Allah can best protect both, do not follow a
whim away from justice, if you turn or refuse, Allah is well aware of what you
do.” (4:135).
He also said: “Believers, be upright for Allah,
witnesses in justice, do not allow enmity towards some people to turn you away
from being just, be just, this is closer to piety, fear Allah, Allah knows well
what you do.” (5:8).
The collectors of Hadith, Abu Dawood
and Bayhaqy narrate a statement by the prophet peace and blessings upon him: “whoever
commits a wrong against a person with a treaty, or short changes him or imposes
on him an unjust burden, or takes from him something without his consent; on
the day of judgment, I will be an advocate against him to the favour of the person with the treaty.”[6]
He also said: “any one who causes harm to a person who is
held in conscience has in fact caused harm to me. Any person who causes harm to me has
committed a wrong against Allah[7].”
His magnanimity was to the extent
that not only did he host a group of Christians from Najran in his own mosque
and that he stayed with them for a few days but when it came time for them to
pray and it was a festival day for them and they wanted to leave the mosque to
pray outside, he asked them: Why do
you want to leave the mosque? They said:
we wish to pray O Prophet of Allah, today is a special day for us. The prophet peace and blessings upon him
said: You can pray right here, the
delegation turned towards the east and prayed in their own manner inside his
mosque, he then made a treaty with them.
This treaty remains an example of magnanimity, protection and upholding
of human rights to this day.
Abu Yusuf writes in Alkharraj at pp
72 and 73 that the prophet made a treaty with the people of Najran which
included the following: “Najran and
its precincts have the protection of Allah and the conscience of prophet
Muhammad the messenger of Allah in relation to their money, faith, trade and
everything they possess whether little or much and that none of them would be
tried for the crime of another.”
Their lives, wealth and honour
are protected through a number
of verses in the Qur`an and the Hadith, protecting them becomes an act of
worship for a Muslim.
The messenger said: “Any one who kills a person with a treaty
will not smell the scent of paradise even though its scent reaches a distance
that would take forty years to travel.”[8]
Islam guarantees for non Muslims,
under the requirements of the treaty of conscience rights over us as long as
they are within our protection and under our conscience and the conscience of
Allah Most High, that of His messenger and that of Islam. Ibn Abideen said: Under the treaty of conscience, they will
have the same rights as we do, therefore, where it is sinful to slander a
Muslim, it is also sinful to slander a non Muslim, in fact, jurists say that
slandering a person of conscience is even more sinful[9].
There are many traditions and
juristic rulings that assert the protection of non Muslims, their right to
freedom of religion and the protection of their places of worship and their
sanctities. This is also illustrated in
the pledge which Omar Ibnul Khatt
“This is what the slave of Allah,
Umar the prince of the believers pledges to the people of Ilya with respect to
security: He guarantees their personal
security, the security of their wealth, their churches, crucifixes and their
properties. Their churches are never to
be obfuscated, confiscated or demolished, nothing is to be expropriated from
their churches or the church properties, nor from their crucifixes nor any part
of their wealth. That they not be
harassed in their faith nor any of their members harmed and that no Jew would
be permitted to take up residence on the land of the Christians.[10]
The right to protection against
foreign attacks
This right means that the Muslim
nation would guarantee the protection of non Muslims from foreign aggression
and from internal oppression so that they can have st
Based on this principle, the leader
or ruler must ensure sufficient military or police resources to ensure that the
minorities have all the means to be protected because this is part of the
ruler’s religious obligations imposed on him as ruler. The Hanbali school of jurisprudence has ruled
in a book titled Oulinnuha that the ruler must protect the people of conscience
and must stop anyone from causing harm to them, he must ensure that their
prisoners are ransomed and given their freedom as he would his own
citizens. He must also fight off any who
intend to cause them harm as long as they do not live within the boundaries of
a state at war with the Muslims. Even if
they live as scattered individuals rather than communities, their pledge of
conscience is permanent and they are entitled to all the rights that Muslims
are entitled to.” Vol. 2, pp 602-603.
Imam Qarafy, a Maliki scholar states
in his book, Alforook, quoting Imam Ibn Hazm Alzahiry’s Marateb Al Ijma: If we
are invaded by another nation seeking the arrest of a person with a treaty of
conscience, we would be morally obliged to defend him and fight them off with
all our might and even die in his defence in honour of the conscience of Allah Most High and that
of His messenger. Handing such a person
over without a fight would be negligence in relation to the treaty of
conscience.” Vol 3. p14.
Imam Qarafy continued: “This may lead
to great expenditure and loss of life in order to honour the pledge and protect the members
of the minorities.”
Has history seen a level of
magnanimity and protection for minorities as what Islam accords to non Muslims?
Just and fair testimonials
We now move to the fair and
objective testimony of Western writers and intellectuals so that the reader
will appreciate that truths do not just get frozen and washed away with wild
accusations. The day always comes where
the sun will melt away the ice and the tide will wash away the sand barriers
from the shores of truth.
The Nestorian Patriarch Joshua Baf
III wrote to Semaan, the head of the Persian priests a letter wherein he
stated: The Ar
Sir Thomas Arnold writes: “Christian
communities found comfort and forbearance that they had not enjoyed for
centuries because of Jacobite and Nestorian differences. Islam allowed them to fulfill the rituals of
their faith without anyone questioning them.
Limits and anti-incitement provisions were put in place that stopped
conflicts between competing groups, this is a fundamental protection for
freedom.” [11]
The contemporary Christian historian
Dr. Philip Hitti writes: “The people with a treaty/pledge of conscience enjoyed
great religious tolerance under Islamic rule where Muslim rulers allowed them
to refer civil and legal matters to their own religious rules.”[12]
“I see the hand of God in the
victories of the Ar
We ask again, has the world or has recorded
history known such magnanimity, generosity and protection of minorities
anywhere other than Muslim societies.
The reality shows very clearly and
history bears witness that humanity; since it touted the praises of modernity
and civilization, has not been
Further, the United Nations itself
has been used as a tool to achieve the goals of neo-imperialism, we see double
standards the sanctioning of disproportionate retaliation. Modern Earthly justice has donned a thousand
ugly faces repelling balanced individuals and creating doubts for people even
if they had half a brain. These laws
remain as nothing more than theories that have no real application in reality,
people, under these man-made laws have no feeling of safety or security.
The historical position of
Women from a Muslim and a non Muslim perspective – A brief summary
Prepared
by: Dr. Ibrahim Abu Mohammad
Translated
by:
In 586, the French held a conference to determine whether women were human beings or not, they decided that women were human beings created for the sole purpose of serving man.
In
Until 1805, English law permitted a man to sell his wife and the price for a wife was six pence. In 1931, an English man sold his wife for 500 pounds, his legal counsel raised the defence that English law in 1801 set the price at 6 pence provided the wife approved. The court’s reply was that this law had been repealed.
Whilst the French revolution at the end of the 12th century banned slavery, this ban did not include women, the law stated that women were not fit to enter into contracts without the consent of their legal guardians if they were unmarried. This law stated that minors were: young boys, the insane and women.
In
Pre-Islamic Ar
Until
1922, women in many parts of the non/Muslim world were treated like chattels,
many being bought and sold like ordinary goods.
Many parts of
When Muhammad peace and blessings upon Him was appointed by Allah as His final messenger, his message elevated woman to a position where she was equal to man in substance and she was granted her natural rights as a human being. This message came to a society that used to take pride in the birth of males and felt shamed when a female was born. Islam changed this, it treated the birth of a female as being more blessed than the birth of a male. Muslim scholars convened seminars with respect to who holds the greater blessing, they found the birth of females to be more blessed, the reason for this is found in the Qur`anic verse that starts with females: “He grants to whom He wills females and grants to whom He wills males…”. Thus, the female was more blessed because Allah commenced the verse with her and Allah always commences with what is more important. Hence Islam regards women as the honour of society.
Islam referred to women in a number of different situations, as a mother, we are told that paradise is under her feet and that she must be honoured and treated with kindness and respect. The prophet peace and blessings upon him enjoined on children their duty to their mother as being three folds that of the father, looking after one’s mother is second in importance to devotion to Allah. As a wife, Islam stated that the people who will have the best position with Allah are those who are best to and most gentle with their wives[15]. Islam made it an obligation on the husband to spend on all his wife’s needs in accordance with his own standard of living.
As a daughter, Islam regarded good nurturing or raising a daughter as one of the means of earning the grace of Allah and entry to Heaven.
Islam gave women a collection of material as well as non-material rights:
1 – The right to being treated as equal to man in substance[16], they are created from the same soul[17].
2 – She is charged with the same religious duties as man, she is required to practice the same rituals of worship as man.
3 – She is entitled to the same spiritual reward for her actions as man.
4 – She is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect in the same manner as man.
Some of the material rights include:
1 – The right to own property in her own name.
2 – The right to deal with her own property as she chooses, including the right to enter into contracts and gain employment including the right to work as a judge[18].
3 – The right to inherit from the estate of either of her parents, her husband, her brother or her children. In addition to this right, she does not carry the obligation to spend on anyone.
4 – The right or freedom to choose her own husband, she cannot be forced to marry against her will.
5 – The right to seek annulment of her marriage if her husband does not treat her properly.
6 – The right to vote, the prophet Muhammad peace and blessings upon him used to receive pledges of support from both men and women[19].
7 – The right to nominate for parliament[20].
8 – The right to question or advise the ruler.
Replying
to some of the accusations against Islam in relation to women:
1 – Islam is accused of only giving women half the share of men in inheritance. In Islam, inheritance is not dispersed on the basis of gender, the share is determined on the basis of the heir’s relation to the deceased and on the financial obligations that each person will bear as a result. Women have 26 categories of inheritance, in one only of these categories, the woman takes half the share of the male, this is the situation where a parent passes away and he has male and female children. In this situation, she takes half as much as her brother, she will not be required to spend on herself nor on her remaining parent, she will not be required to spend on her children either. She is not required to furnish a home nor to pay a dowry. She in fact has no financial obligation. Her brother, if she is single, will be required to spend on her from his share.
There are four situations where the female’s share is greater than that of the male. These situations are either unknown to the accusers or are ignored by them. In the remaining 21 situations or categories, the female’s share is equal to that of the male. Hence, the share is not based on gender, it is based on rights and obligations.
2 – They also accuse Islam of treating two women as equal to one male witness. This accusation is completely inaccurate. There are in fact circumstances where the evidence of men is not accepted and only evidence from women will be admitted. Can we allege that men are being mistreated in these cases? On issues of parentage, breastfeeding and chastity, only the women’s testimony will be admissible and the man’s evidence will be rejected. Again, this is not an issue of gender but an issue of who is in a better position to know. There are situations where justice cannot be realized by the evidence of women alone, this is not based on a deficiency, but rather as an issue of care for her emotions and feelings (these relate to crime and financial transactions). On all other issues, the testimony of women is completely equal to that of men.
3 –
They also accuse Islam of denying women the right to education. The right to education falls under the right
to equality. As women are equal to men,
they have the same
Amongst these prominent women are:
1 – Aisha Bint Abu Bakr, the mother of the believers, she has narrated more than 2200 Hadith and half the religious teachings were taught by her. Her sister Asma narrated 56 Hadith.
2 – Hafsa Bint Umar, another mother of the believers, Hafsa was known as a highly proficient calligrapher.
3 – Umm Aldarda` was described by Imam Nawawy as a woman famous for her intelligence, jurisprudence and understanding.
4 – Karima Alharuria and another named Attanukhia taught Imam Bukhary who learnt many Ahadith from them.
5 – Aisha Bint Ahmad, a prominent linguist and poet.
6 – Ulayya Bint Almahdy, a prominent poet, author and teacher of Jurisprudence and language.
7 – Wallada Alruwa`iya, a poet, contemporary of Ibn Zaydoun.
8 –
Zayn
9 –
Nafisa Bint Abi Muhammad, taught in
10 – Mu`nisa Al Ayyubia, taught language and Qur`an interpretation, Ibn Hayyan was one of her students.
11 –
Shahda Bint Al
12 – Ibn Asaker, the renowned scholar had over 80 female teachers who taught him Hadith.
13 –
Zayn
These are only some examples and there are many more. Some regard Islam as the best love letter to women since eve and will remain so until the end of the world. The Noble Qur`an has named an entire chapter after women but has not done so for men.
Islam has placed all issues relating to women from birth to old age, in a chapter named Nour, or (light).
About the author:
Dr
Ibrahim Abu Mohammad.
Born in
Memorised the Holy Qur`an in his
childhood.
Received his Degree from AlAzhar in
1974, and was appointed as a sub-editor of the AlAzhar magazine in 1976.
Received his Masters Degree from the
His Phd thesis was in relation to
'the way Islam makes peace a reality'. This thesis earned him a high
distinction, as the top of his class in the
Has several works that have been
published, of these are: 'Man And The Environment', 'The Culture And The Diary
Of History', 'Between Freedom Of Thought And Freedom to Destroy', 'A Letter to
the Sane', 'The Man And The sycophant, 'Mental Striving, Its Fields, And Its
Heights', and 'The Pure Melody And The Immoral Melody'.
Has recently published the second
edition of his book "Invitation to Contemplate" which has been
translated to both English and French.
His book, "A call for
thinking" has been translated into three languages, English, French and
Kurdish.
Has participated in many specialist
international conferences and seminars.
His latest books: "Who are
you?" and "The Human Being Between Revival and Downfall" are now
avail
His book "Education and the Revivalist Role of Said Nursy is ready for publication.
About
[1]
Please note that the appearance of emboldened text followed by parenthesis with
numbers inside them, indicates that this is a quote from the Holy Qur`an, the
first number represents the chapter number and the second is the verse number.
[2]
Sharh al Shifa Fi Shama`el AlMustafa, Imam Nourudeen Alqary, annotated by the
former Mufty of Egypt Sh. Hasanayn M. Makhlouf, vol. 2, p.80
[3] Ibid, pp 30-31.
[4] Ibid Vol. 2, pp 193-197.
[5] Ibid pp 212-213
[6] Bayhaqi, Alsunan al kubra, vol 5 p
205.
[7] Narrated in T
[8] Narrated by Ahmad and Bukhary under
the section for Jizya and by Ibn Majah and Nasa`i in the section dealing with
compensation.
[9] Radd Almukhtar alal dar Almukhtar,
exegesis of Tanweer Al
[10] Tareekh Al T
[11] Futuh Albuldan, Albakazry p143.
[12] Translated from a translation quoted
by Dr. Abdul Jaleel Shal
[13] Translated from a translation from
the book: Rooh Aldeen Al Islamy, p288 Afif T
[14]
Woman, between Law and Jurisprudence, Dr. M. Sibai, 5th edition,
1962, Darul Qalam,
[15] Tirmizy reports that the messenger of Allah peace and blessings upon him stated: “The most perfect amongst the believers in faith and the one who is closest to me is the one who is most gentle to his wife.”
[16]
Ahmad in his Musnad reports that the messenger of Allah peace and blessings
upon him said: “Women are equal
(Shaqa`eq) to men, they are honoured by noble people and only
[17]The Holy Qur`an 4:1 “People, be conscious of your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul.”
[18]Almawardy
and T
[19]Bukhary, vol 8. According to Aisha: The messenger of Allah peace and blessings upon him used to take verbal pledges of support from women.