By
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The Quran declares that all the tenets and the teachings of Islam rest on the basic principle that Islam is a religion of nature. According to the Islamic belief, God is the creator of woman as well as man. It is God who sent the sacred book—Al Quran and according to its belief, both are the creations of the one and the same God. A woman is a phenomenon of nature and the Quran is a statement of the laws of nature.

According to Islamic belief, both men and women are born as equal partners in life. In a fine-expression of gender equality, the Quran declares:

“Never will I waste the work of any of you, be he male or female: You are members, one of another…” (THE QURAN 3:195)

We find a similar meaning in the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet of Islam):

Men and women are two equal halves of a single unit. (Al Tirmizi)

We see that both the sacred scriptures of Islam make it clear that neither sex is inferior or superior to the other. However, studies in biology and psychology show that the sexes are different in nature, each being designed for a different purpose. So, the Islamic maxim runs:

Equal in respect, but different in role.

Despite being equal, each has a different sphere of action. That is, in their contribution to social activity, men and women undertake work which is suitable for each, for example tough physical work will be undertaken by men while the women deal with the lighter work.

Women’s role as supporters

In the early period of Islam, both the sexes were fully active in different fields of life, from housework to agriculture, and from horticulture to worship in the mosque. Everywhere women were visible and active. Gradually there came about a division of labour, which is justifiable not only biologically and physiologically, but also in terms of the ensuing social benefits. One such important benefit is that they can see each other’s lives objectively, without that personal involvement which tends to cloud their judgment and lead to a damaging emotionalism. They are better able to counsel each other calmly and wisely, to give moral support at critical moments, and to offer the daily encouragement with which every successful union should be marked.

Examples from Islamic history Khadijah

In Islamic history, there are many examples of women giving invaluable help to their husbands in critical situations. One of the most notable was Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet of Islam who successfully brought the Prophet back from a state of fear and trembling to a state of normalcy after he received the first divine revelation in the solitude of the Cave of Hira from the Archangel Gabriel. She was able to reassure him that his life was not, as he feared, in danger, as she herself, was emotionally detached from the incident. She observed: “Surely, God will never forsake you. You are kind to your kin; you always help the weak; you take care of whoever crosses your threshold; you give solace to the weary; you speak the truth.” The reassurance that Khadijah gave to the Prophet of Islam on this occasion was one of the most significant contributions to the furtherance of Islam.

According to Islamic belief, both men and women are born as equal partners in life.

Then it occurred to Khadijah that she had best make enquiries of some learned Christians, who, well versed as they were in the scriptures, were bound to have knowledge of revelation and prophethood. She went first to a rahib (hermit) who lived near Makkah (Mecca). Upon seeing her, the priest asked, “O noble lady of the Quraysh, what has brought you here?” Khadijah replied, “I have come here to ask you about Gabriel.” To this the rahib said, “Glory be to God, he is God’s pure angel. He visits prophets: he came to Jesus and Moses.” Then Khadijah went to another Christian called Addas. She put the same question to him, and he too told her that Gabriel was an angel of God, the very same one who had been with Moses when God drowned the Pharaoh. He had also come to Jesus, and through him God had helped Jesus.

Then Khadijah hastened to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a Christian convert who had translated part of the Bible into Arabic. When she had finished telling him of what Muhammad had seen and heard, Waraqah exclaimed, “Holy, holy! By the Master of my soul, if your report be true, O Khadijah, this must be the great spirit who spoke to Moses. This means that Muhammad must be the Prophet of this nation.” On a subsequent visit, Khadijah brought Muhammad to meet Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Muhammad related the events exactly as they had taken place and, when he had finished, Waraqah said, “By the Master of my soul, I swear that you are the same Prophet whose coming was foretold by Jesus, son of Mary.” But then Waraqah sounded a note of warning: “You will be denied and you will be hurt. You will be abused and you will be pursued.” He nevertheless immediately pledged himself to the Prophet: “If I should ever live to see that day, I should surely help you.”

The reason that Khadijah was able to arrive at a correct judgment in such delicate situations was that she was detached from it and therefore, in a position to offer objective opinions. If she too had been seriously involved, she might have been too subjective in her thinking.

Hajira

We find from a prayer offered by Prophet Abraham that the culture prevalent in his times (4,000 years ago) had totally corrupted people’s minds and they practiced nature worship or Shirk. As a result such practices had become a part of their unconscious minds. It had become almost impossible for a person born in these urban centres to keep himself untainted by this corrupting influence (THE QURAN 14:36).

Studies in biology and psychology show that the sexes are different in nature, each being designed for a different purpose.

At this juncture, God commanded Prophet Abraham to devise a historic plan of founding a new generation of people who would be followers of Monotheism; a step that has no precedent in ancient history. According to this plan, Prophet Abraham was to settle his wife Hajira (Hagar) and son Ishmael in the desert in Arabia at a place now known as Mecca. It was at that time an uninhabited valley far away from the centres of civilization. There, the environment was totally natural. Thus, it was possible to raise a generation, cut off from the atmosphere of corrupt civilization, which would retain its God-given nature intact.

Fulfilling this command of God, Abraham took them to the desert and started to leave. Hajira asked him repeatedly why he was leaving them there in the desert alone. Receiving no reply she asked if God had commanded him to do so. On receiving the reply in the affirmative, she said, “Then God will not let us go to waste”. With that one action, she became the main supporter for Abraham in fulfilling God’s plan and the entire Muslim community.

The rite of sa’i, performed by all Muslims at the time of Haj by running back and forth seven times between Safa and Marwa—two hillocks near the Kabah—is a re-enactment of Hajira's desperate quest for water to quench the thirst of her crying infant when they arrived in the dry desert. The performance of this rite is a lesson in struggling for the cause of God. It is of the utmost significance that this was an act first performed by a woman. Perhaps there could be no better demonstration of a woman’s greatness than God’s command to men, literally, to follow in her footsteps.

Aisha

A study of the life of the Prophet of Islam tells us that education, whose actual goal from the Islamic point of view is the arousal of human awareness, is as essential for women as it is for men. Indeed, it is only aware men and women who can conduct the practical matters of life smoothly.

There are traditions which tell us that the Prophet’s conversations with his wife Aisha were aimed at educating her. Aisha says that when the Prophet of Islam would get up at night after a few hours of sleep, he would converse with her at length in that peaceful atmosphere. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim) This course of informal education, continuing uninterruptedly, even while traveling, so benefited Aisha that she became the most distinguished authority on religious knowledge. She survived the Prophet for a full fifty years, during which period she remained a truly valuable source of religious knowledge. Her house served as a school of religious learning.

As in the first era of Islam, academic activity centred mostly on the Hadith (words of the Prophet) and Athar (sayings and deeds of the Prophet’s Companions), Aisha and a number of the Prophet’s women Companions contributed in large measure to the narration and preservation of the Prophet’s traditions. It is said that ‘Aisha, herself handed down to posterity a substantial portion (2,210 Hadith traditions) of the vast majority of Islamic knowledge.

Among her pupils were such eminent scholars as ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr, Sa‘id ibn Mussayyib, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir, Mashrug, ‘Ikramah and ‘Alaqamah. A jurist of high calibre, she used to explain the wisdom and background of each tradition that she described.

The next generation of women in their turn handed down the traditions, which they had heard, at first hand from the Prophet or his Companions or from religious scholars to whom they were related.

The importance of Education and Teaching

History shows that Muslim women were largely engaged in the field of education. Almost all the Muslim houses functioned as primary schools (madrasa). This tradition was practiced in almost all Muslim communities well into the 20th century when the modern system of education took over this function.

Division of labour is justifiable not only biologically and physiologically, but also in terms of the ensuing social benefits.

In the biographies of the narrators of Hadith literature, mention is made of the far-reaching effect of the academic services of women. For example, Imam Bukhari (810-870 AD), whose al-Jaami’ as-Sahih is by far the most authentic source of Hadith learning, set off, when he was 14 years of age, to acquire knowledge from distant scholars.

If he was in a position to appreciate the lessons given by the great teachers of the time, it was because his mother and sister had given him a sound education at home.

It is said that Imam ibn Jawzi (1114-1200 AD), the famous religious scholar, received his primary education from his aunt. The noted Arab physician Ibn Abi Usaibia’s (1203-1270 AD) sister and daughter were experts in medicine—the lay doctors of their time. And among the Hadith teachers of Imam ibn Asakir (1105-1175 AD), several women teachers are mentioned.

An example of a woman making a key contribution to the spread of religious learning is that of the daughter of Imam Abu Ja‘far, Tahavi (220-321 A.H) the famous Hadith traditionist whose book, Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar, is regularly included in the syllabuses of Arabic religious schools. He dictated his book of traditions to his daughter and, as he read out the Hadith, he would explain its finer points to her and then she would write it all down. This is one of finest examples of a woman helping her family members in matters of religion.

Women enjoy freedom in Islam

Women enjoy complete freedom in Islam. During the life of the Prophet of Islam, a Muslim lady, Barira, wanted separation from her husband, Mughis. The case was referred to the Prophet of Islam, who counselled: “I would like you to withdraw your case and live with your husband by adjusting with him.” Barira asked the Prophet: "Is this your personal request or is it the command of God?” The Prophet replied, “It is my personal request.” Barira said, “Then, I do not need it”, and the marriage was then dissolved.

Throughout the Islamic period, women were allowed to visit mosques and say their prayers either in congregation or individually. Moreover, throughout the history of Islam, women have been free to perform significant roles, not only demonstrating the vast arena that Islam affords them for the performance of noble and heroic deeds, but also the exalted position accorded to women in Islamic society.

Women’s Position in Islam

The Quran says that men are in charge of, that is, they are— maintainers—of women (THE QURAN 4: 34). This does not mean that men have a distinctive status over women. Their being maintainers of women has never been discriminatory. It rather concerns the practical management of the home, for which the man is held responsible. However, this does not mean that a woman is not allowed to shoulder these responsibilities. If she proves capable of bearing this burden, no objection need be raised from any quarter.

When the Judaic era was drawing to a close, a woman had to be singled out who would in every way, be fit to become the mother of one so miraculous in nature as the Prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. As God had ordained that the final prophet of the Jewish people was to be born without a father, the character of his mother had, therefore, to be one of irreproachable innocence and chastity. Mary, who subsequently became known as the Virgin Mary, was found to have lived her life according to this exacting standard, and, by her extraordinary chastity, had proved herself fit to be chosen as the mother of Jesus.

In one of the most authentic collections of the Hadith by Bukhari, the Prophet is recorded as saying, “The best woman out of all of the (the Jewish people) was Mary (mother of Jesus), the daughter of ‘Imran, and the best woman out of all of my own people was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.” The special historical status that both Khadijah and Mary enjoyed was due to their both having given themselves up entirely to God: they both subordinated their own wills to that of the Almighty

Perhaps there could be no better demonstration of a woman’s greatness than God’s command to men (during Haj) literally, to follow in the footsteps of Hajira.

In the case of Khadijah, she was chosen by God to be the life partner of the final Prophet, Muhammad, because the circumstances of his life were such that he needed someone of superlative virtue, who would put herself and her property entirely in his hands without ever raising her voice in complaint. She did, indeed, give up everything—her life, her property, her leisure and her comfort—for the sake of the Prophet.

The projection of woman as the most honourable human being in the form of a mother (Al Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab al-Adab, 10/329-330) makes it quite clear what sort of society Islam wants to create. It is one in which a woman is accorded the maximum honour and respect. A member of such a society, who shows full respect to a woman as a mother will, of necessity, become more and more caring with regard to other women. With the creation of such a mentality, women in general will share the status accorded to a mother at home.

Women in every field

In the later period of Islam, we find a number of Muslim women playing a very important role in the history of Islam. For example, in the 12th century A.D., Chengiz Khan and Hollagu attacked the Abbasid Caliphate and destroyed it from Samarkand to Alleppo. In the aftermath, it was the Muslim women who became active in missionary work among the victors. The result was miraculous. Within 50 years, the majority of those conqueror tribes had accepted Islam. As one historian said: “The conquerors have accepted the religion of the conquered.”

During the Mughal period in India, certain Muslim women played a great role, e.g. Mariam Zamini, the mother of emperor Akbar, Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the Emperor Shahjahan and Noorjahan, the wife of the Emperor Jahangir.

In Conclusion

Some great women have played an outstanding role in the history of Islam: Khadijah, the first wife of the Prophet of Islam energetically promoted her husband’s mission, Aisha, a later wife of the Prophet, became a great social reformer, Hajira (Hagar), the wife of Abraham, brought into being a live community which was free of all superstitions and all other corruptions of civilization.

It follows that, in every age, there is a need not only for men but also for women to devote themselves to the mission of God. Ideally, they should be individuals who are willing; in the way that Khadijah was, to involve themselves unstintingly in the scheme of God. Such people are like small cogs, which revolve strictly according to the motion of a larger wheel—in this case, the will of God. This is undoubtedly a trying task; but it is also one that carries a great reward. To perform this task is ‘To help God’. There can be no doubt about the excellence and superiority of those whom God chooses to enlist as His helpers.

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