Islamic Women
(Pearls of Islam)
As-Salamu Alaykum (peace be upon you),
THE MUSLIM WOMAN & HER LORD
It is no surprise that the true Muslim woman enthusiastically worships her Lord, because she knows that she is obliged to observe all the commandments that Allah has enjoined upon every Muslim, male or female. So she carries out her Islamic duties properly, without making excuses or compromises, or being negligent. |
She Regularly Prays Five Times a Day
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She offers each of the five daily prayers at its appointed time, and does not let domestic chores or her duties as a wife and mother prevent her from doing so. |
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): 'What deed is most beloved by Allah?' He said, 'To offer each prayer as soon as it is due.' I asked him, 'Then what?' He said, 'Treating one's parents with mercy and respect.' I asked him, 'Then what?' He said, 'Jihad (fighting) for the sake of Allah.'" |
She Prays Sunnah (Voluntarily) Prayers
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There is no clearer indication of the great status attained by the believer who draws closer to Allah by performing Sunnah (Voluntarily) deeds than the Hadith Qudsi where Allah says: |
"My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I will love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it." |
She Performs Her Prayers Properly
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The true Muslim tries hard to perform her prayers properly, with deep concentration and precision of physical movements. She thinks about the meaning of the Ayat she is reciting, and the words of praise and glorification that she is uttering. Her soul is flooded with fear of Allah, and with gratitude to Him and sincere worship of Him. |
She Pays Zakah on Her Wealth
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Zakah is a clearly-defined financial obligation and act of worship which Allah has enjoined upon every Muslim, man or women, who owns the minimum amount (Nisab) or more. |
The Muslim woman knows that everything belongs to Allah, and wealth is held by her as a trust. This trust must be discharged, moreover, as instructed by God, as that portion of her wealth legally belongs to other people and must be given to them. If she refuses and hoard this wealth, it is considered impure and unclean. |
The word in Arabic implies "purification" and it is understood to mean that a person "purifies" his holdings of wealth from greed and stinginess. |
She Fasts During the Day & Prays at Night in Ramadan
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The wise Muslim woman must strike a balance, during this all-too-short blessed month, between her domestic duties and the opportunity this month brings to draw closer to Allah through worship and good deeds. She should not let her household chores distract her from performing the obligatory prayers at the appointed times, or from reading Quran or praying Nafl prayers. Nor should she let traditional late-night family gatherings keep her from praying Qiyam al-Layl, and making Du'a'. She knows the great reward and abundant forgiveness that Allah has prepared for those who stay up to pray during the night in Ramadan: |
"Whoever spends the night in prayer during Ramadan out of faith and hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven." Sahih Bukhari and Muslim |
She Observes Sunnah (Voluntarily) Fasts
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The true Muslim woman also observes Sunnah (Voluntarily) fasts at times other than Ramadan, if it is not too difficult for her to do so. So she fasts the day of 'Arafat, and 'Ashura', and the ninth day of Muharram, because fasting on these days and others is one of the righteous deeds that may expiate sins. |
She Goes on Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah
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The true Muslim woman intends to go on Hajj to the House of Allah when she is able to do so and it is easy for her to travel. It will also be the equivalent of jihad for men, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) described it in a Hadith narrated by 'A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her): |
"I [Ayshah] said: 'O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), can we (women) not go out on military expeditions and fight in jihad with you (men)?' He said, 'You (women) have the best of jihad, and the best of it is Hajj, a blessed Hajj.'" Ayshah said, "I should never stop going for Hajj after I heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." Fath al-Bari, 4/72 |
She is Obedient to the Commands of Allah
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The true Muslim woman does not forget that she is duty bound to perform all the religious duties that Allah has commanded her to do. In this regard her situation is the same as that of a man, and there is no difference between them except in a few regulations which apply exclusively to either men or women. Other than that, women and men are equally responsible before Allah. |
She Always Bears in Mind the Words of Allah
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(It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger, to have any option about their decision: if anyone disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.) [Quran 33:36] |
She Accepts the Will & Decree of Allah
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The Muslim woman who is obedient to the command of her Lord naturally accepts His will and decree, because this is one of the greatest signs of faith, obedience, Taqwa and righteousness in a person. So the Muslim woman who is guided by the teachings of Islam always accepts whatever befalls her in life, whether it is good or bad, because this attitude of acceptance is good for her in all cases, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained: |
"How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are all good. If he experiences ease, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perseverance, and that is also good for him." |
She Turns to Allah in Repentance
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The Muslim woman may find herself becoming neglectful and slipping from the Straight Path, so she may fall short in her practice of Islam in a way that does not befit the believing woman. But she will soon notice her error, seek forgiveness for her mistakes or shortcomings, and return to the protection of Allah. |
She Understands the True Meaning of Being a Servant of Allah
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The true Muslim woman has the firm belief that she has been created to serve an important purpose in life, which Allah has defined in the Quran: |
(I have only created jinns and men, that they may serve Me.) [Quran 51:56] |
She is Distinguished by Her Islamic Character & True Religion
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No doubt the true Muslim woman is distinguished by her Islamic character, and she is proud of the high status which Islam gave her at a very early stage, before women in other nations attained anything like it. Fifteen centuries ago, Islam proclaimed the full rights of women for the first time in history, and Muslim women enjoyed human rights centuries before the world had ever heard of human rights organizations or witnessed any "Declaration of Human Rights." |
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: |
"The likeness of a believer who reads the Quran is like a citron, whose smell is pleasant and whose taste is pleasant; the likeness of a believer who does not read the Quran is like a date, which has no smell, but its taste is sweet; the likeness of the hypocrite who reads the Quran is like a fragrant flower which has a pleasant smell but whose taste is bitter; and the likeness of a hypocrite who does not read the Quran is like a colocynth (bitter-apple), which has no smell and its taste is bitter." |
"Read the Quran, for it will come forward on the Day of Resurrection to intercede for its readers." Sahih Muslim
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Women in Islam
At a time when the rest of the world, from Greece and Rome to India and China, considered women as no better than children or even slaves, with no rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a great many respects. The Quran states:
"And among His signs is this: that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest and peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Certainly, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife." [Abu Dawud]
Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same soul. Both were equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and Allah forgave both. Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that the first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, whom he both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's death, Ayshah, became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest sources of Hadith literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished great deeds and achieved fame, and throughout Islamic history there have been famous and influential scholars and jurists.
We might also mention that while many in the West criticize Islam with regard to the treatment of women, in fact a number of Muslim countries have had women rulers and presidents. To name a few: Turkey; Bangladesh and Pakistan.
With regard to education, both women and men have the same rights and obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's saying:
"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer." [Ibn Majah]
This implies men and women.
A woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to be treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her own property and earnings, enter into contracts, even after marriage. She has the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and husband. A very interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any other religion, a woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for a group of women.
A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the laws and regulations pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, doing good deeds, etc., apply to women, albeit with minor differences having mainly to do with female physiology.
Before marriage, a woman has the right to choose her husband. Islamic law is very strict regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent for marriage. The groom gives a marriage dowry to the bride for her own personal use. She keeps her own family name, rather than taking her husband's. As a wife, a woman has the right to be supported by her husband even if she is already rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and custody of young children. She does not return the dowry, except in a few unusual situations.
Despite the fact that in many places and times Muslim communities have not always adhered to all or even many of the foregoing in practice, the ideal has been there for 1,400 years, while virtually all other major civilizations did not begin to address these issues or change their negative attitudes until the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are still many contemporary civilizations which have yet to do so.
