I look but I do not see
I listen but I do not hear
I speak but I do not make sense
I read but I do not have wisdom
I have a heart but I do not show compassion
I take but I cannot give
I have a mind but I do not understand
I judge but I cannot be judged
I feel but I do not care
I have power but I cannot control
I am educated but have no morals
Do you know who I am?
Saturday 8 December 2007
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
You are My servant although you deny it.
You are My creation whom I love, feed, clothe and shelter but in return give little appreciation.
You are the one I have chosen over all other creatures, the one I honoured with a free will, a powerful mind and guidance but still act the worst of the worst.
You are the one whom I have chosen to give and preserve life through but death and destruction have become your favourite hobbies.
You are the one I have given the role to lead all back to the life of ease but have chosen to lead to the path of hardship.
You are the Son of Adam, a human being.
But you are not all the same. Some of you have chosen to respond to My call and outstrip in goodness. Others have responded but, while not leading in good work, withhold their own evils from harming others. Still others have responded with their tongues but denied with their actions, neither establishing good nor holding back their evils but destroy all that is good and harm as much as they can.
For all of you I have prepared a resting place beyond your imagination, but sadly not all of you will make it back to your original home and very few of you will reach its highest place.
You see, the similitude of this life is that of a race. All racers start from the same point and same chance of winning. Yet at the finishing line some will reach quickly, others after a while still others will be distracted from their main goal and never make it.
The winner in the race is the one who utilises his time and ability very efficiently and stays focused on his goal.
In My race, there are many winners, all can reach the finishing line provided stay focused on their goal and when distracted re-focus again.
For Me, time is of the essence. Whomsoever values it will be exalted and whomsoever neglects it will be abased.
Now I have answered your question, let me ask you this:
“Are you amongst the good-doers who bring hope and happiness to all or the one who is causing harm to others but in reality only harming himself?
You are My servant although you deny it.
You are My creation whom I love, feed, clothe and shelter but in return give little appreciation.
You are the one I have chosen over all other creatures, the one I honoured with a free will, a powerful mind and guidance but still act the worst of the worst.
You are the one whom I have chosen to give and preserve life through but death and destruction have become your favourite hobbies.
You are the one I have given the role to lead all back to the life of ease but have chosen to lead to the path of hardship.
You are the Son of Adam, a human being.
But you are not all the same. Some of you have chosen to respond to My call and outstrip in goodness. Others have responded but, while not leading in good work, withhold their own evils from harming others. Still others have responded with their tongues but denied with their actions, neither establishing good nor holding back their evils but destroy all that is good and harm as much as they can.
For all of you I have prepared a resting place beyond your imagination, but sadly not all of you will make it back to your original home and very few of you will reach its highest place.
You see, the similitude of this life is that of a race. All racers start from the same point and same chance of winning. Yet at the finishing line some will reach quickly, others after a while still others will be distracted from their main goal and never make it.
The winner in the race is the one who utilises his time and ability very efficiently and stays focused on his goal.
In My race, there are many winners, all can reach the finishing line provided stay focused on their goal and when distracted re-focus again.
For Me, time is of the essence. Whomsoever values it will be exalted and whomsoever neglects it will be abased.
Now I have answered your question, let me ask you this:
“Are you amongst the good-doers who bring hope and happiness to all or the one who is causing harm to others but in reality only harming himself?
Monday 10 September 2007
I am Grateful and You are not!
Is it not amazing how we always occupy ourselves with trying to figure out the aim and purpose of people’s actions and intentions and never care to understand the aim of our greatest enemy whose happiness is our misery? If you were for instance asked what the aim of the Shaytan is, what would be your answer? The average honest person would probably reply “I honestly do not know”. Why is this the case? Why are we so busy insuring our wealth, lives and properties but rarely bother to take precautions against the one who inspires the thieves and murderers in the first place? I think it is simply because we do not know what his real aim is.
A couple of weeks ago I discovered something in the Quran. Reading the Chapter entitled Al-A’raf (The Heights). I discovered the sole aim of the devil, which he revealed in a dialogue he had with God shortly after he refused to bow down to Prophet Adam. God said to him
“(Oh Iblis) get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced. (Iblis) said: Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up, (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). (God) said: You are of those respited. (Iblis) said; because you have sent me astray, surely, I will sit in wait against them (human being) on your straight path. Then will I come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful one” (Al-A’raf:16-17).
Now, a few lessons can be learned from these verses. The first lesson is the vastness of God’s mercy. Shortly after he had disobeyed God, the Shaytan makes a prayer, i.e. to live until the end of times. Despite the fact that He was highly displeased with him, God granted Shaytan his wish. How many of you have had the urge to ask God of something yet you hear a voice in your head saying “how dare you ask God for anything knowing that you are disobedient to him most of your time?” This my, dear sisters and brothers, is the voice of the Shaytan, the same one who prayed for God despite being the first and only creation who stood in front of God and bluntly said I will not obey you. My dear sisters and brothers, when you hear this voice you should reply to it. Say “Oh Shaytan, I know I’m a bad person but I’m not as bad as you. My Lord is the Most Merciful and accepts the sincere prayers of His creation. Had you known this, then you would’ve asked for forgiveness for your arrogance. Sadly it is too late for you, but for me, there is still hope.”
The second lesson to be learned from the above verses is the fact that the Shaytan said he will be waiting for us on God’s straight path. In other words, he is only interested in those who are or try to upright, especially the youth. Why the youth? Because they are the backbone of this nation, if your back is straight, wouldn’t your body be too? This great Ummah of ours is bound to the wheelchair because our back, our youth, are broken.
Shaytan vows to wait for the believers on God’s path and promises to assault them from their front, back, left and right. Notice how he never said he will not attack us from above? This is because he realises the mercies of God descend unto us from above and he does not possess the ability of diverting God’s blessing, nobody does. However, he does have the ability of making us ungrateful for those blessings. And this is where the Shaytan reveals his core aim. He promises God he will attack us only for the purpose of making us ungrateful to God. Have you ever reflected upon the meaning of gratefulness in Islam? As a matter fact, everything in Islam links back to gratitude. Shaytan’s sin of arrogance can be classified as ungratefulness.
Despite the fact that God gave him the best home (i.e. Paradise), he refused to obey God’s only command to him, to bow down to Prophet Adam in a manner of respect. When someone is grateful to God, they say “Alhamdullillah”, which means “All Praise is due to God”. Tell me, what are the most common names of the most beloved prophet of God? Mohammed and Ahmad, two names which come from the root word “hamd”, which is Arabic for “praise”. Why was the Prophet (SAW) called these names? Because he (SAW) praised God a lot and was at the same praised by the whole creation, and will continue to be praised until the Day of Judgement. I ask you; with what words does the first chapter in Qur’an start with? Is it not “All praise is due to the Lord
of all the Worlds”? Again I ask you; do you know what the last words of the people of Paradise are when they are entering it? They will be saying “Verily all praise is due to the Lord of the all the World”. Oh, Muslim, do you now understand the importance of gratitude in Islam?
What does it, then, mean to be a grateful person? The Prophet (SAW) said that the one who is not grateful to the creation is not grateful to the Creator. My dear brother and sister, are you a grateful person? Are you grateful to your mother for everything she has done for you? Are you grateful to your teachers for passing on their knowledge to you? Are you grateful to your employer for giving you a chance to earn your bread? Oh, youth, are you grateful to society for looking after you in every possible way? Are you grateful to nature for enabling you to live in this world comfortably? You see, if you are not grateful to all of these, you cannot be grateful to God. So how do you show your gratitude? Is it enough to say thank you? Actually, I believe that gratitude is so much more than a few words uttered mostly done so without a sincere intention. I believe gratefulness is shown in your actions. It is easy to say thank you to your
mum, teacher, employer and so on, and this we tend to do only when they have allowed us to do what we wanted or given us what we needed.
Being grateful to your mother is showing her kindness and easing her burden, especially during time when you are not in good terms. Being grateful to your teachers is to gain the best grades and utilise the knowledge to the benefit of others, just like they utilised theirs to benefit you. Being grateful to your employer is helping their company or department achieve perfection in their services, even if it means going that extra mile.
Being grateful to the society is contributing back into it and changing it for the better. Being grateful to nature is to look after it by not over-using its resources irresponsibly and preserving it for the coming generations.
Now you know what it means to be grateful, I ask, my fellow Muslim, are you a grateful person? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to make you feel awful about yourself. All I want to do is make you realise how to protect yourself from your worst enemy. All I want to do is to enable you to be amongst God’s beloved and grateful servants. All I want to do is to make you overcome your worst enemy and say to him “Oh, Shaytan, I am grateful and you are not”.
A couple of weeks ago I discovered something in the Quran. Reading the Chapter entitled Al-A’raf (The Heights). I discovered the sole aim of the devil, which he revealed in a dialogue he had with God shortly after he refused to bow down to Prophet Adam. God said to him
“(Oh Iblis) get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced. (Iblis) said: Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up, (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). (God) said: You are of those respited. (Iblis) said; because you have sent me astray, surely, I will sit in wait against them (human being) on your straight path. Then will I come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful one” (Al-A’raf:16-17).
Now, a few lessons can be learned from these verses. The first lesson is the vastness of God’s mercy. Shortly after he had disobeyed God, the Shaytan makes a prayer, i.e. to live until the end of times. Despite the fact that He was highly displeased with him, God granted Shaytan his wish. How many of you have had the urge to ask God of something yet you hear a voice in your head saying “how dare you ask God for anything knowing that you are disobedient to him most of your time?” This my, dear sisters and brothers, is the voice of the Shaytan, the same one who prayed for God despite being the first and only creation who stood in front of God and bluntly said I will not obey you. My dear sisters and brothers, when you hear this voice you should reply to it. Say “Oh Shaytan, I know I’m a bad person but I’m not as bad as you. My Lord is the Most Merciful and accepts the sincere prayers of His creation. Had you known this, then you would’ve asked for forgiveness for your arrogance. Sadly it is too late for you, but for me, there is still hope.”
The second lesson to be learned from the above verses is the fact that the Shaytan said he will be waiting for us on God’s straight path. In other words, he is only interested in those who are or try to upright, especially the youth. Why the youth? Because they are the backbone of this nation, if your back is straight, wouldn’t your body be too? This great Ummah of ours is bound to the wheelchair because our back, our youth, are broken.
Shaytan vows to wait for the believers on God’s path and promises to assault them from their front, back, left and right. Notice how he never said he will not attack us from above? This is because he realises the mercies of God descend unto us from above and he does not possess the ability of diverting God’s blessing, nobody does. However, he does have the ability of making us ungrateful for those blessings. And this is where the Shaytan reveals his core aim. He promises God he will attack us only for the purpose of making us ungrateful to God. Have you ever reflected upon the meaning of gratefulness in Islam? As a matter fact, everything in Islam links back to gratitude. Shaytan’s sin of arrogance can be classified as ungratefulness.
Despite the fact that God gave him the best home (i.e. Paradise), he refused to obey God’s only command to him, to bow down to Prophet Adam in a manner of respect. When someone is grateful to God, they say “Alhamdullillah”, which means “All Praise is due to God”. Tell me, what are the most common names of the most beloved prophet of God? Mohammed and Ahmad, two names which come from the root word “hamd”, which is Arabic for “praise”. Why was the Prophet (SAW) called these names? Because he (SAW) praised God a lot and was at the same praised by the whole creation, and will continue to be praised until the Day of Judgement. I ask you; with what words does the first chapter in Qur’an start with? Is it not “All praise is due to the Lord
of all the Worlds”? Again I ask you; do you know what the last words of the people of Paradise are when they are entering it? They will be saying “Verily all praise is due to the Lord of the all the World”. Oh, Muslim, do you now understand the importance of gratitude in Islam?
What does it, then, mean to be a grateful person? The Prophet (SAW) said that the one who is not grateful to the creation is not grateful to the Creator. My dear brother and sister, are you a grateful person? Are you grateful to your mother for everything she has done for you? Are you grateful to your teachers for passing on their knowledge to you? Are you grateful to your employer for giving you a chance to earn your bread? Oh, youth, are you grateful to society for looking after you in every possible way? Are you grateful to nature for enabling you to live in this world comfortably? You see, if you are not grateful to all of these, you cannot be grateful to God. So how do you show your gratitude? Is it enough to say thank you? Actually, I believe that gratitude is so much more than a few words uttered mostly done so without a sincere intention. I believe gratefulness is shown in your actions. It is easy to say thank you to your
mum, teacher, employer and so on, and this we tend to do only when they have allowed us to do what we wanted or given us what we needed.
Being grateful to your mother is showing her kindness and easing her burden, especially during time when you are not in good terms. Being grateful to your teachers is to gain the best grades and utilise the knowledge to the benefit of others, just like they utilised theirs to benefit you. Being grateful to your employer is helping their company or department achieve perfection in their services, even if it means going that extra mile.
Being grateful to the society is contributing back into it and changing it for the better. Being grateful to nature is to look after it by not over-using its resources irresponsibly and preserving it for the coming generations.
Now you know what it means to be grateful, I ask, my fellow Muslim, are you a grateful person? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to make you feel awful about yourself. All I want to do is make you realise how to protect yourself from your worst enemy. All I want to do is to enable you to be amongst God’s beloved and grateful servants. All I want to do is to make you overcome your worst enemy and say to him “Oh, Shaytan, I am grateful and you are not”.
Friday 7 September 2007
My Love is Your Love
MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE
What would you say to the Prophet (SAW) if you were to meet him tomorrow? Would you hug and kiss him and tell him how much missed and loved him? I think it is fair to say that for every Muslim, the answers to these questions would be a resounding YES! But if the day we meet the Prophet (SAW) was the Day of Judgement, the day when no tongues will be able to lie, would the answer be the same or would our true colours come out? Unfortunately, for many of us, our tongues express the love we presumably have in our hearts for the Prophet (SAW) but our actions bear witness of how artificial this love really is. When a person loves someone he/she would be willing to do everything for that particular person and love everything associated with him/her.
Describing a person affected by this, a poet once wrote “for the sake of a Sudanese girl, he loved Sudan to the point that he loved the black dogs due to his love for her!” Thus, if we really and truly loved the Prophet (SAW), we would love and honour everything he (SAW) loved and honoured. So, let us then ask what did he (SAW) stand for and love?
Firstly, we know he (SAW) stood for mercy and compassion because ALLAH had said in His glorious Qur’an that the Prophet (SAW) was not sent “except as a mercy to all the worlds” (Qur’an 21:107). Reading the Seerah (the biography of the Prophet, SAW) we would indeed see how well he fulfilled this role. Now, does this reflect on us who claim to follow and love the Prophet (SAW)? Are we for instance merciful towards our fellow human beings or our environment? Do people describe us Muslims as people of mercy, compassion and love? Well, I leave to answer that…
Another thing the Prophet (SAW) cherished was the unique brotherhood that Islam brings amongst its followers. This was not only a characteristic of the Prophet (SAW) but all other Prophets (AS). Take Harun (AS) for instance. When Musa (AS) left him in charge of the Bani Israel, one of them, referred to in the Qur’an as Samiri, mislead them by arguing the golden calf was their lord. Harun (AS) knew this was clear falsehood and warned his people. He said to them: “Oh my people! You are being tested by this, for verily your Lord is Most Gracious so follow me and obey my command”! (Qur’an 20: 90). His people disobeyed him and said “We will not abandon this cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns to us” (Qur’an 20:91). Of course, God informed Musa about the situation and he returned to his people and confronted Harun (AS) asking him why he didn’t prevent the people from deviating and demanded to know why Harun (AS) had disobeyed his command. Harun (AS) replied “Oh son of my mother! Seize (me) not by (the hair of) my head! Truly I feared lest you should say ‘You have caused a division among the Children of Israel and you did not respect my word’!
Now, let us reflect upon this for a minute. Here we have a man whom God had given the ability and authority to put forward a fatwa and declare whomsoever worshipped the calf and followed Samiri would have deviated from the Right Guidance and thus, essentially, become a kafir (disbeliever). He could have easily, and rightly, separate himself and those who followed him and form their own group. Yet, despite this he refused. Why?
Because he did not want to cause a division within the group and because he knew there was one person who had more knowledge and authority than him, i.e. Musa (AS), to deal with the issue at hand. Compare that to us Muslims today who are willing to declare someone a disbeliever because of trivial reasons like for using prayer beads, not letting the beard grow or for not wearing the right type of hijab! If we truly loved the Prophet (SAW), wouldn’t we cherish our unity and do whatever it takes to keep it?
Do you know one of the last things that caused the Prophet (SAW) to smile? It was seeing the Muslims all praying shoulder to shoulder, united behind their leader to be Abu Bakr Siddique (RA). He (SAW) cherished unity and brotherhood so much so that he (SAW) would smile despite suffering great pains due to an approaching death! Does the unity of the Muslims concern you half as much as the Prophet (SAW)? Do you worry or feel saddened by the fact that so many of your brothers and sisters have abandoned their religion and become disillusioned by the transient life of this world? And if it does concern you, do you do something about it? Do you involve yourself with the spreading of the religion the Prophet (SAW) was sent to complete and perfect? Do you at the least greet your fellow Muslims with a cheerful smile, just like the Prophet (SAW) did? If we all ask ourselves these questions we can judge the truthfulness of our love for he Prophet (SAW). If we truly loved him (SAW), our answers would be strong and clear.
Shortly before the Prophet (SAW) died, he cried. Do you know why he cried? Because he missed you and me. His (SAW) love for us was so great it made his heart ache and his eyes cry. When the companions asked him (SAW) why he was crying, he (SAW) said: “I miss my brothers”. When the companions told him (SAW) he said he was not referring to them but to those who would come later on and defend Islam and uphold his Sunnah although they had not seen or met him (SAW).
Now let us ask ourselves, are we amongst those who caused the Prophet (SAW) cry out of his love for us or amongst those who will case him to cry out of sorrow on the Day of Judgement because we failed to save our families, our ummah and ourselves from the Hell-Fire? Will we be amongst those who tongues claimed the love of he Prophet (SAW) but whose actions belied their words? My fellow Muslim, do not get me wrong, I’m not trying to make you depressed. I just wish that Muslims start asking themselves some serious questions and make a promise to make their words and actions collectively say “Oh, Prophet! My Love is Your Love!”
What would you say to the Prophet (SAW) if you were to meet him tomorrow? Would you hug and kiss him and tell him how much missed and loved him? I think it is fair to say that for every Muslim, the answers to these questions would be a resounding YES! But if the day we meet the Prophet (SAW) was the Day of Judgement, the day when no tongues will be able to lie, would the answer be the same or would our true colours come out? Unfortunately, for many of us, our tongues express the love we presumably have in our hearts for the Prophet (SAW) but our actions bear witness of how artificial this love really is. When a person loves someone he/she would be willing to do everything for that particular person and love everything associated with him/her.
Describing a person affected by this, a poet once wrote “for the sake of a Sudanese girl, he loved Sudan to the point that he loved the black dogs due to his love for her!” Thus, if we really and truly loved the Prophet (SAW), we would love and honour everything he (SAW) loved and honoured. So, let us then ask what did he (SAW) stand for and love?
Firstly, we know he (SAW) stood for mercy and compassion because ALLAH had said in His glorious Qur’an that the Prophet (SAW) was not sent “except as a mercy to all the worlds” (Qur’an 21:107). Reading the Seerah (the biography of the Prophet, SAW) we would indeed see how well he fulfilled this role. Now, does this reflect on us who claim to follow and love the Prophet (SAW)? Are we for instance merciful towards our fellow human beings or our environment? Do people describe us Muslims as people of mercy, compassion and love? Well, I leave to answer that…
Another thing the Prophet (SAW) cherished was the unique brotherhood that Islam brings amongst its followers. This was not only a characteristic of the Prophet (SAW) but all other Prophets (AS). Take Harun (AS) for instance. When Musa (AS) left him in charge of the Bani Israel, one of them, referred to in the Qur’an as Samiri, mislead them by arguing the golden calf was their lord. Harun (AS) knew this was clear falsehood and warned his people. He said to them: “Oh my people! You are being tested by this, for verily your Lord is Most Gracious so follow me and obey my command”! (Qur’an 20: 90). His people disobeyed him and said “We will not abandon this cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns to us” (Qur’an 20:91). Of course, God informed Musa about the situation and he returned to his people and confronted Harun (AS) asking him why he didn’t prevent the people from deviating and demanded to know why Harun (AS) had disobeyed his command. Harun (AS) replied “Oh son of my mother! Seize (me) not by (the hair of) my head! Truly I feared lest you should say ‘You have caused a division among the Children of Israel and you did not respect my word’!
Now, let us reflect upon this for a minute. Here we have a man whom God had given the ability and authority to put forward a fatwa and declare whomsoever worshipped the calf and followed Samiri would have deviated from the Right Guidance and thus, essentially, become a kafir (disbeliever). He could have easily, and rightly, separate himself and those who followed him and form their own group. Yet, despite this he refused. Why?
Because he did not want to cause a division within the group and because he knew there was one person who had more knowledge and authority than him, i.e. Musa (AS), to deal with the issue at hand. Compare that to us Muslims today who are willing to declare someone a disbeliever because of trivial reasons like for using prayer beads, not letting the beard grow or for not wearing the right type of hijab! If we truly loved the Prophet (SAW), wouldn’t we cherish our unity and do whatever it takes to keep it?
Do you know one of the last things that caused the Prophet (SAW) to smile? It was seeing the Muslims all praying shoulder to shoulder, united behind their leader to be Abu Bakr Siddique (RA). He (SAW) cherished unity and brotherhood so much so that he (SAW) would smile despite suffering great pains due to an approaching death! Does the unity of the Muslims concern you half as much as the Prophet (SAW)? Do you worry or feel saddened by the fact that so many of your brothers and sisters have abandoned their religion and become disillusioned by the transient life of this world? And if it does concern you, do you do something about it? Do you involve yourself with the spreading of the religion the Prophet (SAW) was sent to complete and perfect? Do you at the least greet your fellow Muslims with a cheerful smile, just like the Prophet (SAW) did? If we all ask ourselves these questions we can judge the truthfulness of our love for he Prophet (SAW). If we truly loved him (SAW), our answers would be strong and clear.
Shortly before the Prophet (SAW) died, he cried. Do you know why he cried? Because he missed you and me. His (SAW) love for us was so great it made his heart ache and his eyes cry. When the companions asked him (SAW) why he was crying, he (SAW) said: “I miss my brothers”. When the companions told him (SAW) he said he was not referring to them but to those who would come later on and defend Islam and uphold his Sunnah although they had not seen or met him (SAW).
Now let us ask ourselves, are we amongst those who caused the Prophet (SAW) cry out of his love for us or amongst those who will case him to cry out of sorrow on the Day of Judgement because we failed to save our families, our ummah and ourselves from the Hell-Fire? Will we be amongst those who tongues claimed the love of he Prophet (SAW) but whose actions belied their words? My fellow Muslim, do not get me wrong, I’m not trying to make you depressed. I just wish that Muslims start asking themselves some serious questions and make a promise to make their words and actions collectively say “Oh, Prophet! My Love is Your Love!”
Monday 13 August 2007
“Don’t curse the darkness”
Every day, we watch how our Ummah is suffering. We sit in front of our TVs and curse Bush, Blair and Sharon for destroying our Ummah. Ask any Muslim why the people of Palestine, Kashmir, or any place in the world for that matter, are suffering the way they are and you are bound to get the answer “it’s because of the West”. But is it really? Is it possible that a handful of politicians are causing all the problems in our world? I personally do not think so. Evil leaders have existed throughout history, from Stalin to Saddam. If they were the problem then the solution would be a simple one: remove them from power and everything would be sorted. This is exactly what Bush and Blair thought when they went into Iraq. Yet, despite the fact that Saddam is no longer in place, peace has not been established. In fact, the opposite is quite true. Thus, as removal of Saddam did not help the Iraqi people, politicians cannot be the sole problem. I, rather, think it is the people themselves.
Have you, for instance, thought about your contribution to humanity? It is easy to blame others for everything that is wrong but when it comes to self-criticism, we fall silent. Why? Are you not part of the human race? Or are you just scared to admit that you might be the problem? You might say to me that you are only one person and cannot do much to solve the world’s problems. In that case, I would like to remind you of something the Prophet (SAW) said. He (SAW) compared his nation to a body and said every part of that body is so interlinked that when one part aches, the whole body feels the pain. Now why did the Prophet (SAW) take the body as an example? Let’s consider what the body is made up of. Anyone, whether they have studied science or not, would tell you the body consists of limbs and organs, which in return are made up of many, many cells. Each of these cells have a function and if they do not fulfil their functions properly, the body would not be able to function to its maximum capacity. Equally, you are one cell of the body of the Ummah. If you do not do your job, how, then, can you expect the body of the Ummah to function?
Now, I ask you, what is your role? You might tell me your role is to worship Allah (swt). But that would be the purpose of your life, not your specifically designated role in this life. The purpose of every limb and organ in our body is to make sure we function properly and get along with our lives. However, their roles in achieving this purpose differ. The hands have one role, while the eyes and ears have others. So what is your role? If you do not know your role, how can you expect the body of the Ummah to function properly? Some, mainly sisters, blame the Muslim men for the problems of this Ummah. They believe that since Islamically speaking, the men hold positions of authority (i.e. the head of the body), the Ummah is in such a bad state because they are not fulfilling their roles as leaders. In other words, the Ummah is brain-dead. I ask these sisters, if the Muslim men occupy the head of the body, where are the sisters situated? I believe the Muslim women are the heart of this Ummah (and I’m not saying this because I am a sister!). The biological role of the heart is to basically pump blood around the body. It is also a scientific fact that the heart can survive for a very short period, even though the brain might be dead. This is because the heart does not need stimuli from the brain, unlike the other organs in our body. Some sisters claim the Ummah is dead because the head (i.e. the brothers) is not upright. But I honestly believe that even if every brother was upright and followed his religion to the best of his ability, this Ummah would still be in a bad state as long as the sisters are not decent. If the heart is pumping poisonous blood around the body, what good will it do if the brain is in a healthy state?
The Arabs have this proverb that says a good woman is stronger than a thousand men, but if her heart is far from the religion, it is easier to move mountains than to move her heart. Let me give you three examples to illustrate this. In the last couple of ayahs in Surah Tahrim, Allah gives us the parables of two wicked (namely the wives of the Prophets Nuh and Lut) and two righteous women (namely, wife of Pharaoh and Maryam, mother of Prophet Isa). Who were these women and why did Allah put them forward as examples for us to reflect upon? Consider firstly the first examples. Despite having one of the Prophets of Allah as their husbands, they disbelieved in the message brought to them. What kind of kids did these households produce, then? In the Quran, we find a dialogue between Prophet Nuh and his son, in which he is advising his son to join him and the other believers on the ship before the world gets flooded. However, his son arrogantly responds he will go to such and such mountain and the water will not reach him. We all know what his end was. This example shows a case where the husband was righteous while the wife was not. What happens if we reverse it? By putting forward the example of the wife of Pharaoh, this is exactly what Allah does. Asiyah, despite being married to the most arrogant man ever walked on the face of this earth, managed to raise one of the greatest Prophets of Allah, namely Musa (AS). What if we remove the father or husband from the picture, how would the result be? Through the example of Maryam, Allah once again shows us the powers of a righteous woman. She did not have a husband nor a father for her child. Yet, despite this fact, along with the hostilities against her by her own people, she raised the very Prophet who will once again bring the rule of Allah to this planet of ours, namely Isa. Do not get me wrong here. I’m not advocating feminism, saying women can do without men completely. All I’m trying to do is to make my sisters realise their status. If we occupy the heart of this Ummah, we have to ensure its survival. Regarding the heart, the Prophet (SAW) said if it is upright, the rest of the body will be upright. As such our Ummah is more likely to upright and dignified if the sisters are. Let us also remember the fact that the word “Ummah” in Arabic shares the same root as the word “Umm”, which means “mother”.
Do you now realise how important you are for the Ummah and humanity in general? Do you also realise the importance of women? Ask yourself, what am I doing with my life? Am I leading it or is it leading me? Ask yourself all of these questions and then ask why the Ummah is in such a bad state. You will soon realise that blaming Bush, Blair, Mubarak or Musharaf for that matter will not be of any use. My fellow Muslim, stop blaming others for what is going bad in our world. My fellow Muslim, stop cursing the darkness and realise you are the light from which life can be restored. My fellow Muslim, find your goal in this life and let this light shine...wherever you might go.
Wa Salamu Aleykum Wa Rahmaullah Wa Barakatuhu
/Your sister Zaki
Have you, for instance, thought about your contribution to humanity? It is easy to blame others for everything that is wrong but when it comes to self-criticism, we fall silent. Why? Are you not part of the human race? Or are you just scared to admit that you might be the problem? You might say to me that you are only one person and cannot do much to solve the world’s problems. In that case, I would like to remind you of something the Prophet (SAW) said. He (SAW) compared his nation to a body and said every part of that body is so interlinked that when one part aches, the whole body feels the pain. Now why did the Prophet (SAW) take the body as an example? Let’s consider what the body is made up of. Anyone, whether they have studied science or not, would tell you the body consists of limbs and organs, which in return are made up of many, many cells. Each of these cells have a function and if they do not fulfil their functions properly, the body would not be able to function to its maximum capacity. Equally, you are one cell of the body of the Ummah. If you do not do your job, how, then, can you expect the body of the Ummah to function?
Now, I ask you, what is your role? You might tell me your role is to worship Allah (swt). But that would be the purpose of your life, not your specifically designated role in this life. The purpose of every limb and organ in our body is to make sure we function properly and get along with our lives. However, their roles in achieving this purpose differ. The hands have one role, while the eyes and ears have others. So what is your role? If you do not know your role, how can you expect the body of the Ummah to function properly? Some, mainly sisters, blame the Muslim men for the problems of this Ummah. They believe that since Islamically speaking, the men hold positions of authority (i.e. the head of the body), the Ummah is in such a bad state because they are not fulfilling their roles as leaders. In other words, the Ummah is brain-dead. I ask these sisters, if the Muslim men occupy the head of the body, where are the sisters situated? I believe the Muslim women are the heart of this Ummah (and I’m not saying this because I am a sister!). The biological role of the heart is to basically pump blood around the body. It is also a scientific fact that the heart can survive for a very short period, even though the brain might be dead. This is because the heart does not need stimuli from the brain, unlike the other organs in our body. Some sisters claim the Ummah is dead because the head (i.e. the brothers) is not upright. But I honestly believe that even if every brother was upright and followed his religion to the best of his ability, this Ummah would still be in a bad state as long as the sisters are not decent. If the heart is pumping poisonous blood around the body, what good will it do if the brain is in a healthy state?
The Arabs have this proverb that says a good woman is stronger than a thousand men, but if her heart is far from the religion, it is easier to move mountains than to move her heart. Let me give you three examples to illustrate this. In the last couple of ayahs in Surah Tahrim, Allah gives us the parables of two wicked (namely the wives of the Prophets Nuh and Lut) and two righteous women (namely, wife of Pharaoh and Maryam, mother of Prophet Isa). Who were these women and why did Allah put them forward as examples for us to reflect upon? Consider firstly the first examples. Despite having one of the Prophets of Allah as their husbands, they disbelieved in the message brought to them. What kind of kids did these households produce, then? In the Quran, we find a dialogue between Prophet Nuh and his son, in which he is advising his son to join him and the other believers on the ship before the world gets flooded. However, his son arrogantly responds he will go to such and such mountain and the water will not reach him. We all know what his end was. This example shows a case where the husband was righteous while the wife was not. What happens if we reverse it? By putting forward the example of the wife of Pharaoh, this is exactly what Allah does. Asiyah, despite being married to the most arrogant man ever walked on the face of this earth, managed to raise one of the greatest Prophets of Allah, namely Musa (AS). What if we remove the father or husband from the picture, how would the result be? Through the example of Maryam, Allah once again shows us the powers of a righteous woman. She did not have a husband nor a father for her child. Yet, despite this fact, along with the hostilities against her by her own people, she raised the very Prophet who will once again bring the rule of Allah to this planet of ours, namely Isa. Do not get me wrong here. I’m not advocating feminism, saying women can do without men completely. All I’m trying to do is to make my sisters realise their status. If we occupy the heart of this Ummah, we have to ensure its survival. Regarding the heart, the Prophet (SAW) said if it is upright, the rest of the body will be upright. As such our Ummah is more likely to upright and dignified if the sisters are. Let us also remember the fact that the word “Ummah” in Arabic shares the same root as the word “Umm”, which means “mother”.
Do you now realise how important you are for the Ummah and humanity in general? Do you also realise the importance of women? Ask yourself, what am I doing with my life? Am I leading it or is it leading me? Ask yourself all of these questions and then ask why the Ummah is in such a bad state. You will soon realise that blaming Bush, Blair, Mubarak or Musharaf for that matter will not be of any use. My fellow Muslim, stop blaming others for what is going bad in our world. My fellow Muslim, stop cursing the darkness and realise you are the light from which life can be restored. My fellow Muslim, find your goal in this life and let this light shine...wherever you might go.
Wa Salamu Aleykum Wa Rahmaullah Wa Barakatuhu
/Your sister Zaki
Female subordination in the Arab world:Religion or Culture?
Are Islamic societies naturally oppressive to women? This question forms the foundation of an ongoing debate in both the Muslim world and the West. To a large extent, this debate has been triggered by the cultural encounter between Islam and the West. The current Islamic revival sweeping the Arab world has reinforced Western perceptions of Muslim women as victims of a sexist rule and in need of liberation. This, in turn, has generated a defensive Islamic response, causing tightened social control of women. The return to Islam by Muslim women, a trend which highly puzzles Western writers, have shown how, contrary to popular belief, religion can be utilized as a means through which gender identity and power can be expressed. The many studies conducted on Muslim women share two common faults.
Firstly, Muslim women are looked on as a social problem and, secondly, the criteria on which they are judged stems from Western ideals of womanhood. Discussions are influenced by the surrounding environment and thus any debate on women and gender in Islamic countries have to include the study of the societies in which they are rooted. In the context of the Arab world it was in certain societies and certain periods in history that shaped, institutionalised and legalised the dominant religious norms and values. In the contemporary times, it was the impact of colonialism and the socio-political disorder that followed and still persists today, which further elaborated the issues of women and gender in this region of the world. The adoption of the veil, for instance, is believed to have occurred as a result of the indirect integration of the people conquered by the Muslims. Furthermore, the veil and segregation between the two sexes were practiced in the Christian regions of the Middle East at the time of the rise of Islam. Thus, factors such as the local culture and class differences are crucial in the debate on women and gender in the Arab world. The objective of this essay is to look up the factors of sexuality, family law, economic independence and participation in political life and evaluate the extent to which Islam influences them in granting or restricting the rights of Arab women. One must highlight here that the focus on Islam is due to the fact that it is the dominant cultural tradition of the Arab world and not to imply that the Middle East is only Islamic.
Sexuality
It has been argued that one of the ways in which the female is subjected to the will of man is through the control of her sexuality. In the Arab world, there are two main ways in which this is presumed to be achieved; circumcision and the hijab. Despite modernization and the spread of education, circumcision is still practised in some of the countries in this region, including Egypt and Yemen. This age-old practice still exists to this day due to the cultural emphasis put on virginity and chastity. By removing parts of a girl’s genital organs, it is believed that her sexual desires will at least be minimized if not totally eradicated. This is done before the menstrual period starts, around the age of seven or eight. Explaining the procedure, Nawal El Saadawi, an Egyptian doctor and writer on problems facing Arab women, tells us the following:
“On the scene appears the daya or local midwife. Two women members of the family grasp the child’s thighs on either side and pull them apart to expose the external genital organs and to prevent her from struggling...A sharp razor in the hand of the daya cuts off the clitoris” (El Saadawi, 1980,p.33).
Contrary to popular belief, circumcision was not introduced by Islam. The Prophet (SAW) opposed it due to the devastating effect it had on women’s health and because he considered sexual desire as something natural which was to be released through virtuous channels (i.e. marriage) and not eliminated. He is reported to have advised Umm Attiah, who used to conduct the procedure, that “the woman will have a bright and happy face, and is more welcome to her husband, if her pleasure is complete” (Prophet Mohammed cited in El Saadawi, 1980,p.39). As such, this barbaric act was not introduced nor encouraged by the teachings of Islam. As a matter of fact, the roots of the practice has been traced back to the ancient Pharaoh Kingdoms of Egypt, some seven centuries prior to Christ’s advent. Furthermore, circumcision was practiced in Europe as late as the 19th century and is still practiced today in many African countries, including Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Another factor which has been used to control an Arab woman’s sexuality, at least in some people’s view, is the hijab or head-scarf. It is safe to say that no religious symbol has caused as much controversy and debating as the little piece of garment Muslim women wrap around their head and neck. Yet it is interesting to note that the reactions produced by the hijab differs according to the person who wears it. Although both Christianity and Islam see the hijab as a manifestation of piety, a Muslim woman cannot expect to wear one without being viewed as either being oppressed or fanatic. So why does the hijab adopt different meanings according to its bearer?
Anne Sofie Roald believes it is “because the nun represents commitment to the prevailing religious tradition” while a “Muslim woman...symbolises the intrusion of alien beliefs contrary to the prevailing religious tradition” (Roald, 2001, p254). Perhaps the negative stereotyping of the hijab by Westerners has been reinforced by Arab secular feminist writers who, although Muslims, oppose and view the hijab as a symbol of oppression. They make the claim that Islam does not require women to cover themselves and the passages in the Quran discussing the veil only applies to the wives of the Prophet (SAW). In addition, El Saadawi, for instance, has argued that women who covered their hair in effect also covered their minds. This she concluded after she was no longer able to have a decent discussion with a veiled woman whom she previously used to debate with. The arguments put forward by the anti-hijab Muslim feminists have been highly refuted by leading Muslim female writers, such as Samira Fayyad, an activist for female influence in Islamic movements in Jordan. Fayyad believes that an imitation of Western women will not lead to the liberation of the Muslim woman. Rather these women should be proud of their identity and religious values and should seek their liberation through their religion. In her research of women in the Emirates, Soffan found that the abandoning the hijab would lead to a decline in morality. They echoed Fayyad’s opinion and argued “that traditional Islam must not be sacrificed for progress” (Soffan, 1980,p.38). Furthermore, the fact that three of the four verses which discusses the hijab, deal with women in general disputes the exclusivity of the hijab for the Prophet’s wives.
One may ask why Islam preaches the covering of women. Afzular Rahman informs us that “the whole wisdom of this injunction of the Quran was to...create an atmosphere of goodness, purity and modesty in society...” (Rahman, 1986, p.421). Furthermore, Islam encourages chastity of both females and males. One of the verses of the Quran starts with the men first, commanding them to lower their gaze protect their chastity before ordering women to do the same. This shows that it is not only Muslim woman’s body that is regulated but also that of the Muslim man.
Marriage & Divorce
Many Muslim feminists have pinpointed the family laws which govern the rules of marriage and divorce as the main area in which Arab women have achieved least success in liberating themselves. Gerner asserted that “As long as marriage and divorce laws and other regulations dealing with personal status continue to favour men...full emancipation cannot take place”(Gerner cited in Hussain, 1984,p.90). Many have argued that the divorce laws based on the Shariah, which gives the husband full right to divorce as he pleases, have trapped Muslim women in a position of subordination to man. Divorce in Islam occurs with the saying "I Divorce Thee" by the husband three times. This, some believe, has not made divorce too simplistic, but also unstabilized the family unit and put the wife under constant fear of being deserted by her husband at his will. However, as Abdul-Rauf, an Egyptian Islamic scholar, has pointed out, this is an oversimplified misinterpretation of the Islamic divorce laws. Although Islam has made it easy to conduct marriage and divorce, it takes the actions involved very seriously. He argued that a “ marriage contract...entails deep commitments and serious responsibilities. Similarly, divorce involves moral, financial, psychological, spiritual, legal and social consequences and therefore it cannot be taken lightly no matter how simple the procedure might seem to be” (Abdul-Rauf, 1977,p.120). What many also tend to forget is that Islam gives women equal rights for divorce provided she included it as a condition in the marriage contract. Furthermore, Abdul-Rauf also reminds us that the Muslim woman “has always had the right to seek divorce on certain grounds such as cruelty and the failure by the husband to provide her with maintenance” (ibid).
One question commonly asked Muslim concerns the permissibility of polygamy in Islam. Many Westerners tend to hold the view that this practice was introduced and encouraged by Islam. However, this is not quite the case. Polygyny existed prior to the advent of Islam and, when Islam came, it restricted it to a maximum number of four wives per man. Writing on this issue, Mohammed Abduh, one of the first advocates for women’s rights in the Arab world, argues that polygyny is an exception in Islam, not the rule. However, he does not call for it to be abolished as he believes, like many other Arab scholars, in “the need for the option of polygyny to remain open in case of necessity, such as for instance in times of war or when the woman is infertile” (Abduh cited in Roald, 2001, p202). Explaining Islam stance on polygyny Badawi, a Muslim scholar based in the West, sums up that ”it is neither required nor encouraged, but it is simply permitted and not outlawed” (Badawi cited in Roald, 2001,p.203).
This essay has hitherto discussed the controversial issues in the debate of women’s rights in Islam and will move on to the perhaps seemingly less provocative issues of economic independence and political participation.
Economic Independence
Conventional wisdom states that the more developed a country is the more chances there are for women to move on to economic activities that do not involve primary produce. In the Arab world, this wisdom does not hold. The major factor blamed for this is the traditional attitudes prevalent in these societies, which prevent women from receiving education. Cultural beliefs state that allowing a woman to work, unnecessarily exposes her to men, which in return will negatively affect her prospects for marriage. Furthermore, female employment puts men into shame as it indicates their incapability to financially take care of their womenfolk. These beliefs have such a stronghold on the society that education, particularly of males, seems to be unable to eradicate them. A study conducted of United Arab Republic male youth in 1968, showed that nearly half of these well-educated men would not like their wives to work, while 57.6% of them did not believe women deserved equal pay for equal work (Hussain, 1984, p.84). The governments in this region have not been inactive in regards to the enhancement of female employment and a number of legislations have been passed to encourage women. In Egypt, for instance, the Labour Code of 1959 commanded employers to provide social services for their female workers, including a two and a half hours break per day for mothers with children up to eighteen months. However, these legislations have done little for the majority of Arab women who tend to be poor, rural and uneducated.
But, to what extend are traditional values which prevent women from working established and encouraged by Islam? It is clear that Islam does not prevent women from engaging in working life. Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet (SAW), was herself a highly successful business woman. Afzular Rahman writes that women during the Prophet’s time “carried on their work as usual at home, in the fields and in the markets without any interruption...”(Rahman, 1986,p.158). Indeed, it could be argued that one of the main functions of the hijab is to enable women to participate in public life, as it is only required for women to cover in the presence of men who are not from the immediate family.
Political Participation
The denial of political participation has been cited to be one other way in which Arab women are oppressed by their male counterparts. The right to vote and stand for elections is considered to be the basic political right. Only Kuwait denies this to women. Saudi Arabia disallows this for both male and females and, although Jordan officially allows males and females to vote, this right is quite useless due to the fact that the country is a monarchy. The number of appointed positions held by women is also used as an indication of level of political participation. Despite governmental support for policies of equality, very few women occupy positions at the highest levels of Arab governments. Yet using the right to vote and the number of positions held by women as indicators for female political influence in the Arab world could be misleading. This is so because Arab women have tended to influence the politics of their countries through their traditional roles. The older women get in this region, the more political power they gain. In nomadic tribes, for instance, a woman who has passed her child-bearing years is permitted “to argue with the men of the community on a more or less equal basis, and has a great deal of control over her family, especially her male children and their wives” (Gerner cited in Hussain, 1984, p.90). In modern times, Arab women interfere with state affairs through the influence of their husbands. Jihan as-Sadat, the wife of the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Wasila Burqiba, the wife of Habib Burqiba of Tunisia, has been cited as examples illustrating how a wife can influence in politics. The secular and Muslim feminists views on the political role of the Muslim women are far from unitary. While the former seeks to promote female leadership, the latter take to empower women by getting them politically active. The stance taken by Muslim feminist scholars could be due to the controversy surrounding female leadership in Islam. Those who stand against female leadership tend to refer to the saying of the Prophet “A people which has a woman as leader will never prosper” (Prophet Mohammed cited in Roald, 2001, p.187). Although Islam’s stance on this issue seems to be straightforward, it has caused disagreements amongst Muslim scholar throughout history. The most prominent scholarly work on this topic was produced by Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazzali. Analysing the issue from a Quranic perspective, he points to the story of Queen Sheba in the Quran. In the chapter entitled The Bee, Bilquis, as the Queen is referred to, is described as a wise and just female ruler who consults her advisers in state matters. If Islam did not permit women to became state leaders, al-Ghazzali believes, then it would not portray the Queen in the manner she was. Badawi, another well-known Muslim scholar, supports al-Ghazzali in this point and refers to the truce of al-Hudaybiyah in which Umm Salamah, one of the wives of the Prophet, took the role of, if were to use today’s terms, a chief advisor of the head of state. While those opposing female leadership take a clear position, those who are in favour of it take a rather vague stand. Roald argues that this is due to the “sensitivity of this matter...in which the common view has generally been against women as heads of states” (Roald, 2001, p.191). While there are disagreements regarding female leadership amongst Muslim scholars, majority of them agree on the permissibility of women to participate in political activities.
Conclusion
This essay has attempted to investigate the claim that Islamic countries are inherently oppressive to women and has looked at the factors of sexuality, family law, economic independence and participation in political life to determine the truth of the matter. It will no conclude with the following. The never-ending debate on women in Islam has raged since the cultures of the Islamic and Western world met. As modernisation (or perhaps Westernization is more of a correct term) was equalized with progress and civilisation, the common perception of Westerners in regards to Arab women was that of victims of a sexist religion. As Leila Ahmed asserted, “The custom of veiling and the position of women in Muslim societies became...the proof of inferiority of Islam...”(Ahmed, 1992, p237). However, subordination of Arab women stems from the feudal structures that existed in the pre-Islamic societies and still lives on today. Investigating the history of Islam, one would come across strong women such as Fatima (the daughter of the Prophet), Khadijah and Aisha (both wives of the Prophet) whom through “their struggle, chivalry and their relations to their husbands and other members of the community point out the multi-faceted role of Muslim women...”(Hussain, 1984,p5). The position of Muslim women started to deteriorate following the emergence of scholars whom reinterpreted Islam so to suit the needs and wants the rulers, whom they had close relations with. It was through this that the patriarchal norms and values that govern Arab societies today have subordinated Muslim women. Nawal El Saadawi provided us with a good answer to the question, which this essay started with, when she proclaimed “We the women in Arab countries realise that we are still slaves, still oppressed, not because we belong to the East, not because we are Arab or members of Islamic society, but as a result of the patriarchal class system that has dominated the world since thousands years” (El Saadawi, 1980,p XV).
Firstly, Muslim women are looked on as a social problem and, secondly, the criteria on which they are judged stems from Western ideals of womanhood. Discussions are influenced by the surrounding environment and thus any debate on women and gender in Islamic countries have to include the study of the societies in which they are rooted. In the context of the Arab world it was in certain societies and certain periods in history that shaped, institutionalised and legalised the dominant religious norms and values. In the contemporary times, it was the impact of colonialism and the socio-political disorder that followed and still persists today, which further elaborated the issues of women and gender in this region of the world. The adoption of the veil, for instance, is believed to have occurred as a result of the indirect integration of the people conquered by the Muslims. Furthermore, the veil and segregation between the two sexes were practiced in the Christian regions of the Middle East at the time of the rise of Islam. Thus, factors such as the local culture and class differences are crucial in the debate on women and gender in the Arab world. The objective of this essay is to look up the factors of sexuality, family law, economic independence and participation in political life and evaluate the extent to which Islam influences them in granting or restricting the rights of Arab women. One must highlight here that the focus on Islam is due to the fact that it is the dominant cultural tradition of the Arab world and not to imply that the Middle East is only Islamic.
Sexuality
It has been argued that one of the ways in which the female is subjected to the will of man is through the control of her sexuality. In the Arab world, there are two main ways in which this is presumed to be achieved; circumcision and the hijab. Despite modernization and the spread of education, circumcision is still practised in some of the countries in this region, including Egypt and Yemen. This age-old practice still exists to this day due to the cultural emphasis put on virginity and chastity. By removing parts of a girl’s genital organs, it is believed that her sexual desires will at least be minimized if not totally eradicated. This is done before the menstrual period starts, around the age of seven or eight. Explaining the procedure, Nawal El Saadawi, an Egyptian doctor and writer on problems facing Arab women, tells us the following:
“On the scene appears the daya or local midwife. Two women members of the family grasp the child’s thighs on either side and pull them apart to expose the external genital organs and to prevent her from struggling...A sharp razor in the hand of the daya cuts off the clitoris” (El Saadawi, 1980,p.33).
Contrary to popular belief, circumcision was not introduced by Islam. The Prophet (SAW) opposed it due to the devastating effect it had on women’s health and because he considered sexual desire as something natural which was to be released through virtuous channels (i.e. marriage) and not eliminated. He is reported to have advised Umm Attiah, who used to conduct the procedure, that “the woman will have a bright and happy face, and is more welcome to her husband, if her pleasure is complete” (Prophet Mohammed cited in El Saadawi, 1980,p.39). As such, this barbaric act was not introduced nor encouraged by the teachings of Islam. As a matter of fact, the roots of the practice has been traced back to the ancient Pharaoh Kingdoms of Egypt, some seven centuries prior to Christ’s advent. Furthermore, circumcision was practiced in Europe as late as the 19th century and is still practiced today in many African countries, including Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Another factor which has been used to control an Arab woman’s sexuality, at least in some people’s view, is the hijab or head-scarf. It is safe to say that no religious symbol has caused as much controversy and debating as the little piece of garment Muslim women wrap around their head and neck. Yet it is interesting to note that the reactions produced by the hijab differs according to the person who wears it. Although both Christianity and Islam see the hijab as a manifestation of piety, a Muslim woman cannot expect to wear one without being viewed as either being oppressed or fanatic. So why does the hijab adopt different meanings according to its bearer?
Anne Sofie Roald believes it is “because the nun represents commitment to the prevailing religious tradition” while a “Muslim woman...symbolises the intrusion of alien beliefs contrary to the prevailing religious tradition” (Roald, 2001, p254). Perhaps the negative stereotyping of the hijab by Westerners has been reinforced by Arab secular feminist writers who, although Muslims, oppose and view the hijab as a symbol of oppression. They make the claim that Islam does not require women to cover themselves and the passages in the Quran discussing the veil only applies to the wives of the Prophet (SAW). In addition, El Saadawi, for instance, has argued that women who covered their hair in effect also covered their minds. This she concluded after she was no longer able to have a decent discussion with a veiled woman whom she previously used to debate with. The arguments put forward by the anti-hijab Muslim feminists have been highly refuted by leading Muslim female writers, such as Samira Fayyad, an activist for female influence in Islamic movements in Jordan. Fayyad believes that an imitation of Western women will not lead to the liberation of the Muslim woman. Rather these women should be proud of their identity and religious values and should seek their liberation through their religion. In her research of women in the Emirates, Soffan found that the abandoning the hijab would lead to a decline in morality. They echoed Fayyad’s opinion and argued “that traditional Islam must not be sacrificed for progress” (Soffan, 1980,p.38). Furthermore, the fact that three of the four verses which discusses the hijab, deal with women in general disputes the exclusivity of the hijab for the Prophet’s wives.
One may ask why Islam preaches the covering of women. Afzular Rahman informs us that “the whole wisdom of this injunction of the Quran was to...create an atmosphere of goodness, purity and modesty in society...” (Rahman, 1986, p.421). Furthermore, Islam encourages chastity of both females and males. One of the verses of the Quran starts with the men first, commanding them to lower their gaze protect their chastity before ordering women to do the same. This shows that it is not only Muslim woman’s body that is regulated but also that of the Muslim man.
Marriage & Divorce
Many Muslim feminists have pinpointed the family laws which govern the rules of marriage and divorce as the main area in which Arab women have achieved least success in liberating themselves. Gerner asserted that “As long as marriage and divorce laws and other regulations dealing with personal status continue to favour men...full emancipation cannot take place”(Gerner cited in Hussain, 1984,p.90). Many have argued that the divorce laws based on the Shariah, which gives the husband full right to divorce as he pleases, have trapped Muslim women in a position of subordination to man. Divorce in Islam occurs with the saying "I Divorce Thee" by the husband three times. This, some believe, has not made divorce too simplistic, but also unstabilized the family unit and put the wife under constant fear of being deserted by her husband at his will. However, as Abdul-Rauf, an Egyptian Islamic scholar, has pointed out, this is an oversimplified misinterpretation of the Islamic divorce laws. Although Islam has made it easy to conduct marriage and divorce, it takes the actions involved very seriously. He argued that a “ marriage contract...entails deep commitments and serious responsibilities. Similarly, divorce involves moral, financial, psychological, spiritual, legal and social consequences and therefore it cannot be taken lightly no matter how simple the procedure might seem to be” (Abdul-Rauf, 1977,p.120). What many also tend to forget is that Islam gives women equal rights for divorce provided she included it as a condition in the marriage contract. Furthermore, Abdul-Rauf also reminds us that the Muslim woman “has always had the right to seek divorce on certain grounds such as cruelty and the failure by the husband to provide her with maintenance” (ibid).
One question commonly asked Muslim concerns the permissibility of polygamy in Islam. Many Westerners tend to hold the view that this practice was introduced and encouraged by Islam. However, this is not quite the case. Polygyny existed prior to the advent of Islam and, when Islam came, it restricted it to a maximum number of four wives per man. Writing on this issue, Mohammed Abduh, one of the first advocates for women’s rights in the Arab world, argues that polygyny is an exception in Islam, not the rule. However, he does not call for it to be abolished as he believes, like many other Arab scholars, in “the need for the option of polygyny to remain open in case of necessity, such as for instance in times of war or when the woman is infertile” (Abduh cited in Roald, 2001, p202). Explaining Islam stance on polygyny Badawi, a Muslim scholar based in the West, sums up that ”it is neither required nor encouraged, but it is simply permitted and not outlawed” (Badawi cited in Roald, 2001,p.203).
This essay has hitherto discussed the controversial issues in the debate of women’s rights in Islam and will move on to the perhaps seemingly less provocative issues of economic independence and political participation.
Economic Independence
Conventional wisdom states that the more developed a country is the more chances there are for women to move on to economic activities that do not involve primary produce. In the Arab world, this wisdom does not hold. The major factor blamed for this is the traditional attitudes prevalent in these societies, which prevent women from receiving education. Cultural beliefs state that allowing a woman to work, unnecessarily exposes her to men, which in return will negatively affect her prospects for marriage. Furthermore, female employment puts men into shame as it indicates their incapability to financially take care of their womenfolk. These beliefs have such a stronghold on the society that education, particularly of males, seems to be unable to eradicate them. A study conducted of United Arab Republic male youth in 1968, showed that nearly half of these well-educated men would not like their wives to work, while 57.6% of them did not believe women deserved equal pay for equal work (Hussain, 1984, p.84). The governments in this region have not been inactive in regards to the enhancement of female employment and a number of legislations have been passed to encourage women. In Egypt, for instance, the Labour Code of 1959 commanded employers to provide social services for their female workers, including a two and a half hours break per day for mothers with children up to eighteen months. However, these legislations have done little for the majority of Arab women who tend to be poor, rural and uneducated.
But, to what extend are traditional values which prevent women from working established and encouraged by Islam? It is clear that Islam does not prevent women from engaging in working life. Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet (SAW), was herself a highly successful business woman. Afzular Rahman writes that women during the Prophet’s time “carried on their work as usual at home, in the fields and in the markets without any interruption...”(Rahman, 1986,p.158). Indeed, it could be argued that one of the main functions of the hijab is to enable women to participate in public life, as it is only required for women to cover in the presence of men who are not from the immediate family.
Political Participation
The denial of political participation has been cited to be one other way in which Arab women are oppressed by their male counterparts. The right to vote and stand for elections is considered to be the basic political right. Only Kuwait denies this to women. Saudi Arabia disallows this for both male and females and, although Jordan officially allows males and females to vote, this right is quite useless due to the fact that the country is a monarchy. The number of appointed positions held by women is also used as an indication of level of political participation. Despite governmental support for policies of equality, very few women occupy positions at the highest levels of Arab governments. Yet using the right to vote and the number of positions held by women as indicators for female political influence in the Arab world could be misleading. This is so because Arab women have tended to influence the politics of their countries through their traditional roles. The older women get in this region, the more political power they gain. In nomadic tribes, for instance, a woman who has passed her child-bearing years is permitted “to argue with the men of the community on a more or less equal basis, and has a great deal of control over her family, especially her male children and their wives” (Gerner cited in Hussain, 1984, p.90). In modern times, Arab women interfere with state affairs through the influence of their husbands. Jihan as-Sadat, the wife of the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Wasila Burqiba, the wife of Habib Burqiba of Tunisia, has been cited as examples illustrating how a wife can influence in politics. The secular and Muslim feminists views on the political role of the Muslim women are far from unitary. While the former seeks to promote female leadership, the latter take to empower women by getting them politically active. The stance taken by Muslim feminist scholars could be due to the controversy surrounding female leadership in Islam. Those who stand against female leadership tend to refer to the saying of the Prophet “A people which has a woman as leader will never prosper” (Prophet Mohammed cited in Roald, 2001, p.187). Although Islam’s stance on this issue seems to be straightforward, it has caused disagreements amongst Muslim scholar throughout history. The most prominent scholarly work on this topic was produced by Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazzali. Analysing the issue from a Quranic perspective, he points to the story of Queen Sheba in the Quran. In the chapter entitled The Bee, Bilquis, as the Queen is referred to, is described as a wise and just female ruler who consults her advisers in state matters. If Islam did not permit women to became state leaders, al-Ghazzali believes, then it would not portray the Queen in the manner she was. Badawi, another well-known Muslim scholar, supports al-Ghazzali in this point and refers to the truce of al-Hudaybiyah in which Umm Salamah, one of the wives of the Prophet, took the role of, if were to use today’s terms, a chief advisor of the head of state. While those opposing female leadership take a clear position, those who are in favour of it take a rather vague stand. Roald argues that this is due to the “sensitivity of this matter...in which the common view has generally been against women as heads of states” (Roald, 2001, p.191). While there are disagreements regarding female leadership amongst Muslim scholars, majority of them agree on the permissibility of women to participate in political activities.
Conclusion
This essay has attempted to investigate the claim that Islamic countries are inherently oppressive to women and has looked at the factors of sexuality, family law, economic independence and participation in political life to determine the truth of the matter. It will no conclude with the following. The never-ending debate on women in Islam has raged since the cultures of the Islamic and Western world met. As modernisation (or perhaps Westernization is more of a correct term) was equalized with progress and civilisation, the common perception of Westerners in regards to Arab women was that of victims of a sexist religion. As Leila Ahmed asserted, “The custom of veiling and the position of women in Muslim societies became...the proof of inferiority of Islam...”(Ahmed, 1992, p237). However, subordination of Arab women stems from the feudal structures that existed in the pre-Islamic societies and still lives on today. Investigating the history of Islam, one would come across strong women such as Fatima (the daughter of the Prophet), Khadijah and Aisha (both wives of the Prophet) whom through “their struggle, chivalry and their relations to their husbands and other members of the community point out the multi-faceted role of Muslim women...”(Hussain, 1984,p5). The position of Muslim women started to deteriorate following the emergence of scholars whom reinterpreted Islam so to suit the needs and wants the rulers, whom they had close relations with. It was through this that the patriarchal norms and values that govern Arab societies today have subordinated Muslim women. Nawal El Saadawi provided us with a good answer to the question, which this essay started with, when she proclaimed “We the women in Arab countries realise that we are still slaves, still oppressed, not because we belong to the East, not because we are Arab or members of Islamic society, but as a result of the patriarchal class system that has dominated the world since thousands years” (El Saadawi, 1980,p XV).
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