The Wisdom behind The Islamic Laws Regarding Women pdf

The wisdom behind the Islamic laws regarding women

THE WISDOM BEHIND THE ISLAMIC LAWS REGARDING WOMEN

Equality of Men and Women in all Three Levels of the Islamic Religion

My brothers and sisters everywhere! Islam’s law that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) sent down to His Messenger Muhammad came to announce that women (exactly like men) are full human beings. Women are therefore required to follow the way appointed by Allah.

A woman (like a man) is therefore obligated with all three degrees of this religion: Islam (outward submission to Allah), Iman (inward faith in Al-lah), and Ihsan (perfection of worship of Allah.

It is thus required for every woman to testify that there is none deserving worship but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger; to pray; to give charity; to fast; and to make a pilgrimage to Allah’s House if she has the means.

It is likewise required for every woman to believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in Allah’s decree (and that the good and evil consequences thereof are from Allah.

These are the fundamentals of Islam and Iman.

It is likewise required for every woman to worship Allah as if she sees Him. For although she cannot see Allah, she must believe that He sees whatever she does in secret and in public.

Women (exactly like men) have been commanded with these three levels of the religion (Islam, Iman, and Ihsan).

Women are also obligated to enjoin good and forbid evil; to wage jihad by saying that which is truthful; and to adhere to all noble behavior, like: truthfulness, trustworthiness, courage, modesty, and self-respect.

Every Muslim woman is commanded to be steadfast in her religion and not to be negligent with her faith. It is impermissible for her – under any pressure or compulsion – to open her heart to accept the word of disbe-lief.5 Hence every Muslim woman falls under Allah’s statement:

“Whoso disbelieves in Allah, after he has believed – excepting him who has been compelled, and his heart is still at rest with the Faith – but whoever’s breast is expanded in unbelief, upon them shall rest anger from Allah, and there awaits them a mighty chastisement.” (The Quran 16:106)

Clearly when Islam charged women with all these duties and in all these obligations made her equal to men, the intent was to honor her and permit her reach the highest degree of perfection of her being.

For the duties that Allah has obligated humanity with are but a means to honor us. Prayer, as well as fasting, is an honor for the servant and means to raise his rank. To adhere to Allah’s straight path and the man-ners of Islam are, without doubt, means to honor us and not humiliate us as is imagined by those who are ignorant of Allah and follow their de-sires.

Such people think and imagine that a human being who does not believe in Allah, does not uphold the trust of these duties, and does not perform what Allah has commanded him is of a higher standing than the believer who adheres to the obligations of Islam. Such an idea is ignorance and renders human beings on par with the animals.

Humans have been created to be tried by Allah and have been charged with fulfilling these duties to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and His creatures.6 As for animals, while they have been by created by Allah, they have not been charged with this trust.7

Whoever considers that human being who does not uphold what Allah has obligated an equal to those who fulfill what Allah has obligated is like those who consider humans and animals to be equal. For this rea-son, Allah has said:

“Shall We then treat those who have surrendered (as Muslims) as We treat the guilty?” (The Quran 68:35)

And He has said:

“We have created for hell many of the jinn and humanity; they have hearts, but understand not with them; they have eyes, but perceive not with them; and they have ears, but they hear not with them. These are like cattle; nay, rather they are further astray! Those – they are the heedless.” (The Quran 7:126)

The disbeliever in Allah is a guilty criminal, for he does not know whom He is to worship, his Creator, his Protector, his Lord, and He Who cre-ated this universe in which he lives.

 The disbeliever enjoys what Allah has blessed him with and yet forgets the One Who blessed and preferred him with such blessings.

As for the believer, he is the honorable servant who knows His Lord, God whom He worships, and Creator. He fulfills what Allah has obligated and travels upon the path that Allah has deline-ated for him.

Islam and Women’s Work

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) lifted from women the obligation of working to provide and support herself and her family. He made this obligation particular for men alone. Allah commanded men to be re-sponsible for the care of women during all stages of their life.

•           While she is a child, she is under the care of her father. This re-sponsibility is not lifted except by her marriage or (his or her) death, nor does it cease after she reaches a certain age as occurs in the laws of the ignorant who rule by their desires and their shallow minds.

•           After she marries, the responsibility falls on her husband so long as she is under his care due to the contract of marriage.

•           If she has neither father or husband, the responsibility of her care falls on her brother who assumes the role of the father when he is not present; and if she has no brother then whoever is her closest male relative (from whom she would inherit and whom would inherit from her) would assume the role of her father.

•           If she has no male relatives, the obligation falls upon the Muslim community. The responsibility of her care is a communal obligation; if none fulfills that, all have sinned.

Furthermore, even if she is wealthy, Islam has dropped from her the ob-ligation of assuming care of anyone.

With the presence of her husband (or for that matter her parents), it is not required that she spend upon her children unless she seeks to do such as an act of righteousness, kindness and observing ties of the womb.

She is not obligated to work in order to take care of herself or her children.

This lifting of the obligation of working for the purpose of providing for herself was in order to preserve her from being degraded, as many jobs that are sought to gain livelihood entail humiliation and hardship.

 Like-wise this responsibility was lifted to preserve her from temptation and mixing with men and because this is from the specialization that Allah has made as a law for His creation.

If women were charged to work in order to provide for their livelihood in addition to their natural duties of pregnancy, child birth, and breast feeding this would be an obligation above what she could bear and would be an injustice to women.

Or this work would be at the expense of her natural duties of pregnancy, birth, breast feeding and raising her children. And this is what exactly has occurred with all nations that have deviated from what Allah has made a natural state among His creation.

In these ignorant un-Islamic societies, men are pleased with this situation as this gains for them greater gratification with women and drops from them a considerable amount of the responsibility of working and supporting her and her children. This obviously is a selfish attitude on the part of men.

Sadly many women are pleased with this situation, I mean gathering between working outside the house to support herself and her natural duties of pregnancy and child birth and breast feeding. This is because of her desire for amusement and to boast; not because there is any real human or moral value in her working outside the home.

Unlike what is claimed, women’s work has no real value boosting the economy. Rather the truth is that by competing with men for jobs out-side the home, women are a cause in the spread of unemployment and an increase in the useless consumption of cosmetics, clothes, and per-fumes that have all become necessary items for women working outside the home.

Furthermore every woman that works outside the home is in most occasions a cause for denying an opportunity for a man who could work in her place.

Again this is one factor in unemployment. Moreover the man who takes the place of a woman in the household cannot sub-stitute her in her natural duties.