Wednesday, January 31, 2007
THUS TOLD PROPHET MUHAMMAD( SAS) THE STORY OF THREE MEN
Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I heard the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Three men of the
past were travelling and took refuge for the night in a cave. They entered
it and a rock fell down the mountain and blocked the entrance. They said,
'The only thing that will rescue us from this rock is to call on Allah
invoking good actions we have done!' One of them said, "O Allah, my parents
are both old and it is my habit never to give milk in the evening either
to my family or friends before giving it to them first. One day I went
a long way in search of something and did not reach them until they had
already gone to bed. I milked their evening drink but found them asleep.
I did not want to wake them nor to give my family or friends their evening
drink before they had had theirs, so I remained with the cup in my hand
waiting for them to wake up until dawn came. The children were at my feet,
crying because of hunger. Then they woke up and drank their drink. O Allah,
if I did that out of the desire for Your Face, then rescue us from the
situation we are in regarding this rock." It opened up a little but they
still could not get out. The second said, "O Allah! A cousin of mine was
the person I loved more than any other. (Another variant has, "I used to
love one of my uncle's daughters with the most intense love it is possible
for a man to have for a woman.") I tried to seduce her and she refused
me until, one year when she was in dire need, she came to me and I gave
her a hundred and twenty dinars provided that she would let me do what
I wanted with her. She did that but when I was about to have my way with
her, (One variant has, "when I was between her legs.") she said, 'Fear
Allah and do not break the seal without having the right to do so.' Then
I left her alone in spite of the fact that she was, of all people, the
one I loved the most and also left her with the gold I had given her. O
Allah, if I did that out of the desire for Your Face, then rescue us from
our situation!" The rock moved a little further but they still could not
get out. The third said, "O Allah, I employed some workers and gave all
of them their wages except for one man who went off without taking what
he was owed. I invested his wage until it multiplied in value. After a
time he came to me and said, ''Abdullah, pay me my wage!' I said, 'All
the camels, cattle, sheep and slaves that you see here have come from your
wage.' He said, ''Abdullah, do not make fun of me?' I said, 'I am not making
fun of you.' He took them all and drove them off, not leaving anything.
O Allah, if I did that out of the desire for Your Face, then rescue us
from the situation we are in!" The rock moved away and they walked out.'"
[Agreed upon]
WHO IS THE SRTONGEST MAN?
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, "The strong man is not the one who throws
people in wrestling. The strong man is the one who has control of himself
when he is angry." [Agreed upon]
THUS TOLD PROPHET MUHAMMAD( SAS) A STORY OF A YOUNG BOY
Suhayb reported hat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a king who
had a sorcerer. When he was old, he said to the king, 'I am old, so send
me a lad to whom I can teach sorcery.' He sent him a lad for him to teach.
When the boy was on the way, he came upon a monk. He sat down to listen
to his words and liked what he heard. Whenever he went to the sorcerer,
he would pass by the monk and sit with him. When he came to the sorcerer,
the sorcerer would beat him. He complained about that to the monk who said,
'When you are afraid of the sorcerer, say, "My family kept me." And when
you are afraid of your family, say, "The sorcerer kept me."'
"While all this was going on, he came upon a great beast which was barring
the people's way and said, 'Today I will find out who is better, the sorcerer
or the monk.' He took a stone and said, 'O Allah, if what the monk does
is preferable to You to what the sorcerer does, then turn this beast aside
so that the people can pass.' He threw it and killed the animal and the
people went on. He went to the monk and told him and the monk said to him,
'O my boy, today you are better than I am. I see the point that your business
has reached. You will be tested and, when you are tested, do not point
me out.' The boy used to heal the blind and the lepers and treat people
for all their ailments. A companion of the king who was blind heard this
and brought him many gifts. He said, 'All that I have gathered for you
here is yours if you heal me.' He said, 'I do not heal anyone. It is Allah
Almighty who heals. If you believe in Allah Almighty, I will pray to Allah
to heal you." So he believed in Allah Almighty and Allah Almighty healed
him. He went to the king and sat with him as he used to do. The king said
to him, 'Who has returned your sight to you?' He said, 'It was my Lord.'
He said, 'You have a Lord other than me?!' He said, 'My Lord and your Lord,
Allah.' So he seized him and did not stop torturing him until he pointed
out the boy. The boy was brought and the king said to him, 'O boy, your
sorcery has reached the point where you heal the blind and the lepers,
and you do such-and-such and such-and-such.' He said, 'I do not heal anyone.
It is Allah Almighty who heals.' He seized him and did not stop torturing
him until he pointed out the monk. The monk was brought and told, 'Renounce
your religion.' He refused. He called for a saw and placed the saw on the
centre of his head and split it until the two halves fell apart. Then the
companion of the king was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion!' He
refused, and the the saw was placed on the centre of his head and split
it until the two halves fell apart. Then the boy was brought and told,
'Renounce your religion,' and he refused. He handed him over to a group
of his companions and said, 'Take him to such-and-such a mountain, and
take him up the mountain. When you reach its summit, if he has not renounced
his religion, throw him off.' They took him and brought him up the mountain
and he said, 'O Allah, save me from them in whatever way You will.' The
mountain shook and they fell. He walked to the king and the king said to
him, 'What has happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah Almighty saved
me from them.' He handed him over to a group of his companions and said,
'Take him and put him in a ship and take him to the middle of the sea.
If he does not recant, then throw him into it.' They took him and he said,
'O Allah, save me from them in whatever way You will.' The ship capsized
and they were drowned. He walked back to the king and the king said to
him, 'What has happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah Almighty saved
me from them.' He said to the king, 'You will not kill me until you do
what I command you.' He said, 'What is that?' He said, 'You should gather
the people together on one plain and crucify me on a palm trunk. Then take
an arrow from your quiver and put the arrow in the centre of your bow and
say, "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy," and then shoot it. If
you do that, you will kill me.' So he gathered the people together on one
plain and crucified him on a trunk and then took his arrow from his quiver
and placed the arrow in the middle of the bow and then said, "In the name
of Allah, the Lord of the boy," and then shot it and the arrow struck his
temple. He put his hand on his temple and then died. The people said, "We
believe in the Lord of the boy." The king was brought and told, "Do you
not see that, by Allah, your fear has brought about the very thing you
were afraid of! The people have believed." So he commanded that a trench
be dug with openings onto it and had fires lit in it. He said, 'Throw into
it, anyone who does not renounce his religion or tell him to jump.' They
did that until a woman came with one of her children. She hesitated to
jump into it and the child said to her, 'Mother, be steadfast! You have
the truth.'" [Muslim]
THUS SAID PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAS)- 1
Abu Zayd Usama ibn Zayd ibn Haritha, the client of the Messenger
of Allah, one he loved and the son of one he loved, said, "A daughter of
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent a message to
him saying, 'One of my sons is dying, so come.' He sent his greetings to
her and said, 'What Allah takes is His and what He gives is His. Everything
has a fixed term with Him, so she should show fortitude and expect a reward.'
She sent to him imploring him to come to her. He got up with Sa'd ibn 'Ubada,
Mu'adh ibn Jabal, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Zayd ibn Thabit and some other men, may
Allah be pleased with them. The child was brought to the Messenger of Allah
and he was shuddering. The Prophet's eyes were flowing with tears and Sa'd
said, 'Messenger of Allah, what is this?' He said, 'This is an aspect of
mercy which Allah has put in the hearts of His slaves.'"
One variant has, "In the hearts of whomever He will of His slaves. Allah
is merciful to those of His slaves who are merciful. [Agreed upon]
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
DO YOU WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM SINS?
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Imam Hussain (a.s) in the Battlefield to offer the greatest sacrifice
Imam
Hussain in the Battlefield to offer the greatest sacrifice
Imam Hussain went
to the battlefield wearing the Prophet’s robe and turban. Imam Hussain first
preached to his
enemies, the love of God, the obedience to the Holy Prophet and abstinence from
vice and
wickedness, and at last asked the people:
“Why do you kill
me?”, “Did I commit any sin or crime?”, “Did I plunder anybody?”, “Did I
interfere
with any one's
affairs?”
All stood dumb and
none answered. Then the Holy Imam continued: “Then why do you kill me? What
answer have you to
give to God, and to the Holy Prophet on the Day of Judgment?”
When no answer from
the enemy forces, the Holy Imam said:
“You have killed
all my companions, my children, my brothers and
even my little
baby; now I tell you to leave me, I will migrate to
Yemen, to Iran or
even to the far off Hind (India), stain not your
hands with my
blood, which is the blood of the Holy Prophet himself,
you will not have
salvation. It is for you; I tell you, shed not my
blood and save
yourselves.”
This last offer of
the Holy Imam was superb and matchless and yet
the enemies did not
avail of it. It was in fact the fulfillment of the
‘Hujjat’ or the
argument to give the last chance to the greedy devils
to save themselves
from the wrath of God.
‘Umar son of Saad’
shouted to his men “Do not be fooled by Imam
Hussain’s words,
attack him now!” Arrows were showered on Imam
Hussain. He charged
into the battlefield like a lion, saying “If you
are determined to
fight me then I am ready; watch how the
Grandson of the
Prophet fights; see how the son of Ali and Fatima
fights. Even after
three days of hunger and thirst, I am not afraid to
die. For me death
is better than surrender.”
islamicoccasions.com
Presents THE KARBALA ~ 48
When the enemy saw
Imam Hussain charging towards them, they thought for a moment that Imam
Ali (pbuh) had come
down from the heavens to take revenge on them. Many of them ran away. When
‘Umar son of Saad’
saw the fear on their faces, he sent his bravest soldiers to fight Imam
Hussain.
There was not a
single member in Yazid’s army who could stand in front of Imam Hussain. The
enemy
troops surrounded
him from all sides, but he defeated them all. ‘Umar son of Saad’ stood back and
watched, amazed at
how Imam Hussain who had suffered so much, was fighting so bravely.
Imam Hussain had
chosen a point for his combat which was nearer the tents of the womenfolk. That
was for two
reasons. Firstly, he knew the unmanly and inhuman character of the enemies.
They lacked
even the sense of
honor to spare the tents of their attacks as it was he whom they were fighting.
Therefore he wanted
to restrain them from attacking his camp so long as he was alive and had the
strength to stop
them. He would make a frontal attack and they would flee. But he would not pursue
them but return to
guard the tents of his womenfolk from any assault. Secondly, so long as he was
alive he wanted the
members of his family to know that he was alive. Accordingly, he had chosen a
point from where
his voice could be heard by them. Whenever he returned after making an attack
he
would stand at that
point and cry out: There is no power or strength to save that which derives
from
God, the Exalted
and the Almighty.
His cries would
reassure the women who knew that the Imam was still alive. The Imam had told
them
not to come out of
the tents as long as he was alive. He had told them that they must not make any
untoward utterance
which might reduce their reward with God. He had told them that they would find
deliverance and
that their ultimate end would be a good one, that God will punish their
enemies.
Hussain son of Imam
Ali’s sense of manly honor and their own sense of feminine honor did not permit
them to come out.
Accordingly, when they heard the Imam utter ‘La Hawl Wala Quwatta Illa
Billahil Aliyyil
Azim’, they felt reassured. And as the Imam had come back to them once or twice
after
bidding them
farewell, they still expected the Imam to return.
The
unique unparalleled prayer (Namaz)
Every awakened mind
will surely confess that it is not possible for any mortal to understand the
great heavenly
personality which enacted the absolute submission to the Lord, which he
displayed
on the field of
Karbala.
Having lost every
one of his faithful comrades including his baby son, himself fully wounded from
head, to toe with
arrows struck in his holy body with his blood flowing from the wounds, his
clothes
drenched with
blood, and that of his comrades, his kith and kin whose dead bodies he removed
from
the field of the
massacre to a tent in his camp to spare them from being trampled under the
hoofs of
the cavalry of the
heartless enemy, hungry with choking thirst for the last three days, Hussain
was
seen seated on his
horse the ‘Zul Jinah’, looking every now and then towards Heaven with prayers
for
the acceptance of
his sacrifices. In the midst of the indescribable miseries, sorrow and grief,
and
under the
indefinable agony of the worst torturous and the most painful death, the Holy
Imam ever
remained mindful of
the Lord and his submission to Him with the desire not to leave the world
defaulting not even
a single one of the prayers (Namaz) prescribed by him for man in this world.
Imam Hussain
returned his sword back into the sheath so that he could prepare for Asr
prayers.
“YAA
AYYATUHAN NAFSUL MUTMAINNAH, IRJI’II ILAA RABBIKI RADHIYATAN
MARDHIYYAH,
FADKHULII FII IBAADII WADKHULII JANNATII.”
“O soul that is at
rest satisfied. Return to your Lord well-pleased (with Him), well-pleasing
(Him). So,
enter among My
servants, and enter into my Paradise.” (Al-Fajr 89:27-30)
49
~ islamicoccasions.com Presents THE KARBALA
His condition was
such that Hussain now could not of his own efforts get down from the horse.
Hussain hinted to
his horse (which was presented to him by his Grandfather) saying:
“Will you my dear ‘Zul
Jinah’ kneel down a little to enable me to roll myself down to the ground?”
The faithful animal
which was itself hungry, thirsty and wounded, spread its legs in such a way
that
the Godly soul, one
of the most brilliant stars of the heaven of divinity, slid himself down.
Now lying with his
bleeding wounds on the flaming sand of the burning desert, Imam Hussain,
desirous of
offering his prayers and engaged in his last prayer (Namaz) on earth, resting
his wounded
forehead on a heap
of the burning sand. Thus ultimately the wounded Holy Imam (pbuh) lay in
communion with the
Lord.
When ‘Umar son of
Saad’ saw this he ordered his army to attack him in force. Some of them threw
stones, while some
attacked him with swords and others with arrows. Imam Hussain was very badly
wounded; he was
bleeding from head to toe, and the sacred blood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh), Imam Ali
(pbuh) and Fatima (pbuh) was flowing on the earth.
Even in the last
moments when that accursed wretch approached him to sever his sacred head, he
says, “When I
approached Imam Hussain son of Imam Ali & my eyes fell on him, the light
& burnish
of his face so
gripped me that I forgot my intention to kill him. The light of his face and
its awe-inspiring
beauty so gripped
me that I was distracted from the thought of killing him.”
Several men one
after another, were deputed by the Commander of the enemy forces to cut off the
head of the Holy
Imam, but every one that came near the Holy one lying on the burning sand,
found
his lips moving and
heard to say:
“O All-Merciful
Lord of the Universe accepts the humble sacrifice of Hussain.” And at the end
of the
prayers it was
heard: “O Lord! O Lord! Being repeated several times.”
Hearing these last
prayers of Imam Hussain, none dared to cut off his holy head, even on an offer
of
thousands of Gold
coins with promises of highly tempting rewards, but Shimr, the stone-hearted
brute committed the
heinous crime.
In those days they
used to train Arabic horses for the battlefield, such a horse would show a
particular
reaction when its
master was killed. The
members of Imam
Hussain’s household were in
the tents waiting
for the Imam, that he might
return to them once
again and they might see
his angelic visage
once again. Suddenly they
heard the sound of
the neighing of the Imam’s
horse ‘Zul Jinah’.
They rushed to the tent’s door
imagining that the
Imam had come. But they
saw the horse
without its rider with its saddle
overturned. It was
then that the children and
the women raised
the cries of Wa Husaynah!
and Wa Muhammada!
They surrounded the
horse and each of
them began to mourn for
him. Mourning is
part of human nature.
The Excellences of the Imam Husayn( A.S)
Husayn
in Sunni Hadith Tradition
M. Ayoub
University of Toronto
Al-Serat, Vol XII (1986)
HUMAN history may be seen as a record of the eternal struggle
between right and wrong, virtue and vice, good and evil, and righteousness
and wickedness. This struggle was decreed by God when Adam, an
earthly creature, was sent to earth to engage in this eternal
battle. It is through this struggle that human beings can earn
their eternal bliss in the Gardens of Paradise, or their eternal
punishment in the Fire. In the history of nations this struggle
often attains universal significance as that moment of the struggle
can speak to all subsequent times and situations. Thus the Qur'an
urges us over and over again to ponder the end of those who were
before us, and how God dealt with them. In every case, moreover,
a prophet or messenger of God was rejected by his people and killed
or driven out. In this sense, therefore, the struggle is in the
end between God and humankind, between truth and falsehood, and
between right guidance and manifest error.
Nowhere is this struggle placed in sharper relief than in the
life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the lives of the people of his
House. The life and witness of the Imam Husayn in particular,
has acquired special significance in Muslim piety. This is because
he has provided a model for all martyrs in the way of God, for
all time.
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the universal significance
of the Imam in Muslim tradition. It is important to observe that
all the traditions cited in this essay are found in both Shi'i
and Sunni hadith literature. But while in the Sunni community
such traditions remain purely pietistic, Shi'i tradition has made
them the basis of a complex theological system.
However, to appreciate the place of Husayn, 'the prince of martyrs',
in Muslim history, a word must be said about the place of the
Prophet's family (the ahl al-bayt) in Muslim piety. At
the same time the people of the House of the Prophet Muhammad
are not unique in the prophetic history of human societies. A
word is, therefore, necessary concerning the families of other
prophets, if we are to appreciate fully the devotion which Muslims
throughout their long history have accorded the people of the
House of Muhammad, the seal of the prophets.
Prophetic history begins, according to the Qur'an, with Adam,
called safwat Allah (the elect of God). He was followed
by Noah, the first of the prophets of power or resolve (ulu
al-'azm). Noah was sent as a messenger by God to his people
who rebelled against God's message, and were thus destroyed by
the flood. Then came Abraham, the father of prophets. With his
son Ishmael he built the Ka'ba, the first house for the worship
of God.[1] Ishmael was also a prophet, and the
ancestor of the prophets Shu'ayb, Salih, Hud, and finally Muhammad,
the last messenger of God to humankind.
Isaac, Abraham's second son, was also a prophet and the father
of prophets. Among his descendants were the family of 'Imran,
the father of Moses, and Jesus, as well as other earlier prophets
who were sent by God to the Children of Israel. The Qur'an declares
that God has elected Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and
the family of 'Imran. It further states that they were
a single progeny, one from the other'.[2]
All the prophets and their families are therefore of one physical
and spiritual lineage They and their households are the elect
of God, purified and honoured over the rest of humankind.
The people of the House of the Prophet Muhammad were likewise
chosen by God and purified from all evil and sin. The Muslim community
did not, however, infer the status of the family of Muhammad from
that of earlier prophets and their families.
Rather they too were chosen by God and purified from all evil
and sin. Yet because Muhammad was the last prophet sent to guide
humanity to God and the good, his descendants could not assume
his prophetic role. Their mission was to be the Imams, or guides,
of the Muslim community. Their task is to safeguard the message
vouchsafed to Muhammad by God for humankind. Like many prophets,
the Imams had to endure rejection by their people and much suffering
at their hands; martyrdom in the cause of God was often their
lot. Yet the greater the suffering, the greater is the reward
and honour which God promises His prophets, friends (awliya'),
and righteous servants. Thus the Prophet was asked: 'Who among
men are those afflicted with the greatest calamity?' He replied:
The prophets, then the pious, everyone according to the degree
of his piety. A man is afflicted according to his faith (din);
if his faith is durable, his affliction is accordingly increased,
and if his faith is weak, his affliction is made lighter. Afflictions
continue to oppress the worshipful servant until they leave him
walking on the face of the earth without any sin cleaving to him.
[3]
EXCELLENCES OF THE AHL AL BAYT
In both Sunni and Shi'i Muslim tradition, one important event
symbolizes the status of the ahl al-bayt and the human
as well as spiritual dimensions of their relation to the Prophet.
This is the tradition or episode of al-kisa' (the mantle,
or cloak) which the Prophet spread over himself and Fatima his
daughter, 'Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn. This tradition
has come down to us in a number of versions, each stressing one
or another aspect of the excellences of the family of the Prophet
and his love for them. Ahmad b. Hanbal relates on the authority
of Umm Salama, the Prophet's wife, that he said to Fatima one
day:
'Bring me your husband and two sons.' When they had all come together
he spread over them a mantle, and laying his hand over them, he
said: 'O God, these are the people of the House of Muhammad! Let
therefore your prayers and blessings descend upon Muhammad and
the people of the House of Muhammad; for you are worthy of all
praise and glory.' Umm Salama continued: 'I then lifted the mantle
to enter in with them, but he pulled it away from my hand saying,
"You too shall come to a good end". [4]
The point which this version of the kisa' tradition emphasizes
is that the ahl al-bayt are only the five: Muhammad, 'Ali,
Fatima, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn. Umm Salama, one of
the most highly venerated of the Prophet's wives, was denied this
special status. We shall have more to say about this point, as
it is emphasized in almost every version of this tradition.
In another highly interesting version of the kisa' tradition,
related on the authority of 'Abd Allah b. Jafar b. Abi Talib,
we read:
As the Apostle of God saw mercy descending, he demanded: 'Call
them for me, call them for me!' Safiyya asked: 'Who should we
call, O Messenger of God?' He answered: 'Call the people of my
household: 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn.' When they were brought,
he spread a mantle over them; then lifting his hands to heaven
said: 'O God, these are the people of my House; bless, O God,
Muhammad and the people of the House of Muhammad!' God then sent
down the verse: Surely God wishes to remove all abomination
from you, O People of the House, and purify you with a thorough
purification. [5]
This version of the tradition provides the meaning of the kisa'
and the basis of its significance. The mantle is a symbol of divine
mercy and blessing covering the Prophet and his holy family. It
is, moreover, a source or haven of consolation and serenity in
the face of the great sufferings and martyrdom which the Prophet's
family had to endure after him. In this infinite source of divine
mercy, the pious also share in times of sufferings and afflictions.
The kisa' finally sets apart the 'holy five' from the rest
of the faithful, and distinguishes them from the rest of the Prophet's
family.
The event of the kisa' provides the occasion for the revelation
of the verse of purification just cited. Before the sectarian
conflicts which split the Muslim community set in, classical tradition
was almost unanimous in interpreting this verse as referring to
the Prophet, his daughter Fatima al-Zahra' (the Radiant), her
husband and cousin,' Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn.
[6]
In still another version of the kisa' tradition, the continuity
of the Prophet's family with those of earlier prophets is clearly
indicated. Wathila b. al-Asqa', on whose authority this tradition
in most of its variants is related, reports the following prayer
uttered by the Prophet:
O God, as you have bestowed your blessings, mercy, forgiveness,
and pleasure upon Abraham and the family of Abraham, so they ['Ali,
Fatima, Hasan and Husayn] are of me and I am of them! Bestow,
therefore, your blessings, mercy, forgiveness and pleasure upon
me and them.' [7]
This prayer echoes a prayer which Muslims repeat daily:
O God, bless Muhammad and the people of the House of Muhammad,
as you have blessed Abraham and the people of the House of Abraham
among all beings.
The House of Muhammad is, therefore, for all Muslims, 'the household
of prophethood and the frequenting place of angels'. The famous
Qur'an commentator al-Suyuti quotes a tradition attributed to
Umm Salama in interpretation of the verse of purification:
This verse was sent down in my house ... There were in the house
then, seven: Gabriel and Michael, and 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and
Husayn, and I stood at the door of the house. I asked: 'O Messenger
of God, am I not of the People of the House?' He said: 'You shall
indeed come to a good end! You are, however, one of the wives
of the Prophet.' [8]
The close friendship between the Prophet and the holy family,
a relationship which went far beyond the bond of blood relation,
may be seen in the incident of the mubahala, or prayer
ordeal, with which the Prophet challenged the Christians of Najran.[9]
In the mubahala verse of the Qur'an, God orders the Prophet
and his opponents to 'Call together our sons and your sons, our
women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves.' In the view
of most Qur'an commentators and traditionists, the Prophet's sons
are Hasan and Husayn, 'his women' refers to Fatima, and 'his self'
refers, apart from himself, to 'Ali. When the people of Najran
saw them, they recognized their high status with God, and with
great trepidation they declined the mubahala and opted
instead for peace.
Tradition asserts that the Prophet sensed the hostility which
his community was to show to the People of his House after him.
He is said to have often declared, 'I am at war against him who
fights against you, and will show peace toward him who shows peace
to you.' This invective is strongly put in a tradition related
on the authority of Abu Bakr, the Prophet's famous Companion and
the first caliph. He said:
I saw the Messenger of God pitch a tent in which he placed 'Ali,
Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn. He then declared: 'O Muslims, I am
at war against anyone who wars against the people of this tent,
and am at peace with those who show peace toward them. I am a
friend to those who befriend them. He who shows love toward them
shall be one of a happy ancestry and good birth. Nor would anyone
hate them except that he be of miserable ancestry and evil birth.
[10]
Love for the Prophet's family is enjoined by God in the Qur'an,
where He says: Say, 'I ask no other reward of you save love
of my next of kin' (42:23). Qur'an commentators have generally
agreed that 'the next of kin' here intended are the ahl al-bayt.
[11]
The People of the House of the Prophet Muhammad have been for
the pious an example of generosity, steadfastness in the face
of hardship, and a source of solace in time of trials and afflictions.
After days of fasting and prayers for the health of the two sick
children Hasan and Husayn, the family fed the few morsels of dry
bread and dates for which 'Ali had laboured so hard to the needy.
On the first evening, we are told, a beggar came. On the second,
it was an orphan, and on the third, a captive. To each in turn,
they gave the loaf of barley bread and few dates which Fatima
had prepared for the family to break their fast. Thus God sent
down the verse: They give food to eat, even though they cherish
it, to the needy, the orphan and the captive. [12]
Yet, in the end, God sent down a celestial table to feed His friends.
Early tradition shows a tension in the relationship of the Prophet
to the community and in the relationship of the latter to the
holy family. Much of the literature reflecting this tension was
most likely the product of a later age, but projected back to
the time of the Prophet and his Companions. Here love for the
Prophet's family is not simply recommended as a pious act, but
is presented as a challenge, and in a harsh reproaching tone.
Furthermore, it is on this love to the ahl al-bayt that
rewards and punishments on the Last Day are predicated.[13]
Thus we are told that the Prophet said:
He who desires the pleasure to live my life, die my death and
dwell in a garden of Eden which my Lord has planted, let him be
a friend to 'Ali after me. Let him also be a friend to his friends.
Let him finally be guided by the Imams after me, for they are
my progeny. They were created of my clay, and have been vouchsafed
knowledge and understanding. Woe to those of my community who
deny their superiority, and those who violate the demands of kindness
to my next of kin. May God not grant them my intercession.' [14]
In another tradition, the Prophet promises his intercession to
those who honour his descendants, provide them with whatever needs
they may have, and those who love them with their heart and profess
this love with their tongues. [15]
It has already been stressed that the ahl al-bayt share
with the prophets of old and their descendants a high status and
divine favour, but not the office of prophethood. They share,
moreover, with the Prophet Muhammad the prerogative of intercession.
This is expressed in hagiographical language, a language common
to both Sunni and Shi'i tradition. One such common example may
suffice to demonstrate the devotion in the piety of both traditions
to the Prophet and the people of his household.
The Qur'an tells us that Adam received certain words of God which
earned him God's forgiveness and mercy: Adam received words
from his Lord, and He turned towards him; for He is relenting,
compassionate (2:37). Suyuti reports that Ibn 'Abbas, the
famous traditionist and authority on the Qur'an, asked the Prophet
about the words which Adam received. The Prophet answered: 'He
prayed saying, "O God, for the sake of Muhammad, 'Ali, Fatima,
Hasan and Husayn, do turn toward me", and He turned toward
him.' [16] In another highly dramatic version
of this tradition, Adam is taught the words as the only means
by which God would accept his repentance and forgive him. 'Ali,
we are told, enquired of the Prophet concerning the verse under
discussion. The Prophet told him that when Adam and his wife were
expelled from Paradise, Adam wept bitterly over his sin for a
hundred years. Finally, Gabriel came to him and spoke thus on
God's behalf:
O Adam, did I not create you with my own hand? Did I not breathe
into you of my spirit? Did I not command my angels to bow down
before you? Did I not provide you with Eve my servant?' 'Yes',
Adam answered. Gabriel asked: 'What then is the cause of this
weeping?' Adam replied, 'Why should I not weep when I have been
expelled from the proximity of the All-Merciful?' The angel then
said: 'You must pray fervently with these words, and God will
accept your repentance and forgive your sin. Say: "O God,
I beseech you for the sake of Muhammad and the people of the household
of Muhammad; nor is there any god but you. I have done evil, and
have wronged my soul. Turn towards me for you are relenting, compassionate."
[17]
HASAN AND HUSAYN
Islamic tradition has preserved numerous anecdotes depicting the
tender care and love which the Prophet showed Hasan and Husayn.
They were both born in Medina, and thus knew the Prophet only
as children. It is therefore with the intimacy and love of a grandfather
that the early life of the two Imams is coloured. Once more, these
family anecdotes also reflect clearly the theological and political
tension within the community, a tension which largely centered
around Hasan and Husayn. One such anecdote is the following.
One day, we are told, Hasan and Husayn were lost, and their mother
Fatima came to the Prophet greatly alarmed. The angel Gabriel,
however, came down and told the Prophet that the two youths were
asleep in an animal fold some distance away. God, the angel reassured
the anxious family, had charged an angel to keep watch over them.
The Prophet went to the spot and found the angel had spread his
two wings: one under them and the other over them as cover. The
Prophet stooped over the two children and began to kiss them until
they awoke. He then carried them on his shoulders back to the
city. A large crowd of Muslims followed the Prophet and his two
grandsons to the mosque. The Prophet then addressed the assembled
people and said: 'O Muslims, shall I inform you of those who have
the best grandfather and grandmother of humankind?' 'Yes, O Apostle
of God', they all replied. 'They are Hasan and Husayn', he said.
'Their grandfather is the Apostle of God, the seal of the Messengers,
and their grandmother is Khadija, daughter of Khuwaylid, mistress
of the women of Paradise.' The Prophet then declared Hasan and
Husayn to have the best maternal uncle and aunt: Jafar and Umm
Hani', son and daughter of Abu Talib. Their maternal uncle and
aunt were likewise the best of all uncles and aunts: they were
al-Qasim, son of the Messenger of God, and Zaynab, daughter of
the Apostle of God. The Prophet concluded: 'O God, you know that
Hasan and Husayn shall be in Paradise, their uncles and aunt shall
be in Paradise, and those who love them shall be in Paradise,
while those who hate them shall be in the Fire." [18]
Abu Hurayra, the famous hadith transmitter, related that
often when they prayed behind the Messenger of God Hasan and Husayn
would jump on his back while he was prostrate in prayer. When
he lifted his head, he would move them gently and place them beside
him.
One evening, after prayers, Abu Hurayra offered to take the two
youths home, but the Prophet wished them to stay. Soon, however,
a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and they thus walked
in its light until they entered their home. [19]
The friends (awliya') of God, like the prophets, are favoured
with miracles. These are not miracles proper (mu'jizat),
but rather karamat (divine favours). The lightning incident
was one such divine favour by means of which the Prophet wished
to inform the community of the special status with which God had
favoured the two Imams.
There is a unity between the Prophet and the ahl al-bayt,
a unity not simply of blood, but also of the spirit. It is a unity
symbolized by the kisa' event. It is, therefore, a unity
of love, as the following statement of the Prophet clearly indicates.
He said, as related on the authority of Salman the Persian: 'Whoever
loves Hasan and Husayn, I love him, and whomsoever I love, God
also loves, and whomsoever God loves, He shall cause him to enter
into the gardens of bliss.' Likewise he who hates Hasan and Husayn
shall be consigned to the Fire, because both God and his Messenger
will hate him, 'and a terrible punishment awaits him'. [20]
Muslim hagiographical piety extended this unity and intimacy between
the Prophet and his two grandchildren to include the angels of
heaven. Thus Hudhayfa, a well known companion and traditionist,
reported that the Prophet said: 'An angel is here who never came
down to earth before this night. He sought permission from his
Lord to come down and greet me, and to bring me the glad tidings
that Fatima is the mistress of the women of Paradise, and that
Hasan and Husayn are the masters of the youths of Paradise.' [21]
There is no doubt that the special status of the Imam Husayn in
Muslim piety and devotion has in large measure been due to the
Imam's great sacrifice of family, wealth, and life itself in the
way of God. Husayn's martyrdom - his courage, steadfastness, dignity,
and true devotion in times of great crisis - have inspired Muslims
of all walks of life. Husayn has inspired the best poetry in all
Islamic languages; even non-Muslim poets celebrated his great
virtue and valour. Above all, however, the Imam Husayn's martyrdom
became a source of strength and endurance for Muslims in times
of suffering, persecution and oppression. He has stood with every
wronged man or woman before oppressive rulers, reproaching wrongdoers
and encouraging the oppressed to persist in their struggle for
freedom and dignity. The following encounter between Zayd b. Arqam,
a venerable companion of the Prophet, and 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad
is a living testimony to the struggle between illegitimate authority
and the power of right. When the head of the Imam Husayn was brought
before him, Ibn Ziyad began to poke its teeth and lips with a
stick.
Zayd protested: 'Take away your stick! For, by God, I saw the
Apostle of God often kiss these lips.' Saying this, Zayd began
to weep. Ibn Ziyad reprimanded him, saying: 'May God cause your
eyes to weep! Had it not been that you are an old and senile man,
I would have cut off your head.' Zayd then walked away, exclaiming:
'O men, you are slaves after this day. For you have slain the
son of Fatima and set as amir over you the son of Marjana
[i.e., Ibn Ziyad]. By God, he shall kill the best of you and enslave
the most wicked among you. Perish those who accept humiliation
and shame.' Zayd then said, 'O Ibn Ziyad, I shall tell you something
that will enrage you even more. I saw the Apostle of God seating
Hasan on his left leg and Husayn on his right, and say, "O
God, I commend them and the most righteous of the people of faith
to your trust." How have you dealt with the trust of the
Prophet, O Ibn Ziyad?' [22]
Divine wisdom in creation can be best discerned, according to
the Qur'an, in the order of nature, and in the human individual
and his society. Muslim hagiography has recorded the dramatic
effect the death of Husayn had on nature. Thus the famous traditionist
al-Bayhaqi reported that when al-Husayn b. 'Ali was killed, the
sun was so deeply eclipsed that stars were seen at midday. People
feared that it was the Day of Resurrection.[23]
Nadra al-Azdiya, a woman who was contemporary with the Imam Husayn,
is said to have reported: 'When al-Husayn b. 'Ali was killed,
the sky rained down blood, so that next morning we found our wells
and water jugs filled with it.' [24]
The memory of the martyred Imam has been kept alive and nourished
by the tears of the faithful who vicariously share in the tragedy
of the Imam Husayn and his loved ones and friends. Here again,
tradition has extended the grief displayed by the pious for the
tragedy of Karbala' to the cosmic order. Thus al-Suyuti reports
in his commentary on the verse describing God's compassion towards
the ancient martyr John son of Zachariah that 'The heavens did
not weep for the death of anyone except John son of Zachariah
and al-Husayn b. 'Ali. Its redness [at sunset] is the sign of
its weeping.'[25]
CONCLUSION
It has already been argued that there is an existential and all-inclusive
unity between the Prophet and his daughter Fatima, her husband,
'Ali, and their two sons. This unity makes it impossible to discuss
one without discussing all the others. We have, therefore, been
concerned throughout this study with the Imam Husayn in the context
of this essential unity. It must be added, however, that the Imam
Husayn was especially close to the heart of his grandfather, the
Prophet Muhammad. It is of Husayn alone that he declared: 'Husayn
is of me and I am of Husayn. May God love those who love Husayn.'[26]
When sura 108 (al-Kawthar) was revealed, the Prophet
announced this great favour to his close companion Anas b. Malik,
on whose authority this tradition is reported. Anas asked: 'What
is al-Kawthar?' He answered: 'It is a river in Paradise,
but neither those who violate my covenant (dhimma), nor
those who shall kill the people of my House will be allowed to
drink of it.' [27]
Finally, Shi'i tradition has always insisted on the great merit
the faithful earn in making pilgrimage (ziyara) to the
tomb of the Imam Husayn and the tombs of the men who were martyred
with him.
Yet Sunni tradition has likewise seen great merit in this pious
act.[28] The ziyara to the tomb of the martyred
Imam has acquired this great significance in all Muslim tradition
because the Imam and his fellow martyrs are seen as models of
jihad in the way of God. It is related that the father of the
Imams, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, passed by Karbala' after the battle
of Siffin. He took a handful of its soil and exclaimed: 'Ah, ah,
on this spot some men will be slain, and will enter Paradise without
reckoning!' [29]
The spiritual unity of the ahl al-bayt, symbolized by the
kisa', is in turn a symbol of the unity of all Muslims.
It is for the sake of this unity in faith and commitment (islam)
to God and the truth that the Imam Husayn sacrificed his life.
He refused a partisan Islam when he refused to legitimize Umayyad
rule. Because he refused humiliation, wrongdoing and deviation
from the ideals of Islamic leadership as exemplified by the Prophet
and his own father 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, the Imam
Husayn drew once and for all the distinction between a true khalifa
(representative) of the Apostle of God and the kings of this world.
But above all, the Imam Husayn and his fellow martyrs accepted
God's bargain with the people of faith to exchange their lives
and wealth for the eternal bliss of Paradise.[30]
This divine challenge is no less relevant to the Muslim community
today than it was fourteen hundred years ago. It invites us still
to 'a garden whose breadth is greater than the heavens and earth,
prepared for those who fear God'.
[3] Musnad Ibn
Hanbal, quoted in M. Ayoub, Redemptive Suffering in Islam
(The Hague, 1978), p. 25, and see also pp. 25-6
[4] Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad
(Cairo, 1313), IV, 323.
[5] Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad
b. Abd Allah al-Nisaburi, Mustadrak al-sahihayn (Haydarabad
[Deccan], 1324), III, 147. See also 33:33.
[6] See, for example,
the commentary on this verse in al-Zamakhshari and al-Tabari.
[7] Ala al-Din Ali al-Muttaqi
b. Husam al-Din al-Hindi, Kanz al-'ummal (Haydarabad
[Deccan], 1312), p. 217.
[8] See the commentary
on 33: 33 in al-Suyuti, Al-Durr al-manthur.
[9] See 3:61. see also
Muhammad b. 'Isa al-Tirmidhi, Sahih al-Tirmidhi (Cairo,
1920), II, 300, and Ibn Hanbal, I, 185.
[10] Abu Ja'far Ahmad
al-Muhibb al-Tabari, Al-Riyad al-nadira (Cairo, n.d.),
II, 199 For other versions of this tradition, see Murtada al-Husayni
al-Fayruzabadi, Fada'il al-khamsa fi sihah al- sitta (Najaf,
1384), p. 252.
[11] See the commentaries
on this verse in al-Zamakhshari, al-Tabari, and al-Suyuti.
[13] For a detailed discussion
of this tradition, see M Ayoub, pp 43-5.
[14] Abu Nu'aym, Ahmad
b. Abd Allah al-Isbahani, Hilyat al-awliya' (Cairo,
1351). I, 86.
[15] Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi,
VIII, 151, and IV 217. See also Shihab al-Din Ahmad b. Hajar al-Haytami
al-Asqalani, Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqa (Cairo, 1312), p.
150.
[16] See the commentary
on 2:37 in al-Suyuti.
[17] Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi,
I, 234.
[19] Ibn Hanbal, II,
513; al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, VII, 109.
[20] Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi,
p. 221
[23] Abu Bakr Ahmad b
Husayn b. al-Bayhaqi, Al-Sunan al-Kubra (Haydarabad,
1344), III, 337.
[25] See the commentary
on 19:13 in al-Suyuti.
[27] See the commentary
on sura 108 in al-Suyuti.
[28] Muhibb al-Din Ahmad
b. Abd Allah al-Tabari, Dhakha'ir al- 'uqba (n.p.,
1356), p. 151. Note also the popularity of the Mosque of the Head
of the Imam Husayn in Cairo as a place of pilgrimage.
[29] Shihab al-Din Ahmad
b. Hajar al-Haytami al-Asqalani, Tahdhib al-tahdhib
(Haydarabad [Deccan], 1325), II, 348.
[30] See 9:111.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Imam Husain(a.s) ( Grand son of Prophet Muhhamad(sas)) Martyrdom
Preface
The following pages are based on a report of an Address which I delivered
in London at an Ashura Majlis on Thursday the 28th May, 1931 (Muharram
1350 A.H.), at the Waldorf Hotel. The report was subsequently corrected
and slightly expanded. The Majlis was a notable gathering, which met at
the invitation of Mr. A. S. M. Anik. Nawab Sir Umar Hayat Khan, Tiwana,
presided and members of all schools of thought in Islam, as well as non-Muslims,
joined reverently in doing honour to the memory of the great Martyr of
Islam. By its inclusion in the Progressive Islam Pamphlets series, it is
hoped to reach a larger public than were able to be present in person.
Perhaps, also, it may help to strengthen the bonds of brotherly love which
unite all who hold sacred the ideals of brotherhood preached by the Prophet
in his last Sermon.
A. Yusuf Ali.
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom
Sorrow as a Bond of Union
I am going to talk this afternoon about a very solemn subject, the martyrdom
of Imam Husain at Kerbela, of which we are celebrating the anniversary.
As the Chairman has very rightly pointed out, it is one of those wonderful
events in our religious history about which all sects are agreed. More
than that, in this room I have the honour of addressing some people who
do not belong to our religious persuasion, but I venture to think that
the view I put forward today may be of interest to them from its historical,
its moral and its spiritual significance. Indeed, when we consider the
background of that great tragedy, and all that has happened during the
1289 lunar years since, we cannot fail to be convinced that some events
of sorrow and apparent defeat are really the very things which are calculated
to bring about, or lead us towards, the union of humanity.
How Martyrdom healed divisions
When we invite strangers or guests and make them free of our family
circle, that means the greatest outflowing of our hearts to them. The events
that I am going to describe refer to some of the most touching incidents
of our domestic history in their spiritual aspect. We ask our brethren
of other faiths to come, and share with us some of the thoughts which are
called forth by this event. As a matter of fact all students of history
are aware that the horrors that are connected with the great event of Kerbela
did more than anything else to unite together the various contending factions
which had unfortunately appeared at that early stage of Muslim history.
You know the old Persian saying applied to the Prophet:
Ni barae fasl kardan amadi.
"Thou camest to the world to unite, not to divide."
That was wonderfully exemplified by the sorrows and sufferings and finally
the martyrdom of Imam Husain.
Commemoration of great virtues
There has been in our history a tendency sometimes to celebrate the
event merely by wailing and tribulation, or sometimes by symbols like the
Tazias
that you see in India, - Taboots as some people call them. Well,
symbolism or visible emblems may sometimes be useful in certain circumstances
as tending to crystallize ideas. But I think the Muslims of India of the
present day are quite ready to adopt a more effective way of celebrating
the martyrdom, and that is by contemplating the great virtues of the martyr,
trying to understand the significance of the events in which he took part,
and translating those great moral and spiritual lessons into their own
lives. From that point of view I think you will agree that it is good that
we should sit together, even people of different faiths, - sit together
and consider the great historic event, in which were exemplified such soul-stirring
virtues as those of unshaken faith, undaunted courage, thought for others,
willing self-sacrifice, steadfastness in the right and unflinching war
against the wrong. Islam has a history of beautiful domestic affections,
of sufferings and of spiritual endeavor, second to none in the world.
That side of Muslim history, although to me the most precious, is, I am
sorry to say, often neglected. It is most important that we should call
attention to it, reiterated attention, the attention of our own people
as well as the attention of those who are interested in historical and
religious truth. If there is anything precious in Islamic history it is
not the wars, or the politics, or the brilliant expansion, or the glorious
conquests, or even the intellectual spoils which our ancestors gathered.
In these matters, our history, like all history, has its lights and shades.
What we need especially to emphasise is the spirit of organisation, of
brotherhood, of undaunted courage in moral and spiritual life.
Plan of discourse
I propose first to give you an idea of the geographical setting and
the historical background. Then I want very briefly to refer to the actual
events that happened in the Muharram, and finally to draw your attention
to the great lessons which we can learn from them.
Geographical Picture
In placing before you a geographical picture of the tract of country
in which the great tragedy was enacted, I consider myself fortunate in
having my own personal memories to draw upon. They make the picture vivid
to my mind, and they may help you also. When I visited those scenes in
1928, I remember going down from Baghdad through all that country watered
by the Euphrates river. As I crossed the river by a bridge of boats at
Al-Musaiyib on a fine April morning, my thoughts leapt over centuries and
centuries. To the left of the main river you have the old classic ground
of Babylonian history; you have the railway station of Hilla; you have
the ruins of the city of Babylon, witnessing to one of the greatest civilisations
of antiquity. It was so mingled with the dust that it is only in recent
years that we have begun to understand its magnitude and magnificence.
Then you have the great river system of the Euphrates, the Furat
as it is called, a river unlike any other river we know. It takes its rise
in many sources from the mountains of Eastern Armenia, and sweeping in
great zig-zags through rocky country, it finally skirts the desert as we
see it now. Wherever it or its interlacing branches or canals can reach,
it has converted the desert into fruitful cultivated country; in the picturesque
phrase, it has made the desert blossom as the rose. It skirts round the
Eastern edge of the Syrian desert and then flows into marshy land. In a
tract not far from Kerbela itself there are lakes which receive its waters,
and act as reservoirs. Lower down it unites with the other river, the Tigris,
and the united rivers flow in the name of the Shatt-al-Arab into
the Persian Gulf.
Abundant water & tragedy of thirst
From the most ancient times this tract of the lower Euphrates has been
a garden. It was a cradle of early civilization, a meeting place between
Sumer and Arab, and later between the Persians and Arabs. It is a rich,
well watered country, with date-palms and pomegranate groves. Its fruitful
fields can feed populous cities and its luscious pastures attract the nomad
Arabs of the desert, with their great flocks and herds. It is of particularly
tragic significance that on the border of such a well-watered land, should
have been enacted the tragedy of great and good men dying of thirst and
slaughtered because they refused to bend the knee to the forces of iniquity.
The English poet's lines "Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink"
are brought home forcibly to you in this borderland between abundant water
and desolate sands.
Kerbela and Its Great Dome
I remember the emotion with which I approached Kerbela from the East.
The rays of the morning sun gilt the Gumbaz-i-Faiz, the great dome
that crowns the building containing the tomb of Imam Husain. Kerbela actually
stands on one of the great caravan routes of the desert. Today the river
city of Kufa, once a Khilafat capital, is a mere village, and the city
of Najaf is famous for the tomb of Hazrat Ali, but of little commercial
importance. Kerbela, this outpost of the desert, is a mart and a meeting
ground as well as a sacred place. It is the port of the desert, just as
Basra, lower down, is a port for the Persian Gulf. Beautifully kept is
the road to the mausoleum, to which all through the year come pilgrims
from all parts of the world. Beautiful coloured enamelled tiles decorate
the building. Inside, in the ceiling and upper walls, there is a great
deal of glass mosaic. The glass seems to catch and reflect the light. The
effect is that of rich coruscations of light combined with the solemnity
of a closed building. The tomb itself is in a sort of inner grill, and
below the ground is a sort of cave, where is shown the actual place where
the Martyr fell. The city of Najaf is just about 40 miles to the South,
with the tomb of Hazrat Ali on the high ground. You can see the golden
dome for miles around. Just four miles from Najaf and connected with it
by a tramway, is the deserted city of Kufa. The mosque is large, but bare
and practically unused. The blue dome and the Mihrab of enamelled
tiles bear witness to the ancient glory of the place.
Cities and their Cultural Meaning
The building of Kufa and Basra, the two great outposts of the Muslim
Empire, in the 16th year of the Hijra, was a visible symbol that Islam
was pushing its strength and building up a new civilisation, not only in
a military sense, but in moral and social ideas and in the sciences and
arts. The old effete cities did not content it, any more than the old and
effete systems which it displaced. Nor was it content with the first steps
it took. It was always examining, testing, discarding, re-fashioning its
own handiwork. There was always a party that wanted to stand on old ways,
to take cities like Damascus readymade, that loved ease and the path of
least resistance. But the greater souls stretched out to new frontiers
- of ideas as well as geography. They felt that old seats were like dead
wood breeding worms and rottenness that were a danger to higher forms of
life. The clash between them was part of the tragedy of Kerbela. Behind
the building of new cities there is often the burgeoning of new ideas.
Let us therefore examine the matter a little more closely. It will reveal
the hidden springs of some very interesting history.
Vicissitudes of Mecca and Medina
The great cities of Islam at its birth were Mecca and Medina. Mecca,
the center of old Arabian pilgrimage, the birthplace of the Prophet, rejected
the Prophet's teaching, and cast him off. Its idolatry was effete; its
tribal exclusiveness was effete; its ferocity against the Teacher of the
New Light was effete. The Prophet shook its dust off his feet, and went
to Medina. It was the well-watered city of Yathrib, with a considerable
Jewish population. It received with eagerness the teaching of the Prophet;
it gave asylum to him and his Companions and Helpers. He reconstituted
it and it became the new City of Light. Mecca, with its old gods and its
old superstitions, tried to subdue this new Light and destroy it. The human
odds were in favour of Mecca. But God's purpose upheld the Light, and subdued
the old Mecca. But the Prophet came to build as well as to destroy. He
destroyed the old paganism, and lighted a new beacon in Mecca - the beacon
of Arab unity and human brotherhood. When the Prophet's life ended on this
earth, his spirit remained. It inspired his people and led them from victory
to victory. Where moral or spiritual and material victories go hand in
hand, the spirit of man advances all along the line. But sometimes there
is a material victory, with a spiritual fall, and sometimes there is a
spiritual victory with a material fall, and then we have tragedy.
Spirit of Damascus
Islam's first extension was towards Syria, where the power was centred
in the city of Damascus. Among living cities it is probably the oldest
city in the world. Its bazaars are thronged with men of all nations, and
the luxuries of all nations find ready welcome there. If you come to it
westward from the Syrian desert, as I did, the contrast is complete, both
in the country and in the people. From the parched desert sands you come
to fountains and vineyards, orchards and the hum of traffic. From the simple,
sturdy, independent, frank Arab, you come to the soft, luxurious, sophisticated
Syrian. That contrast was forced on the Muslims when Damascus became a
Muslim city. They were in a different moral and spiritual atmosphere. Some
succumbed to the softening influences of ambition, luxury, wealth pride
of race, love of ease, and so on. Islam stood always as the champion of
the great rugged moral virtues. It wanted no compromise with evil in any
shape or form, with luxury, with idleness, with the seductions of this
world. It was a protest against these things. And yet the representatives
of that protest got softened at Damascus. They aped the decadent princes
of the world instead of striving to be leaders of spiritual thought. Discipline
was relaxed, and governors aspired to be greater than the Khalifas. This
bore bitter fruit later.
Snare of Riches
Meanwhile Persia came within the Muslim orbit. When Medain was captured
in the year 16 of the Hijra, and the battle of Jalula broke the Persian
resistance, some military booty was brought to Medina - gems, pearls, rubies,
diamonds, swords of gold and silver. A great celebration was held in honour
of the splendid victory and the valour of the Arab army. In the midst of
the celebration they found the Caliph of the day actually weeping. One
said to him, "What! a time of joy and thou sheddest tears?" "Yes", he said,
"I foresee that the riches will become a snare, a spring of worldliness
and envy, and in the end a calamity to my people." For the Arab valued,
above all, simplicity of life, openness of character, and bravery in face
of danger. Their women fought with them and shared their dangers. They
were not caged creatures for the pleasures of the senses. They showed their
mettle in the early fighting round the head of the Persian Gulf. When the
Muslims were hard pressed, their women turned the scale in their favour.
They made their veils into flags, and marched in battle array. The enemy
mistook them for reinforcements and abandoned the field. Thus an impending
defeat was turned into a victory.
Basra and Kufa: town-planning
In Mesopotamia the Muslims did not base their power on old and effete
Persian cities, but built new outposts for themselves. The first they built
was Basra at the head of the Persian Gulf, in the 17th year of the Hijra.
And what a great city it became! Not great in war and conquest, not great
in trade and commerce, but great in learning and culture in its best day,
- alas! also great in its spirit of faction and degeneracy in the days
of its decline! But its situation and climate were not at all suited to
the Arab character. It was low and moist, damp and enervating. In the same
year the Arabs built another city not far off from the Gulf and yet well
suited to be a port of the desert, as Kerbela became afterwards. This was
the city of Kufa, built in the same year as Basra, but in a more bracing
climate. It was the first experiment in town-planning in Islam. In the
centre was a square for the principal mosque. That square was adorned with
shady avenues. Another square was set apart for the trafficking of the
market. The streets were all laid out intersecting and their width was
fixed. The main thoroughfares for such traffic as they had (we must not
imagine the sort of traffic we see in Charing Cross) were made 60 feet
wide; the cross streets were 30 feet wide; and even the little lanes for
pedestrians were regulated to a width of 10.5 feet. Kufa became a centre
of light and learning. The Khalifa Hazrat Ali lived and died there.
Rivalry and poison of Damascus
But its rival, the city of Damascus, fattened on luxury and Byzantine
magnificence. Its tinsel glory sapped the foundations of loyalty and the
soldierly virtues. Its poison spread through the Muslim world. Governors
wanted to be kings. Pomp and selfishness, ease and idleness and dissipation
grew as a canker; wines and spirituous liquors, scepticism, cynicism and
social vices became so rampant that the protests of the men of God were
drowned in mockery. Mecca, which was to have been a symbolical spiritual
centre, was neglected or dishonoured. Damascus and Syria became centres
of a worldliness and arrogance which cut at the basic roots of Islam.
Husain the Righteous refused to bow to worldliness and power
We have brought the story down to the 60th year of the Hijra. Yazid
assumed the power at Damascus. He cared nothing for the most sacred ideals
of the people. He was not even interested in the ordinary business affairs
of administration. His passion was hunting, and he sought power for self-gratification.
The discipline and self-abnegation, the strong faith and earnest endeavour,
the freedom and sense of social equality which had been the motive forces
of Islam, were divorced from power. The throne at Damascus had become a
worldly throne based on the most selfish ideas of personal and family aggrandisement,
instead of a spiritual office, with a sense of God-given responsibility.
The decay of morals spread among the people. There was one man who could
stem the tide. That was Imam Husain. He, the grandson of the Prophet, could
speak without fear, for fear was foreign to his nature. But his blameless
and irreproachable life was in itself a reproach to those who had other
standards. They sought to silence him, but he could not be silenced. They
sought to bribe him, but he could not be bribed. They sought to waylay
him and get him into their Power. What is more, they wanted him to recognise
the tyranny and expressly to support it. For they knew that the conscience
of the people might awaken at any time, and sweep them away unless the
holy man supported their cause. The holy man was prepared to die rather
than surrender the principles for which he stood.
Driven from city to city
Medina was the centre of Husain's teaching. They made Medina impossible
for him. He left Medina and went to Mecca, hoping that he would be left
alone. But he was not left alone. The Syrian forces invaded Mecca. The
invasion was repelled, not by Husain but by other people. For Husain, though
the bravest of the brave, had no army and no worldly weapons. His existence
itself was an offence in the eyes of his enemies. His life was in danger,
and the lives of all those nearest and dearest to him. He had friends everywhere,
but they were afraid to speak out. They were not as brave as he was. But
in distant Kufa, a party grew up which said: "We are disgusted with these
events, and we must have Imam Husain to take asylum with us." So they sent
and invited the Imam to leave Mecca, come to them, live in their midst,
and be their honoured teacher and guide. His father's memory was held in
reverence in Kufa. The Governor of Kufa was friendly, and the people eager
to welcome him. But alas, Kufa had neither strength, nor courage, nor constancy.
Kufa, geographically only 40 miles from Kerbela, was the occasion of the
tragedy of Kerbela. And now Kufa is nearly gone, and Kerbela remains as
the lasting memorial of the martyrdom.
Invitation from Kufa
When the Kufa invitation reached the Imam, he pondered over it, weighed
its possibilities, and consulted his friends. He sent over his cousin Muslim
to study the situation on the spot and report to him. The report was favourable,
and he decided to go. He had a strong presentiment of danger. Many of his
friends in Mecca advised him against it. But could he abandon his mission
when
Kufa was calling for it? Was he the man to be deterred, because his enemies
were laying their plots for him, at Damascus and at Kufa? At least, it
was suggested, he might leave his family behind. But his family and his
immediate dependants would not hear of it. It was a united family, pre-eminent
in the purity of its life and in its domestic virtues and domestic affections.
If there was danger for its head, they would share it. The Imam was not
going on a mere ceremonial visit. There was responsible work to do, and
they must be by his side, to support him in spite of all its perils and
consequences. Shallow critics scent political ambition in the Imam's act.
But would a man with political ambitions march without an army against
what might be called the enemy country, scheming to get him into its power,
and prepared to use all their resources, military, political and financial,
against him?
Journey through the desert
Imam Husain left Mecca for Kufa with all his family including his little
children. Later news from Kufa itself was disconcerting. The friendly governor
had been displaced by one prepared more ruthlessly to carry out Yazid's
plans. If Husain was to go there at all, he must go there quickly, or his
friends themselves would be in danger. On the other hand, Mecca itself
was no less dangerous to him and his family. It was the month of September
by the solar calendar, and no one would take a long desert journey in that
heat, except under a sense of duty. By the lunar calendar it was the month
of pilgrimage at Mecca. But he did not stop for the pilgrimage. He pushed
on, with his family and dependants, in all numbering about 90 or 100 people,
men, women and children. They must have gone by forced marches through
the desert. They covered the 900 miles of the desert in little over three
weeks. When they came within a few miles of Kufa, at the edge of the desert,
they met people from Kufa. It was then that they heard of the terrible
murder of Husain's cousin Muslim, who had been sent on in advance. A poet
that came by dissuaded the Imam from going further. "For," he said epigramatically,
"the heart of the city is with thee but its sword is with thine enemies,
and the issue is with God." What was to be done? They were three weeks'
journey from the city they had left. In the city to which they were going
their own messenger had been foully murdered as well as his children. They
did not know what the actual situation was then in Kufa. But they were
determined not to desert their friends.
Call to Surrender or Die
Presently messengers came from Kufa, and Imam Husain was asked to surrender.
Imam Husain offered to take one of three alternatives. He wanted no political
power and no revenge. He said "I came to defend my own people. If I am
too late, give me the choice of three alternatives: either to return to
Mecca; or to face Yazid himself at Damascus; or if my very presence is
distasteful to him and you, I do not wish to cause more divisions among
the Muslims. Let me at least go to a distant frontier, where, if fighting
must be done, I will fight against the enemies of Islam." Every one of
these alternatives was refused. What they wanted was to destroy his life,
or better still, to get him to surrender, to surrender to the very forces
against which he was protesting, to declare his adherence to those who
were defying the law of God and man, and to tolerate all the abuses which
were bringing the name of Islam into disgrace. Of course he did not surrender.
But what was he to do? He had no army. He had reasons to suppose that many
of his friends from distant parts would rally round him, and come and defend
him with their swords and bodies. But time was necessary, and he was not
going to gain time by feigned compliance. He turned a little round to the
left, the way that would have led him to Yazid himself, at Damascus. He
camped in the plain of Kerbela.
Water cut off; Inflexible will, Devotion and Chivalry
For ten days messages passed backwards and forwards between Kerbela
and Kufa. Kufa wanted surrender and recognition. That was the one thing
the Imam could not consent to. Every other alternative was refused by Kufa,
under the instructions from Damascus. Those fateful ten days were the first
ten days of the month of Muharram, of the year 61 of the Hijra. The final
crisis was on the 10th day, the Ashura day, which we are commemorating.
During the first seven days various kinds of pressure were brought to bear
on the Imam, but his will was inflexible. It was not a question of a fight,
for there were but 70 men against 4,000. The little band was surrounded
and insulted, but they held together so firmly that they could not be harmed.
On the 8th day the water supply was cut off. The Euphrates and its abundant
streams were within sight, but the way was barred. Prodigies of valour
were performed in getting water. Challenges were made for single combat
according to Arab custom. And the enemy were half-hearted, while the Imam's
men fought in contempt of death, and always accounted for more men than
they lost. On the evening of the 9th day, the little son of the Imam was
ill. He had fever and was dying of thirst. They tried to get a drop of
water. But that was refused point blank and so they made the resolve that
they would, rather than surrender, die to the last man in the cause for
which they had come. Imam Husain offered to send away his people. He said,
"They are after my person; my family and my people can go back." But everyone
refused to go. They said they would stand by him to the last, and they
did. They were not cowards; they were soldiers born and bred; and they
fought as heroes, with devotion and with chivalry.
The Final Agony; placid face of the man of God
On the day of Ashura, the 10th day, Imam Husain's own person was surrounded
by his enemies. He was brave to the last. He was cruelly mutilated. His
sacred head was cut off while in the act of prayer. A mad orgy of triumph
was celebrated over his body. In this crisis we have details of what took
place hour by hour. He had 45 wounds from the enemies' swords and javelins,
and 35 arrows pierced his body. His left arm was cut off, and a javelin
pierced through his breast. After all that agony, when his head was lifted
up on a spear, his face was the placid face of a man of God. All the men
of that gallant band were exterminated and their bodies trampled under
foot by the horses. The only male survivor was a child, Husain's son Ali,
surnamed Zain-ul-'Abidin - "The Glory of the Devout." He lived in retirement,
studying, interpreting, and teaching his father's high spiritual principles
for the rest of his life.
Heroism of the Women
There were women: for example, Zainab the sister of the Imam, Sakina
his little daughter, and Shahr-i-Banu, his wife, at Kerbela. A great deal
of poetic literature has sprung up in Muslim languages, describing the
touching scenes in which they figure. Even in their grief and their tears
they are heroic. They lament the tragedy in simple, loving, human terms.
But they are also conscious of the noble dignity of their nearness to a
life of truth reaching its goal in the precious crown of martyrdom. One
of the best-known poets of this kind is the Urdu poet Anis, who lived in
Lucknow, and died in 1874.
Lesson of the Tragedy
That briefly is the story. What is the lesson? There is of course the
physical suffering in martyrdom, and all sorrow and suffering claim our
sympathy, ---- the dearest, purest, most outflowing sympathy that we can
give. But there is a greater suffering than physical suffering. That is
when a valiant soul seems to stand against the world; when the noblest
motives are reviled and mocked; when truth seems to suffer an eclipse.
It may even seem that the martyr has but to say a word of compliance, do
a little deed of non-resistance; and much sorrow and suffering would be
saved; and the insidious whisper comes: "Truth after all can never die."
That is perfectly true. Abstract truth can never die. It is independent
of man's cognition. But the whole battle is for man's keeping hold of truth
and righteousness. And that can only be done by the highest examples of
man's conduct - spiritual striving and suffering enduring firmness of faith
and purpose, patience and courage where ordinary mortals would give in
or be cowed down, the sacrifice of ordinary motives to supreme truth in
scorn of consequence. The martyr bears witness, and the witness redeems
what would otherwise be called failure. It so happened with Husain. For
all were touched by the story of his martyrdom, and it gave the deathblow
to the politics of Damascus and all it stood for. And Muharram has still
the power to unite the different schools of thought in Islam, and make
a powerful appeal to non-Muslims also.
Explorers of Spiritual Territory
That, to my mind, is the supreme significance of martyrdom. All human
history shows that the human spirit strives in many directions, deriving
strength and sustenance from many sources. Our bodies, our physical powers,
have developed or evolved from earlier forms, after many struggles and
defeats. Our intellect has had its martyrs, and our great explorers have
often gone forth with the martyrs' spirit. All honor to them. But the
highest honor must still lie with the great explorers of spiritual territory,
those who faced fearful odds and refused to surrender to evil. Rather than
allow a stigma to attach to sacred things, they paid with their own lives
the penalty of resistance. The first kind of resistance offered by the
Imam was when he went from city to city, hunted about from place to place,
but making no compromise with evil. Then was offered the choice of an effectual
but dangerous attempt at clearing the house of God, or living at ease for
himself by tacit abandonment of his striving friends. He chose the path
of danger with duty and honor, and never swerved from it giving up his
life freely and bravely. His story purifies our emotions. We can best honor
his memory by allowing it to teach us courage and constancy.
The End
The Alchemy of Happiness - CHAPTER IV-THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEXT WORLD- By the great Sufi Saint and Scholar of Islam by Hujjatu-l-Islam Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, rahimah-Ullah
CHAPTER
IV
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEXT WORLD
As regards the joys
of heaven and the pains of hell which will follow this life, all believers in
the Qur'an and the Traditions are sufficiently informed. But it often escapes
them that there is also a spiritual heaven and hell, concerning the former of
which Allah said to His Prophet, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath
it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which are prepared for
the righteous." In the heart of the enlightened man there is a window opening on
the realities of the spiritual world, so that he knows, not by hearsay or
traditional belief, but by actual experience, what produces wretchedness or
happiness in the soul just as clearly and decidedly as the physician knows what
produces sickness or health in the body. He recognises that knowledge of Allah
and worship are medicinal, and that ignorance and sin are deadly poisons for the
soul. Many even so-called "learned" men, from blindly following others' opinions,
have no real certainty in their beliefs regarding the happiness or misery of
souls in the next world, but he who will attend to the matter with a mind
unbiased by prejudice will arrive at clear convictions on this matter.
The effect of death on the composite nature of man is as follows: Man has two
souls, an animal soul and a spiritual soul, which latter is of angelic nature.
The seat of the animal soul is the heart, from which this soul issues like a
subtle vapour and pervades all the members of the body, giving the power of
sight to the eye, the power of hearing to the ear, and to every member the
faculty of performing its own appropriate functions. It may be compared to a
lamp carried about within a cottage, the light of which falls upon the walls
wherever it goes. The heart is the wick of this lamp, and when the supply of oil
is cut off for any reason, the lamp dies. Such is the death of the animal soul.
With the spiritual, or human soul, the case is different. It is indivisible, and
by it man knows Allah. It is, so to speak, the rider of the animal soul, and
when that perishes it still remains, but is like a horseman who has been
dismounted, or like a hunter who has lost his weapons. That steed and those
weapons were granted the human soul that by means of them it might pursue and
capture the Phoenix of the love and knowledge of Allah. If it has effected that
capture, it is not a grief but rather a relief to be able to lay those weapons
aside, and to dismount from that weary steed. Therefore the Prophet said, "Death
is a welcome gift of Allah to the believer." But alas for that soul which loses
its steed and hunting weapons before it has captured the prize! Its misery and
regret will be indescribable.
A little further consideration will show how entirely distinct the human soul is
from the body and its members. Limb after limb may be paralysed and cease
working, but the individuality of the soul is unimpaired. Further, the body
which you have now is no longer the body which you had as child, but entirely
different, yet your personality now is identical with your personality then. It
is therefore easy to conceive of it as persisting when the body is done with
altogether, along with its essential attributes which were independent of the
body, such as the knowledge and love of Allah. This is the meaning of that
saying of the Qur'an, "The good things abide." But if, instead of carrying away
with you knowledge, you depart in ignorance of Allah, this ignorance also is an
essential attribute, and will abide as darkness of soul and the seed of misery.
Therefore the Qur'an says, "He who is blind in this life will be blind in the
next life, and astray from the path."
The reason of the human spirit seeking to return to that upper world is that its
origin was from thence, and that it is of angelic nature. It was sent down into
this lower sphere against its will to acquire knowledge and experience, as Allah
said in the Qur'an: "Go down from hence, all of you; there will come to you
instruction from Me, and they who obey the instruction need not fear, neither
shall they be grieved." The verse, "I breathed into man of My spirit," also
points to the celestial origin of the human soul. Just as the health of the
animal soul consists in the equilibrium of its component parts, and this
equilibrium is restored, when impaired, by appropriate medicine, so the health
of the human soul consists in a moral equilibrium which is maintained and
repaired, when needful, by ethical instruction and moral precepts.
As regards its future existence, we have already seen that the human soul is
essentially independent of the body. All objections to its existence after death
based on the supposed necessity of its recovering its former body fall,
therefore, to the ground. Some theologians have supposed that the human soul is
annihilated after death and then restored, but this is contrary both to reason
and to the Qur'an. The former shows us that death does not destroy the essential
individuality of a man, and the Qur'an says, "think not that those who are slain
in the path of Allah are dead; nay, they are alive, rejoining in the presence of
their Lord, and in the grace bestowed on them." Not a word is said in the Law
about any of the dead, good or bad, being annihilated. Nay, the Prophet is said
to have questioned the spirits of slain infidels as to whether they had found
the punishments, with which he had threatened them, real or not. When his
followers asked him what was the good of questioning them, he replied, "They
hear my words better than you do."
Some Sufis have had the unseen world of heaven and hell revealed to them when in
a state of death- like trance. On their recovering consciousness their faces
betray the nature of the revelations they have had by marks of joy or terror.
But no visions are necessary to prove what will occur to every thinking man,
that when death has stripped him for his senses and left him nothing but his
bare personality, if while on earth he has too closely attached himself to
objects perceived by the senses, such as wives, children, wealth, lands, slaves,
male and female, etc., he must necessarily suffer when bereft of those objects.
Whereas, on the contrary, if he has as far as possible turned his back on all
earthly objects and fixed his supreme affection upon Allah, he will welcome
death as a means of escape from worldly entanglements, and of union with Him
whom he loves. In his case the Prophet's sayings will be verified: "Death is a
bridge which unites friend to friend," and "The world is a paradise for infidels,
but a prison for the faithful."
On the other hand, the pains which souls suffer after death all have their
source in excessive love of the world. The Prophet said that every unbeliever,
after death, will be tormented by ninety-nine snakes, each having nine heads.
Some simple-minded people have examined the unbelievers' graves and wondered at
failing to see these snakes. They do not understand that these snakes have their
abode within the unbeliever's spirit, and that they existed in him even before
he died, for they were his own evil qualities symbolised, such as jealously,
hatred, hypocrisy, pride, deceit, etc., every one of which springs, directly or
remotely, from love of the world. Such is the doom of those who, in the words of
the Qur'an, "set their hearts on this world rather than on the next." If those
snakes were merely external they might hope to escape their torment, it if were
but for a moment; but, being their own inherent attributes, how can they escape?
Take, for instance, the case of a man who has sold a slave-girl without knowing
how much he was attached to her till she is quite out of his reach. Then the
love of her, hitherto dormant, wakes up in him with such intensity as to amount
to torture, stinging him like a snake, so that he would fain, cast himself into
fire or water to escape it. Such is the effect of love of the world, which those
who have it often suspect not till the world is taken from them, and then the
torment of vain longing is such that they would gladly exchange it for any
number of mere external snakes and scorpions.
Every sinner thus carries with him into the world beyond death the instruments
of his own punishment; and the Qur'an says truly, "Verily you shall see hell;
you shall see it with the eye of certainty," and "hell surrounds the unbelievers."
It does not say "will surround them" for it is round them even now.
Some may object, "If such is the case, then who can escape hell, for who is not
more or less bound to the world by various ties of affection and interest?" To
this we answer that there are some, notably the faqirs, who have entirely
disengaged themselves from love of the world. But even among those who have
worldly possessions such as wife, children, houses, etc., there are those, who,
though they have some affection for these, love Allah yet more. Their case is
like that of a man who, though he may have a dwelling which he is fond of in one
city, when he is called by the king to take up a post of authority in another
city, does so gladly, as the post of authority is dearer to him than his former
dwelling. Such are many of the prophets and saints.
Others there are, and a great number, who have some love to Allah but the love
of the world so preponderates in them that they will have to suffer a good deal
of pain after death before they are thoroughly weaned from it. Many profess to
love Allah, but a man may easily test himself by watching which way the balance
of his affection inclines when the commands of Allah come into collision with
some of his desires. The profession of love to Allah which is insufficient to
restrain from disobedience to Allah is a lie.
We have seen above that one kind of spiritual hell is the forcible separation
from worldly things to which the heart cleaves too fondly. Many carry about
within them the germs of such a hell without being aware of it; hereafter they
will feel like some king who, after living in luxury, has been dethroned and
made a laughing-stock. The second kind of spiritual hell is that of shame, when
a man wakes up to see the nature of the actions he committed in their naked
reality. Thus he who slandered will see himself in the guise of a cannibal
eating his dead brother's flesh, and he who envied as one who cast stones
against a wall, which stones, rebounding, put out the eyes of his own children.
This species of hell, i.e., of shame, may be symbolised by the following short
parable: Suppose a certain king has been celebrating his son's marriage. In the
evening the young man goes off with some companions and presently returns to the
palace (as he thinks) intoxicated. He enters a chamber where a light is burning
and lies down, as he supposes, by his bride. In the morning, when soberness
returns, he is aghast to find himself in a mortuary of fire-worshippers, his
couch a bier, and the form which he mistook for that of his bride the corpse of
an old woman beginning to decay. On emerging from the mortuary with his garments
all soiled, what is his shame to see his father, the king, approaching with a
retinue of soldiers! Such is a feeble picture of the shame those will feel in
the next world who in this have greedily abandoned themselves to what they
thought were delights.
The third spiritual hell is that of disappointment and failure to reach the real
objects of existence. Man was intended to mirror forth the light of the
knowledge of Allah, but if he arrives in the next world with his soul thickly
coated with the rust of sensual indulgence he will entirely fail of the object
for which he was made. His disappointment may be figured in the following way:
Suppose a man is passing with some companions through a dark wood. Here and
there, glimmering on the ground, lie variously coloured stones. His companions
collect and carry these and advise him to do the same. "For," say they, "we have
heard that these stones will fetch a high price in the place whither we are
going." He on the other hand, laughs at them and calls them fools for loading
themselves in the vain hope of gain, while he walks free and unencumbered.
Presently they emerge into the full daylight and find that these coloured stones
are rubies, emeralds, and other jewels of priceless value. The man's
disappointment and chagrin at not having gathered some when so easily within his
reach may be more easily imagined than described. Such will be the remorse of
those hereafter, who, while passing through this world, have been at no pains to
acquire the jewels of virtue and the treasures of religion.
This journey of man through the world may be divided into four stages - the
sensuous, the experimental, the instinctive, the rational. In the first he is
like a moth which, though it has sight, has no memory, and will singe itself
again and again at the same candle. In the second stage he is like a dog which,
having once been beaten, will run away at the sight of a stick. In the third he
is like a horse or a sheep, both of which instinctively fly at the sight of a
lion or a wolf, their natural enemies, while they will not fly from a camel or a
buffalo, though these last are much greater in size. In the fourth stage man
altogether transcends the limits of the animals and becomes capable, to some
extent, of foreseeing and providing for the future. His movements at first may
be compared to ordinary walking on land, then to traversing the sea in a ship,
then, on the fourth plane, where he is conversant with realities, to walking on
the sea, while beyond this plane there is a fifth, known to the prophets and
saints, whose progress may be compared to flying through the air.
Thus man is capable of existing on several different planes, from the animal to
the angelic, and precisely in this lies his danger, i.e., of falling to the very
lowest. In the Qur'an it is written, "We proposed the burden (i.e.,
responsibility of free-will) to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and
they refused to undertake it. But man took it upon himself: Verily he is
ignorant." Neither animals nor angels can change their appointed rank and place.
But man may sink to the animal or soar to the angel, and this is the meaning of
his undertaking that "burden" of which the Qur'an speaks. The majority of men
choose to remain in the two lower stages mentioned above, and the stationary are
always hostile to the travellers or pilgrims, whom they far outnumber.
Many of the former class, having no fixed convictions about the future world,
when mastered by their sensual appetites, deny it altogether. They say that hell
is merely an invention of theologians to frighten people, and they regard
theologians themselves with thinly veiled contempt. To argue with fools of this
kind is of very little use. This much, however, may be said to such a man, with
the possible result of making him pause and reflect: "Do you really think that
the hundred and twenty four thousand prophets and saints who believed in the
future life were all wrong, and you are right in denying it?" If he replies, "Yes!
I am as sure as I am that two are more than one, that there is no soul and no
future life of joy and penalty," then the case of such a man is hopeless; all
one can do is to leave him alone, remembering the words of the Qur'an, "Though
thou call them to instruction, they will not be instructed."
But, should he say that a future life is possible but that the doctrine is so
involved in doubt and mystery that it is impossible to decide whether it be true
or not, then one may say to him: "Then you had better give it the benefit of the
doubt! Suppose you are about to eat food and someone tells you a serpent has
spat venom on it, you would probably refrain and rather endure the pangs of
hunger than eat it, though your informant may be in jest or lying. Or suppose
you are ill and a charm-writer says, 'Give me a rupee and I will write a charm
which you can tie round your neck and which will cure you,' you would probably
give the rupee on the chance of deriving benefit from the charm. Or if an
astrologer says, 'When the moon has entered a certain constellation, drink such
and such a medicine, and you will recover,' though you may have very little
faith in astrology, you very likely would try the experiment on the chance that
he might be right. And do you not think that reliance is as well placed on the
words of all the prophets, saints, and holy men, convinced as they were of a
future life, as on the promise of a charm-writer or an astrologer? People take
perilous voyages in ships for the sake of merely probable profit, and will you
not suffer a little pain of abstinence now for the sake of eternal joy hereafter?"
The Lord Ali once, in arguing with an unbeliever, said, "If you are right, then
neither of us will be any the worse in the future, but if we are right, then we
shall escape, and you will suffer." This he said not because he himself was in
any doubt, but merely to make an impression on the unbeliever. From all that we
have said it follows that man's chief business in this world is to prepare for
the next. Even if he is doubtful about a future existence, reason suggests that
he should act as if there were one, considering the tremendous issues at stake.
Peace be on those who follow the instruction!
The Alchemy of Happiness - CHAPTER III-THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD - By the great Sufi Saint and Scholar of Islam by Hujjatu-l-Islam Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, rahimah-Ullah
CHAPTER
III
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD
This world is a
stage or market-place passed by pilgrims on their way to the next. It is here
that they are to provide themselves with provisions for the way; or, to put it
plainly, man acquires here, by the use of his bodily senses, some knowledge of
the works of Allah, and, through them, of Allah Himself, the sight of whom will
constitute his future beatitude. It is for the acquirement of this knowledge
that the spirit of man has descended into this world of water and clay. As long
as his senses remain with him he is said to be "in this world"; when they depart,
and only his essential attributes remain, he is said to have gone to "the next
world."
While man is in this world, two things are necessary for him: first, the
protection and nurture of his soul; secondly, the care and nurture of his body.
The proper nourishment of the soul, as above shown, is the knowledge and love of
Allah, and to be absorbed in the love of anything but Allah is the ruin of the
soul. The body, so to speak, is simply the riding-animal of the soul and
perishes while the soul endures. The soul should take care of the body, just as
a pilgrim on his way to Mecca takes care of his camel; but if the pilgrim spends
his whole time in feeding and adorning his camel, the caravan will leave him
behind; and he will perish in the desert.
Man's bodily needs are simple, being comprised under three heads: food, clothing,
and a dwelling- place; but the bodily desires which were implanted in him with a
view to procuring these are apt to rebel against reason, which is of later
growth than they. Accordingly, as we saw above, they require to be curbed and
restrained by the divine laws promulgated by the prophets.
Considering the world with which we have for a time to do, we find it divided
into three departments - animal, vegetable, and mineral. The products of all
three are continually needed by man and have given rise to three principal
occupations - those of the weaver, the builder, and the worker in metal. These,
again, have many subordinate branches, such as tailors, masons, smiths, etc.
None can be quite independent of others; this gives rise to various
business-connections and relations and those too frequently afford occasions,
for hatred, envy, jealousy, and other maladies of the soul. Hence come quarrels
and strife, and the need of political and civil government and knowledge of law.
Thus the occupations and businesses of the world have become more and more
complicated and troublesome, chiefly owing to the fact that men have forgotten
that their real necessities are only three - clothing, food, and shelter, and
that these exist only with the object of making the body a fit vehicle for the
soul in its journey towards the next world. They have fallen into the same
mistake as the pilgrim to Mecca, mentioned above, who, forgetting the object of
his pilgrimage and himself, should spend his whole time in feeding and adorning
his camel. Unless a man maintains the strictest watch he is certain to be
fascinated and entangled by the world, which, as the Prophet said, is "a more
potent sorcerer than Harut and Marut."
The deceitful character of the world comes out in the following ways. In the
first place, it pretends that it will always remain with you, while, as a matter
of fact, it is slipping away from you, moment by moment, and bidding you
farewell, like a shadow which seems stationary, but is actually always moving.
Again, the world presents itself under the guise of a radiant but immoral
sorceress, pretends to be in love with you, fondles you, and then goes off to
your enemies, leaving you to die of chagrin and despair. Jesus (upon whom be
peace!) saw the world revealed in the form of an ugly old hag. He asked her how
many husbands she had possessed; she replied that they were countless. He asked
whether they had died or been divorced; she said that she had slain them all. "I
marvel," he said, "at the fools who see what you have done to others, and still
desire you."
This sorceress decks herself out in gorgeous and jewelled apparel and veils her
face. Then she goes forth to seduce, men, too many of whom follow her to their
own destruction. The Prophet has said that on the Judgment Day the world will
appear in the form of a hideous witch with green eyes and projecting teeth. Men,
beholding her, will say, "Mercy on us! who is this?" The angels will answer, "this
is the world for whose sake you quarrelled and fought and embittered one
another's lives." Then she will be cast into hell, whence she will cry out, "O
Lord! where are those, my former lovers? Allah will then command that they be
cast after her.
Whoever will seriously contemplate the past eternity during which the world was
not in existence, and the future eternity during which it will not be in
existence, will see that it is essentially like a journey, in which the stages
are represented by years, the leagues by months, the miles by days, and the
steps by moments. What words, then, can picture the folly of the man who
endeavours to make it his permanent abode, and forms plans ten years ahead
regarding things he may never need, seeing that very possibly he may be under
the ground in ten days!
Those who have indulged without limit in the pleasures of the world, at the time
of death will be like a man who has gorged himself to repletion on delicious
viands and then vomits them up. The deliciousness has gone, but the disgrace
remains. The greater the abundance of the possessions which they have enjoyed in
the shape of gardens, male and female slaves, gold, silver, etc., the more
keenly they will feel the bitterness of parting from them. This is a bitterness
which will outlast death, for the soul which has contracted covetousness as a
fixed habit will necessarily in the next world suffer from the pangs of
unsatisfied desire.
Another dangerous property of worldly things is that they at first appear as
more trifles, but each of these so-called "trifles" branches out into countless
ramifications until they swallow up the whole of a man's time and energy. Jesus
(on whom be peace!) said, "The lover of the world is like a man drinking
sea-water; the more he drinks, the more thirsty he gets, till at last he
perishes with thirst unquenched." The Prophet said, "You can no more mix with
the world without being contaminated by it than you can go into water without
getting wet."
The world is like a table spread for successive relays of guests who come and
go. There are gold and silver dishes, abundance of food and perfumes. The wise
guest eats as much as is sufficient for him, smells the perfumes, thanks his
host, and departs. The foolish guest, on the other hand, tries to carry off some
of the gold and silver dishes, only to find them wrenched out of his hands and
himself thrust forth, disappointed and disgraced.
We may close these illustrations of the deceitfulness of the world with the
following short parable. Suppose a ship to arrive at a certain well-wooded
island. The captain of the ship tells the passengers he will stop a few hours
there, and that they can go on shore for a short time, but warns them not to
delay too long. Accordingly the passengers disembark and stroll in different
directions. The wisest, however, return after a short time, and, finding the
ship empty, choose the most comfortable places in it. A second band of the
passengers spend a somewhat longer time on the island, admiring the foliage of
the trees and listening to the song of the birds. Coming on board, they find the
best places in the ship already occupied, and have to content themselves with
the less comfortable ones. A third party wander still farther, and, finding some
brilliantly coloured stones, carry them back to the ship. Their lateness in
coming on board compels them to stow themselves away in the lower parts of the
ship, where they find their loads of stones, which by this time have lost all
their brilliancy, very much in their way. The last group go so far in their
wanderings that they get quite out of reach of the captain's voice calling them
to come on board, and at last he has to sail away without them. They wander
about in a hopeless condition and finally either perish of hunger or fall a prey
to wild beasts.
The first group represents the faithful who keep aloof from the world altogether
and the last group the infidels who care only for this world and nothing for the
next. The two intermediate classes are those who preserve their faith, but
entangle themselves more or less with the vanities of things present.
Although we have said so much against the world, it must be remembered that
there are some things in the world which are not of it, such as knowledge and
good deeds. A man carries what knowledge he posseses with him into the next
world, and, though his good deeds have passed, yet the effect of them remains in
his character. Especially is this the case with acts of devotion, which result
in the perpetual remembrance and love of Allah. These are among "those good
things" which, as the Qur'an says, "pass not away."
Other good things there are in the world, such as marriage, food, clothing, etc.,
which a wise man uses just in proportion as they help him to attain to the next
world. Other things which engross the mind causing it to cleave to this world
and to be careless of the next, are purely evil and were alluded to by the
Prophet when he said, "The world is a curse, and all which is in it is a curse,
except the remembrance of Allah, and that which aids it."
The Alchemy of Happiness - CHAPTER I -THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF - By the great Sufi Saint and Scholar of Islam by Hujjatu-l-Islam Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, rahimah-Ullah
CHAPTER
II
THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALLAH
It is a well-known
saying of the Prophet that "He who knows himself, knows his Lord"; that is, by
contemplation of his own being and attributes man arrives at some knowledge of
Allah. But since many who contemplate themselves do not find Allah, it follows
that there must be some special way of doing so. As a matter of fact, there are
two methods of arriving at this knowledge, but one is so abstruse that it is not
adapted to ordinary intelligences, and therefore is better left unexplained. The
other method is as follows: When a man considers himself he knows that there was
a time when he was non-existent, as it is written in the Qur'an: "Does it not
occur to man that there was a time when he was nothing?" Further, he knows that
he was made out of a drop of water in which there was neither intellect, nor
hearing, sight, head, hands, feet, etc. From this it is obvious that, whatever
degree of perfection he may have arrived at, he did not make himself, nor can he
now make a single hair.
How much more helpless, then, was his condition when he was a mere drop of
water! Thus, as we have seen in the first chapter, he finds in his own being
reflected in miniature, so to speak, the power, wisdom, and love of the Creator.
If all the sages of the world were assembled, and their lives prolonged for an
indefinite time, they could not effect any improvement in the construction of a
single part of the body.
For instance, in the adaptation of the front and side-teeth to the mastication
of food, and in the construction of the tongue, salivating glands, and throat
for its deglutition, we find a contrivance which cannot be improved upon.
Similarly, whoever considers his hand, with its five fingers of unequal lengths,
four of them with three joints and the thumb with only two, and the way in which
it can be used for grasping, or for carrying, or for smitting, will frankly
acknowledge that no amount of human wisdom could better it by altering the
number and arrangement of the fingers, or in any other way.
When a man further considers how his various wants of food, lodging, etc., are
amply supplied from the storehouse of creation, he becomes aware that Allah's
mercy is as great as His power and wisdom, as He has Himself said, "My mercy is
greater than My wrath," and according to the Prophet's saying, "Allah is more
tender to His servants than a mother to her suckling-child." Thus from his own
creation man comes to know Allah's existence, from the wonders of his bodily
frame Allah's power and wisdom, and from the ample provision made for his
various needs Allah's love. In this way the knowledge of oneself becomes a key
to the knowledge of Allah.
Not only are man's attributes a reflection of Allah's attributes, but the mode
of existence of man's soul affords some insight into Allah's mode of existence.
That is to say, both Allah and the soul are invisible, indivisible, unconfined
by space and time, and outside the categories of quantity and quality; nor can
the ideas of shape, colour, or size attach to them. People find it hard to form
a conception of such realities as are devoid of quality and quantity, etc., but
a similar difficulty attaches to the conception of our everyday feelings, such
as anger, pain, pleasure, or love. They are thought-concepts, and cannot be
cognised by the senses; whereas quality, quantity, etc., are sense-concepts.
Just as the ear cannot take cognisance of colour, nor the eye of sound, so, in
conceiving of the ultimate realities, Allah and the soul, we find ourselves in a
region in which sense-concepts can bear no part. So much, however, we can see,
that, as Allah is Ruler of the universe, and, being Himself beyond space and
time, quantity and quality, governs things that are so conditioned, so that soul
rules the body and its members, being itself invisible, indivisible, and
unlocated in any special part. For how can the indivisible be located in that
which is divisible? From all this we see how true is the saying of the Prophet,
"Allah created man in His own likeness."
And, as we arrive at some knowledge of Allah's essence and attributes from the
contemplation of the soul's essence and attributes, so we come to understand
Allah's method of working and government and delegation of power to angelic
forces, etc., by observing how each of us governs his own little kingdom. To
take a simple instance: suppose a man wishes to write the name of Allah. First
of all the wish is conceived in his heart, it is then conveyed to the brain by
the vital spirits, the form of the word "Allah" takes shape in the
thought-chambers of the brain, thence it travels by the nerve-channels, and sets
in motion the fingers, which in their turn set in motion the pen, and thus the
name "Allah" is traced on paper exactly as it had been conceived in the writer's
brain. Similarly, when Allah wills a thing it appears in the spiritual plane,
which in the Qur'an is called "The Throne"; from the throne it passes, by a
spiritual current, to a lower plane called "The Chair"; then the shape of it
appears on the Tablet of Destiny"; whence, by the mediation of the forces called
"angels," it assumes actuality, and appears in the earth in the form of plants,
trees, and animals, representing the will and thought of Allah, as the written
letters represent the wish conceived in the heart and the shape present in the
brain of the writer.
No one can understand a king but a king; therefore Allah has made each of us a
king in miniature, so to speak, over a kingdom which is an infinitely reduced
copy of His own. In the kingdom of man, Allah's "throne" is represented by the
soul, the Archangel by the heart, "the chair" by the brain, "the tablet" by the
treasure-chamber of thought. The soul, itself unlocated and indivisible, governs
the body as Allah governs the universe. In, short, each of us is entrusted with
a little kingdom, and charged not to be careless in the administration of it.
As regards the recognition of Allah's providence, there are many degrees of
Knowledge. The mere physicist is like an ant who, crawling on a sheet of paper
and observing black letters spreading over it, should refer the Cause to the pen
alone. The astronomer is like an ant of somewhat wider vision who should catch
sight of the fingers moving the pen, i.e., he knows that the elements are under
the power of the stars, but he does not know that the stars are under the power
of the angels. Thus, owing to the different degrees of perception in people,
disputes must arise in tracing effects to causes. Those whose eyes never see
beyond the world of phenomena are like those who mistake servants of the lowest
rank for the king. The laws of phenomena must be constant, or there could be no
such thing as science; but it is a great error to mistake the slaves for the
master.
As long as this difference in the perceptive faculty of observers exists,
disputes must necessarily go on. It is as if some blind men, hearing that an
elephant had come to their town, should go and examine it. The only knowledge of
it which they can obtain comes through the sense of touch; so one handles the
animal's leg, another his tusk, another his ear, and, according to their several
perceptions, pronounce it to be a column, a thick pole, or a quilt, each taking
a part for the whole. So the physicist and astronomer confound the laws they
perceive with the Lawgiver. A similar mistake is attributed to Abraham in the
Qur'an, where it is related that he turned successively to stars, moon, and sun
as the objects of his worship, till grown aware of Him who made all these, he
exclaimed, "I love not them that set."
We have a common instance of this referring to second causes what ought to be
referred to the First Cause in the case of so-called illness. For instance, if a
man ceases to take any interest in worldly matters, conceives a distaste for
common pleasures, and appears sunk in depression, the doctor will say, "This is
a case of melancholy, and requires such and such a prescription." The physicist
will say, "This is a dryness of the brain caused by hot weather and cannot be
relieved till the air becomes moist." The astrologer will attribute it to some
particular conjunction or opposition of planets. "Thus far their wisdom reaches,"
says the Qur'an. It does not occur to them that what has really happened is this:
that the Almighty has a concern for the welfare of that man, and has therefore
commanded His servants, the planets or the elements, to produce such a condition
in him that he may turn away from the world to his Maker. The knowledge of this
fact is a lustrous pearl from the ocean of inspirational knowledge, to which all
other forms of knowledge are as islands in the sea.
The doctor, physicist, and astrologer are doubtless right each in his particular
branch of knowledge, but they do not see that illness is, so to speak, a cord of
love by which Allah draws to Himself the saints concerning whom He has said, "I
was sick and ye visited Me not." Illness itself is one of those forms of
experience by which man arrives at the knowledge of Allah, as He says by the
mouth of His Prophet, "Sicknesses themselves are My servants, and are attached
to My chosen."
The foregoing remarks may enable us to enter a little more fully into the
meaning of those exclamations so often on the lips of the Faithful: "Glory to
Allah," "Praise be to Allah," "There is no god but Allah," "Allah is the
Greatest." Concerning the last we may say that it does not mean that Allah is
greater than creation, for creation is His manifestation as light manifests the
sun, and it would not be correct to say that the sun is greater than its own
light. It rather means that Allah's greatness immeasurably transcends our
cognitive faculties, and that we can only form a very dim and imperfect idea of
it. If a child asks us to explain to him the pleasure which exists in wielding
sovereignty, we may say it is like the pleasure he feels in playing bat and
ball, though in reality the two have nothing in common except that they both
come under the category of pleasure. Thus, the exclamation "Allah is great"
means that His greatness far exceeds all our powers of comprehension. Moreover,
such imperfect knowledge of Allah as we can attain to is not a mere speculative
knowledge, but must be accompanied by devotion and worship. When a man dies he
has to do with Allah alone, and if we have to live with a person, our happiness
entirely depends on the degree of affection we feel towards him. Love is the
seed of happiness, and love to Allah is fostered and developed by worship. Such
worship and constant remembrance of Allah implies a certain degree of austerity
and curbing of bodily appetites. Not that a man is intended altogether to
abolish these, for then the human race would perish. But strict limits must be
set to their indulgence, and as a man is not the best judge in his own case as
to what these limits should be, he had better consult some spiritual guide on
the subject. Such spiritual guides arc the prophets, and the laws which they
have laid down under divine inspiration prescribe the limits which must be
observed in these matters. He who transgresses these limits "wrongs his own soul,"
as it is written in the Qur'an.
Notwithstanding this clear pronouncement of the Qur'an there are those who,
through their ignorance of Allah, do transgress these limits, and this ignorance
may be due to several different causes: Firstly, there are some who, failing to
find Allah by observation, conclude that there is no Allah and that this world
of wonders made itself, or existed from everlasting. They are like a man who,
seeing a beautifully written letter, should suppose that it had written itself
without a writer, or had always existed. People in this state of mind are so far
gone in error that it is of little use to argue with them. Such are some of the
physicists and astronomers to whom we referred above.
Some, through ignorance of the real nature of the soul, repudiate the doctrine
of a future life, in which man will be called to account and be rewarded or
punished. They regard themselves as no better than animals or vegetables, and
equally perishable. Some, on the other hand, believe in Allah and a future life
but with a weak belief. They say to themselves, "Allah is great and independent
of us; our worship or abstinence from worship is a matter of entire indifference
to Him." Their state of mind is like that of a sick man who, when prescribed a
certain regime by his doctor, should say, "Well, if I follow it or don't follow
it, what does it matter to the doctor?" It certainly does not matter to the
doctor, but the patient may destroy himself by his disobedience. Just as surely
as unchecked sickness of body ends in bodily death, so does uncured disease of
the soul end in future misery, according to the saying of the Qur'an, "Only
those shall be saved who come to Allah with a sound heart."
A fourth kind of unbelievers are those who say, "the Law tells us to abstain
from anger, lust, and hypocrisy. This is plainly impossible, for man is created
with these qualities inherent in him. You might as well tell us to make black
white." These foolish people ignore the fact that the law does not tell us to
uproot these passions, but to restrain them within due limits, so that, by
avoiding the greater sins, we may obtain forgiveness of the smaller ones. Even
the Prophet of Allah said, "I am a man like you, and get angry like others"; and
in the Qur'an it is written. "Allah loves those who swallow down their anger,"
not those who have no anger at all.
A fifth class lay stress on the beneficence of Allah, and ignore His justice,
saying to themselves, "Well, whatever we do, Allah is merciful." They do not
consider that, though Allah is merciful, thousands of human beings perish
miserably in hunger and disease. They know that whosoever wishes for a
livelihood, or for wealth, or learning, must not merely say, "Allah is merciful,"
but must exert himself. Although the Qur'an says, "Every living creature's
support comes from Allah," it is also written, "Man obtains nothing except by
striving." The fact is, such teaching is really from the devil, and such people
only speak with their lips and not with their heart.
A sixth class claim to have reached such a degree of sanctity that sin cannot
affect them. Yet, if you treat one of them with disrespect, he will bear a
grudge against you for years, and if one of them be deprived of a morsel of food
which he thinks his due, the whole world will appear dark and narrow to him.
Even if any of them do really conquer their passions, they have no right to make
such a claim, for the prophets, the highest of human kind, constantly confessed
and bewailed their sins. Some of them had such a dread of sin that they even
abstained from lawful things; thus, it is related of the Prophet that, one day,
when a date had been brought to him he would not eat it, as he was not sure that
it had been lawfully obtained. Whereas these free-livers will swallow gallons of
wine and claim (I shudder as I write) to be superior to the Prophet whose
sanctity was endangered by a date, while theirs is unaffected by all that wine!
Surely they deserve that the devil should drag them down to perdition. Real
saints know that he who does not master his appetites does not deserve the name
of a man, and that the true Muslim is one who will cheerfully acknowledge the
limits imposed by the Law. He who endeavours, on whatever pretext, to ignore its
obligations is certainly under Satanic influence, and should be talked to, not
with a pen, but with a sword. These pseudo-mystics some-times pretend to be
drowned in a sea of wonder, but if you ask them what they are wondering at they
do not know. They should be told to wonder as much as they please, but at the
same time to remember that the Almighty is their Creator and that they are His
servants.
The Alchemy of Happiness - CHAPTER I -THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF - By the great Sufi Saint and Scholar of Islam by Hujjatu-l-Islam Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, rahimah-Ullah
CHAPTER
I
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF
Knowledge of self is
the key to the knowledge of Allah, according to the saying: "He who knows
himself knows his Lord" and, as it is written in the Qur'an, "We will show them
Our signs in the world and in themselves, that the truth may be manifest to them."
Now nothing is nearer to thee than thyself, and if thou knowest not thyself how
canst thou know anything else? If thou sayest "I know myself," meaning thy
outward shape, body, face, limbs, and so forth, such knowledge can never be a
key to the knowledge of Allah. Nor, if thy knowledge as to that which is within
only extends so far, that when thou art hungry thou eatest, and when thou art
angry thou attackest someone, wilt thou progress any further in this path, for
the beasts are thy partners in this? But real self-knowledge consists in knowing
the following things: What art thou in thyself, and from whence hast thou come?
Whither art thou going, and for what purpose hast thou come to tarry here awhile,
and in what does thy real happiness and misery consist? Some of thy attributes
are those of animals, some of devils, and some of angels, and thou hast to find
out to which of these attributes are accidental and which essential. Till thou
knowest this, thou canst not find out where thy real happiness lies. The
occupation of animals is eating, sleeping, and fighting; therefore, if thou art
an animal, busy thyself in these things. Devils are busy in stirring up mischief,
and in guile and deceit; if thou belongest to them, do their work. Angels
contemplate the beauty of Allah, and are entirely free from animal qualities, if
thou art of angelic nature, then strive towards thine origin, that thou mayest
know and contemplate the Most High, and be delivered from the thraldom of lust
and anger. Thou shouldest also discover why thou hast been created with these
two animal instincts: whether that they should subdue and lead thee captive, or
whether that thou shouldest subdue them, and, in thy upward progress, make of
one thy steed and of the other thy weapon.
The first step to self-knowledge is to know that thou art composed of an outward
shape, called the body, and an inward entity called the heart, or soul. By "heart"
I do not mean the piece of flesh situated in the left of our bodies, but that
which uses all the other faculties as its instruments and servants. In truth it
does not belong to the visible world, but to the invisible, and has come into
this world as a traveller visits a foreign country for the sake of merchandise,
and will presently return to its native land. It is the knowledge of this entity
and its attributes which is the key to the knowledge of Allah.
Some idea of the reality of the heart. or spirit, may be obtained by a man
closing his eyes and forgetting everything around except his individuality. He
will thus also obtain a glimpse of the unending nature of that individuality.
Too close inquiry, however, into the essence of spirit is forbidden by the Law.
In the Qur'an it is written: "They will question thee concerning the spirit. Say:
'The Spirit comes by the command of my Lord'." Thus much is known of it that it
is an indivisible essence belonging to the world of decrees, and that it is not
from everlasting, but created. An exact philosophical knowledge of the spirit is
not a necessary preliminary to walking in the path of religion, but comes rather
as the result of self-discipline and perseverance in that path, as it is said in
the Qur'an: "Those who strive in Our way, verily We will guide them to the right
paths."
For the carrying on of this spiritual warfare by which the knowledge of oneself
and of Allah is to be obtained, the body may be figured as a kingdom, the soul
as its king, and the different senses and faculties as constituting an army.
Reason may be called the vizier, or prime minister, passion the
revenue-collector, and anger the police-officer. Under the guise of collecting
revenue, passion is continually prone to plunder on its own account, while
resentment is always inclined to harshness and extreme severity. Both of these
the revenue-collector and the police-officer, have to be kept in due
subordination to the king, but not killed or excelled, as they have their own
proper functions to fulfil. But if passion and resentment master reason, the
ruin of the soul infallibly ensues. A soul which allows its lower faculties to
dominate the higher is as one who should hand over an angel to the power of a
dog or a Muslim to the tyranny of an unbeliever. The cultivation of demonic,
animal or angelic qualities results in the production of corresponding
characters, which in the Day of Judgment will be manifested in visible shapes,
the sensual appearing as swine, the ferocious as dogs and wolves, and the pure
as angels. The aim of moral discipline is to purify the heart from the rust of
passion and resentment, till, like a clear mirror, it reflects the light of
Allah.
Someone may here object, "But if man has been created with animal and demonic
qualities as well as angelic, how are we to know that the latter constitute his
real essence, while the former are merely accidental and transitory?" To this I
answer that the essence of each creature is to be sought in that which is
highest in it and peculiar to it. Thus the horse and the ass are both
burden-bearing animals, but the superiority of the horse to the ass consists in
its being adapted for use in battle. If it fails in this, it becomes degraded to
the rank of burden-bearing animals. Similarly with man: the highest faculty in
him is reason, which fits him for the contemplation of Allah. If this
predominates in him, when he dies, he leaves behind him all tendencies to
passion and resentment, and becomes capable of association with angels. As
regards his mere animal qualities, man is inferior to many animals, but reason
makes him superior to them, as it is written in the Qur'an: "To man We have
subjected all things in the earth." But if his lower tendencies have triumphed,
after death be will ever be looking towards the earth and longing for earthly
delights.
Now the rational soul in man abounds in marvels, both of knowledge and power. By
means of it he masters arts and sciences, can pass in a flash from earth to
heaven and back again, can map out the skies and measure the distances between
the stars. By it also he can draw the fish from the sea and the birds from the
air, and can subdue to his service animals like the elephant, the camel, and the
horse. His five senses are like five doors opening on the external world; but,
more wonderful than this, his heart has a window which opens on the unseen world
of spirits. In the state of sleep, when the avenues of the senses are closed,
this window is opened and man receives impressions from the unseen world and
sometimes fore-shadowings of the future. His heart is then like a mirror which
reflects what is pictured in the Tablet of Fate. But, even in sleep, thoughts of
worldly things dull this mirror, so that the impression it receives are not
clear. After death, however, such thoughts vanish and things are seen in their
naked reality, and the saying in the Qur'an is fulfilled: "We have stripped the
veil from off thee and thy sight today is keen."
This opening of a window in the heart towards the unseen also takes place in
conditions approaching those of prophetic inspiration, when intuitions spring up
in the mind unconveyed through any sense- channel. The more a man purifies
himself from fleshly lusts and concentrates his mind on Allah, the more
conscious will he be of such intuitions. Those who are not conscious of them
have no right to deny their reality.
Nor are such intuitions confined only to those of prophetic rank. Just as iron,
by sufficient polishing can be made into a mirror, so any mind by due discipline
can be rendered receptive of such impressions. It was at this truth the Prophet
hinted when he said, "Every child is born with a predisposition towards Islam;
then his parents make a Jew, or a Christian, or a star-worshipper of him." Every
human being has in the depths of his consciousness heard the question "Am I not
your Lord?" and answered "Yes" to it. But some hearts are like mirrors so
befouled with rust and dirt that they give no clear reflections, while those of
the prophets and saints, though they are men "of like passions with us" are
extremely sensitive to all divine impressions.
Nor is it only by reason of knowledge acquired and intuitive that the soul of
man holds the first rank among created things, but also by reason of power. Just
as angels preside over the elements, so does the soul rule the members of the
body. Those souls which attain a special degree of power not only rule their own
body but those of others also. If they wish a sick man to recover he recovers,
or a person in health to fall ill he becomes ill, or if they will the presence
of a person he comes to them. According as the effects produced by these
powerful souls are good or bad they are termed miracles or sorceries. These
souls differ from common folk in three ways: (1) What others only see in dreams
they see in their waking moments. (2) While others' wills only affect their own
bodies, these, by will- power, can move bodies extraneous to themselves. (3) The
knowledge which others acquire by laborious learning comes to them by intuition.
These three, of course, are not the only marks which differentiate them from
common people, but the only ones that come within our cognisance. Just as no one
knows the real nature of Allah but Allah Himself, so no one knows the real
nature of a prophet but a prophet. Nor is this to be wondered at, as in everyday
matters we see that it is impossible to explain the charm of poetry to one whose
ear is insusceptible of cadence and rhythm, or the glories of colour to one who
is stone-blind. Besides mere incapacity, there are other hindrances to the
attainment of spiritual truth. One of these is externally acquired knowledge. To
use a figure, the heart may be represented as a well, and the five senses as
five streams which are continually conveying water to it. In order to find out
the real contents of the heart these streams must be stopped for a time, at any
rate, and the refuse they have brought with them must be cleared out of the well.
In other words, if we are to arrive at pure spiritual truth, we must put away,
for the time knowledge which has been acquired by external processes and which
too often hardens into dogmatic prejudice.
A mistake of an opposite kind is made by shallow people who, echoing some
phrases which they have caught from Sufi teachers, go about decrying all
knowledge. This is as if a person who was not an adept in alchemy were to go
about saying, "Alchemy is better than gold," and were to refuse gold when it was
offered to him. Alchemy is better than gold, but real alchemists are very rare,
and so are real Sufis. He who has a mere smattering of Sufism is not superior to
a learned man, any more than he who has tried a few experiments in alchemy has
ground for despising a rich man.
Anyone who will look into the matter will see that happiness is necessarily
linked with the knowledge of Allah. Each faculty of ours delights in that for
which it was created: lust delights in accomplishing desire, anger in taking
vengeance, the eye in seeing beautiful objects, and the ear in hearing
harmonious sounds. The highest function of the soul of man is the perception of
truth; in this accordingly it finds its special delight. Even in trifling
matters, such as learning chess, this holds good, and the higher the subject
matter of the knowledge obtained the greater the delight. A man would be pleased
at being admitted into the confidence of a prime minister, but how much more if
the king makes an intimate of him and discloses state secrets to him!
An astronomer who, by his knowledge, can map the stars and describe their
courses, derives more pleasure from his knowledge than the chess player from his.
Seeing, then, that nothing is higher than Allah, how great must be the delight
which springs from the true knowledge of Him!
A person in whom the desire for this knowledge has disappeared is like one who
has lost his appetite for healthy food, or who prefers feeding on clay to eating
bread. All bodily appetites perish at death with the organs they use, but the
soul dies not, and retains whatever knowledge of Allah it possesses; nay
increases it.
An important part of our knowledge of Allah arises from the study and
contemplation of our own bodies, which reveal to us the power, wisdom, and love
of the Creator. His power, in that from a mere drop He has built up the
wonderful frame of man; His wisdom is revealed in its intricacies and the mutual
adaptability of its parts; and His love is shown by His not only supplying such
organs as are absolutely necessary for existence, as the liver, the heart, and
the brain, but those which are not absolutely necessary, as the hand, the foot,
the tongue, and the eye. To these He has added, as ornaments, the blackness of
the hair, the redness of lips, and the curve of the eyebrows.
Man has been truly termed a "microcosm," or little world in himself and the
structure of his body should be studied not only by those who wish to become
doctors, but by those who wish to attain to a more intimate knowledge of Allah,
just as close study of the niceties and shades of language in a great poem
reveals to us more and more of the genius of its author.
But, when all is said, the knowledge of the soul plays a more important part in
leading to the knowledge of Allah than the knowledge of our body and the
functions. The body may be compared to a steed and the soul to its rider; the
body was created for the soul, the soul for the body. If a man knows not his own
soul, which is the nearest thing to him, what is the use of his claiming to know
others? It is as if a beggar who has not the wherewithal for a meal should claim
to be able to feed a town.
In this chapter we have attempted, in some degree, to expound the greatness of
man's soul. He who neglects it and suffers its capacities to rust or to
degenerate must necessarily be the loser in this world and the next. The true
greatness of man lies in his capacity for eternal progress, otherwise in this
temporal sphere he is the weakest of all things, being subject to hunger, thirst,
heat, cold, and sorrow. Those things he takes most delight in are often the most
injurious to him, and those things which benefit him are not to be obtained
without toil and trouble. As to his intellect, a slight disarrangement of matter
in his brain is sufficient to destroy or madden him; as to his power, the sting
of a wasp is sufficient to rob him of ease and sleep; as to his temper, he is
upset by the loss of a sixpence; as to his beauty, he is little more than
nauseous matter covered with a fair skin. Without frequent washing he becomes
utterly repulsive and disgraceful.
In truth, man in this world is extremely weak and contemptible; it is only in
the next that he will be of value, if by means of the "alchemy of happiness" he
rises from the rank of beasts to that of angels. Otherwise his condition will be
worse than the brutes, which perish and turn to dust. It is necessary for him,
at the same time that he is conscious of his superiority as the climax of
created things, to learn to know also his helplessness, as that too is one of
the keys to the knowledge of Allah.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Diane Charles Breslin, Ex-Catholic, USA (part 3 of 3)
SOURCE : http://www.islamreligion.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=9
My Journey to Islam
It took three full years of my searching and
studying Quran before I was ready to proclaim that I wanted to be a Muslim. Of
course I feared the changes in clothing and habits, such as dating and drinking
to which I had become accustomed. Music and dancing were a big part of my
life, and bikinis and mini skirts were my claim to fame. All the while I had
no chance to encounter any Muslims, as there were none in my area except a few
immigrants who could barely speak English an hour’s drive away at the only
mosque in the state at that time. When I would go to Friday Prayer to try and
check out what I was considering, I would receive furtive glances as I was
perhaps suspected of being a spy as was the case, and still is, in most Islamic
gatherings. There was not a single Muslim American available to help me and,
as I said, all the immigrant population were rather chilly to say the least.
In the midst of this phase of my life, my dad
died of cancer. I was at his bedside and literally witnessed the angel of
death remove his soul. He was gripped by fear as tears rolled down his cheeks.
A life of luxury, yachts, country clubs, expensive cars … for both him and mom,
all a result of interest income, and now it’s all over.
I felt a sudden desire to enter Islam quickly,
while there was still time, and to change my ways and not to continue blindly
seeking what I had been raised to believe to be the good life. Shortly
thereafter I came to Egypt, and involved a long slow journey through the
miracle of the Arabic language and the discovery of the clear truth – God is
One, the Everlasting Eternal; Who never was born or gave birth and there is
nothing at all like Him.
It is also the resulting equality between humans
that attracted me most to that religion. The Prophet Muhammad, may God praise
him, said that people are like teeth of a comb – all equal, the best being the
most pious. In the Quran, we are told that the best are the pious ones. Piety
involves love of and fear of God alone. Yet before you can really be pious,
you must learn who God is. And to know Him is to love Him. I started learning
Arabic to read the word of Allah in Arabic as it was revealed.
Learning the Quran has changed every facet of my
life. I no longer wish to have any earthly luxuries; neither cars nor clothes
nor trips can lure me into that web of vain desires which I was so caught up in
before. I do enjoy a fairly good life of a believer; but as they say… it is no
longer embedded in the heart...only at hand. I don’t fear the loss of my
former friends or relatives – if God chooses to bring them close, then so be
it, but I know that God gives me exactly what I need, no more – no less. I
don’t feel anxious or sad anymore, nor do I feel regret at what has passed me
by, because I’m safe in the care of God - THE ONE AND ONLY whom I always knew
but didn’t know His name.
A Prayer For America
I pray to Almighty God to allow each and every
American the opportunity to receive the message of the Oneness of God in a simple,
straightforward fashion… Americans are, for the most part, grossly uninformed
in regards to correct Islamic theology. The stress is almost always on
politics, which focuses on the deeds of men. It’s high time we concentrated on
the deeds of the prophets who all came to lead us out of the darkness and into
the light. There is no doubt that darkness is prevailing in the malaise
affecting America now. The light of truth will serve us all, and whether or
not one chooses to follow the Islamic path, there is no doubt that the blocking
of it or the hindering of others from following it will surely lead to further
misery. I care very much for the healthy future of my country, and I’m quite
certain that learning more about Islam will enhance the chances of my hopes
being fulfilled.
Diane Charles Breslin, Ex-Catholic, USA (part 2 of 3)
The Others
It was in my preparation for my master’s degree
that I first heard of the Quran. Up until then, as most Americans, I knew only
of “the Arabs” as mysterious, dark predators out to plunder our civilization. Islam
was never mentioned – only the surly, dirty Arabs, camels and tents in the
desert. As a child in religion class, I often wondered who were the other
people? Jesus walked in Caana and Galilee and Nazareth, but he had blue eyes —
who were the other people? I had a sense that there was a missing link
somewhere. In 1967 during the Arab-Israeli war, we all got our first glimpse
of the other people, and they were clearly viewed by most as the enemy. But
for me, I liked them, and for no apparent reason. I cannot to this day explain
it, except to now realize that they were my Muslim brothers.
I was about 35 when I read my first page of Quran.
I opened it with the intention of a casual browse to get acquainted with the
religion of the inhabitants of the region I was majoring in for my Master’s
Degree. God caused the book to fall open to Surat al-Mu’minun (The Believers)
verses 52-54:
“Verily, this your nation is one nation and
I am your Lord so keep your duty to Me. But they broke up their command into
sects, each one rejoicing in its belief. So leave them in their error until a
time.” (Quran 23:52-54)
From the first reading, I knew that this was
certain truth- clear and forceful, revealing the essence of all humanity and
verifying all I had studied as a History major. Humanity’s pathetic rejection
of the truth, their unceasing vain competition to be special and their
neglectfulness of the purpose for their very existence all set forward in a few
words. Nation states, nationalities, cultures, languages – all feeling
superior, when in fact, all these identities mask the only reality which we
ought to rejoice in sharing- that is to serve one master, THE ONE Who created
everything and Who owns everything.
I Still Love Jesus and Mary
As a child I used to say the phrase “Holy Mary,
mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen,”
found in the prayer “Hail Mary”. I now see how much Mary has been maligned by
the misrepresentation of her as the mother of the godhead. It is quite enough
to view her as chosen above all women to bear the great prophet Jesus by the
Virgin Birth. My mom would often defend her constant pleas for Mary’s help by
explaining that she too was a mother and understood a mother’s sorrows. It
would be far more useful for my mom and all others to contemplate how the most
pure Mary was slandered by the Jews of her time and accused of a most
despicable sin, that of fornication. Mary bore all of this, knowing that she
would be vindicated by the Almighty, and that she would be given the strength
to bear all of their calumnies.
This recognition of Mary’s faith and trust in God’s
mercy will allow one to recognize her most exalted position among women, and at
the same time remove the slander of calling her the mother of God, which is an
even worse accusation than that of the Jews of her time. As a Muslim you may
love Mary and Jesus, but to love God more will gain you the Paradise, as He is
the One whose rules you must obey. He will judge you on a day when no one else
can help you. He created you, and Jesus, and his blessed mother Mary, as He
created Muhammad. All died or will die – God never dies.
Jesus (`Isa in Arabic) never once claimed to be
the godhead. Rather, he repeatedly referred to himself as being sent. As I
look back on the confusion I experienced in my youth, its root lay in the
church’s claim that Jesus was more than he himself admitted. The church
fathers formulated a doctrine to invent the concept of Trinity. It is this
confused rendering of the original Torah and Injil [Gospel] (scriptures given
to Moses and Jesus) which is at the core of the issue of Trinity.
In honest fact, it is enough to simply state
that Jesus was a prophet, yes, a messenger who came with the word of the One
Who sent him. If we view Jesus, may God praise him, in this correct light,
it’s easy to then accept Muhammad, may God praise him, as his younger brother
who came with the very same mission – to call all to the worship of the
Almighty ONE, Who created everything and to whom we shall all return. It is of
no consequence whatsoever to debate their physical features. Arab, Jew,
Caucausian, blue or brown eyes, long or short hair – all totally irrelevant as
to their importance as bearers of the message. Whenever I think of Jesus now,
after knowing about Islam, I feel that connectedness which one feels in a happy
family – a family of believers. You see Jesus was a “Muslim”, one who submits
to his Lord above.
The first of the “Ten Commandments” state:
1. I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not
have false gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy god in vain.
Anyone who knows the correct meaning of “la ilaha
ill-Allah” (there is no god but God) will immediately recognize the similarity
in this testimony. Then we can really start to bring together the real story
of all the prophets and put an end to the distortions.
“And they said the Most Merciful has taken
a son. Indeed you have brought forth a terrible evil thing. Whereby the
heavens are almost torn, and the earth split asunder, and the mountains fall in
ruins.” (Quran 19:88-90)
Diane Charles Breslin, Ex-Catholic, USA (part 1 of 3)
SOURCE;http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/108/
Diane Charles Breslin, Ex-Catholic, USA (part 1 of 3)
When I am asked how I became a Muslim I always
reply that I always felt myself to be a believer in the ONE AND ONLY, yet I
first realized what that meant when I heard about a religion called Islam, and
a book called Quran.
But let me first start with a brief synopsis of
my American overwhelmingly traditional Irish Catholic background.
Catholic I was Indeed
My dad left the seminary after a three-year
stint to train as a missionary. He was the oldest of thirteen children, all
born and raised in the Boston area. Two of his sisters became nuns, as was his
aunt on his mother’s side. My dad’s younger brother was also in the seminary
and quit after 9 years, just before taking his final vows. My grandmother
would wake at dawn to dress and climb the hill to the local church for early
morning mass while the rest of the house was sleeping. I remember her as being
a very stern, kind, fair, and strong woman, and rather deep - unusual for those
days. I’m certain she never heard mention of Islam, and may God judge her as
to the beliefs she held in her heart. Many who never heard of Islam pray to
the One by instinct, although they have inherited labels of various denominations
from their ancestors.
I was enrolled in a Catholic nursery school at
the age of four and spent the next 12 years of my life surrounded by heavy
doses of trinity indoctrination. Crosses were everywhere, all day long - on
the nuns themselves, on the walls of the classroom, in church which we attended
almost daily, and in almost every room of my house. Not to mention the statues
and holy pictures - everywhere you looked there was baby Jesus and his mother
Mary - sometimes happy, sometimes sad, yet always classically white and Anglo
featured. Various and sundry angels and saints pictures would make their
appearances, depending on the holyday approaching.
I have vivid memories picking lilacs and lilies
of the valley from our yard to make bouquets which I placed in the vase at the
base of the largest Mother Mary statue in the upstairs hallway next to my
bedroom. There I would kneel and pray, enjoying the pleasant scent of the
freshly picked flowers and serenely contemplating on how lovely was Mary’s long
flowing chestnut hair. I can unequivocally state that I never once prayed TO
HER or felt that she had any powers to help me. The same was true when I would
hold my rosary beads at night in bed. I repeated the ritual supplications of
the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit, all the while looking upward and saying with my true
heart—I know its only You, one almighty You-I’m just saying this stuff because
it’s all I ever learned.
On my twelfth birthday, my mom gave me a Bible.
As Catholics we were not encouraged to read anything except our Baltimore
Catechism, sanctioned by the Vatican. Any comparative introspection was denied
and disparaged. Yet I fervently read, seeking to know what I hoped would be a
story from and about my creator. I got even more confused. This book was
obviously the work of men, convoluted and difficult to grasp. Yet, once again,
that’s all that was available.
My prior faithful church attendance dropped off
in my mid teens, as was the norm for my generation, and by the time I reached
my twenties, I had basically no formal religion. I read a lot on Buddhism,
Hinduism and even tried out the local Baptist church for a few months. They
were not enough to hold my attention, the former too exotic and the latter too
provincial. Yet all through the years of not formally practicing, a day never
passed when I didn’t “talk to god” especially as I fell asleep I would always
say thanks for all my blessings and seek help for any problems I was
experiencing. It was always the same certain ONE AND ONLY whom I was
addressing, sure He was listening and confident of His love and care. No one
ever taught me anything about this; it was pure instinct.
Friday, January 26, 2007
THUS TAUGHT THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAS)- 1
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Purity is half
of belief. 'Praise be to Allah' fills up the balance, and 'Glory be to
Allah and praise be to Allah' fills up everything between the heavens and
the earth. The prayer is a light. Sadaqa is a proof. Steadfastness
is an illumination. The Qur'an is a proof for you or against you. Everybody
goes out and trades with his own self, either seting it free or destroying
it." [Muslim]
MY HEART CRIED
MY HEART
CRIED
I said to my
heart why you are so sad and what you want
My heart
cried 'o ' you fool, a garden of green grass
was I, but thou has made me a garden of throngs
Even a baby
knows how to obtain milk from his mother, for when the baby cries it knows his mother
will surely come running and feed him and thus he will satisfy his hunger
But you
being a grown up donkey know not to cry to the Lord when your heart aches
For surely when you cry remembering your Lord, He shall come running to comfort you
Thus when
the Lord arrives in the servants heart he shall find comfort and peace and this
aching will stop
My heart
cried again 'o ' you fool thou has made me a garden of throngs , which are the products of your pride, sin and arrogance , thou has made me a
garden of stiff throngs , thou has laid
throngs to prick the feet of thy Lord when he enters your heart, then how shall the Lord enter your heart .
My heart
cried again 'o' you fool , clear me of
this stiff throngs which are born out of your pride , sin and arrogance , and
make me a garden of green grass , which
is born out of sincere repentance and humility
before the Lord, for thus when the Lord enters
your heart , He shall walk on this green grass of your humility , wherever the Lord will place
His feet , the green grass will bend with humility and the Lord shall make your
heart His garden and His home .
My heart cried again 'o' you fool , thus when the Lord makes your heart His garden , where He walks on the green
grass of your humility with pleasure
and delight , you shall find out that
your heart aches no more and all you
sufferings will turn into blessings .
My heart cried
again 'o' you fool , presently you have made me a garden of stiff and tall
throngs which are the products of your pride , sin and arrogance before the Lord
, then how shall the Lord enter me , for
wherever the Lord walks , He finds these
throngs pricking His feet , these are
the stiff throngs of your pride which refuse to bend when the
Lord place His feet upon them, thus your Lord having found you heart a garden of stiff throngs dwells no
more in your heart .
My heart
cried out again 'o ' you fool , kingdom
and garden of the Lord I was , but you have made me now a Kingdom of devil and wild beast , where
the devils roam delighting in your
garden of throngs and pride , the
devil having found you his brother in Pride has delighted greatly walking in your heart , he has made your heart
his garden and and his home .
My heart
cried out again 'o ' you fool , burn this throngs of pride and sins with the fire of sincere repentance and constant remembrance of the
Lord , thus when you burn this garden throngs you shall see the devils running
away from your heart because of the fear of this fire, then when you heart has become a humble flat and fertile ground , the Lord shall sow the seeds of His love in
your heart , and from your heart will
spring out the garden of humble green
grass wherein the Lord shall walk and
delight .
My heart
cried out again 'o' you fool, make me the the house and garden of the Lord and
you shall have the eternal joy and shall sorrow no more, then the even the
Kings of the Earth shall envy your sate of eternal happiness.
Sufi786
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Prophet Muhammad (sas) And The Emperor Constantine
SOURCE : http://www.muhammad.net/biblelp/biblelp5.html
Prophet Muhammad(sas) And The Emperor Constantine
The most wonderful and, perhaps, the most manifest prophecy about the divine
mission of the greatest man and the Messenger of God, contained in the seventh
chapter of the Book of the Prophet Daniel, deserves to be seriously studied
and impartially considered. In it great events in the history of mankind, which
succeed each other within a period of more than a thousand years, are represented
by the figures of four formidable monsters in a prophetical vision to Daniel.
"Four winds of heaven were roaring against the great sea." The first beast that
comes out from the deep sea is a winged lion; then comes forth the second beast
in the shape of a bear holding three ribs between its teeth. This is succeeded
by the third terrible beast in the form of a tiger having four wings and four
heads. The fourth beast, which is more formidable and ferocious than the former
ones, is a monster with ten horns upon its head, and has iron teeth in its mouth.
Then a little horn shoot up amidst the others, before which three horns break
down. Behold, human eyes and mouth appear upon this horn, and it begins to speak
great things against the Most High. Suddenly, in the midst of the firma- ment
the vision of the Eternal is seen amidst a resplendent light, seated upon His
tribune (Arabic: Korsi) of the flames of light whose wheels were of shining
light (1). A river of light is flowing and going forth before Him; and millions
of celes- tial beings are worshiping Him and tens and tens of thousands of them
are standing before Him. The Judgment Court is, as it were, holding its extraordinary
session; the books are opened. The body of the beast is burnt with fire, but
the blaspheming Horn is left alive until a "Bar Nasha" - that is, a "Son of
Man" - is taken up on the clouds and presented to the Eternal, from whom he
receives power, honor and kingdom for ever. The stupefied Prophet approaches
one of those standing by and beseeches him to explain the mean- ing of this
wonderful vision. The good Angel gives the interpretation of it in such a manner
that the whole mystery enveloped in the figurative or allegorical language and
image is brought to light.
------------ Footnote (1) The original word is nur, and, like the Arabic
word, ir means "light" rather than "fire," which is represented in the text
by "ish." ------------ end of footnote
Being a prince of the royal family, Daniel was taken,
together with three other Jewish youths, to the palace of the
King of Babylon, where he was educated in all the knowledge of the Chaldeans. He lived there until the Persian
Conquest and the fall of the Babylonian Empire. He prophesied under Nebuchadnezzar as well as under Darius. The
Biblical critics do not ascribe the authorship of the entire
Book to Daniel, who lived and died at least a couple of
centuries before the Greek Conquest, which he mentions
under the name of "Yavan = Ionia." The first eight chapters - if I am not mistaken - are written in the Chaldean
and the latter portion in the Hebrew. For our immediate
purpose it is not so much the date and the authorship of the
book that forms the important question as the actual fulfillment of the prophecy, contained in the Septuagint version,
which was made some three centuries before the Christian era.
According to the interpretation by the Angel, each one
of the four beasts represents an empire. The eagle-winged
lion signifies the Chaldean Empire, which was mighty and
rapid like an eagle to pounce upon the enemy. The bear
represents the "Madai-Paris," or the Medo-Persian Empire,
which extended its conquests as far as the Adriatic Sea and
Ethiopia, thus holding with its teeth a rib from the body of
each one of the three continents of the Eastern Hemisphere.
The third beast, from its tigrish nature of swift bounds and
fierceness, typifies the triumphant marches of Alexander the
Great, whose vast empire was, after his death, divided into
four kingdoms.
But the Angel who interprets the vision does not stop
to explain with details the first three kingdoms as he does
when he comes to the fourth beast. Here he enters with
emphasis into details. Here the scene in the vision is magnified. The beast is practically a monster and a huge demon.
This is the formidable Roman Empire. The ten horns are
the ten Emperors of Rome who persecuted the early Christians. Turn the pages of any Church history for the first
three centuries down to the time of the so-called conversion
of Constantine the Great, and you will read nothing but the
horrors of the famous "Ten Persecutions."
So far, all these four beasts represent the "Power of
Darkness," namely, the kingdom of satan, idolatry.
In this connection let me divert your attention to a
luminous truth embodied in that particularly important article
of the Faith of Islam: "The Good and Evil are from Allah.'
It will be remembered that the old Persians believed in a
"duality of gods," or, in other words, the Principle of Good
and Light, and the other the Principle of Evil and Darkness;
and that these eternal beings were eternal enemies. It will
be observed that among the four beasts the Persian Power
is represented by the figure of a bear, less ferocious than,
and not so carnivorous as, the other three; and what is more:
inasmuch as it can roam upon its hind legs it resembles
man - at least from some distance.
In all the Christian theological and religious literature
I have read, I have never met with a single statement of
phrase similar to this article of the Muslim Faith: God is
the real author of good and evil. This article of the Muslim
Faith, as the contrary, is extremely repugnant to the Christian religion, and a source of hatred against the religion of
Islam. Yet this very doctrine is explicitly announced by God
to Cyrus, whom He calls His "Christ." He wants Cyrus to
know that there is no god besides Him, and declares: -
"I am the Fashioner of the light, and the Creator
of the darkness, the Maker of peace, and the Creator of
evil; I am the Lord who does all these" (Isa. xlv. 1-7).
That God is the author of evil as well as of good is not
in the least repulsive to the idea of God's goodness. The
very denial of it is opposed to the absolute Oneness of the
Almighty. Besides, what we term or understand as "evil"
only affects the created beings, and it is for the development
and the improvement of the creatures; it has not in the least
any effect on God.
Now let us examine and find out who the Little Horn is.
Having once definitely ascertained the identity of this eleventh
king, the identity of the Bar Nasha will be settled per se.
The Little Horn springs up after the Ten Persecutions under
the reigns of the emperors of the Roman Power. The empire
was writhing under four rivals, Constantine being one of them.
They were all struggling for the purple; the other three died
or fell in battle; and Constantine was left alone as the supreme sovereign of the vast empire.
The earlier Christian commentators have in vain labored
to identity this ugly Little Horn with the Anti-Christ, with
the Pope of Rome by Protestants, and with the establisher of
Islam. (God forbid!) But the later Bibical critics are at
a loss to solve the problem of the fourth beast which they
wish to identify with the Greek Empire and the Little Horn
with Antiochus. Some of the critics, e.g. Carpenter, consider
the Medo-Persian Power as two separate kingdoms. But
this empire was not more two than the late Austro-Hungarian
Empire was. The explorations carried on by the Scientific
Mission of the French savant, M. Morgan, in Shushan (Susa)
and elsewhere leave no doubt on this point. The fourth
beast can, therefore, be no other than the old Roman world.
To show that the Little Horn is no other than Constantine the Great, the following
arguments can safely be advanced: -
(a) He overcame Maximian and the other two rivals and assumed the purple, and
put an end to the persecution of Christianity. Gibbon's, The Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire is, I think, the best history that can instruct us about
those times. You can never invent four rivals after the Ten Persecutions of
the Church, other than Constantine and his enemies who fell before him like
the three horns that fell before the little one.
(b) All the four beasts are represented in the vision as irrational brutes;
but the Little Horn possessed a human mouth and eyes which is, in other words,
the description of a hideous monster endowed with reason and speech. He pro-
claimed Christianity as the true religion, left Rome to the Pope and made Byzantium,
which was named Constantinople, the seat of the empire. He pretended to profess
Christianity but was never baptized till a little before his death, and even
this is a disputed question. The legend that his conversion was due to the vision
of the Cross in the sky has long since - like the account about Jesus Christ
inserted in the Antiquities of Josephus - been exploded as another piece of
forgery.
The enmity of the beasts to the believers in God was
brutal and savage, but that of the rational Horn was diabolical and malignant. This enmity was most noxious and
harmful to the religion, because it was directed to pervert the
Truth and the faith. All the previous attacks of the four
empires were pagan; they persecuted and oppressed the
believers but could not pervert the truth and the faith. It
was this Constantine who entered in the fold of Jesus in the
shape of a believer and in the clothes of a sheep, but inwardly
he was not a true believer at all. How poisonous and pernicious this enmity was will be seen from the following: -
(c) The Horn-Emperor speaks "big things" or "great words" (rorbhan in the Chaldean
tongue) against the Most High. To speak blasphemous words about God, to associate
with Him other creatures, and to ascribe to Him foolish names and attributes,
such as the "begetter" and "begotten," "birth" and "procession" (of the second
and the third person), "unity in the trinity" and "incarnation," is to deny
His Oneness.
Ever since the day when God revealed to Abraham in Ur
of the Chaldees until the Creed and the Acts
of the Council of Nicea were proclaimed and enforced by
an imperial edict of Constantine amidst the horror and protests of three-fourths of the true believing members in A.D.
325, never has the Oneness of God so officially and openly been
profaned by those who pretended to be His people as Constantine and his gang of the unbelieving ecclesiastic! In the
first article of this series I have shown the error of the
Churches concerning God and His attributes. I need not
enter into this unpleasant subject again; for it gives me great
pain and grief when I see a Holy Prophet and a Holy Spirit,
both God's noble creatures, associated with Him by those
who ought to know better.
lf Brahma and Osiris, or if Jupiter and Vesta were associated with God, we would simply consider this to be a pagan
belief; but when we see Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth and
one of the millions of the holy spirits in the service of the
Eternal raised equal to the dignity of God, we cannot find
a name for those who so believe other than what the Muslims
have always been obliged to use - the epithet "Gawun."
Now, since this hideous Horn speaking great words,
uttering blasphemies against God, is a king - as the Angel
reveals it to Daniel, and since the king was the eleventh of
the Caesars who reigned in Rome and persecuted the people
of God, he cannot be other than Constantine, because it was
his edict that proclaimed the belief in the trinity of persons
in the Deity, a creed which the Old Testament is a living
document to condemn as blasphemy, and which both the
Jews and Muslims abhor. If it is other than Constantine,
then the question arises, who is he? He has already come
and gone, and not an impostor or the Anti-Christ hereafter
to appear, that we may be unable to know and identify. If
we do not admit that the Horn in question has come already,
then how are we to interpret the four beasts, the first of which
is certainly the Chaldean Empire, the second the MedoPersian, and so forth? If the fourth beast does not represent
the Roman Empire, how can we interpret the third, with its
four heads, as the Empire of Alexander, split into four kingdoms after his death? Is there any other Power succeeding
the Greek Empire before the Roman Empire with its ten
potentates persecuting the believers in God? Sophistry and
illusion are of no use. The "Little Horn" is decidedly Constantine, even if we may deny the prophecy of Daniel. It is
immaterial whether a prophet, priests or a sorcerer wrote
the seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel. One thing is
certain, that its predictions and descriptions of the events,
some twenty-four centuries ago, are found to be exact, true,
and have been fulfilled in the person of Constantine the
Great, whom the Church of Rome has always very wisely
abstained from beatifying as a Saint, as the Greek Church
has done.
(d) Not only does the "Little Horn," which grew into something of a more "formidable
vision" than the rest, speak impious words against the Most High, but also it
wages war against the "Saints of the Most High, and vanquishes them" (verse
25). In the eyes of a Hebrew Prophet the people who believed in one God was
a separate and holy people. Now it is indisputably true that Constantine persecuted
those Christians who, like the Jews, believed in the absolute Oneness of God
and courageously declared the Trinity to be a false and erroneous conception
of the Deity. More than a thousand ecclesiastics were summoned to the General
Council at Nicea (the modern Izmid), of whom only three hundred and eighteen
persons subscribed to the decisions of the Council, and these too formed three
opposite factions with their respec- tive ambiguous and unholy expressions of
"homousion" or "homoousion," "consubstantial," and other terms utterly and wholly
strangers to the Prophets of Israel, but only worthy of the "Speaking Horn."
The Christians who suffered persecutions and martyrdoms under the pagan emperors of Rome because they
believed in One God and in His worshiper Prophet Jesus were now
doomed by the imperial edict of the "Christian" Constantine
to even severer tortures because they refused to adore the
Prophet Jesus as consubstantial and coeval with his Lord and
Creator! The Elders and Ministers of the Arian Creed, i.e.
Qashishi and Mshamshani - as they were called by the early
Jewish Christians - were deposed or banished, their religious books suppressed, and their churches seized and handed
over to the Trinitarian bishops and priests. Any historical
work on the early Christian Church will give us ample information about the service rendered by Constantine to the
cause of the Trinitarian Creed, and tyranny to those who
opposed it. The merciless legions in every province were
placed at the disposal of the ecclesiastical authorities.
Constantine personifies a regime of terror and fierce war
against the Unitarians, which lasted in the East for three
centuries and a half, when the Muslims established the religion of Allah and assumed the power and dominion over the
lands trodden and devastated by the four beasts.
(e) The "Talking Horn" is accused of having contem- plated to change "the Law
and the times." This is a very serious charge against the Horn. Its blasphemies
or "great words against the Most High" may or may not affect other people, but
to change the Law of God and the established holy days or festivals would naturally
subvert the religion altogether. The first two commandments of the Law of Moses,
concerning the absolute Oneness of God - "Thou shalt have no other gods besides
Me" - and the strict prohi- bition of making images and statues for worship
were directly violated and abrogated by the edict of Constantine. To proclaim
three personal beings in the Deity and to confess that the Eternal Almighty
was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary is the greatest insult to the Law
of God and the grossest idolatry. To make a golden or wooden image for worship
is abominable enough, but to make a mortal an object of worship, declare him
God, and even adore the bread and the wine of the Eucharist as "the body and
blood of God," is an impious blasphemy.
Then to every righteous Jew and to a Prophet like
Daniel, who from his youth was a most devoted observer of
the Mosaic Law, what could be more repugnant than the
substitution of the Easter for the Paschal Lamb of the great
feast of the Passover and the sacrifice of the "Lamb of God"
upon the cross, and upon thousands of altars every day?
The abrogation of the Sabbath day was a direct violation of
the fourth command of the Decalogue, and the institution of
Sunday instead was as arbitrary as it is inimical. True, the
Qur'an abrogated the Sabbath day, not because the Friday
was a holier day, but simply because the Jews made an abuse
of it by declaring that God, after the labor of six days,
reposed on the seventh day, as if He were man and was
fatigued. Prophet Muhammad would have destroyed any day or
object, however holy or sacred, if it were made an object of
worship intending to deal a blow or injury to God's Greatness
and Glory. But the abrogation of the Sabbath by the decree
of Constantine was for the institution of the Sunday on which
Jesus is alleged to have risen from the sepulcher. Jesus
himself was a strict observer of the Sabbath day, and reprimanded the Jewish leaders for their objection to his doing
the deeds of charity on it.
(f) The "Horn" was allowed to make war against the Saints of the Most High
for a period of some three centuries and a half; it only "weakened" them, made
"them languid - but could not extinguish and entirely root them out. The Arians,
who believed in One God alone, sometimes, e.g. under the reign of Constantius
(the son of Constantine), of Julian and others who were more tolerant, strongly
defended themselves and fought for the cause of their faith.
A Brief Biography of Prophet Muhammad(sas)
[Taken from Introduction to Islam
by Muhammad Hamidullah (Centre Culturel Islamique, Paris, 1969), with
some changes to make it more readable. The changes are marked by pairs
of brackets like around this paragraph. Dr. Hamidullah's present
address is: 10 E. South Street, Apt 130, Wilkes Barre PA, 18701, USA.]
IN
the annals of men, individuals have not been lacking who conspicuously
devoted their lives to the socio-religious reform of their connected
peoples. We find them in every epoch and in all lands. In India, there
lived those who transmitted to the world the Vedas, and there was also
the great Gautama Buddha; China had its Confucius; the Avesta was
produced in Iran. Babylonia gave to the world one of the greatest
reformers, the Prophet Abraham (not to speak of such of his ancestors
as Enoch and Noah about whom we have very scanty information). The
Jewish people may rightly be proud of a long series of reformers:
Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, and Jesus among others. 2. Two points
are to note: Firstly these reformers claimed in general to be the
bearers each of a Divine mission, and they left behind them sacred
books incorporating codes of life for the guidance of their peoples.
Secondly there followed fratricidal wars, and massacres and genocides
became the order of the day, causing more or less a complete loss of
these Divine messages. As to the books of Abraham, we know them only by
the name; and as for the books of Moses, records tell us how they were
repeatedly destroyed and only partly restored.
Concept of God
3. If one should judge from the relics of the past already brought to light of the homo sapiens,
one finds that man has always been conscious of the existence of a
Supreme Being, the Master and Creator of all. Methods and approaches
may have differed, but the people of every epoch have left proofs of
their attempts to obey God. Communication with the Omnipresent yet
invisible God has also been recognised as possible in connection with a
small fraction of men with noble and exalted spirits. Whether this
communication assumed the nature of an incarnation of the Divinity or
simply resolved itself into a medium of reception of Divine messages
(through inspiration or revelation), the purpose in each case was the
guidance of the people. It was but natural that the interpretations and
explanations of certain systems should have proved more vital and
convincing than others. 3/a. Every system of metaphysical thought
develops its own terminology. In the course of time terms acquire a
significance hardly contained in the word and translations fall short
of their purpose. Yet there is no other method to make people of one
group understand the thoughts of another. Non-Muslim readers in
particular are requested to bear in mind this aspect which is a real
yet unavoidable handicap. 4. By the end of the 6th century, after the
birth of Jesus Christ, men had already made great progress in diverse
walks of life. At that time there were some religions which openly
proclaimed that they were reserved for definite races and groups of men
only, of course they bore no remedy for the ills of humanity at large.
There were also a few which claimed universality, but declared that the
salvation of man lay in the renunciation of the world. These were the
religions for the elite, and catered for an extremely limited number of
men. We need not speak of regions where there existed no religion at
all, where atheism and materialism reigned supreme, where the thought
was solely of occupying one self with one's own pleasures, without any
regard or consideration for the rights of others.
Arabia
5.
A perusal of the map of the major hemisphere (from the point of view of
the proportion of land to sea), shows the Arabian Peninsula lying at
the confluence of the three great continents of Asia, Africa and
Europe. At the time in question, this extensive Arabian subcontinent
composed mostly of desert areas was inhabited by people of settled
habitations as well as nomads. Often it was found that members of the
same tribe were divided into these two groups, and that they preserved
a relationship although following different modes of life. The means of
subsistence in Arabia were meagre. The desert had its handicaps, and
trade caravans were features of greater importance than either
agriculture or industry. This entailed much travel, and men had to
proceed beyond the peninsula to Syria, Egypt, Abyssinia, Iraq, Sind,
India and other lands. 6. We do not know much about the Libyanites of
Central Arabia, but Yemen was rightly called Arabia Felix.
Having once been the seat of the flourishing civilizations of Sheba and
Ma'in even before the foundation of the city of Rome had been laid, and
having later snatched from the Byzantians and Persians several
provinces, greater Yemen which had passed through the hey-day of its
existence, was however at this time broken up into innumerable
principalities, and even occupied in part by foreign invaders. The
Sassanians of Iran, who had penetrated into Yemen had already obtained
possession of Eastern Arabia. There was politico-social chaos at the
capital (Mada'in = Ctesiphon), and this found reflection in all her
territories. Northern Arabia had succumbed to Byzantine influences, and
was faced with its own particular problems. Only Central Arabia
remained immune from the demoralising effects of foreign occupation. 7.
In this limited area of Central Arabia, the existence of the triangle
of Mecca-Ta'if-Madinah seemed something providential. Mecca, desertic,
deprived of water and the amenities of agriculture in physical features
represented Africa and the burning Sahara. Scarcely fifty miles from
there, Ta'if presented a picture of Europe and its frost. Madinah in
the North was not less fertile than even the most temperate of Asiatic
countries like Syria. If climate has any influence on human character,
this triangle standing in the middle of the major hemisphere was, more
than any other region of the earth, a miniature reproduction of the
entire world. And here was born a descendant of the Babylonian Abraham,
and the Egyptian Hagar, Muhammad the Prophet of Islam, a Meccan by
origin and yet with stock related, both to Madinah and Ta'if.
Religion
8.
From the point of view of religion, Arabia was idolatrous; only a few
individuals had embraced religions like Christianity, Mazdaism, etc.
The Meccans did possess the notion of the One God, but they believed
also that idols had the power to intercede with Him. Curiously enough,
they did not believe in the Resurrection and Afterlife. They had
preserved the rite of the pilgrimage to the House of the One God, the
Ka'bah, an institution set up under divine inspiration by their
ancestor Abraham, yet the two thousand years that separated them from
Abraham had caused to degenerate this pilgrimage into the spectacle of
a commercial fair and an occasion of senseless idolatry which far from
producing any good, only served to ruin their individual behaviour,
both social and spiritual.
Society
9.
In spite of the comparative poverty in natural resources, Mecca was the
most developed of the three points of the triangle. Of the three, Mecca
alone had a city-state, governed by a council of ten hereditary chiefs
who enjoyed a clear division of power. (There was a minister of foreign
relations, a minister guardian of the temple, a minister of oracles, a
minister guardian of offerings to the temple, one to determine the
torts and the damages payable, another in charge of the municipal
council or parliament to enforce the decisions of the ministries. There
were also ministers in charge of military affairs like custodianship of
the flag, leadership of the cavalry etc.). As well reputed
caravan-leaders, the Meccans were able to obtain permission from
neighbouring empires like Iran, Byzantium and Abyssinia - and to enter
into agreements with the tribes that lined the routes traversed by the
caravans - to visit their countries and transact import and export
business. They also provided escorts to foreigners when they passed
through their country as well as the territory of allied tribes, in
Arabia (cf. Ibn Habib, Muhabbar). Although not interested much
in the preservation of ideas and records in writing, they passionately
cultivated arts and letters like poetry, oratory discourses and folk
tales. Women were generally well treated, they enjoyed the privilege of
possessing property in their own right, they gave their consent to
marriage contracts, in which they could even add the condition of
reserving their right to divorce their husbands. They could remarry
when widowed or divorced. Burying girls alive did exist in certain
classes, but that was rare.
Birth of the Prophet
10.
It was in the midst of such conditions and environments that Muhammad
was born in 569 after Christ. His father, 'Abdullah had died some weeks
earlier, and it was his grandfather who took him in charge. According
to the prevailing custom, the child was entrusted to a Bedouin
foster-mother, with whom he passed several years in the desert. All
biographers state that the infant prophet sucked only one breast of his
foster-mother, leaving the other for the sustenance of his
foster-brother. When the child was brought back home, his mother,
Aminah, took him to his maternal uncles at Madinah to visit the tomb of
'Abdullah. During the return journey, he lost his mother who died a
sudden death. At Mecca, another bereavement awaited him, in the death
of his affectionate grandfather. Subjected to such privations, he was
at the age of eight, consigned at last to the care of his uncle,
Abu-Talib, a man who was generous of nature but always short of
resources and hardly able to provide for his family. 11. Young Muhammad
had therefore to start immediately to earn his livelihood; he served as
a shepherd boy to some neighbours. At the age of ten he accompanied his
uncle to Syria when he was leading a caravan there. No other travels of
Abu-Talib are mentioned, but there are references to his having set up
a shop in Mecca. (Ibn Qutaibah, Ma'arif). It is possible that
Muhammad helped him in this enterprise also. 12. By the time he was
twenty-five, Muhammad had become well known in the city for the
integrity of his disposition and the honesty of his character. A rich
widow, Khadijah, took him in her employ and consigned to him her goods
to be taken for sale to Syria. Delighted with the unusual profits she
obtained as also by the personal charms of her agent, she offered him
her hand. According to divergent reports, she was either 28 or 40 years
of age at that time, (medical reasons prefer the age of 28 since she
gave birth to five more children). The union proved happy. Later, we
see him sometimes in the fair of Hubashah (Yemen), and at least once in
the country of the 'Abd al-Qais (Bahrain-Oman), as mentioned by Ibn
Hanbal. There is every reason to believe that this refers to the great
fair of Daba (Oman), where, according to Ibn al-Kalbi (cf. Ibn Habib, Muhabbar),
the traders of China, of Hind and Sind (India, Pakistan), of Persia, of
the East and the West assembled every year, travelling both by land and
sea. There is also mention of a commercial partner of Muhammad at
Mecca. This person, Sa'ib by name reports: "We relayed each other; if
Muhammad led the caravan, he did not enter his house on his return to
Mecca without clearing accounts with me; and if I led the caravan, he
would on my return enquire about my welfare and speak nothing about his
own capital entrusted to me."
An Order of Chivalry
13.
Foreign traders often brought their goods to Mecca for sale. One day a
certain Yemenite (of the tribe of Zubaid) improvised a satirical poem
against some Meccans who had refused to pay him the price of what he
had sold, and others who had not supported his claim or had failed to
come to his help when he was victimised. Zuhair, uncle and chief of the
tribe of the Prophet, felt great remorse on hearing this just satire.
He called for a meeting of certain chieftains in the city, and
organized an order of chivalry, called Hilf al-fudul, with the
aim and object of aiding the oppressed in Mecca, irrespective of their
being dwellers of the city or aliens. Young Muhammad became an
enthusiastic member of the organisation. Later in life he used to say:
"I have participated in it, and I am not prepared to give up that
privilege even against a herd of camels; if somebody should appeal to
me even today, by virtue of that pledge, I shall hurry to his help."
Beginning of Religious Consciousness
14.
Not much is known about the religious practices of Muhammad until he
was thirty-five years old, except that he had never worshipped idols.
This is substantiated by all his biographers. It may be stated that
there were a few others in Mecca, who had likewise revolted against the
senseless practice of paganism, although conserving their fidelity to
the Ka'bah as the house dedicated to the One God by its builder
Abraham. 15. About the year 605 of the Christian era, the draperies on
the outer wall of the Ka'bah took fire. The building was affected and
could not bear the brunt of the torrential rains that followed. The
reconstruction of the Ka'bah was thereupon undertaken. Each citizen
contributed according to his means; and only the gifts of honest gains
were accepted. Everybody participated in the work of construction, and
Muhammad's shoulders were injured in the course of transporting stones.
To identify the place whence the ritual of circumambulation began,
there had been set a black stone in the wall of the Ka'bah. dating
probably from the time of Abraham himself. There was rivalry among the
citizens for obtaining the honour of transposing this stone in its
place. When there was danger of blood being shed, somebody suggested
leaving the matter to Providence, and accepting the arbitration of him
who should happen to arrive there first. It chanced that Muhammad just
then turned up there for work as usual. He was popularly known by the
appellation of al-Amin (the honest), and everyone accepted his
arbitration without hesitation. Muhammad placed a sheet of cloth on the
ground, put the stone on it and asked the chiefs of all the tribes in
the city to lift together the cloth. Then he himself placed the stone
in its proper place, in one of the angles of the building, and
everybody was satisfied. 16. It is from this moment that we find
Muhammad becoming more and more absorbed in spiritual meditations. Like
his grandfather, he used to retire during the whole month of Ramadan to
a cave in Jabal-an-Nur (mountain of light). The cave is called
`Ghar-i-Hira' or the cave of research. There he prayed, meditated, and
shared his meagre provisions with the travellers who happened to pass
by.
Revelation
17.
He was forty years old, and it was the fifth consecutive year since his
annual retreats, when one night towards the end of the month of
Ramadan, an angel came to visit him, and announced that God had chosen
him as His messenger to all mankind. The angel taught him the mode of
ablutions, the way of worshipping God and the conduct of prayer. He
communicated to him the following Divine message:
With the name of God, the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful.
Read: with the name of thy Lord Who created,
Created man from what clings,
Read: and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,
Who taught by the pen,
Taught man what he knew not. (Quran 96:1-5)
18.
Deeply affected, he returned home and related to his wife what had
happened, expressing his fears that it might have been something
diabolic or the action of evil spirits. She consoled him, saying that
he had always been a man of charity and generosity, helping the poor,
the orphans, the widows and the needy, and assured him that God would
protect him against all evil. 19. Then came a pause in revelation,
extending over three years. The Prophet must have felt at first a
shock, then a calm, an ardent desire, and after a period of waiting, a
growing impatience or nostalgia. The news of the first vision had
spread and at the pause the sceptics in the city had begun to mock at
him and cut bitter jokes. They went so far as to say that God had
forsaken him. 20. During the three years of waiting. the Prophet had
given himself up more and more to prayers and to spiritual practices.
The revelations were then resumed and God assured him that He had not
at all forsaken him: on the contrary it was He Who had guided him to
the right path: therefore he should take care of the orphans and the
destitute, and proclaim the bounty of God on him (cf. Q. 93:3-11). This
was in reality an order to preach. Another revelation directed him to
warn people against evil practices, to exhort them to worship none but
the One God, and to abandon everything that would displease God (Q.
74:2-7). Yet another revelation commanded him to warn his own near
relatives (Q. 26:214); and: "Proclaim openly that which thou art
commanded, and withdraw from the Associators (idolaters). Lo! we defend
thee from the scoffers" (15:94-5). According to Ibn Ishaq, the first
revelation (n. 17) had come to the Prophet during his sleep, evidently
to reduce the shock. Later revelations came in full wakefulness.
The Mission
21.
The Prophet began by preaching his mission secretly first among his
intimate friends, then among the members of his own tribe and
thereafter publicly in the city and suburbs. He insisted on the belief
in One Transcendent God, in Resurrection and the Last Judgement. He
invited men to charity and beneficence. He took necessary steps to
preserve through writing the revelations he was receiving, and ordered
his adherents also to learn them by heart. This continued all through
his life, since the Quran was not revealed all at once, but in
fragments as occasions arose. 22. The number of his adherents increased
gradually, but with the denunciation of paganism, the opposition also
grew intenser on the part of those who were firmly attached to their
ancestral beliefs. This opposition degenerated in the course of time
into physical torture of the Prophet and of those who had embraced his
religion. These were stretched on burning sands, cauterized with red
hot iron and imprisoned with chains on their feet. Some of them died of
the effects of torture, but none would renounce his religion. In
despair, the Prophet Muhammad advised his companions to quit their
native town and take refuge abroad, in Abyssinia, "where governs a just
ruler, in whose realm nobody is oppressed" (Ibn Hisham). Dozens of
Muslims profited by his advice, though not all. These secret flights
led to further persecution of those who remained behind.
23.
The Prophet Muhammad [was instructed to call this] religion "Islam,"
i.e. submission to the will of God. Its distinctive features are two:
 | A harmonius equilibrium between the temporal and the spiritual (the body and the soul), permitting a full enjoyment of all the good that God has created, (Quran 7:32), enjoining at the same time on everybody duties towards God, such as worship, fasting, charity, etc. Islam was to be the religion of the masses and not merely of the elect. |
| A universality of the call - all the believers becoming brothers and equals without any distinction of class or race or tongue. The only superiority which it recognizes is a personal one, based on the greater fear of God and greater piety (Quran 49:13). |
Social Boycott
24.
When a large number of the Meccan Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, the
leaders of paganism sent an ultimatum to the tribe of the Prophet,
demanding that he should be excommunicated and outlawed and delivered
to the pagans for being put to death. Every member of the tribe, Muslim
and non-Muslim rejected the demand. (cf. Ibn Hisham). Thereupon the
city decided on a complete boycott of the tribe: Nobody was to talk to
them or have commercial or matrimonial relations with them. The group
of Arab tribes called Ahabish, inhabiting the suburbs, who were allies
of the Meccans, also joined in the boycott, causing stark misery among
the innocent victims consisting of children, men and women, the old and
the sick and the feeble. Some of them succumbed yet nobody would hand
over the Prophet to his persecutors. An uncle of the Prophet, Abu
Lahab, however left his tribesmen and participated in the boycott along
with the pagans. After three dire years, during which the victims were
obliged to devour even crushed hides, four or five non-Muslims, more
humane than the rest and belonging to different clans proclaimed
publicly their denunciation of the unjust boycott. At the same time,
the document promulgating the pact of boycott which had been hung in
the temple, was found, as Muhammad had predicted, eaten by white ants,
that spared nothing but the words God and Muhammad. The boycott was
lifted, yet owing to the privations that were undergone the wife and
Abu Talib, the chief of the tribe and uncle of the Prophet died soon
after. Another uncle of the Prophet, Abu-Lahab, who was an inveterate
enemy of Islam, now succeeded to the headship of the tribe. (cf. lbn
Hisham, Sirah).
The Ascension
25. It was at thIs time that the Prophet Muhammad was granted the mi'raj
(ascension): He saw in a vision that he was received on heaven by God,
and was witness of the marvels of the celestial regions. Returning, he
brought for his community, as a Divine gift, the [ritual prayer of
Islam, the salaat], which constitutes a sort of communion between man
and God. It may be recalled that in the last part of Muslim service of
worship, the faithful employ as a symbol of their being in the very
presence of God, not concrete objects as others do at the time of
communion, but the very words of greeting exchanged between the Prophet
Muhammad and God on the occasion of the former's mi'raj: "The
blessed and pure greetings for God! - Peace be with thee, O Prophet, as
well as the mercy and blessing of God! - Peace be with us and with all
the [righteous] servants of God!" The Christian term "communion"
implies participation in the Divinity. Finding it pretentious, Muslims
use the term "ascension" towards God and reception in His presence, God
remaining God and man remaining man and no confusion between the twain.
26. The news of this celestial meeting led to an increase in the
hostility of the pagans of Mecca; and the Prophet was obliged to quit
his native town in search of an asylum elsewhere. He went to his
maternal uncles in Ta'if, but returned immediately to Mecca, as the
wicked people of that town chased the Prophet out of their city by
pelting stones on him and wounding him.
Migration to Madinah
27.
The annual pilgrimage of the Ka'bah brought to Mecca people from all
parts of Arabia. The Prophet Muhammad tried to persuade one tribe after
another to afford him shelter and allow him to carry on his mission of
reform. The contingents of fifteen tribes, whom he approached in
succession, refused to do so more or less brutally, but he did not
despair. Finally he met half a dozen inhabitants of Madinah who being
neighbour of the Jews and the Christians, had some notion of prophets
and Divine messages. They knew also that these "people of the Books"
were awaiting the arrival of a prophet - a last comforter. So these
Madinans decided not to lose the opportunity of obtaining an advance
over others, and forthwith embraced Islam, promising further to provide
additional adherents and necessary help from Madinah. The following
year a dozen new Madinans took the oath of allegiance to him and
requested him to provide with a missionary teacher. The work of the
missionary, Mus'ab, proved very successful and he led a contingent of
seventy-three new converts to Mecca, at the time of the pilgrimage.
These invited the Prophet and his Meccan companions to migrate to their
town, and promised to shelter the Prophet and to treat him and his
companions as their own kith and kin. Secretly and in small groups, the
greater part of the Muslims emigrated to Madinah. Upon this the pagans
of Mecca not only confiscated the property of the evacuees, but devised
a plot to assassinate the Prophet. It became now impossible for him to
remain at home. It is worthy of mention, that in spite of their
hostility to his mission, the pagans had unbounded confidence in his
probity, so much so that many of them used to deposit their savings
with him. The Prophet Muhammad now entrusted all these deposits to
'Ali, a cousin of his, with instructions to return in due course to the
rightful owners. He then left the town secretly in the company of his
faithful friend, Abu-Bakr. After several adventures, they succeeded in
reaching Madinah in safety. This happened in 622, whence starts the
Hijrah calendar.
Reorganization of the Community
28.
For the better rehabilitation of the displaced immigrants, the Prophet
created a fraternization between them and an equal number of well-to-do
Madinans. The families of each pair of the contractual brothers worked
together to earn their livelihood, and aided one another in the
business of life. 29. Further he thought that the development of the
man as a whole would be better achieved if he co-ordinated religion and
politics as two constituent parts of one whole. To this end he invited
the representatives of the Muslims as well as the non-Muslim
inhabitants of the region: Arabs, Jews, Christians and others, and
suggested the establishment of a City-State in Madinah. With their
assent, he endowed the city with a written constitution - the first of
its kind in the world - in which he defined the duties and rights both
of the citizens and the head of the State - the Prophet Muhammad was
unanimously hailed as such - and abolished the customary private
justice. The administration of justice became henceforward the concern
of the central organisation of the community of the citizens. The
document laid down principles of defence and foreign policy: it
organized a system of social insurance, called ma'aqil, in cases of too
heavy obligations. It recognized that the Prophet Muhammad would have
the final word in all differences, and that there was no limit to his
power of legislation. It recognized also explicitly liberty of
religion, particularly for the Jews, to whom the constitutional act
afforded equality with Muslims in all that concerned life in this world
(cf. infra n. 303). 30. Muhammad journeyed several times with a view to
win the neighbouring tribes and to conclude with them treaties of
alliance and mutual help. With their help, he decided to bring to bear
economic pressure on the Meccan pagans, who had confiscated the
property of the Muslim evacuees and also caused innumerable damage.
Obstruction in the way of the Meccan caravans and their passage through
the Madinan region exasperated the pagans, and a bloody struggle
ensued. 31. In the concern for the material interests of the community,
the spiritual aspect was never neglected. Hardly a year had passed
after the migration to Madinah, when the most rigorous of spiritual
disciplines, the fasting for the whole month of Ramadan every year, was
imposed on every adult Muslim, man and woman.
Struggle Against Intolerance and Unbelief
32.
Not content with the expulsion of the Muslim compatriots, the Meccans
sent an ultimatum to the Madinans, demanding the surrender or at least
the expulsion of Muhammad and his companions but evidently all such
efforts proved in vain. A few months later, in the year 2 H., they sent
a powerful army against the Prophet, who opposed them at Badr; and the
pagans thrice as numerous as the Muslims, were routed. After a year of
preparation, the Meccans again invaded Madinah to avenge the defeat of
Badr. They were now four times as numerous as the Muslims. After a
bloody encounter at Uhud, the enemy retired, the issue being
indecisive. The mercenaries in the Meccan army did not want to take too
much risk, or endanger their safety. 33. In the meanwhile the Jewish
citizens of Madinah began to foment trouble. About the time of the
victory of Badr, one of their leaders, Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, proceeded to
Mecca to give assurance of his alliance with the pagans, and to incite
them to a war of revenge. After the battle of Uhud, the tribe of the
same chieftain plotted to assassinate the Prophet by throwing on him a
mill-stone from above a tower, when he had gone to visit their
locality. In spite of all this, the only demand the Prophet made of the
men of this tribe was to quit the Madinan region, taking with them all
their properties, after selling their immovables and recovering their
debts from the Muslims. The clemency thus extended had an effect
contrary to what was hoped. The exiled not only contacted the Meccans,
but also the tribes of the North, South and East of Madinah, mobilized
military aid, and planned from Khaibar an invasion of Madinah, with
forces four times more numerous than those employed at Uhud. The
Muslims prepared for a siege, and dug a ditch to defend themselves
against this hardest of all trials. Although the defection of the Jews
still remaining inside Madinah at a later stage upset all strategy, yet
with a sagacious diplomacy, the Prophet succeeded in breaking up the
alliance, and the different enemy groups retired one after the other.
34. Alcoholic drinks, gambling and games of chance were at this time
declared forbidden for the Muslims.
The Reconciliation
35.
The Prophet tried once more to reconcile the Meccans and proceeded to
Mecca. The barring of the route of their Northern caravans had ruined
their economy. The Prophet promised them transit security, extradition
of their fugitives and the fulfillment of every condition they desired,
agreeing even to return to Madinah without accomplishing the pilgrimage
of the Ka'bah. Thereupon the two contracting parties promised at
Hudaibiyah in the suburbs of Mecca, not only the maintenance of peace,
but also the observance of neutrality in their conflicts with third
parties. 36. Profiting by the peace, the Prophet launched an intensive
programme for the propagation of his religion. He addressed missionary
letters to the foreign rulers of Byzantium, Iran, Abyssinia and other
lands. The Byzantine autocrat priest - Dughatur of the Arabs - embraced
Islam, but for this, was lynched by the Christian mob; the prefect of
Ma'an (Palestine) suffered the same fate, and was decapitated and
crucified by order of the emperor. A Muslim ambassador was assassinated
in Syria-Palestine; and instead of punishing the culprit, the emperor
Heraclius rushed with his armies to protect him against the punitive
expedition sent by the Prophet (battle of Mu'tah). 37. The pagans of
Mecca hoping to profit by the Muslim difficulties, violated the terms
of their treaty. Upon this, the Prophet himself led an army, ten
thousand strong, and surprised Mecca which he occupied in a bloodless
manner. As a benevolent conqueror, he caused the vanquished people to
assemble, reminded them of their ill deeds, their religious
persecution, unjust confiscation of the evacuee property, ceaseless
invasions and senseless hostilities for twenty years continuously. He
asked them: "Now what do you expect of me?" When everybody lowered his
head with shame, the Prophet proclaimed: "May God pardon you; go in
peace; there shall be no responsibility on you today; you are free!" He
even renounced the claim for the Muslim property confiscated by the
pagans. This produced a great psychological change of hearts
instantaneously. When a Meccan chief advanced with a fulsome heart
towards the Prophet, after hearing this general amnesty, in order to
declare his acceptance of Islam, the Prophet told him: "And in my turn,
I appoint you the governor of Mecca!" Without leaving a single soldier
in the conquered city, the Prophet retired to Madinah. The Islamization
of Mecca, which was accomplished in a few hours, was complete. 38.
Immediately after the occupation of Mecca, the city of Ta'if mobilized
to fight against the Prophet. With some difficulty the enemy was
dispersed in the valley of Hunain, but the Muslims preferred to raise
the siege of nearby Ta'if and use pacific means to break the resistance
of this region. Less than a year later, a delegation from Ta'if came to
Madinah offering submission. But it requested exemption from prayer,
taxes and military service, and the continuance of the liberty to
adultery and fornication and alcoholic drinks. It demanded even the
conservation of the temple of the idol al-Lat at Ta'if. But Islam was
not a materialist immoral movement; and soon the delegation itself felt
ashamed of its demands regarding prayer, adultery and wine. The Prophet
consented to concede exemption from payment of taxes and rendering of
military service; and added: You need not demolish the temple with your
own hands: we shall send agents from here to do the job, and if there
should be any consequences, which you are afraid of on account of your
superstitions, it will be they who would suffer. This act of the
Prophet shows what concessions could be given to new converts. The
conversion of the Ta'ifites was so whole hearted that in a short while,
they themselves renounced the contracted exemptions, and we find the
Prophet nominating a tax collector in their locality as in other
Islamic regions. 39. In all these "wars," extending over a period of
ten years, the non-Muslims lost on the battlefield only about 250
persons killed, and the Muslim losses were even less. With these few
incisions, the whole continent of Arabia, with its million and more of
square miles, was cured of the abscess of anarchy and immorality.
During these ten years of disinterested struggle, all the peoples of
the Arabian Peninsula and the southern regions of Iraq and Palestine
had voluntarily embraced Islam. Some Christian, Jewish and Parsi groups
remained attached to their creeds, and they were granted liberty of
conscience as well as judicial and juridical autonomy. 40. In the year
10 H., when the Prophet went to Mecca for Hajj (pilgrimage), he
met 140,000 Muslims there, who had come from different parts of Arabia
to fulfil their religious obligation. He addressed to them his
celebrated sermon, in which he gave a resume of his teachings: "Belief
in One God without images or symbols, equality of all the Believers
without distinction of race or class, the superiority of individuals
being based solely on piety; sanctity of life, property and honour;
abolition of interest, and of vendettas and private justice; better
treatment of women; obligatory inheritance and distribution of the
property of deceased persons among near relatives of both sexes, and
removal of the possibility of the cumulation of wealth in the hands of
the few." The Quran and the conduct of the Prophet were to serve as the
bases of law and a healthy criterion in every aspect of human life. 41.
On his return to Madinah, he fell ill; and a few weeks later, when he
breathed his last, he had the satisfaction that he had well
accomplished the task which he had undertaken - to preach to the world
the Divine message.
42.
He bequeathed to posterity, a religion of pure monotheism; he created a
well-disciplined State out of the existent chaos and gave peace in
place of the war of everybody against everybody else; he established a
harmonious equilibrium between the spiritual and the temporal, between
the mosque and the citadel; he left a new system of law, which
dispensed impartial justice, in which even the head of the State was as
much a subject to it as any commoner, and in which religious tolerance
was so great that non-Muslim inhabitants of Muslim countries equally
enjoyed complete juridical, judicial and cultural autonomy. In the
matter of the revenues of the State, the Quran fixed the principles of
budgeting, and paid more thought to the poor than to anybody else. The
revenues were declared to be in no wise the private property of the
head of the State. Above all, the Prophet Muhammad set a noble example
and fully practised all that he taught to others.
Acknowledgment: This page was downloaded from
http://cwis.usc.edu:80/dept/MSA/fundamentals/prophet/profbio.html
and reformatted for www.muhammad.net
THE STORY OF INITIATION OF HAZRAT-ALI( A.S) (R.A)
THE STORY OF INITIATION OF HAZRAT-ALI
Curiously enough, the Manāqib ul-Ārifīn (The
Acts of the Adepts) gives another anecdote which
would seem to indicate that, although the Prophet
was averse to a premature adoption of a contemplative
life, he initiated a few in the esoteric doctrines of
the higher spiritual life. According to this account,
the prophet one day confided to Hazrat Ali in
private certain secrets and mysteries of the Brethren
of Sincerity, enjoining strict secrecy so far as the
uninitiated were concerned. This, by the way,
indicates the existence of a class of initiates. For
forty days Ali’s lips were sealed. But the burden
caused a regular tumult in his breast till at last he
was sick at heart. Even breathing became difficult.
He fled to a desert and chanced upon a well. He
stooped as far down into the well as he could and
then, one after one, confided those mysteries to the
bowels of the earth. So great was his excitement
that his mouth was filled with froth and foam, which
too found an outlet into the well. A few days passed
by, and a seed was seen to be growing in the well.
It grew, shut up as it was, until at length a shepherd
youth whose heart was miraculously enlightened
on the matter, became aware of the existence of the
plant. He cut it down, drilled holes in it, and
began to play airs upon it as he pastured his sheep.
So exquisite was this music that round this Arab
Orpheus camels and sheep gathered together to listen
to his piping. The wild nomads also flocked to hear
his strains and the whole audience went into ecstasies
with delight, weeping for joy and breaking forth in
transports of gratification. The matter was soon
represented to the Prophet and the wonderful player
was brought into the sacred presence. There, too,
his dulcet notes moved all the holy disciples to tears
and transports. They burst forth in exclamations of
pure delight, and were, so to say, wafted away
from the plane of self-consciousness. But the
Messenger of God at once found out the key to this
miraculous chanting, and declared that it was inspired
by those very mysteries that he had confided to Ali’s
charge!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Islam The choice of Thinking Women - PART 3- WOMEN IN ISLAM
By Ismail
Adam Patel
IN ISLAM
SPIRITUAL EQUALITY
OF
THE SEXES
In many other
religions,
women have had to fight for their rights and dues, and their struggle,
in many cases, is still ongoing. Christian women, for example, have had
to struggle to make their voices heard, and have gone to the extreme of
changing the text of the Bible to make it less "sexist" and more
"acceptable"
to women. Islam, on the other hand, has justly granted women their
rights
without them having to ask, let alone demand and fight.
For Muslim men
and women
for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and
women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and
women
who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men
and
women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their
chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise - for
them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.
[al-Ahzab
33:35]
A number of Islamic
virtues
are mentioned here, but the primary message of this ayah is
that
these virtues are applicable to both, women as well as men. Both sexes
have human rights and duties to an equal degree, and the rewards of the
Hereafter are available to men and women alike. Each individual will be
judged according to his or her deeds. Gender is simply not an issue in
this matter.
And their Lord
has accepted
of them, and answered them: Never shall I suffer to be lost the work of
any of you, be he male or female: you are members, one of another...
[AI
'Imran 3:195]
Allah has granted
the prayers
of the Believers, and has told us that He will not let the labour of
any
individual go to waste. Everyone will reap the reward of his or her
efforts.
A woman may achieve this just as a man may. Man and woman alike are
members
of the human race, created from the same source and joined by Islam as
partners in life and in reward.
Whoever works
righteousness,
man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life,
and
life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward
according
to the best of their action.
[al-Natal
16: 97]
The spiritual
equality of
women to men in Islam is abundantly clear, so nobody should fall for
the
prejudiced view propagated by the Islamaphobes in the Western media.
From the time a
child is
conceived, Islam gives glad tidings to a woman regardless of the gender
of the foetus. The pregnant woman is held in the highest esteem, and
her
patience in bearing the discomforts of pregnancy is regarded as an act
of virtue which brings her closer to Paradise. If the baby is a girl,
this
opens up further opportunities for the parents to attain Paradise. In
stark
contrast to the attitude of the pagan Arabian society which buried
female
babies alive (and the modern jahiliyyah in which many
societies
views the birth of a girl as bad news), the Prophet gave the glad
tidings
of Paradise as the reward for the one who welcomes a daughter, brings
her
up properly, provides a sound education and arranges a good marriage
for
her. In another hadith, it is stated that the fire of Hell
will
not be permitted to touch one who goes through trials and tribulations
because of a daughter, but still does not hate her, and treats her well.
The Qur'an
expressively forbids
killing babies, whether by infanticide or abortion, for fear of poverty
or losing face in the community:
Say: Come, I
will rehearse
what Allah has (really) prohibited you from: join not anything as equal
with Him; be good to your parents; kill not your children on a plea of
want - We provide sustenance for you and for them - come not nigh to
shameful
deeds, whether open or secret; take not life, which Allah has made
sacred,
except by way of justice and law: thus does He command you, that you
may
learn wisdom.
[al-an
‘am 6:151]
The Qur’an also
tells us
that the innocent girls who were slain for no other reason than that
they
were female, will be asked on the Day of Judgement for what sin they
were
slain:
When the female
(infant)
buried alive, is questioned - for what crime she was killed
[al-Takwir
81:8-9]
The crime is that
of the
parents, not of the child. Parents should not think that they are at
liberty
to do whatever they like with regard to their children. It is almost
beyond
belief that in the modern world the practice of infanticide, in the
epithet
of abortion, can be allowed to exist. China is currently experiencing
an
epidemic of this barbarism, under its strict population control laws;
families
are allowed only one child, and most parents want sons, so girls are
abandoned
and allowed to die, or are killed, so that the parents may have another
child, hopefully a boy. The Western nations, which are so quick to
condemn
China, are not so far behind in savagery, except they have sanitised
infanticide
in the guise of abortion.
Not only does the
Qur'an
protect the female infant from being murdered by ignorant parents, but
it describes her birth as good news, and grants her the right of
inheritance
from her father, husband and brother, and gives her the right to own
property
and conduct business transactions independently and in her own right.
When news is
brought to
one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his face darkens and
he
is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his
people,
because of the news that he has had! Shall he retain it on (sufferance
and ) contempt, or bury it in the dusts Ah! What an evil (choice) they
decide on.
[al-Natal
16.58-59]
This ayah refers
to
the period of Jahillyyah, just before the advent of Islam,
when
it was the custom of the pagan Arabs to bury female infants alive.
Islam
totally forbids such crimes, but sadly this evil practice is still
continuing
in many communities, where women are not valued and are seen as a
burden.
At the very least, the birth of a girl is resented and she may be
neglected
whilst the best food and education is given to her brothers; at the
worst,
modern technology is exploited so that if a female foetus is detected
via
an ultrasound scan, it may be aborted, whilst a male foetus will be
carried
to full term.
The spiritual
equality of
the sexes in Islam extends to the worldly plane, and education is
required
both for male and female. The Prophet said: "Seeking knowledge is a
duty
for every Muslim male and female". He also urged Muslims to "Seek
knowledge
from the cradle to the grave".
The importance of
seeking
knowledge cannot be over-emphasised. All Muslims are urged to educate
themselves,
to act upon their knowledge, and to convey it to others.
... Those truly
fear Allah,
among His Servants, who have knowledge.
[Fatir
35.28]
It is only those
with knowledge
and understanding who will be truly conscious of the glory and
transcendency
of Allah. They will understand the transience of the present world and
the permanence of the Hereafter, and thus they will be concerned about
their future and will strive to attain knowledge of the Divine guidance.
Islam promotes the
education
of both sexes. Islamic history, from the very beginning, records the
names
of numerous female scholars, foremost among whom is 'A'ishah , who was
one of the greatest narrators of ahadith. Not only was she
responsible
for conveying over two thousand ahadith, but the great men of
her
time used to consult with her on matters of fiqh (jurisprudence).
MARRIAGE
There is no
celibacy in Islam.
Islam considers sexuality to be a natural part of life, which is to be
channeled into a healthy marriage life; sinful fulfillment of the
sexual
urge and exploitation of women through prostitution, pornography and
rape
are utterly forbidden.
The Prophet 14
advised Muslims:
"Whoever is able to marry, should marry, for that will help him lower
his
gaze and guard his modesty". As well as providing a legitimate channel
for sexual energy which will keep a person away from sin - marriage
provides
comfort, security, solace and companionship. Islam not only regards
marriage
as necessary, but has raised it to the level of being a positive
virtue,
whereby those who marry will be rewarded for doing so, as for any other
good deed. The Prophet As emphasised the importance of marriage when he
described it as being half of faith.
An important
condition of
marriage is that this union should be by the consent of both partners;
neither male nor female should be forced into a marriage. In particular
- as a warning against the oppression of women - Islam clearly states
that
a marriage contracted without the free consent of the woman is null and
void. The Prophet said: "No widow should be married without consulting
her, and no virgin should be married without her consent.."."
Prospective
marriage partners
are encouraged to see one another before they agree to marry. Jabir
reported
that the Messenger of
Allah said, "When
one of
you seeks to marry a woman, if he is able to have a look at the one he
desires to marry, let him do so".
Above all, marriage
in Islam
is a contract between two equal parties.
As an equal
partner, the
Muslim woman may stipulate conditions in the marriage. In contrast to
British
women, who even now do not have the right to draw up a contract or
stipulate
conditions, Muslim women were given this right fourteen hundred years
ago.
The woman may stipulate, prior to marriage, conditions, including the
transfer
of divorce power to herself, restricting the husband to one wife only,
and clearly defining the conditions of maintenance.
Marriage in Islam
is much
more than a means of satisfying sexual desires; it is a social contract
of co habitation through which both partners may find companionship and
a refuge from the trials and tribulations of life. In Islam, a woman is
not seen as an object for male gratification or a workhorse who is
expected
to cater to every need and whim of the male. She is a spiritual and
moral
being who is brought into union with a man on the basis of a solemn
pledge
which Allah is called upon to witness. The Prophet 914 is reported to
have
said, "You have seen nothing like marriage for increasing the love of
two
people".
Today in the West,
married
women who retain their maiden names are viewed as feminists or
unusually
self assertive. Muslim women, however, have always been allowed and
expected
to keep their maiden names after marriage. This right to maintain their
own identity was given to women in Islam when elsewhere in the world
women
were seen as being barely human and debates raged as to whether they
even
possessed a soul, let alone be given independence.
The Qur'an
describes marriage
in the most moving and eloquent terms:
. They [wives]
are your
garments and you [husbands] are their garments....
[al-Baqarah
2.187]
And among His
Signs is
this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may
dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between
your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.
[al-Rum
30:21]
It is He Who
created you
from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that
he
might dwell with her (in love)..
[al-A'raf
7.189]
(He is) the
Creator of
the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among
yourselves..
[al
Shura 42:11]
In Islam, there is
no notion
of woman being responsible for the "Fall" or of being the first sinner
and therefore responsible for all of the mankind's woes. There is no
idea
of man being created out of superior material and woman out of base
matter.
Woman is made equal, both men and women are the progeny of Adam, so
both
have similar souls.
mankind!
Reverence your
Guardian - Lord Who created you from a single Person, created, of like
nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless
men and women - fear Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual
(rights).
[al-Nisa'
4:1]
And Allah has
made for
you mates (and companions) of your own nature, and made for you, out of
them, sons and daughters and grandchildren. And provided for you
sustenance
of the best: will they then believe in vain things, and be ungrateful
for
Allah's favours?
[al-Natal
16:72]
Islam does not view
woman
as the instrument of the devil, as is asserted by Christian teachings.
The Qur’an describes woman as muhsanah, a fortress against
evil,
because a good woman helps her husband maintain the path of
righteousness.
Muslim men are
continually
admonished to treat their wives kindly. To those men who oppress their
wives:
O you who
believe! You
are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat
them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dower you have
given them - except when they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the
contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you
take
a dislike to them it may be that you dislike a thing, and Allah brings
about through it a great deal of good.
[al-Nisa'
4:19]
Men are commanded
by Allah
to consort with women amicably and honourably. They should refrain from
harshness in speaking to and dealing with them. Behaviour that goes
against
standards of morality and common courtesy is prohibited. Such wicked
and
brutal conduct is the sign of ignorance (jahidyyah) which Islam came to
abolish.
Muslims are
admonished to
treat women equitably. The Qur'an forbids them to inherit women and
abuse
them, sexually or otherwise, as was the custom prior to the advent of
Islam
and as is still practiced in many societies where the rich and strong
take
advantage of the poor and weak in this way. This Islamic rule applies
not
only to the Arabs of the seventh century CE, but to all subsequent
generations
of Islam. Men are forbidden to abuse women, and are commanded to live
amicably
with their marriage partners. The command of Allah to do so is
reinforced
by the comment that while a man may find some trait or aspect of his
wife's
behaviour that he dislikes, it may be that Allah will bring about
something
good if he tolerates it graciously and accepts his wife for what she
is.
In all of this there is benefit for the man.
The Prophet
enhanced this
message of equality and fair treatment of women by setting the supreme
example for mankind to observe and emulate. He demonstrated the
importance
of taking care of oneself and one's daily needs, instead of imposing on
one's wife. Accounts of his life give numerous examples which "modern
men"
may learn from. He attended to his own personal needs, he helped his
wives
in the house, and he even stitched and mended his own clothes. He
demonstrated
that a man is never too great to clean and look after himself, and he
imparted
the following advice:
"The best among
you is
the one who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to his
family"
"The most
perfect believers
are the best in conduct and the best of you are those who are best to
their
wives"
"Many women have
come
to the family of Muhammad complaining about their husbands... Those
husbands
are not the best of you"3 "By assisting your wives in their household
duties,
you will receive the reward of sadaqah (charity)"
'A believer must
not hate
a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he should
be pleased with another"
"When a woman
breast feeds,
for every gulp of milk she will receive a reward as if she had granted
life to being, and when she weans her child, the angels pat her on the
hack saying, 'Congratulations! All your past sins have been forgiven,
now
start all over again":
"O women!
Remember that
the pious among you will enter Jannah before the pious men"
"During
pregnancy until
the time of childbirth, and until the end of the suckling period, a
woman
earns reward similar to that of the person who is guarding the borders
of Islam"
In his famous
speech given
during his Farewell Pilgrimage, in which he reiterated the most
important
points of Islamic teaching, the Prophet reminded the Muslims of the
importance
of treating women equitably: "O people, fear Allah with regard to
women..".
Once again, men are reminded to remember Allah and fear His
retribution,
for Allah is aware of everything that passes between them.
'A'ishah reported
that when
the Prophet was home, he would help with the household chores, treat
his
family amicably, and maintain a pleasant atmosphere in the home.
Islamic teachings
are very
strict when it comes to the fair treatment of others and in the case of
physical superiority Islam clearly states the responsibilities of the
stronger
party. As women are physically weaker, they are entitled to protection,
and men are answerable for any misuse of their physical strength
against
women. All kinds of physical abuse are forbidden in Islam, which also
prohibits
psychological abuse such as seclusion and unnecessary restriction of
movement
and travel. A husband is also forbidden to disclose his wife's secrets,
as the Prophet said: "the worst of all people is the one who approaches
his wife, enjoys her company, then divulges her secrets"."
Marriage is in
accordance
with the teachings of Islam, so whatever permissible deeds are done
within
the context of marriage including sex are regarded as virtues. The
Prophet
14 once said, "A man will be rewarded for his physical relations with
his
wife". His listeners, somewhat surprised, asked, "Will a person be
rewarded
for satisfying his passions?" The Prophet replied, "Do you not see that
if he were to satisfy his passions in a forbidden manner he would be
committing
a sin? So if he satisfies himself in a lawful manner, he will be
rewarded".
The importance of
the physical
side of marriage is also referred to in a hadith narrated by
Imam
al Bukhari. The Prophet is reported to have upbraided one of his
Companions,
who was going to extremes in his devotion to worship: "O Abdullah, have
I not been informed that you fast all day and stand in prayer all
night?"
Abdullah said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah". He said, "Do not do that.
Observe
the fast at some times and refrain from fasting at others. Stand in
prayer
at night, then sleep. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a
right over you and your wife has a right over you".
Islam regards men
and women
as equal partners who should cooperate in making the home, community
and
society at large harmonious, happy and successful. The partners should
be loyal, considerate and dependent upon one another. They should work
together to overcome any problems and obstacles. They should be jointly
concerned with their children's upbringing and education, and work
together
to meet their children's needs. They should work together to overcome
the
shortcomings of each partner, and present a united front to the outside
world. They should also provide companionship and comfort to one
another.
Certain Qur'anic
references
have given rise to much debate concerning women's role, rights and
duties.
... And women
shall have
rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is
equitable;
but men have a degree (of advantage) over them.
[al-Baqarah
2:228]
There are various
points
of view as to the significance of the phrase "a degree (of advantage)".
Some suggest that it means the qualities of leadership, surveillance
and
maintenance that are given to men. Others favour the idea that it
refers
to the tolerance which is expected of men even when their wives are in
an extremely bad mood. Another opinion is that it is man's natural
gift,
bestowed by Allah, for judging family matters and managing problems
that
may arise. However, the consensus of most scholars is that, this
"degree"
refers to the principle of guardianship, and nothing more. In another ayah,
the
Qur’an says:
Men are the
protectors
and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more
(strength)
than the other, and because they support them from their means...
[al-Nisa'
4.34]
Commenting on this
verse,
Yusuf Ali states that the difference in economic position between the
sexes
makes the man's rights and liabilities a little greater than the
woman's.
This verse refers to the duty of the man to maintain the woman, and to
a certain difference in the nature of the two genders. However, the two
sexes are seen as being on equal terms in law, and in certain matters
the
"weaker sex" (the female) is entitled to special protections It should
be borne in mind that the Qur’an offers guidance for all human
societies
at all periods of history. So Islam seeks to maximise the benefit of
all
women, worldwide.
Abdullah ibn Abbas
, a companion
of the Prophet ah, mentioned, with reference to the ayah quoted
above, that as men have been granted such a noble position by Allah,
they
should exercise greater patience. If there is some deficiency on a
wife's
part, then the husband's position demands that he should accommodate
her
weaknesses, maintain a patient attitude, and establish consistency in
the
fulfillment of his rights. In short, marriage is intended to bring
mutual
benefits to both partners.
A renowned Asian
scholar,
Hazrat Hakim Akhtar saheb states: "the rights of women have been
mentioned
before those of men in this verse because man, due to his inherent
power
and strength, easily obtains his rights from the woman. Thus Allah
placed
more emphasis upon the rights of women who cannot forcibly obtain their
rights". The second point that may be noted from this ayah is
that
the man should take the initiative in fulfilling his responsibilities,
because the Qur'an has mentioned women's rights first.
The "degree above"
cannot,
and must not, be taken to imply male superiority of worth. What it does
imply is a greater liability and responsibility, which means that men
will
be subjected to greater questioning in the Hereafter regarding the
treatment
of their wives and families. This is hardly what could be described as
an enviable position, and some may even consider it "inferior"! The
degree
in question is nothing more than a means of assuring the maintenance of
women, as and when it is necessary.
Islam clearly
recognises
the equal potential and ability of the sexes, but Allah has created
human
beings in a manner whereby men and women are better suited for
differing
but complementary, tasks. Just because the male may be better at a
given
task than the female, it does not mean that he is inherently superior.
This is an error made by many feminists, who assume that liberation may
be achieved by adopting a male role. Instead of recognising and
cherishing
their femininity, they seek to ape men, to the detriment of women and
human
society in general. By aspiring to male traits, values and behaviour,
they
have further diminished the female whilst elevating the male. By
equating
financial earnings and following a career with prestige and status, the
feminine pursuits of motherhood, household work and the raising of a
family
have become valueless and are seen as degrading. Because unpaid work is
seen as worthless, household work is viewed as demeaning drudgery. In
contrast,
Islam emphasises harmony and mutual dependency, so a woman's work in
caring
for the home and raising the family is seen as being as essential and
important
as a man's work in earning money for the financial support of the
family.
Mankind has been
infected
with the capitalist bug, where any type of work not providing a
financial
income is considered oppressive. The simple truths, taught by Islam,
have
become too difficult to accept. Humanity should not allow itself to be
dazzled by the West and fooled into denigrating women's valuable work.
In Islam, the woman's role is very important, perhaps even more
important
than that of a man. As we have seen, the acts of childbearing and
suckling
- roles which are open only to women - bring immense rewards. Although
these abilities are a gift granted by the Creator, the woman exercises
an element of choice whether to breast feed as a means of earning this
reward. Moreover, as her share of the childrearing burden is greater,
from
the moment of conception onwards, Allah the All-Merciful and All-Wise
has
made the woman a means by which any individual may attain Paradise, in
that Paradise is described as lying at the feet of mothers (see also
the ahadith on the virtues of mothers, below). The hardships
and
tribulations suffered
by women during pregnancy, birth, suckling and childrearing, are not
wasted.
They bring the promise of compensation, reward and a higher status in
this
world and the next.
MOTHERHOOD
The Prophet
indicated that
a woman's status is further enhanced when she becomes a mother. A man
once
asked him, "Who deserves the best care from me?" He replied, "Your
mother".
The man asked, "Then who?" He replied, "Your mother". The man asked,
"Then
who?" He replied, "Your mother". The man asked, "Then who?" He replied,
"Then your father".
Islam has taught us
the preciousness
of the female at every stage of her life. A believing Muslim's, duty is
to live his life in accordance with Islamic teachings, as to please the
Creator. If He is pleased with you, then you will benefit, in this life
and certainly in the life to come. In order to please Allah, Muslims
must
follow His commandments. His orders are to be kind and just to women,
as
daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. Muslim who seek to make their
womenfolk
happy may expect to earn the pleasure of Allah, and pleasing Allah is
the
key to Paradise.
And We have
enjoined on
man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother
bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), 'Show
gratitude to Me and to your parents: to Me is (your final) Goal.
[Luqman
31:14]
Although Islam
tells us to
respect both parents, the mother is given precedence. For months she
bears
the burden in her womb, sufferings the trials of pregnancy. After the
exertion
of labour, she suckles the baby for up to two years. She sacrifices her
own comforts for the sake of her child. So a man has to recognise,
first,
the rights that Allah has over him, and then the rights of his parents,
especially the mother; he must worship Allah, and occupy himself in
obeying
and serving his parents to the best of his ability, so long as there is
no disobedience to Allah, because Allah's rights are paramount.
Everyone
must answer to Him, so men and women alike must think of how they will
answer to Him for their deeds.
Miqdam reported
that the
Prophet said: "O people, listen: Allah the Most High commands you to
treat
your mothers well. Allah the Most High commands you to be good to your
mothers, and thereafter to your fathers". Anas reported that the
Prophet
said: "Paradise lies at the feet of mothers". What is meant by this is
that a believer may attain the pleasure of Allah, and hence Paradise,
by
pleasing his mother and attending to her needs. Even if one's mother is
not a Muslim, one is obliged to treat her well and take care of her, so
long as this does not entail any disobedience to Allah.
POLYGYNY
The fact that Islam
permits
a man to have more than one wife (polygyny) has been the cause of much
ridicule and misinformation on the part of those who are shallow
minded,
prejudiced and inimical towards Islam. They have misled many by
publishing
and promoting distorted facts and advocating practices that have no
basis
in the true teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
As we have seen in
Chapter
I, prior to the advent of Islam, women were treated as chattels and
objects
for the gratification of men. Girls, women and widows were at the mercy
of male whims. In pre-Islamic Arabia, a man could take as many wives as
he wanted and treat them as he pleased. In the modern world, this
practice
continues under the guise of frequent divorces, affairs, mistresses and
prostitution. Women are left alone to fend for themselves and their
children,
whilst divorce is so common that there now exist groups such as "Single
Again", which cater for people who have been divorced for the second
(or
subsequent) time.
Islam did not
abolish polygyny,
as it recognised that in some cases, polygyny would be necessary and
even
preferable to the alternatives. However, it strictly limited it, to a
maximum
of four wives at any one time; there are also stringent conditions to
be
met by a man who wishes to take a second wife.
The initial
intention of
this law was to bring some order to the people of Arabia and
neighbouring
societies, who had been accustomed to unlimited numbers of wives, and
to
inaugurate a System that would take care of the needs of women, who had
been regarded as goods and chattels to be acquired with no regard for
their
own human feelings. Polygyny also sought to solve the problem of the
existence
of large numbers of widows and orphans who were left to fend for them.
If you fear that
you will
not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your
choice,
two, or three, or four; but if you fear that you will not be able to
deal
justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands
possess. That will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing
injustice.
[al-Nisa'4:3]
The circumstances
in which
this ayah was revealed illustrate the sincere teachings of
Islam
regarding polygyny. It was revealed after the battle of Uhud, in which
a significant number of Muslim men were martyred and as a consequence,
many women were widowed and their children orphaned. To safeguard the
new
Muslim community, this just and compassionate law was revealed, and it
remains in effect until the end of time. Islam requires men to take
full
care of the orphan's interests and property, but if they felt that they
could not do justice to them as custodians, then they were advised to
marry
other women, up to a maximum of four.
Any man who wishes
to take
a second wife also has to meet the important condition of fair
treatment
of all his wives. The arch quoted above includes the command to treat
wives
equally, and anyone who is unable to do so should marry only one wife.
Equal treatment includes all social, economical and physical needs. It
is very difficult for human beings to be completely fair, a fact which
is recognised by the Qur’an:
You are never
able to
be fair and just as between women, even if it is your ardent desire:
but
turn not away (from a woman) altogether, so as to leave her (as it
were)
hanging (in the air)...
[al-Nisa'
4.129]
Shaikh ul Islam of
Pakistan,
Allamah Usmani suggests that as equality in all aspects of one's
dealings
with women is impossible, a man should do justice as much as is humanly
possible. He should not be excessively inclined towards one wife and
disinclined
towards the other and leave her as if she were in suspension. Such an
attitude
is cruelty on the part of the husband.
The Prophet urged
fair treatments
of co wives when he said: "A man who marries more than one woman and
then
does not deal justly with them will be resurrected with half his
faculties
paralysed".'
It is worth noting
that some
Muslim "modernists" have linked the two ayahs quoted above and
drawn
the conclusion that Islam effectively allows only one wife, because al-Nisa'
4:129 states that it is not possible to treat two women equally, and
therefore
men who marry more than one woman are put in an impossible position and
are acting against Islamic teachings. What the modernists fail to
recognise
is that the equal treatment referred to is only that which is humanly
possible.
A man may be more fond of one wife than another, but he is not allowed
to make this fact obvious, and he must always ensure that the
"less-favoured"
wife is taken care of properly. On no occasion did the Prophet ever
forbid
his Companions to take second or subsequent wives. In the case of men
who
had more than four wives when they embraced Islam, such as Ghaylan ibn
Umayyah al-Thaqafi, the Prophet asked them to keep four wives and to
release
the others. The "modernists" have played into the hands of the enemies
of Islam by trying to appease non Muslims and present far fetched
interpretations.
Polygyny in Islam
is restricted
and may be practiced only when certain strict conditions are met. It is
also the exception rather than the norm in Muslim societies throughout
the World. A World Health Organisation census has shown that less than
5% of Muslim men practice polygyny. This is in contrast to other groups
in countries such as India, where 15.25% of men from tribal religious
groups
practise polygyny; 7.97% of Buddhists, 6.72% of Jains and 5.8% of
Hincus
have plural marriages. The percentage of polygynous marriages in India
is lowest among Muslims, at 5.7%.
The figures give an
indication
of the level of misinformation and stereotyping perpetrated by the
Western
media. Not only have Westerners coloured themselves with this jaundiced
view, but some Muslims are also questioning the teachings of their own
religion. It is very important for scholars to educate the people and
provide
them with correct information, to counteract the false picture of Islam
and Muslims given by the Western media, and to enable them to
understand
their own faith more fully.
It is very sad to
see the
"modernists" propagating monogamy and seeking to change the teachings
of
the Holy Qur'an by suggesting that polygyny was intended to be
practiced
only in the case of war and the like. These people come up with such
pathetic
excuses in an attempt to appease the enemies of Islam to no avail.
The topic of
polygyny cannot
be considered complete without some discussion on the Prophet's Id
practice
and the historical context in which he and his wives lived. This is a
topic
which has received much attention from the West, and about which many
Muslims
are confused. It is a subject which is worthy of an entire book in
itself
Here the topic will be covered briefly.
It should be noted
that in
seventh-century Arabia, adultery, rape and fornication were the norm.
Men
could have as many wives as they wanted, with no obligation to care for
them or attend to their needs as human beings. In this environment, the
Prophet remained chaste from the beginning. At the age of 25, he
married
Khadijah , who was a widow 40 years of age and was thus his senior by
15
years. Their marriage was a happy and harmonious one, and remained so
until
Khadijah passed away some 25 years later. By this time the Prophet was
50 years of age and bearing the great responsibility of Prophethood.
The Prophet's
second wife
was Sawdah. She and her husband had been among the earliest converts to
Islam. They suffered great hardship at the hands of Quraysh(inhabitants
of Mecca), so the Prophet had instructed them to migrate to Abyssinia
(Ethiopia).
There, her husband passed away, and Sawdah suffered much hardship as a
widow in a foreign land. The Prophet He knew that he was responsible
for
the welfare of his followers, so he proposed marriage to Sawdah. This
marriage
brought relief, respect and status to her, and provided the Prophet
with
companionship and assistance in raising his children from his marriage
to Khadijah. At the time of her marriage to the Pronhet, Sawdah was
around
55 vears old.
In order to create
blood
ties and to show his love and respect to his closest Companions who had
given up this world for the sake of Islam, the Prophet gave two of his
daughters in marriage to Ali and 'Uthman’; he also accepted in marriage
'A'ishah and Hafsah , the daughters of Abu Bakr and 'Umar ,
respectively.
His marriage to these two noble women not only enhanced his close ties
with his Companions, but these women were later to offer deep insight
into
the Prophet's life. They were responsible for narrating over half of
the ahadith which now form the basis of the Islamic code of
conduct.
'A'ishah alone
is known to have narrated over two thousand ahadith.
Zaynab was a cousin
of the
Prophet. She had previously been married to Zayd , the freed slave and
adopted son of the Prophet Hi. This marriage had been arranged by the
Prophet
, but the couple were never happy in their marriage and it became
apparent
that they were not compatible. At the Prophet's insistence, they had
stayed
together for several years, but in the end Zayd could not tolerate it
any
longer, and decided to set Zaynab free from the marriage contract. The
fact that an enslave had divorced a woman of the noble Quraysh tribe
became
the subject of much gossip among the pagans and the weaker members of
the
Muslim community. Not surprisingly, Zaynab confined herself to her
quarters
and it fell to the Prophet to relieve her of her misery. He married
her,
and she was around 38 years of age at the time. This action achieved
two
ends. One was to demonstrate that Islam makes no distinction between
class,
race or status, as the Qur'an teaches that the noblest person in the
sight
of Allah is the one who is most pious. The second was to indicate that
adopted sons were not to be counted as blood relatives, as had
previously
been the custom in Arabia.
... Nor has He
[Allah]
made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of)
speech
by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the Truth and He shows the
(right)
Way.
[al-Ahzab
33:4]
In order to unite
the tribes
of Arabia under Islam, it was deemed necessary to have a blood tie with
them, which could be accomplished through marriage. Hence some of the
Prophet's
marriages were arranged to establish inter-tribal ties and to further
the
cause of unity. The Prophet's %46 marriage to Juwayriyah led to her
tribe
of Banu Mustaliq, who had been among the fiercest enemies of Islam,
freeing
all their Muslim prisoners. The whole tribe later entered into Islam.
Maymunah
came from the tribe of Najd, who had murdered the emissaries sent to
them
by the Prophet. After his marriage to Maymunah, however, their attitude
changed and Najd became favourable towards Islam.
In all, the Prophet
had eleven
wives, of whom two - Khadijah and Zaynab - passed away in his own
lifetime.
After the ayah restricting the number of wives to four was revealed, he
contracted no further marriages, but his nine remaining wives were
regarded
as "mothers of the faithful" and as no other man would be permitted to
marry them if he divorced them he kept all his wives on the grounds of
compassion.
With the exception
of 'A'ishah,
all of his wives were widows or divorcees. His marriages were all for
political
reasons or were contracted in order to set an example of compassion, as
in the cases of Zaynab and Sawdah. His polygynous marriage all took
place
rather late in his life, from the age of 55; taking into account the
fact
that the responsibility of conveying the message of Islam to the whole
of mankind was his to bear, these marriages show the extent of his
compassionate
and caring nature. He was in a position of great political power, and
could
have had all the worldly comforts and carnal pleasures had he desired
these.
However, he chose to marry widows and older women - a sure indication
of
his upright moral character and desire to set the highest example to
his
followers.
DIVORCE
The Prophet said:
"Divorce
is the most hateful of all lawful things in the sight of Allah".
Although Islam
emphasises
the importance of marriage, it is a humane and practical religion which
recognises the fact that there may be situations in which dissolving
the
marriage bond may be in the better interests of the individuals
concerned
and of society at large. Divorce is allowed as a last resort, rather as
amputation or major surgery may be the unpleasant but a necessary step
needed to save a person's life. If divorce were forbidden, then
animosity
and adultery may become rampant. To save individuals and society from
the
greater evils, divorce has been permitted. However, it is not a step to
be taken lightly or hastily. Sincere attempts at reconciliation are to
be made first and - as in the case of marriage - the rights and welfare
of women are to be upheld.
Imam al Ghazzali
(b.1058
CE) who is honoured with the title of Hujjat al Islam 'The Proof of
Islam'
states, the greatest care should be taken to avoid divorce, for, though
divorce is permitted, yet Allah disapproves of it. If divorce becomes
essential
then the woman should be divorced kindly, not through anger or
contempt,
and not without a valid reason. After divorce a man should give his
former
wife a present and not announce to others any of her shortcomings.
The Qur’an advises
a couple
who are facing difficulties in their marriage to appoint arbiters:
If you fear a
breach between
them twain, appoint (two) arbiters, one from his family and the other
from
hers; if they wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation...
[al-Nisa'
4:35]
But if the attempts
at reconciliation
fail, then the couple is permitted to separate,
But if they
disagree (and
must part), Allah will provide abundance for all from His All-Reaching
bounty...
[al-Nisa'
4.130]
In order to
dissolve a marriage,
it is essential to pronounce a declaration of talaq. There are
three
types of talaq (divorce) that are practiced among Muslims.
Talaq
ahsan -
(the preferable type of divorce): After issuing one pronouncement
of
divorce, the couple wait for the 'iddah (waiting period, which
consists
of three menstrual cycles of the wife, usually three months). During
this
time, all possible attempts at reconciliation should be made. The
husband
may take his wife back at any time during the 'iddah period.
During
the period of iddah the man must oblige to either keep the
woman
in the same home or at least furnish her with a comfortable apartment,
which is easily accessible to him. Further, the man must provide for
her
as if no divorce has taken place. At the end of the iddah or
waiting
period if reconciliation has failed then the marriage is broken.
Talaq hasan - is a
divorce where a man pronounces talaq to his wife in three
consecutive
state of purity.
Talaqid'i- (bid'i
or innovative divorce) is talaq where the husband issues three
pronouncements
of divorce at one time. According to the majority of jurists, this talaq
is
valid but it is against the spirit of the Shari'ah and so the man is an
offender in the eyes of the law.
Talaq bid'i is
considered a
serious act against the Islamic teachings. Hazrat Umar, a close
companion
of the Prophet and the second Calipha of Islam, used to whip the
husband
who pronounced divorce thrice at one and the same sitting.
When you divorce
women,
and they fulfil the term of their ('Iddah), either take them back on
equitable
terms or set them free on equitable terms; but do not take them back to
injure them, (or) to take undue advantage; if any one does that, he
wrongs
his own soul. Do not treat Allah's Signs as a jest, but solemnly
rehearse
Allah's favours on you, and the fact that He sent down to you the Book
and Wisdom, for your instruction. And fear Allah, and know that Allah
is
well-acquainted with all things.
[al.Baqarah
2.231]
During the 'iddah period,
the couple should stay together, which gives greater opportunity for
reconciliation.
The woman cannot be evicted from the marital home unless she has
committed
an indecent act, such as adultery.
... And fear
Allah, your
Lord: and turn them not out of their houses, nor shall they
(themselves)
leave, except in case they are guilty of some open lewdness, those are
limits set by Allah: and any who transgresses the limits of Allah, does
verily wrong his (own) soul: you know not if perchance Allah will bring
about thereafter some new situation.
[al-Talaq
65:1]
When it comes to
divorce,
Islam treads the middle ground, and safeguards the rights of women. It
neither prohibits divorce, thereby imprisoning women as is the case in
Hinduism and historical Christianity; neither does it regard divorce as
insignificant, as in pre Islamic Arabia and in the present time.
The right to
divorce is not
restricted to the husband. The woman may also seek a dissolution of the
marriage by means of a process known as faskh, whereby she
applies
to the Qadi (Judge) for an annulment of the marriage. The wife
may
seek faskh in several cases, including: apostasy (renunciation
of
Islam) by the husband; lack of equality of status (kafi'ah); lack
of compatibility; spoiling of marriage (fasad); incurable
impotence
on the part of the husband and if the husband ill treats the woman (nushuz).
The
above cases present valid grounds for a woman to seek divorce from her
husband. If the couple come to a mutual agreement for separation and
get
divorced then this is called khul.
If the wife
fears cruelty
or desertion on her husband's part, there is no blame on them if they
arrange
an amicable settlement between themselves; and such settlement is
best....
[al-Nisa'
4:128]
Islam has decreed
justicefor
both sexes in the case of divorce. Although the act of divorce is
disliked,
it is permitted for the sake of weak human souls who cannot always find
comfort and solace in the marriage relationship. This is mainly due to
lower tolerance levels, high expectations in others and needless
desires.
MODESTY
As already
indicated, Islam
is a complete way of life, and it has not left out any aspect of human
life in its prescription for living. It is to this religion's credit
that
not only does it point out the dangers of life, but it offers practical
solutions to them. One such area is that of modesty, which in the
broadest
sense means humility, restraint in manner and conduct, avoiding excess
and presenting an unpretentious appearance. This is the way of life
taught
by the Qur’an and exemplified by the Prophet.
In humanity, the
worst crime
after murder is zina (adultery), and the punishment dictated
by
Islam for adultery is equal to that meted out for murder. This
indicates
the enormity of illicit sexual conduct and the disgust with which Islam
views this crime.
'Abdullah ibn
Mas'ud reported,
"1 asked the Messenger of Allah , 'What is the greatest sin?' He
replied,
'To set up rivals with Allah by worshipping others although He alone
has
created you'. 1 asked, 'What next?' He said, 'To kill your child lest
it
should share your food'. 1 asked, 'What next?' He said, 'To commit
adultery
with the wife of your neighbour'."
The reason behind
the prohibition
of zina is not to "spoil the fun" for people, but because zina
is the cause of much social chaos, upheaval and suffering for
individuals,
families, societies and nations. Zina destroys the moral fibre
of
a person, creates an atmosphere of mistrust and deceit, and leads to
the
birth of illegitimate children who must bear the stigma of their birth.
Pornography, prostitution, rape, abortions, divorce and single-parent
families
are the by products of zina, as is now all too evident in
Britain
and other Western societies. Families are torn apart, diseases are
spread
and people's characters become twisted and distorted. The Qur'an warns
us:
Nor come nigh to
adultery:
for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other
evils).
[al-Isra'
17:32]
To protect the
moral well-being
of mankind, Islam lays down laws which restrict, if not stop, the
things
that may lead to zina.
Say to the
believing men
that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will
make
for greater purity for (Amongst) them: and Allah is well acquainted
with
all that they do.
And say to the
believing
women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that
they
should not display their beauty and ornaments...
[al-Nur
24.30-31]
The first step on
the road
to zina is sight. It is only after a person has had a glance
that
his desire are inflamed. As men are generally more aggressive in this
way,
the Qur'an addresses the command of lowering the gaze to the male
first.
The believing men and women are restricted from gazing at one another,
as this is the gateway to greater sin. The Prophet said:
"the zina of the
legs
is walking towards an unlawful act, the zina of the hands is
touching
and patting, and the zina of the eyes is casting passionate
"lances
at those who are forbidden to you"
Being a practical
religion,
Islam recognises the fact that a person has to look around to be aware
of his or her environment and to see where he or she is going, in which
case there is no sin if a person's glance happens to fall upon a person
of the opposite sex. It is the second glance which is punishable. The
Prophet
In advised Ali,
"O Ali, do not
allow your
first glance to be followed bye second, because the first glance is
permitted
for you but the second is not".
In other ahadith, the
Prophet warned Muslims against putting themselves into situations where
temptation may overwhelm them the potential for sin is increased:
"Let no male
stranger
sit in privacy with a female stranger, for the third among them is
Satan"'
"Do not go to the houses of women whose husbands are ahsent".
There are
exceptions to this
prohibition on looking at members of the opposite sex. In the case of
medical
examinations or treatment, deciding on a marriage partner, recording
evidence
or carrying out criminal investigations, the rulings are relaxed
somewhat,
but proper conduct and modesty must still be adhered to.
The free mixing of
men and
women from the time they become sexually aware to the time they are no
longer sexually active is prohibited. On the face of it, this may
appear
rather harsh, but if we examine the effects of unrestricted contact
between
the sexes, the person who is blessed with understanding and insight
will
soon see the wisdom behind this restriction. Today, in the Western
world,
every type of crime that results from free mixing of the sexes is on
the
increase, as we have seen in Chapter II.
Islamic modesty
encompasses
not only behaviour, but also dress. It is well-known that appearances
count,
and that clothes can make a "statement" about the person. Muslims are
required
to dress modestly and conceal their private parts. The Qur’an reminds
us
that after the error committed by Adam and Eve, they became aware of
their
nakedness and shame, so clothing was given as a means of concealing the
body:
O children of
Adam! We
have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an
adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness -that is the best.
Such
are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition!
[al-A'raf
7:26]
A prominent
commentator,
from Asia, on the Holy Qur'an, Hazrat Shah Saheb interprets this ayah
as
meaning that the enemy (i.e., Satan) stripped them of their
'Paradisian'
garments, then Allah taught them the art of dressing, so that
henceforth
they should wear only the garments of piety.
Allamah Usmani
points out
that Allah has bestowed many natural resources for human use. He has
created
cotton, wool, feathers and other materials which man utilises and makes
into clothing and other items. When we reflect upon these bounties of
Allah,
we will easily recognise Allah's favours and become thankful to Him.
Moreover,
the dress of piety will help us to regain the long-lost Paradisian
dress.
Muslims are
commanded to
cover the 'awrah, which in the case of men extends from the
navel
to the knee, and in the case of women includes the whole body except
the
face, hands and (according to some Hanafi scholars) feet. Muslims
should
wear clothes that are loose fitting, thick (non-transparent) and simple
(not ostentatious or gaudy).
Although the man's 'awrah
is from the navel to the knee, the sunnah (practice) of
the
Prophet He is to wear clothes that cover the body from the shoulders to
just above the ankles. The 'awrah is the minimum area to be
covered
in cases where a person may be too poor to afford more extensive
garments.
The guidelines
regarding
women's dress come straight from the Qur’an:
And say to the
believing
women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that
they
should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must
ordinarily)
appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and
not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their
husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or
their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the
slaves
whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical
needs,
or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they
should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden
ornaments. And O Believers! Turn all together towards Allah, that you
may
attain Bliss.
[al
Nur 24:31]
O Prophet! Tell
your wives
and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their
outer
garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient,
that
they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft
Forgiving,
Most Merciful.
[al-Ahzab
33.59]
The outer garment (jilbab)
is one which covers a person from head to foot. A well-known hadith
further
describes the dress of the Muslim woman: "When a woman reaches the age
of maturity, it is not lawful for her to uncover any part of her body
except
the face and this -" and he (the Prophet) put his hand on his wrist
joint
so as to leave only a little space between the place he gripped and the
palm.
Not only do women
have to
cover themselves in front of men who are strangers to them, but they
are
also required to lower their gaze. Umm Salamah reported that she and
Maymunah
(who were both wives of the Prophet ) were with the Prophet when the
son
of Umm Maktum, who was blind, came to speak with him. The Prophet told
his wives to observe hijab in front of the visitor Umm Salamah
said,
"O Messenger of Allah, he is a blind man and will not see us". The
Prophet
said, "He may be blind but you are not, and do you not see him"?
The main aim of hijab
is to restrain individuals of the opposite sex from
being unduly
attracted
to one another. However, hijab has numerous secondary
advantages
that bring benefits to women. It gives women their own identity and
their
own sphere, which exists parallel to that of men. Women are thus freed
from the strain of Western-style social pressure in which women are
expected
to look impeccable and sexually attractive at all times, and they are
relieved
of the "necessity" of spending large amounts of time and money in
visiting
beauty parlours and applying chemicals, lotions, potions and scents to
their bodies for the purposes of gratifying men. Above all, it allows
Muslim
women to have an identity, an ability to express their personality and
intellect of their own, independently of men's whims and desires.
The Prophet issued
a warning
which offers food for thought for all of us:
"Those women who
appear
naked even though they are wearing clothes, who allure and are allured
by others, and who walk in a provocative manner, will never enter
Paradise,
or even smell its fragrance".
ECONOMICS
And in no way
covet those
things in which Allah has bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you
than on others: to men is allotted what they earn and to women what
they
earn: but ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah has full knowledge of all
things.
[al
Nisa' 4:32]
Through Islam,
women gained
economic liberation and independence frown their menfolk. For the first
time in human history, Islam bestowed upon women a legal economic
entity.
A woman could now own, manage, inherit, distribute and sell her own
property
as she wished and in her own right. Her assets remained hers, and
marriage
or divorce did not alter the fact. The Islamic ruling and practice with
regard to women's economic rights was light-years ahead of any Western
equal rights manifesto. Islam brought these rights to women fourteen
hundred
years ago, long before equal rights were thought of or campaigned for
in
other lands.
In the West,
women's emergence
into the economic arena only took hold during the two World wars when,
with most men conscripted for the war effort, the need for labour was
so
acute that there was no other option but to bring women out of the
home.
However, it has taken much heartache and a great deal of struggle and
striving
to bring women anywhere near a position of equal economic status. Even
today, the Western woman is economically bound to her husband, who can
demand a share from her earnings for ongoing domestic expenses and, in
the case of divorce, can claim a share of her savings. In contrast, the
Muslim wife is entitled to be supported by her husband, no matter how
rich
she may be in her own right; whilst she is a child, she is entitled to
be supported by her father and in old age she is entitled to be
supported
by her children. The Muslim woman is relieved of the burden of having
to
earn a living, and she is allowed to dispose of her earnings in
whatever
manner she chooses.
In the case of
inheritance,
the Muslim woman is allotted a share equal to half of that given to her
male counterpart. This is often cited as an example of Islam's
unfairness
to women, but the facts warrant closer examination. In many societies,
including pre-Islamic Arabia, wealth that was to be inherited was
distributed
by means of a written will which in many cases deprived women and those
in a weak position of their share; this is still the case in some parts
of the world. Islam offers, as it were, a "ready-made will": the Qur’an
spells out the Islamic injunctions regarding inheritance, and gives
women
the right to inherit from husbands, fathers and brothers:
From what is
left by parents
and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share for
women,
whether the property be small or large -a determinate share.
[al-Nisa'
4:7]
The reason for men
being
given a portion twice as much as that given to women is that men are
responsible
for taking care of their womenfolk: A man may be required to spend on
his
mother, sisters or other female relatives. A woman is entitled to
dispose
of her share of the inheritance as she wishes, and is under no
obligation
to support anyone, even herself. When these facts are borne in mind,
the
just and equitable position of Islam is vindicated.
Islam has given
rights to
women in all aspects of life, including some where women in other
cultures
have no rights even today. Many of the instances which critics point to
as being unfair to women are, upon closer inspection, found to be
favourable
to women and may even be seen as giving them preferential treatment.
Islam The choice of Thinking Women - PART 2- SOCIAL POSITION OF WESTERN WOMEN' TODAY
By Ismail
Adam Patel
POSITION OF
WESTERN
WOMEN' TODAY
Now that women conceive
to be in charge of their own affairs, does this mean that they have
reached
the pinnacle of gender equality? Has the "new woman" of today overcome
the oppression and subjugation of the "bad old days"? Does the
liberation
of women signal the advent of a new, morally correct world? Has
liberation
achieved real emancipation and freed women from injustice? Have we seen
the last of oppression, infanticide, prostitution, rape, divorce and
single
parent (usually single mother) families? The answer, according to the
feminist
should have been an emphatic yes, but is sadly, a dismal no!
The old customs
practiced
by the supposedly "uncivilized" peoples of ancient Rome, Persia, Arabia
and Judaea are alive and well but under a new guise. In this modern
advanced
age, instead of killing innocent girls at birth, we are aborting them
in
the womb and discarding their mutilated corpses like offal. Abortion is
murder, and it has never been heard of a woman's "right to choose"
being
accepted as defense in a homicide case! Doctors and other abortionists
are finding ever more gruesome ways to kill unwanted babies. The
latest,
which goes by the grotesque name of "partial-birth abortion" involves
the
partial removal of the foetus from the womb; the head is left inside
the
mother, and the abortionist (does he or she deserve the title of
Doctor?)
pierces the back of the skull with a sharp instrument, inserts a
catheter,
and removes the brains. Then the remains of the murdered child are
fully
removed. This horrific procedure was devised as a way to get around
U.S.
laws which state that any child born alive has human rights, and its
death
would be viewed as murder by the courts. What sort of sick, twisted
mind
can dream up something like this? Why should a living child in the womb
be deserving of fewer rights than one which is already-born?
Women with children are
still
casually abandoned, as in former centuries. Now the phenomenon is known
as "single parent families". Instead of going to market to purchase a
woman,
men now resort to prostitution, or even rape. In by-gone times, men
murdered
women they had no more use for (consider the blood lust of Henry VIII,
founder of the Church of England, and how he disposed of some of his
wives);
nowadays women are driven towards drugs and alcohol, and ultimately
kill
themselves. This is labelled as "suicide", and saves men from doing the
dirty deed themselves. The old Spartan way of having women
"inseminated"
by strong men, is now replaced by genetic engineering and artificial
insemination
via the sperm banks, which achieve the same thing under the auspices of
science and technology, the "gods" of their modern age. All of this is
regarded as Progress.
Women's equality in the
West
is a charade. For how long can the world continue to ignore women's
misery
and the disaster towards which all are heading? The only way to a just,
fair and secure future for all is through the pristine teachings of
Islam.
Muslims have the awesome responsibility of conveying this message
correctly
and effectively to the people of the world.
According to popular
belief,
the twentieth century has seen the greatest advancement in equality for
women. In particular, the period after the Second World War, from the
late
1940s until the present, is hailed as a golden era. But during this
period,
atrocities of all kinds against women have increased by more than 25%.
A survey into the world of government statistics reflect a true picture
of the plight of women in today's world.
ABORTION
In Britain, registered
abortions
have increased almost ten fold since abortion was "legalized" in 1968.
In that year, there were nearly 22,000 registered abortions, compared
with
nearly 180,000 in 1991. Since records began, there has been a steady
increase
in the numbers of abortions performed each year. Of the 180,000
abortions
that took place in 1991, 1lo,ooo were carried out on unmarried women.
Only
1% were done for medical reasons. In 1993, 819,000 women in England and
Wales had abortions. The results of population surveys indicate that a
third of all conceptions that occurred outside of marriage were
terminated
by abortion in 1993.
Over 3,000 abortions
were
carried out on girls aged 15 and under (16 is the "age of consent" in
Britain);
and over 31,000 termination's were carried out on girls aged 19 and
under.
The figures for USA are
even
more horrific. Abortion rates have increased since records began and
there
were over one million 'recorded legal abortions' carried out in 1994.
The
Alan Guttmacher Institute, a research organization affiliated with
Planned
Parenthood (America's leading abortion provider - it is rather like
calling
a butcher a lamb's confidant) estimate the total number of abortions
are
typically 10 to 20% higher than the official government statistics.
In Canada where the
womb
is considered to be a safe place for the unborn by the Western
standards
has nearly half the abortion rate of USA. However, for 1992, this
equates
to 25% of all pregnancies being terminated by abortion.
In Japan, the 'most
advanced'
industrial country of the World, where time is money and money is the
substance
of life, has abortion rates twice that of USA. The nation suffers from
over 2 million abortion each year.
The most stupendous
blood
bath of the innocent unborn life has been carried out in the Former
Soviet
Union. The Soviet Union suffered an incredible 12.8 million abortions
in
1965 out of a total population 233 million. At present almost three
quarters
of all Soviet women's pregnancies end in abortion.
The trivial nature
abortion,
human life and women's sentiments are held in the Western world was
brought
to the forefront when a Charity organisation 'Marie Stopes
International'
opened six day centres across England. They provided a 'walking, walk
out'
abortion 'that could easily be completed during a working woman's
lunchtime
break. Their leading abortionist 'Dr' Tim Black horrified the nation
when
he disdainfully described the method of abortion by Suction as the
'minimal
service interception' a 'seamless service without medical drama or
moral
censure' and a 'quantum leap in service delivery'. Abortion, a
traumatic,
sorrowful and a grievous moment for every unfortunate woman has been
reduced
to the language of shopping.'
It is worth taking some
time
to ponder over these figures. Although it is easy to be blinded by such
large numbers, we should not forget that each of them is much more than
a statistic. Each number represents the murder of an innocent, helpless
baby by supposedly "civilized" human beings.
The freedom of choice
under
the guise of first World civilisation has allowed the hideous slaughter
of unborn children which has claimed over ONE BILLION lives throughout
the world over the past 25 years.
In the "barbaric" past,
infant
girls were killed for economic reasons. Now children are killed to
destroy
the evidence of adultery, fornication and mischief! These figures
account
only for those abortions which were registered. As for illegal
abortions
and those carried out in private clinics, only Allah knows exactly how
many babies were killed.
RAPE
It is not easy to find
accurate
figures on rape. Many incidents are not reported, and the police
statistics
do not include cases where the allegations have been withdrawn. It is
safe
to assume, therefore, that the official figures are an underestimate.
According to the
British
police, in 1984 there were over 20,000 cases of indecent assault and
nearly
1,500 rape cases in Britain. The London Rape Crisis Centre estimates
that
there are between 5,000 - 6,000 rapes per year; the true figure may be
much higher. Since 1984, the number of recorded sexual offences has
risen
at a slightly higher rate than recorded crime in general. By 1994, the
number of recorded sexual offences had risen to 32,000. If we accept
the
higher figures, we may say that, on average, one rape occurs every hour
in England. In other words, by the time you finish reading this
chapter,
someone, somewhere in the country, will have become yet another rape
statistic.
The USA, a country
proclaiming
the greatest freedom of rights has the World's highest rape rate. It is
4 times higher than Germany, 18 times higher than England and almost 20
times higher than Japan. In one state of Utah alone the rape rate is
44.6
per 100,000. In 1995, 2,071 Utah children under the age of 18 were
sexually
abused: 633 of these children were under the age of 6.
In the USA, 1.3 women
are
raped every minute. That equates to 78 rapes each hour, 1,872 rapes
each
day, and 683,280 rapes each year.
Looking at such
figures,
the question springs to mind: who is committing these barbaric acts
against
women? Are these the acts of mentally disturbed characters roaming the
streets? The popular stereotype could not be further from the truth. In
1980, only 2% of men convicted of rape were referred for psychiatric
treatment.
The reality is shocking and disturbing: over 75% of women who are raped
have had some prior contact with the man who raped them.3 They are
raped
by acquaintances, people they know and probably trusted. A close friend
or relative rapes 16%.
A study carried out by
the
National Council for Civil Liberties showed that 38% of men use their
power
and position at work to rape women. A Retook survey found that
88%
of respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work. In the UK,
86%
of managers and 66% of employers had experienced such problems. The
British
Civil Service found that 70% of those surveyed had experienced sexual
harassment.
In Britain, even in
that
bastion of law and order, the Police service, the problem of sexual
harassment
is serious. Female officers with twenty-five years' service in the
force
may be subjected to harassment. Examples of offensive incidents include
being spied on while in police stations showers, being "casually" shown
pornographic pictures, and being physically groped. One female officer
said, "You go into a room and three or four men will run their hands
over
you to see if you are wearing the 'full tackle,' i.e., suspenders. It
happens
frequently".'
Rape has a devastating
emotional,
mental and psychological impact on the victims and their families. USA
census reports, 1.3 million currently have a mental disorder due to
rape,
called Rape Related Post Traumatic Disorder (RR-PTSD). 3.8 million in
USA
have previously had RR-PTSD, and roughly 211,000 women will develop
RR-PTSD
each year.
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
The latter part of the
twentieth
century has seen an increase in cohabitation i.e., couples "living
together"
before marriage. Nearly half of women born in the 1960s said that they
had cohabited at some time. This social trend is supposed to iron out
any
difference between partners and ensure that they are compatible before
they tie the knot and make the commitment of marriage. This "trial run"
is meant to increase the chances of a successful marriage, but the
truth
is that the increase in cohabitation has been accompanied by an
increase
in the divorce rate. Britain now has the highest divorce rate in the
European
Union. In 1983 there were over 147,000 divorces granted by the courts.
By 1994, this number had increased to 165,000.
In USA the divorce rate
has
increased from 708,000 in 1970 to 1,175,000 in 1990. Whereas during the
same period the marriage rates have remained virtually static, despite
the rise in 'marriageable age' populations
Tables of divorce
statistics
do not convey the suffering of partners whose marriage breaks down, or
of their children whose world is torn apart by the parents' separation.
The number of marriages in Britain has decreased, from 389,000 in 1983
to 341,000 in 1994. Of those, nearly one-third end in divorce, and the
most common grounds for divorce is adultery.
The silent sufferers in
divorce
families are no doubt the children but even the partners are not saved
from the trauma. Divorce now ranks as the number one factor linked with
suicide rates in USA, outstripping other important social and economic
predictors. Divorced people are three times more likely to commit
suicide
than people who are married.
The more human beings
rely
on their own intellectual reasoning and abandon the guidance of their
Creator,
the greater their suffering.
SINGLE PARENTS
There is yet another
set
of depressing statistics that has been increasing since the advent of
so
called "women's liberation". In the past ten years, the number of
births
to unmarried mothers has risen from nearly 90,000 in 1982 to 215,000 in
1992. Of all the babies born in 1992, 31% were born to unwed mothers.
Nearly
2,500 girls under the age of 15 gave birth, and over 23,000 new mothers
in that year were aged under 20.
As the number of
illegitimate
births has increased, the number of babies born within marriage has
decreased,
from 890,000 in 1961 to 511,000 in 1994. The reality behind these
statistics
is that women are bearing most, if not all, of the responsibility for
raising
these children. This form of oppression of women should not be ignored;
men must be made to shoulder the responsibility and be accountable for
the children they produce.
An official survey has
demonstrated
that the number of families with children headed by a lone parent has
risen
to more than one in five (over 20%); in the North West of England, the
figure is closer to 30%, or one in three. The same survey shows that
fewer
than 60% of women aged 18 49 are married. Even more alarmingly, growing
numbers of single mothers are typically trying to cope on very little
money:
42% of them had a gross weekly income of less than £100. The
impact
of poverty on educational achievement, crime rates, health, moral value
and self esteem has been well documented and has led to reports in
Britain
and elsewhere of an "emerging underclass" whose future is indescribably
bleak.
The burden of family
care
on the Western women has been escalating and in 1994, the USA had 9.9
million
single mothers having to maintain and take care of their children
compared
with only 1.6 million single fathers. The 'normal house' with a father,
mother and children has become an illusion in the Western world and is
reaping havoc. The USA - In 1970, 40% of household were made up of
married
couples. In 1995, only 25% of households are made up of married
couples.
The social impact of single parenting on children is devastating. 75%
of
children in chemical dependency hospitals are from single parent
families.
20% of children in single parent families have a learning, emotional or
behavioral problem. 63% of suicides are committed by individuals from
single
parent families.
The burden on woman
created
by 'single parenting' is one of the most brutal forms of oppression.
HEALTH
When it comes to health
matters,
women fare less well than men, especially when it comes to mental
health.
Single mothers, in particular, suffer poorer health than women in two
parent
households. General Health Survey data indicate that lone mothers are
more
likely to have both long standing and recent illness, and are less
likely
to assess their health over the last twelve months as good. In this
survey,
only 43% of single mothers described their health as "good" and nearly
39% reported a long standing illness.
Women also suffer
poorer
psychological health than men. They see their GPs (family doctors) more
often for mental health problems, and are more frequently prescribed
drugs
for anxiety and depression. Women are more unwell and unhappy than men
because of the work they do and the conditions in which they do it
created
by the capitalist system for the acquiring of profit margins.
If you were to question
a
randomly picked sample of the population and ask them, "Who suffers
more
from mentally-related disorders" The majority will reply: women.
However,
this has not always been the case. Studies from 1850 until the Second
World
War show that men used to be more prone to mental disorders than women.
In the majority of studies prior to 1950 or the Second World War, the
overall
rates were higher for men.
In the case of women's
mental
health, the findings differ sharply from the 1950s onwards, with the
advent
of so called equal status. A report by B P Dohrenwend in the American
Journal of Sociology shows that while prior to 1950, for every 7
men
diagnosed as mentally ill, only 2 women were similarly diagnosed, after
1950, the ratio changed to 22 women for every 2 men. This catastrophic
reversal in mental illness statistics accompanied the rise of "women's
liberation" in the West.
This increased
incidence
of mental illness among Western women since the Second World War has
occurred
because "... women find their position in society to be more
frustrating
and less rewarding than do men .."5 The reason for this greater sense
of
frustration may be found in the unfair burden which is placed on the
"liberated"
women She is expected to display masculine traits in the workplace, but
is also supposed to maintain her "femininity" - a dual burden that is
too
heavy for many women, who may eventually break down.
Mental illness
researchers
have also discovered that single persons are more prone to mental
illness
than those who are married, and their prognosis is not as good. As
early
as the turn of the century, Durkheim noted that the severing of the
marital
tie is particularly dangerous for mental health, as indicated by a high
suicide rate among the widowed and divorced. Since that time, all
studies'
comparing the mental health of those who are widowed or divorced with
that
of those who are married have also found that the rates of mental
illness
are higher among the former. With the rise of the divorce rate, the
prospect
of women's mental health looks particularly poor.
ALCOHOL AND SMOKING
The Western development
of
the equality of the sexes has been accompanied by an increase in the
vices
that were previously thought to be a male preserve, namely the
consumption
of alcohol and tobacco. According to a recent report published in the
Sunday
Times, the number of women drinking more than the "recommended limit"
is
rising. The survey shows that the number of men exceeding this limit
has
fallen to 26%, whilst the number of women doing so has risen to 12%.
Smoking used to be a
men's
vice, as for a long time it was deemed improper for women to smoke.
However,
the number of women who smoke is now more or less the same as the
number
of men who do so. Although anti-smoking campaigns have led to many
adults
quitting the habit, tobacco companies have responded by targeting
younger
people, on the premise that if they can get teenagers or children
"hooked"
they will continue to have a ready market for their product. Reports
indicate
that more young women than young men are starting to smoke, which
indicates
that in the near future the majority of smokers will be women.
PORNOGRAPHY
The rapid growth of the
pornographic
industry since the 1950s has, again, mirrored the progress of
"equality"
in the West. Pornography does not present women as human beings with
feelings
and needs, but as mere available commodities to be used and cast aside.
Women are led to believe that by selling their bodies, they are
achieving
equality, but in fact they become subordinate to men who use the idea
of
equality to exploit women for their own desires and financial gain.
In the 1980s, a further
step
in the manipulation of women appeared. Sheila Jeffreys, a feminist,
wrote:
"When the campaign against pornography first got underway, it was
possible
to attack pornography as a male product designed for male consumption.
This is not true in the 1980s. Women are being told - by libertarian
theorists
that because 'women are equal now,' it is all right for women to enjoy
pornography. This ideology serves more to defeat women's emancipation
than
to pander to it. The idea of selling pornography to women from the
1980s
has become a more sophisticated and effective way of bolstering male
power".
Pornography is the
biggest
media category world wide. It enters our homes via television and
magazines,
as well as video, film and satellite media. Globally, pornography
generates
$7 billion annually, more than the legitimate film and music industries
combined. In the US, pornographic films gross $1 million daily, and
outnumber
films of other genres by 30%. In Britain, 20 million copies of
pornographic
magazines are sold each year, producing an annual revenue of over
£500
million. In Sweden, a large "sex shop" may offer over 500 titles of
pornographic
magazines, and a corner shop can offer up to 50 titles. It is estimated
that 18 million American men buy a pornographic magazine each month.
Pornography
throughout the world is becoming ever more violent and gruesome, and is
spreading further via the new technology: pornography on the Internet,
including "hard-core" and child pornography, is a growing problem
worldwide.
The Western world is also exporting this deviant trend, which exploits
women in the most abhorrent fashion, to the so-called third world.
This is the state of
affairs
to which Western "civilization" and its Progress" and "equality" have
brought
humankind, where women are victimised in ever increasing numbers to
vices
and mistreatment that any sane person would abhor and seek to eliminate.
To summarise, within
the
last hour the following have taken place in England: one woman was
raped,
eighteen people got divorced, 20 women had abortions, and 24 children
were
born to women without husbands. These same events will be repeated in
the
next hour, and in the hour after that. As you go through your daily
routine
of sleeping and waking, this sorry state of events will continue, and
the
number of victims will continue to escalate.
What possible answer
can
there be? How can these barbaric crimes against women be reduced, if
not
eliminated altogether? The path of supposed equality between the sexes
is only making the problem worse, and any sane person can see that the
world is moving away from a civilized state towards a position of
barbarity
and ignorance (jahiliyyah). Very much like that which
prevailed
before the advent of Islam. In a society which considers itself to be
at
the forefront of civility and human concerns, how can the low standards
of morality that prevail nowadays be accepted?
What are the solutions
to
these problems? For the people who are blessed with sincerity and
understanding,
there is no need to search far afield. Who better to guide, than the
Creator
of men and women, Allah Himself? When comparing Western practices to
the
values of Islam, it will soon be apparent where people have gone wrong
and how Islam may steer people back on to the right path.
The single most common
cause
of the problems discussed above is the fact that Western society
encourages
the free mixing of men and women. The natural modesty of one sex
towards
the other is regarded as backward, unfashionable and uncivilized. Any
effort
to retain a sense of modesty is immediately labelled as "oppressive" or
"repressive". Yet considering the disastrous consequences of free
mixing,
from the above statistics, the appropriate course of behaviour to be
undertaken
is clear.
Recent Psychologists
reports
agree that when there are two persons of opposite genders in enclosed
surroundings,
sexual ideas and connotations are bound to pass through their minds.
The
casual and frequent manner in which such encounters are allowed to
occur
in an atmosphere of free mixing sets the stage for most of the
calamities
suffered by women today. Acting upon these impulses leads to all the
woes
of modern society: Abortion, divorce, single parent families, suicide,
rape and all the other heart breaking social ills. Fourteen hundred
years
ago, the Prophet Muhammad warned humanity about the hazards of free
mixing
and advised extreme caution. In this matter, he informed us that when
a man and a woman are alone together, the third one present will be the
Shayran (Satan), working to implant mischief between the two.
As stated earlier, 75%
of
all rapes are committed by men who know their victims personally. In
the
workplace, 38% of men in positions of power abuse their position to
take
advantage of women working with them. The most frequent cause of
divorce
is adultery, which is made easy by the free mixing of the sexes. The
reason
that children as young as 15 are getting pregnant is because the
schools,
which were once segregated, have become "co-educational", and are now
dens
of iniquity where peer pressure reigns supreme and promiscuity is the
order
of the day. The abortion rate simply reflects the low esteem in which
human
life is held.
In the Western world,
equality
for women has meant looking the same as men, doing the same jobs as
them,
and exhibiting the same behaviour and characteristics as men. Western
societies
have paid the price for this unnatural approach, by suffering huge
losses
of morality and human values. Equality of the sexes does not mean that
both men and women should look the same. In a society where money,
beauty
and masculinity are what counts, a woman has to work, dress and behave
like a man and at the same time stay pretty like a model in order to
stand
on equal terms with men. This is to the detriment of her moral values
and
feminine nature.
Islam has set out the
unique
and complementary roles of both men and women, an issue which will be
examined
more closely later. First, the misinformation campaign directed at most
Westerners which conveys to them that Islam preaches inhuman practices
and the Oppression of women need to be emphasised. Opponents of Islam
usually
maliciously manipulate the fact that Muslim women are required to dress
modestly, and are prohibited from mixing freely with the opposite sex.
A further whip is drawn to bash Islam with by distorting the facts
regarding
polygny. They misconstrue these Islamic teachings as evidence and
portray
Islam as preaching suppression of women. The West has been so
successful
in propagating these distorted views that even some Muslims have fallen
victim to it. This should hardly come as a surprise when it is known
that
Muslims tend to be more familiar with Western literature than their own
Islamic heritage. In Britain alone, between 1960 and 1978 over 22,000
books
and 43,000 journals published material slandering the teachings of
Islam.
When every form of media and education such as, television, schools,
teachers,
friends, colleagues, books, newspapers and magazines are all conveying
this distorted message that Islam oppresses women; it is no wonder that
those who are poorly educated, in the facts of the matter, are so
easily
distracted away from the right path.
To counter this tide of
misinformation,
a general need to educate society at large about the true Islamic
teachings
regarding women needs to be urgently undertaken. The Qur'an and ahadith
are
quite explicit on this matter and the next chapter explains the proper
status of women in Islam according to these sources.
Islam The choice of Thinking Women - PART 1- WOMAN A CROSS CULTURE PERSPECTIVE
It has been
through
Allah's Mercies and Blessings that I have been able to complete this
book,
which I began in Sha'ban 1414 AH (February 1994). I am a Muslim, a fact
which I must make clear to the reader from the outset, for this is a
book
with an objective, to clarify what is arguably the most frequently
discussed
aspect of my faith: the position of women in Islam. In doing so, I wish
to take this matter beyond the usual defense of Islam and seek a
positive
understanding of why women are embracing Islam in increasing numbers. I
will also examine the role of feminism in today's world.
For far too
long,
Muslims have had to put up with the criticism, based on ignoance, that
their faith is "irrational in the modem age". Islam, and Muslim women
in
particular, continue to be subjected to ridicule and mockery throughout
the Western world. In all of this the media play a key role in
orchestrating
misinformation, slander and downright lie about Islam.
Despite the
almost
superhuman efforts to break the spirit of Islam in Muslims, this faith
remains the fastest growing religion in the world. In Europe and North
America the progress of Islam is well documented in census reports.
Moreover,
it is reported that out of every ten "new" Muslims, seven are women.
Speculation
abounds as to why individuals - especially women - accept Islam when
they
have been bombarded, courtesy of the Western media, with inaccurate and
demeaning "information" about the faith. The simple fact remains that
when
the light of truth shines into the soul, the mind and heart are opened
and every aspect of the human being submits to the Creator of the
Universe.
This transformation suppresses materialistic, worldly desires, and
brings
about serenity, contentment, and inner peace.
A common
error
is the assumption that Islam is merely a "religion", in the sense that
it defines belief in God, or prescribes certain acts of worship to be
performed
or rules to be complied with. In fact, Islam is much more than a
"religion"
in this narrow sense. It is a Been, a complete way of life
which
encompasses every aspect of human life, from the "religious" to the
social,
economical, medical and political.
The core of
Islam
is Tawhid No matter how uneducated, remote or isolated a
Muslim
may be, Tawhid is the focus of his or her belief. This firm
and
unequivocal belief in the absolute uniqueness of Allah, the Lord and
Creator
of all, is the very essence of Islam. Belief in Tawhid is to affirm
that there is only One Creator and Sustainer Who deserves to be
worshipped
and obeyed. Our belief is clear:
Say: He is
Allah,
the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is
He
begotten; And there is none like unto Him.
[al-Ikhlas
112.1-4]
Allah is
He,
other than Whom there is no other god - Who knows (all things) both
secret
and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Allah is
He,
other than Whom there is no other god the Sovereign, the Holy One, the
Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver
of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory
to
Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He is
Allah,
the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, declares His
Praises and Glory, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
[al-Hashr
59 22-24]
Allah!
There
is no god but He the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber
can
seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth.
Who
is there that can intercede in His presence except as He permits He
knows
what (appears to His creatures as) Before or After or Behind them. Nor
shall they compass ought of His knowledge except as He wills. His
Throne
extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in
guarding
and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).
[al-Baqarah
2.255]
The
individual's
voluntary submission to Allah through sincere belief in Tawhid brings
emancipation
from worldly, materialistic bonds, and raises the Muslim, the one who
submits
to the will of Allah, to a higher level. This submission liberates
individuals
from all false worship, whether it be of the occult, of money, of
fortune
telling, of material gods, of "saints", of those who pretentiously
claim
to be intermediaries acting on behalf of God, of self conceit and of
arrogance.
This submission also frees human beings from the burden of social and
peer
pressure, as the Muslim submits to the will of Allah, and to nothing
and
no one else. It provides a person with positive identity and definite
position
in relation to the rest of creation and to other human beings.
Moreover,
it grants him or her direct access to Allah, the Creator of all.
A Muslim who
has
freely accepted Islam thus submits to the will of Allah and obeys His
commandments.
Human beings know about these commandments through Risalah
(Prophethood):
Allah
has sent His Guidance through chosen people whom we call Prophets or
Messengers,
who conveyed Allah's message to their fellow humans. The chain of Risalah
began with Adam and continued through numerous Prophets including
Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Jesus, culminating in
the Prophethood of Muhammad (may peace be upon all the Prophets and
Messengers
of Allah). Some Prophets were given books of guidance, such as the
Tawrat(Torah)
of Moses, the Injeel(Gospel) of Jesus and the Qur'an brought by
Muhammad
.1 The Qur'an is the final book of guidance revealed by Allah to
mankind,
and it supersedes all previous scriptures which by admission of their
adherents,
as is well known, have been altered and distorted over the centuries.
The
Qur'an is the only scripture that has remained in its original form
since
its revelation fourteen hundred years ago. The Holy Qur'an itself
states:
Alif,Lam,
Mim.
Allah! There is no god but He -the Living, the Self subsisting, Eternal.
It is He
Who
sent down to you (step by step) in truth, the Book, confirming what
went
before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of
Jesus).
Before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (of
judgement between right and wrong). Then those who reject faith in the
Signs of Allah will suffer the severest penalty, and Allah is Exalted
in
Might, Lord of Retribution.
From
Allah,
verily nothing is hidden on earth or in the heavens. He it is Who
shapes
you in the wombs as He pleases. There is no god but He, the Exalted in
Might, the Wise.
[Al
'Imran 3:1-6]
The faith of
Islam
as we know it today (for it must be borne in mind that all the Prophets
taught submission to the will of Allah, or Islam) is derived from the
Holy
Qur’an and the teachings, examples and practices of Allah's final
Messenger,
Prophet Muhammad which collectively are known as his Sunnah. Every
minute detail of the Prophet's lifestyle, conduct and statements were
memorised
by his Companions, who put his example into practice and passed on
reports
of what they had seen him do, or had heard from him, to subsequent
generations.
These reports or ahadith (singular: hadith) were
later subjected
to intense scrutiny by scholars who recorded them and classified them
into
different levels of "soundness" or authenticity. The greatest recorder
of ahadith was Imam al-Bukhari, who spent sixteen years
compiling
reports of the Prophet's words and deeds in his famous collection of ahadith,
Sahih al-Bukhari. His scrupulous attention to detail and
authenticity
leave us in no doubt concerning the book he left us.
It is this
straightforward
presentation, practical application, sincere reaching and equal
treatment
for all in Islam that have attracted multitudes of people towards the
honest
teachings of the word of Allah.
The spread of
Islam
in the Western world has been so rapid that he media has taken to
publishing
alarmist statistics and issuing "tenoint security plans" to safeguard
individuals!
The media is at the orefront of creating Islamaphobic environment. The
media is nrelenting in it's efforts to misguide people about the truth
of Islam, nd appears especially keen to convince the world at large
that
Islam "oppresses" women. But they are failing spectacularly, because -
as stated earlier- seven out of every ten Western converts to Islam are
women. Within the last decade, an estimated ten thousand British women
have accepted and are practicing Islam. Most of the new converts are
middle
class, well-educated, and have professional backgrounds.
Life in
Britain
today, as in most of the Western world, lacks cohesion, guidance and
purpose.
"New" Muslims have found the truth and a perfect code of conduct in
Islam
through which they have improved their life in this world and have
definitely
secured salvation in the life to come.
In order to
fully
appreciate the role Islam continues to play in liberating women from
cultural
oppression which is perpetrated in the name of "freedom", we need to
look
at women's status through the ages in various societies. I start with
an
overview of the period prior to the advent of Islam. The second chapter
presents the sad and depressing picture of the plight of women who have
espoused to the liasse faire culture of the Western society.
Anyone
with the slightest concern for humanity and the social welfare of human
beings will be greatly perturbed by some of the calamities faced by
women
in this supposedly advanced society. I then turn to the teachings of
the
Qur’an and the Prophet on the role, position and integrity of
women
in Islam.
No book,
which
deals with the issue of women, can ignore the aspirations of the
feminist
movement, so I have included a discussion of their theories. The
theories
of leading feminists, the views and debates raging within feminism and
academia have been reported. I have sought to examine their practical
application
in the light of Islamic teachings.
I hope and
pray
that by the time the readers complete the book, they will have gained a
deeper insight into the position of women in Islam, the detrimental
effect
on the moral, social and personal status of the women in the West by
adopting
and following a way of life suited to their personal desires and
finally,
a clearer understanding of Islamic teachings on this issue.
This book is
merely
an introduction to some of the major topics regarding women. Any
shortcomings
detected herein are due entirely to my own weaknesses. I pray to Allah
for His forgiveness. However, I hope that after reading this work
others
will be inspired to join in this monumental work of researching and
presenting
true Islamic teachings, and improve upon my efforts. It is my ardent
desire
that readers will find the warmth, sincerity and honesty of Islamic
teachings
reflected in this book, and that this will encourage a deeper
understanding
of Islam, through which mankind's sufferings and miseries can be
elevated.
Adam Patel
Leicester
Muharram 1418
AH MAY 1997 CE
May 1997
achieved far more for women's emancipation and equality than what many
of today's feminists realize. Judging Islam by their own secularized
and often atheist standards, many members of the feminist's movement
denounce the way of life chosen by Allah for woman and man, without
knowing or deeply understanding what they are really criticizing. It is
only Islam that has lifted women from the abyss of oppression to
previously unknown levels of freedom and respectability, levels which
are unmatched even in today's so called "civilized" world.
GREEK AND
ROMAN CIVILIZATION
In the days
of ignorance, prior to the advent of Islam, women in many cultures
throughout the world were considered little more than commodities,
objects of desire to be bought and sold like livestock. According to
Prof. Wil Durant, "In Rome, the man alone had any rights before the law
in the early republic; he alone could buy, hold or sell property, or
make contracts. Even his wife's dowry in this period belonged to him;
if his wife was accused of a crime she was committed to him for
judgement, and he could punish her by condemning her to death for
infidelity or for stealing the keys to his wine cellar. Over his
children he had the power of life, death and sale into slavery... Birth
itself was an adventure in Rome. If the child was deformed or female,
the father was permitted by custom to expose it to death".'
Neither did
the Greek philosophers show a great deal of concern for females.
Aristotle stated: "... We may thus conclude that it is a natural law
that there should be naturally ruling elements and elements naturally
ruled ... The rule of the freeman over the slave is one kind of rule;
that of the male over the female another... The slave is entirely
without the faculty of deliberation; the female indeed possesses it,
but it is a form which remains inconclusive".'
The Greeks
considered women to belong to the third (lowest) rank of society. If a
woman gave birth to a deformed child, it was common practice to kill
her. In Sparta, which was acknowledged as an elite society, a woman who
could no longer bear children was put to death. The Spartans also took
women away from their husbands to be inseminated by "brave and strong
men" of other communities. The Greeks in general considered women to be
insignificant creatures who could not be dear to the "gods".
Hippolytus'
invective against women, in the tragedy by Euripides, sums up the Greek
view:
"O Zeus,
whatever possessed you to put an ambiguous misfortune amongst men by
bringing women to the light of day? If you really wanted to sow the
race of mortals, why did it have to be born of women? How much better
it would be if men could buy the seed of sons, paying for it with gold,
iron or bronze in your temples, and could live free, without women in
their houses".2
JUDAISM
Orthodox Jews
who have held on to the classical teachings of Judaism have come under
great strain from within as their practices are seen as sexually
oppressive. The Talmud, a book pertaining to the Jewish civil
and ceremonial law, states, 'It is impossible for there to be a world
without males and females. Nevertheless happy is the man whose children
are males and woe to the man whose children are females'.3
Superiority
of the male child is further emphasized by several customs. On the
birth of a male child the parents invite guests to a Kiddush, a
celebratory meal after Sabbath, where there is no such custom after the
birth of a female child. In education, it is not considered appropriate
to educate the females beyond what is necessary to learn regarding the
practices ordained in the Jewish scriptures to the women.'
When a boy reaches adulthood a ritual called, her mitzvah, ‘son of the
commandment’ further celebrates his maturity. The boy who has now
become a man can be counted to make up a quorum, (minyan), which
is needed for certain prayers and for public worship in the synagogue,
for which ten free male adults are required. Whereas women cannot be
counted to make up a quorum (minyan).2 There are no parallel
celebration for women in Jewish custom. The inequality and injunction
towards female oppression is further to be found in the law relating to
divorce. A woman has no right of divorce. Even if her husband
disappears without trace, without the evidence of his death, she can
not remarry3. A man has the only right of divorce, and many men have
abused this right by abandoning women but not divorcing them, thereby
restricting them to remarry.
According to
Le Bonn the male Orthodox Jew solemnly recites, "Blessed art Thou, O
Lord our God, King of the Universe, that I was not born a female".
The
inequalities in Jewish scriptures and traditions is experiencing
pressure for change, from within, to be more equitable. The liberating
ideologies have brought many changes to Judaism. There has been a
recent introduction for the celebration of a girl attaining puberty
called: bar mitzvah (compared with boys called bar
mitzvah). In education, despite the ruling of Zohar, that the
Torah was meant only to be given over to males,4 the girls education
has become an established feature. In divorce, today the law has been
changed so that the couples first turn towards the state courts for
separation and then gain a religious divorce.
HINDUISM
Women fared
little better in other belief-systems. In Hinduism, the perfect woman
is the pativrata, the devoted wife whose entire existence is
dedicated to her husband. The very word pativrata says it all:
"she whose vow ( vista) is to her husband ( pati) ". During
her lifetime, the good Hindu wife is expected to regard her husband as
her own personal god, for the man ordained to be a woman's husband is
regarded as far more than a man: he is the incarnation of the supreme
law in her life, the definition and summation of her religious duty.
After a blameless life, such a woman should ideally die before her
husband. If by some mischance she does not, then she may put that right
by taking her own life on her husband's funeral pyre. This horrific
rite, known as satee, was until very recently still being
practiced in India, and the government has had to intervene to abolish
it. Nevertheless, for devout Hindus a woman who is satee is worshipped
as a goddess, the perfect example of the self-sacrificing wife.'
A book on the
ancient discipline of Sanskrit religious law, Draramasastra, includes
a chapter on "the religious status and duties of women," stridharmapaddhati.
The author (or, more accurately, the compiler) of this work,
Tryambaka, was an orthodox pandit living in Thanjavur, in what is now
the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The ruling on women generally
places them at the level of a subordinate citizen. For example: a wife
has no right over her husband's property. Property owned jointly by the
wife and husband may be distributed by the husband alone, but the wife
needs his permission. Even with various kinds of 'women's property',
such as gifts from her husband or her own family, a woman still needs
her husbands permission to exercise her rights of ownership.
Tryambaka's
stark message is defined in three ways. Firstly, a wife should have no
regard for her own life. Secondly, she should even allow herself to be
sold, if her husband should wish it. Thirdly, obedience to her husband
takes precedence over all other duties, including religious ones. In
essence, however, this law contains only one point: that a woman's
highest duty is to her husband.
ARABIA PRE
ISLAM
Prior to
Islam, in Arabia, the Arabs treated women with contempt: it was
customary for infant gals to be buried alive at birth. Men could have
as many wives as they wished, and all were effectively enslaved, and
would be inherited as possessions when the husband died. Among the
pre-Islamic Arabs, when a man died, his eldest son or other close
relative had the right to possess his widow or widows, marrying them
himself if he so desired.
Before and
during the time of the Prophet Muhammad Hi, Persia was ruled by the
Sassanids who practiced Zoroastrianism. Their faith demanded total
obedience of the wife to the husband. A wife was required to declare,
"I will never cease, all my life, to obey my husband". Failure to do so
would lead to divorce. A wife had no say in any matters and her husband
could lend her, for a fee, to others. If a woman did not produce any
children, she would be abandoned, if she was lucky; more often than
not, a barren wife would be killed.
EUROPE
Britain and
most of Europe, in the same period was just recovering from the lengthy
Roman occupation, which was followed by the arrival of Christianity.
European society was a highly fragmented one, in which tribal wars and
kingly struggles to gain control over the land and people were
commonplace. With very few exceptions, women had little or no active
role to play in such affairs. As the dawn of Islam was starting to
illuminate the long shadow of oppression on women, the French in the
same period (586 CE) were claiming compassion and civility by passing a
resolution, after great deliberation and controversy, that woman can be
classified as a human being, however she is created for the sole
purpose of serving man.'
CHRISTIANITY
The title of
this section, by definition, is somewhat ambiguous, since the term
'Christianity' covers such a varied set of beliefs and practices. As
one commentator put it, "Christianity is always adapting itself into
that which is believable". (Or not, as the case may be). The apparent
flexibility of this religion creates immediate problems for
discussions, since it is easy for anyone to counter what is said about
Christianity with the latest amended pronouncements of the Vatican, or
Anglican Synod, or of other Churches. It is very much like trying to
describe a desert landscape controlled by moving sand. The broad nature
of Christian division must also be kept in mind: what holds true in one
sect, such as the Church of England (Anglicanism), may not be true in
another, such as Roman Catholicism. Nevertheless, if we look to the
supposed sources of Christianity, the Old and New Testaments of the
Bible, and the scholarly work produced elsewhere, there is sufficient
evidence to suggest that women have, over the centuries, received a raw
deal from the Mother (!) Church.
According to
the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Christianity did not bring a
revolutionary social change to the position of women". Indeed, "in the
world of the early church, women were held in very low esteem, and this
was the basis for divorce practices that put women practically at men's
complete disposal". This is in keeping with the "Old Testament view of
marriage as an institution primarily concerned with the establishment
of a family, rather than sustaining the individual happiness of the
marriage partners", a view which has "strongly influenced" Christianity.
When the
"Kingdom of God" is established, marriage which was understood to be a
part of the old, passing, order will not exist. According to the Bible
as it exists today, the risen ones will "neither marry nor be given in
marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven". (Mark 12:25).
Similarly, St. Paul's understanding of marriage in the light of the
coming kingdom of God was as follows: "... the time is short. From now
on those who have wives should live as if they had none... For the
world in its present form is passing away". (1 Corinthians 7:29-30).
The early Christians believed that the end of time was relatively near,
so marriage was not deemed worthwhile, as it would involve what were
regarded as unnecessary troubles: "I would like you to be free from
concern" (1 Corinthians 7:32). So it was felt that the unmarried,
widowers and widows would fare better if they did not marry. Celibacy
was demanded, not only of ascetics and monks, but of increasing numbers
of the clergy, as a matter of duty.
The Bible, a
book which conclusive evidence proves to have been written by men and
to contain only fragments of the original revealed Books given to
Prophets over the centuries (including the Torah, Psalms and Gospel),
contain many references to the position of women in society. For
example:
"As in all
the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the
churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as
the Law says". (1 Corinthians 14:33-34)
The ideology of the female being
inferior is indoctrinated from birth:
"... A woman who becomes pregnant
and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days...
If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be
unclean....". (Leviticus 12:1,5)
"Wives,
submit to your husbands... For the husband is the head of the wife as
Christ is the head of the Church". (Ephesians 5:22 23)
"Then the
Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman
said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.' ... To the woman he said,
'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain will you
give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he
will rule over you'." (Genesis 3:13.16)
St. Paul
said: "The head of the woman is the man ... for a man ... is the image
and glory of God. I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence". '
Based on the
Biblical image of Eve as a seductive temptress, Christian theologians
have historically associated women with sexuality and viewed her with
deep suspicion, loathing and fear. Throughout the history of
Christianity and the Roman Church, theologians, moralists and ethicists
have inveighed against women as corrupt, weak, lustful and evil
"daughters of Eve", who are to be shunned and avoided at all costs.2
The post-Christian feminist Mary Daly insists that since the Genesis
stories were written by men, and their conception of God is irrevocably
androcentric, they cannot be applied to or by women.
Interestingly,
in his 1988 Encyclical, Pope John Paul II stated his belief that
mothers are more important than fathers when it comes to raising
children. There is no connection between man's procreative role in
conception and their social role as fathers, and it is only I mothers
who are socially defined by their procreative role.
BRITISH HISTORY
English
common law stated that upon marriage, a woman lost the rights she
possessed when single. All of her property transferred to her husband
and both she and it fell under his complete control. He did not even
have to account to her. She could not transfer her property, nor enter
into contracts in her own name, nor could she sue or be sued. In
effect, marriage meant civil death.
A court case
in 1840, quoted by O'Faolain and Martines, highlights how
insignificantly women were held in British society:
"The
question raised in this case is, singularly whether by common law the
husband, in order to prevent his wife from eloping, has a right to
confine her in his own dwellings and restrain her from liberty, for an
indefinite time... There can be no doubt the husband has by law power
and dominion over his wife, and may keep her by force... and beat her,
but not in a violent or cruel manner".'
As late as
1856, women in Britain were not allowed to keep their earnings, and had
no rights of inheritance. In that year, women petitioned parliament,
which was composed solely of male members, to allow married women to
keep their own earnings and inherited property. In 1857, divorced women
were granted the same rights as single women, but married women had to
wait until 1893 to receive the same rights.
Throughout
the nineteenth century, women became more aware of their lack of basic
rights in society, and towards the end of the century, a significant
movement for change developed, and the suffragettes campaigned for
women's right to vote. The political franchise had for centuries been
restricted to property owners only, and had only recently (in the mid
nineteenth century) been extended to all males over the age of 21.
Women had to wait until 1928 for this right to be granted to them.
Equal pay for equal work took longer: This was not won until 1975. It
is clear, then, that Western Europe in general, and Britain in
particular, were very late in developing basic rights and equal status
for women, contrary to what the moral high ground taken by critics of
Islam portray.
This is the
global context into which the Prophet of Mercy, Muhammad brought his
message, and liberated women from the oppression of men and offered
them the shade, mercy and equality of Islam. At a time when the entire
world treated women with contempt, when women were unable even to
question their status, let alone demand basic human and civic rights,
Islam came like a beacon blazing forth in the darkness liberating and
elevating them.
To discuss
how Islam enhanced the role and status of women in seventh-century
Arabia, without addressing present day issues would be a great
disservice to the readers. Islam (submission to the will of the
Creator, Allah) which all the Prophets called to, is the religion
for all the people and for all times, equally applicable to all.
today's feminists supposedly, fighting against oppression and
subjugation of women, would disagree that women l should be viewed as
the equals of men? That female infanticide, for any reason, be it
social or economic, is evil? Those in theological terms, women should
be viewed as equal with men in the sight of the Almighty, and be
rewarded equally for their virtues? That, as wives, they are entitled
to mutual consultation in the affairs of their families? That they
should be allowed to possess assets and have a right to their own
businesses and incomes? That they should be entitled to inherit from
their parents, husbands and other relatives? That they should be
allowed to live freely without the fear of being molested or raped?
That they should be free from the danger of sexual harassment and
should not be portrayed merely as sex objects or as objects of male
desires? That the honour of their bodies be protected from pornographic
portrayals? That their suffering in childbirth should be recognized,
appreciated and rewarded? For all of these basic rights and more, women
of all colours, creeds and social status have had to fight tooth and
nail. It is only Islam that has promoted women's rights from the very
outset. Islam granted them liberation from the evils of inequality,
hundreds of years, before the word "liberation" became fashionable.
Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality- PART 10- Wife's Property?
Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality
By
Sherif Abdel Azeem
10. Wife's Property?
The three religions share an unshakeable belief in the importance of
marriage and family life. They also agree on the leadership of the
husband over the family. Nevertheless, blatant differences do exist
among the three religions with respect to the limits of this
leadership. The Judaeo-Christian tradition, unlike Islam, virtually
extends the leadership of the husband into ownership of his wife.
The Jewish tradition regarding the husband's role towards his wife
stems from the conception that he owns her as he owns his slave. 19
This conception has been the reason behind the double standard in the
laws of adultery and behind the husband's ability to annul his wife's
vows. This conception has also been responsible for denying the wife
any control over her property or her earnings. As soon as a Jewish
woman got married, she completely lost any control over her property
and earnings to her husband. Jewish Rabbis asserted the husband's right
to his wife's property as a corollary of his possession of her: "Since
one has come into the possession of the woman does it not follow that
he should come into the possession of her property too?", and "Since he
has acquired the woman should he not acquire also her property?" 20
Thus, marriage caused the richest woman to become practically
penniless. The Talmud describes the financial situation of a wife as
follows: "How can a woman have anything; whatever is hers belongs to
her husband? What is his is his and what is hers is also his...... Her
earnings and what she may find in the streets are also his. The
household articles, even the crumbs of bread on the table, are his.
Should she invite a guest to her house and feed him, she would be
stealing from her husband..." (San. 71a, Git. 62a)
The fact of the matter is that the property of a Jewish female was
meant to attract suitors. A Jewish family would assign their daughter a
share of her father's estate to be used as a dowry in case of marriage.
It was this dowry that made Jewish daughters an unwelcome burden to
their fathers. The father had to raise his daughter for years and then
prepare for her marriage by providing a large dowry. Thus, a girl in a
Jewish family was a liability and no asset. 21 This liability explains
why the birth of a daughter was not celebrated with joy in the old
Jewish society (see the "Shameful Daughters?" section). The dowry was
the wedding gift presented to the groom under terms of tenancy. The
husband would act as the practical owner of the dowry but he could not
sell it. The bride would lose any control over the dowry at the moment
of marriage. Moreover, she was expected to work after marriage and all
her earnings had to go to her husband in return for her maintenance
which was his obligation. She could regain her property only in two
cases: divorce or her husband's death. Should she die first, he would
inherit her property. In the case of the husband's death, the wife
could regain her pre-marital property but she was not entitled to
inherit any share in her deceased husband's own property. It has to be
added that the groom also had to present a marriage gift to his bride,
yet again he was the practical owner of this gift as long as they were
married.
Christianity, until recently, has followed the same Jewish tradition.
Both religious and civil authorities in the Christian Roman Empire
(after Constantine) required a property agreement as a condition for
recognising the marriage. Families offered their daughters increasing
dowries and ,as a result, men tended to marry earlier while families
postponed their daughters' marriages until later than had been
customary. Under Canon law, a wife was entitled to restitution of her
dowry if the marriage was annulled unless she was guilty of adultery.
In this case, she forfeited her right to the dowry which remained in
her husband's hands. 24 Under Canon and civil law a married woman in
Christian Europe and America had lost her property rights until late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For example, women's rights
under English law were compiled and published in 1632. These 'rights'
included: "That which the husband hath is his own. That which the wife
hath is the husband's." The wife not only lost her property upon
marriage, she lost her personality as well. No act of her was of legal
value. Her husband could repudiate any sale or gift made by her as
being of no binding legal value. The person with whom she had any
contract was held as a criminal for participating in a fraud. Moreover,
she could not sue or be sued in her own name, nor could she sue her own
husband. A married woman was practically treated as an infant in the
eyes of the law. The wife simply belonged to her husband and therefore
she lost her property, her legal personality, and her family name.
Islam, since the seventh century C.E., has granted married women the
independent personality which the Judaeo-Christian West had deprived
them until very recently. In Islam, the bride and her family are under
no obligation whatsoever to present a gift to the groom. The girl in a
Muslim family is no liability. A woman is so dignified by Islam that
she does not need to present gifts in order to attract potential
husbands. It is the groom who must present the bride with a marriage
gift. This gift is considered her property and neither the groom nor
the bride's family have any share in or control over it. In some Muslim
societies today, a marriage gift of a hundred thousand dollars in
diamonds is not unusual. 28 The bride retains her marriage gifts even
if she is later divorced. The husband is not allowed any share in his
wife's property except what she offers him with her free consent. The
Quran has stated its position on this issue quite clearly: "And
give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they,
Of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it and
enjoy it with right good cheer" (4:4) The wife's property and earnings
are under her full control and for her use alone since her, and the
children's, maintenance is her husband's responsibility. No
matter how rich the wife might be, she is not obliged to act as a
co-provider for the family unless she herself voluntarily chooses to do
so. Spouses do inherit from one another. Moreover, a married woman in
Islam retains her independent legal personality and her family name. An
American judge once commented on the rights of Muslim women saying: "A
Muslim girl may marry ten times, but her individuality is not absorbed
by that of her various husbands. She is a solar planet with a name and
legal personality of her own."
Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality PART 9- Vows
Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality