By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
20 April 2021
Islamic Scholars Should Use Their Knowledge And Resources In Teaching Muslims Their Religion And Its Correct Manifestations Towards The Whole Society
Main Points:
1. Muslims and Islamic countries are inflicting unimaginable damage to Islamic tenets of human rights.
2. Treatment of women in Islamic societies is unbelievably inequitable and unjust.
3. By being sectarian, Muslims are demeaning the Quranic tenet of coexistence, ‘For you is your religion, and for me is mine.’
4. Status of Women in Islam through the Texts of Quran and Hadees.
More than anybody or any nation, it is the Muslims and the Islamic countries that are inflicting unimaginable damage to Islamic tenets of human rights, its Prophet and his teachings by their biased approach towards people of other religions and other sects.. By being supremacist and sectarian they are demeaning the Quranic tenet of coexistence, ‘For you is your religion, and for me is mine’ (Surah Al-Kafirun - 109:1).
Treatment of women in Islamic societies is unbelievably unegalitarian. Muslims have forgotten what was commanded to them 1400 years ago. Newspapers carry oblique references to Muslim women's fight for their rights against the concerned government, not to speak of the supremacist organisations.
This is high time Islamic scholars use their knowledge and resources in teaching Muslims their religion from the very beginning of the struggle of Islam and its just manifestations towards the whole society.
It is because of the continuous incidents of forced conversions and forced marriages that even the people who admire Islamic principles from the core of their heart are busy trying to find faults within its principles and to defame it. They do it by design. It is human psychology that one goes after something that is not within his reach, to acquire - social status or knowledge, respect and honour.
By nature, human being maligns the things he is unable to stand true to, such as Islamic principles. Islamic principles or for that matter the religious principles of any other community is difficult to follow if you suffer from a superiority complex. To stand true to religious teachings, indeed even the spiritual teachings of a spiritual guru, one needs to be a humble student.
If a human being wishes to learn, he will have to be a student, not a half-cooked teacher. As the saying goes ‘half knowledge is dangerous. We find people in droves who keep promoting their understanding of everything on earth, from politics to religion, from a common man in the neighbourhood to the religious leaders, without even having an iota of knowledge about them.
Such ‘half knowledge is dangerous’: people are a bane for the thinking society. They create havoc in whatever field they belong to. The world is witness to such people bringing miseries on their countrymen with their superiority complex and their conviction about knowing everything on earth. There is no dearth of people who keep criticising ‘others’ religion even if they are not aware of its teachings. They get the kind of information they wish from the internet and go with it. They unknowingly harm the religion they belong to, as their irrelevant talks create a wrong impression of the religion they belong to. Therefore, all such people will do better to study the religion they think is against humanity in their opinion and then comment on it. A small bit of advice is that this study will take years of untiring dedication with lots of patience. But go for it, it will be worth it. It will be good that you follow a religion not by birth but by choice.
Status of Women in Islam through the Texts of Quran and Hadees
Women's status in Islam is a hot topic for the Islam bashers. Islam is the only religion that fought for women’s right, right from its inception. Not only in the Saudi peninsula but almost all part of the world, women were disregarded, disrespected and were considered unfit for social, political and warfare engagements. Women were considered weak, eligible to look after the petty things of the household chores. All other decisions were taken by men. The society before Islam’s advent was a society against women’s rights. It is Islam that taught the importance of women to society. According to a Hadees:
An apostle asked the Prophet PBUH:
“O Messenger of God, among all mankind who is it that I am much obliged to glorify?” The Prophet answered, “Your mother.” “And then who else?” again the man ask. “Your mother,” again the Prophet answered. “And then who else?” the man ask for the third time. “Your mother, still answered the Prophet. “And then who else?” asked the man for the fourth time. “Your father,” at last the Prophet said.
So, it was Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who introduced mother as the key to the heavens. Prophet (SAW) says, ‘Paradise lies under the feet of mothers’. What greater status can a religion bestow upon a woman that it has laid the heavens under the feet of a mother. Therefore men, respect your mothers with all their human rights and achieve your goal ‘the heaven’ for which you keep striving outside your house. Your heaven is inside your house in the form of your mother.
Allah, the Best Judge, commands the believers in the Holy Quran not to inherit women, in any way whatsoever or mistreat them. Men are commanded to treat women with dignity and respect. Any kind of maltreatment of a woman is against the will of Allah, so Muslims, be careful of the divine wrath that may befall upon you.
O, believers! It is not permissible for you to inherit women against their will1 or mistreat them to make them return some of the dowry ˹as a ransom for divorce˺—unless they are found guilty of adultery.2 Treat them fairly. If you happen to dislike them, you may hate something which Allah turns into a great blessing. (Surah An-Nisa - Verse:19) - Dr Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
Respecting Women is a Religious Responsibility
“Treat women nicely.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim).
“Women are twin halves of men.” (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi).
“Paradise lies under the feet of mothers”: Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
Above mentioned Ahadees point towards the fact that respecting all women, irrespective of religion, caste or creed is a divine law.
It becomes praiseworthy, respectable and honourable for all the men to treat women with honour. The Holy Quran says, “Men are support for women,” Surah An-Nisa - Verse:34
Islam because of being a universal religion talks of all in general, when it says, ‘men are support for women’. Among all the men of the world, the believers are duty-bound to support women in all respects of life. Men are not supposed to create hindrances in women’s creative works, social works and their empowerment in society. Providing support to women means, providing them moral support among all other things and not creating obstacles of any kind in their achievements.
Shaykh Mohammed Aslam, Founder of City of Knowledge & Prophet of Change, Isyllabus Tutor & International Speaker thus describes the importance of women in the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
He said, “The Prophet was born in the lap of a woman. He was delicately wrapped up and nursed by a woman. The first person to see his beautiful and illuminated smile was a woman. When his mother died in Abwa, he tearfully returned to Makkah with a woman.
“When he returned from Hira, the first person who covered him was a woman and the first person he spoke to was a woman. A woman was the first to believe in him. A woman was the first to pray with him. A woman was the first to die for him.
“When he delivered his Khutbah (sermon), a woman was the first to build a Minbar (pulpit) for him. When he left this world, he left resting his head on a woman.
“His lineage continued through a woman; and his final words were, ‘I give you counsel that you be good to your women’.”
Muslims should come forward and play the role of a torchbearer for the empowerment of women. It will be as per the tenet of the religion they follow and a social responsibility given to them by Islam.
And Allah knows the best.
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