pgs 71-74 discuss the evolution and the importance of hijab in modern society. That indeed, what may have once been used by other societies for opression has become a symbol of power, strength, and faith. That women all over the world are fighting to get back the Islam of the Prophet. The Islam that was equal for both sexes, where both sexes lived in harmony.
Today, throughout the Muslim world, a whole new generation of contemporary female scholars is reengaging the Qur'an from a prespective that has been sorely lacking in Islamic scholarship. Beginning with the notion that it is not the moral teachings of Islam but the social conditions of seventh-century Arabia and the rampant misogyny of male Quranic exegetes that has been responsible for their inferior status in Muslim society.
The so called Muslim women's movement is predicated on the idea that Muslim men, not Islam, have been responsible for the suppression of women's rights. For this reason, Muslim feminists throughout the world are advocating a return to the society Muhammad originally envisioned for his followers. Despite differences in culture, nationalities, and beliefs, these women believe that the lesson to be learned from Muhammad in Medina is a society in which Muhammad designated women like Umm Waraqa as spiritual guides for the Ummah; in which the Prophet himself was sometimes publicly rebuked by his wives; in which women prayed and fought alongside the men; in which women like Aisha and Umm Salamah acted not only as religious but also as political - and on at least on occasion military- leaders; and which the call to gather for prayer, bellowed from the rooftop of Muhammad's house, brought men and women together to kneel side by side and be blessed as a single undivided community.
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YES YES YES. Alhamdulillah, I am a firm believer that Islam grants women the natural rights they deserve, and take comfort in the fact that we are complete spiritual equals to men (everyone differs, of course, based on their levels of piety). And it truly makes me sad to see the sorry state of women in certain Islamic societies, especially since it seems like their GOD-given rights are being ignored. There were so many female sahabas that serve as terrific role models for both men and women. Their contributions to society, given the time and place that they were in, were downright revolutionary if you ask me (what especially comes to mind is the sheer amount of hadith that Aisha (ra) narrated, the number of female sahaba that memorized the entire Qur'an, and the incident where a woman publicly called out Umar (ra) for something he said and instead of scolding the woman for not "knowing her place", he agreed with her and changed his statement). If people say that they want to follow the ways of the Prophet (saw) and the sahaba, it is imperative that they learn about how the female sahaba acted. It's quite different from how Muslim women are living today.
ReplyDelete(in which women prayed and fought alongside the men)
ReplyDeleteTHIS!
How many muslims men today would allow a muslim women -who is willing to fight to defend herself- in the battle field?
They would just send her away to let the men "do all the manly stuff".
The Prophet praised and honoured the women who shed blood in the battle to defend him and their families. He didn't feel like "less of a man" because a woman saved his life.
Interesting. Of course, I've heard it argued that the more free mixing of men and women at the time of Mohammed was acceptable because they were the Sahaba, and therefore the 'best' - they could interact with each other without the fitnah that exists between men and women in later ages. Which is why scholars progressively interpreted the restrictions between men and women more stringently as time went on.
ReplyDeleteAmber: Ah they say that. Notice the scholars are all MEN lol.
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