on Women Sufis of Delhi

The dawn of Islam changed the world's perception of women's rights,
gave them the voice to demand that which was justly theirs and
provided them with unprecedented freedoms.

History is littered with examples of women being treated as lesser
citizens and deprived of even the most basic of rights. Centuries ago
in societies such as Egypt, Rome and Greece, which were considered
the most enlightened of their day, women were at the disposal of men.

Ancient Greek philosophers believed that women were of strong emotion
but weak mind and that they had to be protected from themselves.
Women were classed as either a wife or a non-wife. The former were
kept for producing legitimate heirs, while the latter were little
more than instruments of pleasure and amusement for men.

In ancient Rome, women were thought to be only slightly more
intelligent than children. They had no right of inheritance or
ownership. A wife was the purchased property of a husband, acquired
for his benefit. A father or a husband had the right to sell his
daughter or wife to whomever he pleased. Women were treated like
chattels and were inherited by the oldest son.

After the death of a husband in ancient Egypt, all his belongings,
which included his wife or wives, were buried in his tomb. The wife
was buried so that he could benefit from a delicate and tender being
in the next world.

In Hindu scripture, a 'good' woman was described as being one "whose
mind, speech and body are kept in subjection" i.e. weak and
incapacitated. The practice of Sati, whereby a wife immolates herself
on her husband's funeral pyre was a feature of ancient Hindu
cultures. Although the practice was in theory, voluntary, many
records exist of women being physically forced to death. A case of
suspected forced Sati occurred as recently as 1987 in the Indian
state Rajasthan.

In Britain, the right for married women to own property was not
recognized until the late 19th century. Even now in some Arab
countries, women are still denied the right to vote.

The dawn of Islam

The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) considered the birth of a girl as a
blessing from God and a sign of divine attention to the newborn's
parents. The Prophet kissed his daughter's hand and described her as
a gift from God. He displayed paternal love, especially to daughters,
as a way to gain nearness to God.

The Quran describes girls as a bestowal and a symbol of trust from
God. Parents have a duty to care for the trust they have received,
and the contentment of children has even been mentioned as one of the
conditions for entering heaven. In addition, according to Islam,
looking at the face of one's mother is considered a pardon for sins.

In view of the fact that there are many differences between men and
women, the Quran states that piety is the only criterion for
superiority and not gender.

One of the first laws laid down in support of women by Islam was the
prohibition of live burials, a practice common in some regions in the
pre-Islamic era. This practice was condemned as an unlawful and
immoral act. The new laws also prohibited the horrific abuse of
women, which had been a feature of earlier cultures.

The right to an education is not equal in many societies even to this
day, but under Islam men and women have the same right to be
educated. The daughter of the Prophet, under the guidance of her
father and her husband, not only became a knowledgeable person but
also an educator of other women. Her teachings are still used and
studied by authorities in Islam.

The concept that all a woman has is owned by her husband is common
throughout history. Ownership of property is an important right that
was denied to women in many cultures. In Islam however, women are
independent in the use of their assets and their husbands have no
right to interfere. Khadijah was the richest of the women of Arabia
when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) married her. As his wife, she willingly
put her wealth at the disposal of the Prophet to be used in the way
of Islam.

Islam obliges a husband to provide everything that his wife had in
her father's house. According to Islam, a woman is not forced to work
in her husband's house and may even ask for money in return for the
tasks she performs.

Islam also holds men and women as no different in regard to working.
Women must perform social duties and are generally free in choosing
their profession.

In Islam, women have the right to choose their own spouse, and
parents are only able to give advice regarding their choice of
husband. Islamic law completely disapproves of arranged marriages.
The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) nullified marriages that had been forced
upon women without their consent and approval.

Islam says a close relationship between a husband and wife where
partners are equal in their attention to one another is important to
guarantee the strength of the family. According to Islam, a better
and healthier life depends upon relationships being realized in this
way.

Contributing to important social decisions, for example through
voting, is also one of the first rights that Islam gave to both men
and women. All Muslims are encouraged to participate in this
important social duty.

The truth of Islam's views on women, however, has widely been twisted
by governments, corporations and individuals across the world. This
may be due to ignorance or a lack of understanding, or at worst a
deliberate attempt to misrepresent the teachings of Islam. For some,
ignorance has become the best tool to control the masses and a lack
of information on the part of individuals has played into the hands
of those who seek to counter the growing popularity of the religion.

Muslim Women

Daughters are without doubt a great blessing from Almighty Allah. They are a means of salvation and a path to Jannah for their parents. The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has stated that when a boy is born, then he brings one Noor (light) and when a girl is born, then she brings two Noors. It has been narrated in a Hadith that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has stated that if parents are kind and generous towards their daughters, then they will be so close to the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in Jannah, like one finger is to the next. The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has also stated that the person who is faced with hardship due to his daughters, and makes Sabr (is patient), then his daughters will be a Purdah (curtain) between him and Hell.

The crux of one narration states that one who loves his daughters and withstands the hardship of grooming and getting them married, then Almighty Allah makes Jannah Waajib (compulsory) on him and keeps him protected from the Fire of Hell.

Hazrat Khwaja Uthman Haaroni (radi Allahu anhu), the Peer-o-Murshid of Khwaja-e-Khwajegaan, Hazrat Sheikh Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaaz (radi Allahu anhu), states: "Daughters are a gift from Almighty Allah. Those parents who are kind towards them, then Almighty Allah is generous towards such parents. Those who are merciful to their daughters, Almighty Allah is Merciful towards them." The great Saint also said, "When a girl is born to a family, then between the parents and Hell, there shall be a distance of five hundred years."

It has been stated that when parents rejoice at the birth of a daughter, this is greater than making Tawaaf of the Kaaba seventy times. Muslims should also remember that the family of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) is from his beloved daughter Sayyidah Fatima Zahra (radi Allahu anha).

Dear brothers and sisters, rejoice on the birth of your daughters, love and guide them and give them that which is due to them from your belongings. Do not deprive them of their inheritance as they also have say in this. Remember! Daughters are a blessing and not a burden.

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ISLAMIC HIJAB - ARE MUSLIM WOMEN OPPRESSED?
The feeling still persists in society that Muslim women wear Hijab or the outer covering because they are slaves to tradition, so much so that it is seen as a symbol of oppression. Western society says that women's liberation and independence is impossible unless they first remove the Hijab. This view is not correct. Why do Muslim women wear the outer covering that sometimes covers their face and hides the rest of their body?

Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran, Chapter 33, Verse 59: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons; that is better, that they should be known (as such) and not be molested." And in Chapter 24, Verse 31: "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 appear thereof; that they should draw their scarves over their bosoms - "

Muslim women all over the world are wearing Hijab as a religious requirement and a sign of respect, not out of a misdirected sense of "tradition." It is both a sign of a women's obedience to Allah and a manifestation of her faith. The Hijab is part of a Muslim's religious identity. It gives women dignity and self-respect.

Islam commands women to cover their bodies so as not to trouble men who are weak and unable to resist temptation. In Islam, men and women are commanded to dress modestly and not appear "naked" in public, even in all male and female situations.

Just as a short skirt or a see-through dress can send the signal that the wearer is available to men, so the Hijab signals, loud and clear: "I am forbidden to you." Wearing the Hijab protects the female from harassment and men. It is the western women who are to be pitied for displaying their private self for all to see.

An American, Ruth Anderson, has said: "Hijab is not a sign of backwardness, ignorance or mental incompetence, but a woman's duty and her right."

A women in Hijab is like a jewel that is of high exceptional value and that which must be kept hidden. Wearing the Hijab is a choice that Muslim women make. To discard the Hijab or expose that part of her body ordered covered by the Divine Law is to disobey Islamic principles and a women's basic Islamic belief.

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RE-INTRODUCTION OF HIJAAB IN INDONESIA
Growing popularity of Islamic dress code in Indonesia has started a new trend. Women from the middle-income group have explicitly shown escalating preference to Islamic clothes resulting in a multi-million fashion industry as admitted by Aami Waamsu, Editor of the fashion magazine "Femina."

According to Taufiq Abdullah Nigar of Indonesian Science Institute, this shocking trend has developed in the short span of the last 2 - 3 years. This has been in the wake of the recognition that Indonesian men are more respectful towards women in Islamic attire. Previously, modern Indonesian women wore tops, pants and ordinary scarves. Nowadays, preference is given to dignified loose clothing with scarves completely covering the head.

The fever has caught on to such an extent that even non-Muslim designers have resorted to designing Islamic clothes. Muslim women are active in social, religious and political fields dressed according to Islamic dressing code. A really interesting angle of this "fashion revival" is that so impressed are the non-Muslim women by this trend that they too have begun to imitate it!

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BEIJING WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN CONSPIRE TO "LIBERATE" MUSLIM WOMEN FROM ISLAM
At the Beijing World ("anti-Islam & anti-religion") Conference, "experts" talked about the need to liberate Muslim women from Islam, and in general all women from religion. It was easy to see that there were open attacks against Islam and religion in general. There were also open talks about rights for prostitutes, lesbians and homosexuals. The Conference also discussed about the rights of children over their sexual lives.

Betty Freidan, an American feminist leader and author, talked about the dangers Islamic conservatism poses to women. In a panel session entitled "Muslim Women in North America", led by a Muslim delegate chosen by the Clinton administration to represent the US as a liaison between the US and the Muslim and Arab worlds, a panel member vehemently attacked the Imams of North American Masjids for fanaticism against Muslim women in the "land of freedom".

In another session that was chaired by a feminist Hindu, she described how the Vatican had come together with Islam for the purpose of denying women's rights. Another speaker in this session, who was a liberal Catholic, encouraged women to become more "open" and to acquire power. She also said that "the biggest mistake in the universe" is to envision an "omnipotent or perfect God." Dr Riffat Hassan, a professor in Islamic studies from the University of Louisville, explained how she had been engaged in the last 20 years in developing a "feminist theology in the context of Islam".

It was also clear from the Conference that the powers who were running the UN have an agenda to impose their own "Shariah" on the entire world. Just by attending the Conference at government level, the Muslim countries accepted the principle that they could negotiate about this imposed Shariah. Muslim delegates did not realise that they were actually "dignifying" a gathering that could not be dignified.

The Conference failed to encourage the individuals need in altering their life styles in order to combat sexually transmitted diseases; did not encourage family life and morality; for women (and men) to abstain from early sex; etc. The UN also encourages that for women to work in a factory or an office is a right; to stay at home is an oppression. A woman should not be dependent of her husband; she should be dependent on her boss.

Muslims throughout the world, including all South African Muslims, must condemn and reject this Conference. What about the women in Kashmir who jumped into the Jhelum River in Kashmir to protect their honour from the Indian forces? Why did the World Conference on Women not speak about that! What about the 70, 000 Muslim women raped, abused and beaten in Bosnia? What about the millions in Iraq, Kashmir and Bosnia who are without food and medicine? The "women's right" which the Conference speaks about is far from the women's rights which Islam grants. This is nothing but an attempt by the UN and the world in condemning Islam, Islamic values and creating a world and society completely devoid of all sensibility and shame. (Facts extracted from "Impact International" - Vol.25 No.10)

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DUTY TOWARDS OUR MOTHERS
A Saint relates that once, having made intention of performing Haj, he left for Baghdad from where he was to proceed to Hijaz. In Baghdad, he arrived at the house of Hazrat Abu Hazim Makki (rahmatullahi alai) where he found Hazrat Abu Hazim Makki (rahmatullahi alai) fast asleep. When he awoke from his asleep, he came over to the Saint and told him, "I had the good fortune of seeing Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in my dream just now, and he asked me to convey a message to you."

"What is the message?" asked the Saint.

"He asked me to inform you that it would be better for you if you called off your journey to Hijaz for purpose of making Haj, and spent time looking after your ageing mother and keeping her happy at all times. This would enable you to perform your Haj in the future with Allah's Pleasure."

The Saint, upon hearing this, returned home without performing Haj.

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ESCALATION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN MUSLIM COMMUNITY
This almost taboo issue is being brought out to the open. Violence against women has reached such high levels in the Muslim community that almost 1 in 5 families is adversely affected. Whether it is physical, emotional or sexual abuse, it threatens the very existence of healthy communities. If women are abused how does a mother then fulfill her major roles as a wife and a mother? Yet Muslims in South Africa have not yet acknowledged this as one of the major social problems them all the time. Research clearly shows that children from abusive homes, themselves become abusive parents. The high rate of divorce, separation, extra-marital relationships is a daily occurance in our society. The disruption and breakdown of families leads to a variety of social problems. (Courtesy: JIMASA - Dec. 1996)

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VERY IMPORTANT NOTE
It is Haraam for women to touch the hand, feet or body of any strange man and it is also Haraam for the man to give her the permission to do so. The Mashaa'ikh and Peers of today should take a lesson from this. The evil practice of Mureedas (female Mureeds) kissing the hands and feet of their Peer-o-Murshid must stop. It is totally Haraam for both to kiss and to be kissed. It is FARD on the Sheikh to strongly forbid their female Mureeds from doing such un-Islamic acts. Sayyidah Ayesha Siddiqa (radi Allahu anha) states that there was never an instance when a woman touched the hands of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) at the time of Bai'at. Likewise, those persons who visit massage parlours, etc. and have their bodies massaged or rubbed by strange women is strictly Haraam and a great sin (Kabeera). It is Fard on them to abstain from such immoral acts and fear Allah, the All Knowing and All Powerful.