Allies, Tolerance, Progress
Issue 367 » February 24, 2006 - Muharram 25, 1427
General
| Living the Quran |
Al-Tawba
(The Repentance)
Women, according to Sharia (or Islamic law), are counterparts of men. And in Islamic jurisprudence, there is no separate order of regulations for them. There are, however, few limited secondary regulations where a distinction is drawn between the two sexes. But these are intended purely to enable both of them to give a genuine expression of their faith in accordance with their respective human nature. But the Sharia is essentially the same, and its general rules are common for both the sexes; it is addressed to both without any distinction. The underlying presumption in the Sharia is that sex is immaterial, except where the text makes the distinction or where proof can be shown to that effect. Thus personal religious services for a woman in Islam, for instance, are the same as for a man. She has to perform her prayer, fasting, pilgrimage to the Holy Kaba and remember God. Just like men, women have to observe the general religious standards relating to personal conduct, social dealings and moral behaviour - like being truthful, fair, selfless, beneficent, righteous and well-mannered. Islam does not provide different moral codes for men and women. Even in matters of public life they, too, are expected to do their part and endure the sufferings of life as patiently as men are supposed to do. They too are expected to show solidarity with the community of believers and to forsake the comforts of their home and hearth to migrate to the state of the Muslims, to wage jihad with them, and to promote the well-being of their society. In all these matters there is no distinction between Muslim men and women. Tradition has it that Umm-Salmah said to the Prophet, "O Messenger of God! The Quran speaks of men but does not speak of us, women". As a consequence, the above-cited verse of the Quran was revealed. Islam assigns a Muslim woman a due role to play in discharging collective responsibilities which preserve the essence of the religious society in general. She must, therefore, diligently apply herself to fulfil her part; for if all Muslims neglect to discharge these collective responsibilities, she would have to answer for that default like every man. Some special obligations like maintenance of the family, attendance of group prayers, and the levy or mass general mobilization for war are too burdensome for the ordinary female. Islam has relieved women from attending to these as a matter of original, personal responsibility, if Muslim men can sufficiently attend to them. That does not mean that a woman is barred from doing any of these things. She may very well participate in all such activities even when there is no lack of men to do them. However if men are not fulfilling their due obligations in this regard, it would be her duty to compensate their default or complement their effort. None and nothing in Islam may stand in the way of a woman contributing to the general good and competing for religious achievement. The equal personal responsibilities of women in Islam are evident and clearly established. Collective duties are commonly upheld by men and women as shown in the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Source: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| Tolerance of the Prophet People react differently to the motivations and the occasions that generate feelings of sorrow and pain. Some people are provoked by ordinary things, and they become unmindful of every thing and in haste take a very unwise step. But there are also such persons that pass through various hardships and adversities and yet do not forget to behave with seriousness, wisdom, tolerance and good manners. We have seen that anger makes a man mad. A man is disgraced in his own sight, when he feels that he has been put to great humiliation, and feels that this scar cannot be removed without shedding blood. Can a man who has high moral character take such a step merely because he has to pass through sorrow and pain? Never. Those who indulge in inflicting insults on others are disgraced in their own eyes before insulting others. How Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) imbibed the qualities of tolerance and forbearance to his companions can be understood from the following tradition, which shows the foolishness of an Arab and the love and serenity of the Prophet. It is reported that a Bedouin came to the Prophet and asked for something, and the Prophet gave him something, and asked: "Did I treat you well?" The Bedouin replied: "No, you have not treated me well." Hearing this, the Muslims got angry and advanced towards him. The Prophet made a sign to stop them. Then he got up and went to his house and gave him some more gift, and again asked: "Did I treat you well?" He replied: "Yes, may Allah grant prosperity to your family." The Prophet said to him: "Whatever you have said to me, is alright in its place, but my companions are angry in regard to you, if you like you may repeat before them whatever you have said to me so that the anger from their hearts may be removed." He said that it was agreeable to him. When the morning came, he came again, and the Prophet pointed towards him and said: "On what this Arab had said, I gave him something more, and now he says that he is happy and pleased. Isn’t that so?" The Bedouin replied: "Yes, May Allah grant prosperity to your family." Then Allah's Messenger said: "My example and that of this man is like a man whose she-camel bas been lost and the people ran after her to catch her, but the animal was more startled; so that man told his companions: 'Leave me and my she-camel alone, I know her ways more and I can bring her to the right path,' Accordingly he lifted some grass from the ground in his two hands and showed it to the she-camel. It returned and sat near his feet, He tied the mount on her back and rode her," "If I were to leave you when he was using foul language, you would have killed him and he would have been sent to hell." The kind Prophet was not provoked in the beginning from the misbehaviour of the Bedouin, He understood his nature and temperament, which was like that of the illiterates who are habituated to wild and foul language, if such people are summarily punished, then they will be destroyed and it would be unjust. But the great reformers do not allow the errors of people reach such a sad end. They try to remove the ignorance and emotionalism of the people by their tolerance and forbearance. Source: |
| Words of Wisdom |
The True religion cannot stand against useful progress True religion cannot stand against useful progress. If history has recorded on account of a few religions and their men their stand against progress, it is because they were not the true religion of Allah. They were deviated and changed, and lost their authenticity and superiority. They were instantaneous religions which Allah had not promised to preserve. The best illustration of that is Christianity as it was in the west. There, the church used to back ignorance against science, folklore against intellect, the king against the people, and the strong against the weak. When the west perceived a shade of light, which originally came from the Muslim east, the angry populations rebelled against injustice and obscurity. It judged the men of the church in the same way as it judged the men of injustice and tyranny and thus they chanted, "Choke the last of the kings with the guts of the last of the priests". As to Islam, Allah willed that it be the comprehensive and eternal message for all humanity after it attained full maturity, and deserved that this message be revealed to it. Thus it is no surprise that it was based from its beginning upon the respect of the mind and intellect, opposed to imitation and inertia in favour of science and wisdom, and dependent on proof and evidence, and the glorification of the benefits of science and its people, the return to the men of knowledge and expertise, and the incitement to work and action and dread of slackness and idleness. It is also no surprise that we find that the eternal Book of Islam, the Book of Allah tells us in the story of the father of Humankind (Adam) about science as the first requisite of representation of Allah on earth, and that it is thanks to it that Adam surpassed angels. It also tells us in the story of Noah about the manufacture of boats, and the story of David about ironwork and the making of armoury, and in the story of Suleiman about the genie making for him anything that he wants. It also tells us about economic planning - over a period of fourteen years- in the story of Joseph. It also tells us about the military and civilian uses of iron, in a special Surah named The Iron. We also find the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him), confirming the results of observation and experimentation in the matters of life even if it contradicted his own personal view, as in the case of the pollination of palm trees, that is when he said, "You are more knowledgeable in the matters of the world." It is also no surprise that under the umbrella of such religion that many states have established themselves and eventually inherited the two of the largest empires which the world has ever known. They were established by some of the followers of the Messenger of Allah on the strongest bases and the sturdiest pillars, including a combination of religion and worldly matters. There grew under its sovereignty a civilisation of gigantic buildings and high pillars which benefited from the heritage of the past, refined it, improved upon it, and added to it its own contributions and creation. It did not find anything in Islam that would hinder its advancement, or delay its progress. In fact, it found in it encouragement which made it multiply its efforts and activities. It found in it also security that holds whether it remained or strayed from its path. It is no surprise that the French philosopher and poet Gustave Lebon wrote, "The Arabs are the first to have taught the world how the independence of thought agrees with the uprightness of religion!" Do you think - after all this - that we need to ask, "What is the position of Islam regarding civilisation and evolution? Or Science and progress? Source: |
