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Verses of the Qur'an
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Ahadith of the Holy Prophet
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Women's Participation in Socio-political Life
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Views of the Renowned Scholars
I ‑ VERSES
OF THE QUR'AN
The
performance of religious obligations like prayer, fasting, Hajj,
etc. are equally binding on the women as on the man. The Prophet (PBUH)
used to take their Ba'iat also. Relevant verses are:
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And be
steadfast in prayer; practise regular charity; and bow down your heads
with those who bow down (in worship). (2:43)
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In it are
Signs manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it
attains security; Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, ‑ those
who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in
need of any of His creatures. (3:97)
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The
Believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin
what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers,
practise regular charity, and obey Allah and His apostle. On them will
Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise. (9:71)
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Say to the
believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty:
that will make for greater purity for 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; (24:30‑31)
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Those who
hearken to their Lord, and establish regular prayer; who (conduct) their
affairs by mutual consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them
for Sustenance; (42 38)
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O
Prophet! when believing women come to thee to take the oath of, fealty
to thee, that they will. not associate in worship any other thing
whatever with Allah, that they will not steal, that they will not commit
adultery (or fornication), that they will not kill their children, that
they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood, and that
they will not disobey thee in any just matter, —then do thou receive
their fealty, and pray to Allah for the forgiveness (of their sins):
for
Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful. (60:12)
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II ‑
AHADITH OF THE PROPHET
Ahadith of
the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon him) regarding the Bai'at of
women, their participation in public
worship and
their interest in socio‑religious festivals are as follows:‑
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It has been
narrated on the authority of ‘A'isha, the wife of the Holy Prophet (may
peace be upon him). She said: When the believing women migrated (to
Medina) and came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), they
would be tested in accordance with the following words of Allah, the
Almighty and Exalted: "O Prophet, when believing women come to thee to
take the oath of fealty to thee that they will not associate in worship
anything with God, that they will not steal, that they will not commit
adultery ... " to the end of the verse (60:12).
Whoso from
the believing women accepted these conditions and agreed to abide by
them were considered to have offered themselves for swearing fealty.
When they had (formally) declared their resolve to do so, the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him) would say to them: You may go. I have
confirmed your fealty. By God, the hand of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) never touched the hand of a woman. He would take the
oath of fealty from them by oral declaration. By God, the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) never took any vow from women except that
which God had ordered him to take, and his palm never touched the palm
of a woman. When he had taken their vow, he would tell them that he had
taken the oath from them orally. (Muslim)
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It has
been narrated on the authority of ‘Urwa that ‘A'isha described to him
the way the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) took the oath of fealty
from women. She said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
never touched a woman with his hand. He would only take a vow from her,
and when he had taken the (verbal) vow, he would say: You may go.
I have accepted your fealty. (Muslim)
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Ibn Umar
reported that the Messenger of Allah said: When the wife of one of you
seeks permission to go to the mosque, he must not prevent her. (Bukhari,
Muslim)
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Zainab,
wife of Abdullah‑b‑Mas'ud reported: The Apostle of Allah said to us:
When one of you is present in the mosque, let her not touch perfume.
(Muslim)
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Ibn Umar
reported that the Messenger of Allah said:Don't prevent your women from
(going to) the mosques, and their houses are better for them. (Abu Daud)
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Tariq‑b‑Shehab
reported that the Messenger of Allah said:Jumu'ah is a duty binding upon
every Muslim in congregation except upon four:slave, woman, boy or sick
man. (Abu Daud)
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A woman
of Banu Abdal‑As'hal reported: I asked: O Messenger of Allah! verily
there is a rotten way for us to go to the mosque. So how shall we
proceed when rain will overtake us? He asked: Is there no way better
than this? `Yes', replied I. Then the latter is (to be preferred) to the
former. (Abu Daud)
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Umme
Atiyyq reported: The Messenger of Allah commanded us to bring out on
Id‑ul‑Fitr and Id‑ul‑Adha young women, menstruating women and
purdah‑observing ladies, menstruating women kept back from prayer, but
participated in goodness and supplication of the Muslims. I said:
Messenger of Allah, one of us does not have an outer garment. He said:
Let her sister cover her with her outer garment. (Muslim)
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Jarir‑b‑Abdullah
reported: I asked the Prophet about glance at a strange woman. He
ordered ma to turn away my glance. (Muslim)
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Ibn
Abbas was asked: Were you‑with the Prophet in an I'd prayer? `Yes', said
he, the Messenger of Allah came out, prayed and then delivered sermon.
He did not mention about Azan or Aqamat. Afterwards, he came to the
women, gave them admonition, reminded them (of Allah) and enjoined them
.to give alms. Then I saw them putting their hands to their ears and
necks, throwing off (ornaments) to Bilal. (Bukhari, Muslim)
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III ‑
WOMAN'S PARTICIPATION IN SOCIO-POLITICAL LIFE
In the
light of the Qur'an and Sunnah, the rights of a Muslim woman to
participate in public worship and socio-political life of the Muslim
Ummah are discussed below:‑
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"Establish worship, pay the poor ‑ due and bow your heads with those who
bow (in worship)" ‑ (A1‑Qur'an 2:43). Again, the Qur'an says:"... And
pilgrimage to the House is a duty unto Allah for mankind, for him who
can find a way thither ... " (3:97). In both these verses, the address
of the Qur'an is both to the Muslim men and the Muslim women.
Performance of religious obligations like prayer, Zakat, pilgrimage and
fasting is equally binding on every Muslim. Though the women have been
given an option to establish their prayer in their houses, yet they are
not forbidden to participate in I'd prayer, in Friday prayer or in daily
prayers which are established in the mosques or other public places. I'd
and Friday prayers are specially established in the bigger mosques or
public places of worship and attract large gatherings. In addition to
performance of a religious ritual, these gatherings are socially very
important and every Muslim, man or woman, has right to participate in
these gatherings. In early Islam, such meetings were utilized to discuss
and decide the issues of common interest which had a bearing on the
social or political life of the Muslim community. The Muslim women were
encouraged to participate in these gatherings along with the men.
Similarly
pilgrimage or Hajj is also a very important annual meeting of the
Muslim Ummah, in which they not only perform a religious ritual
but also meet each other and discuss the matters of mutual interest. The
Hajj has been traditionally and historically the largest annual
gathering of the Muslim Community carrying a good deal of social
significance in addition to being a religious festival. To perform
Hajj is as much a duty of a woman as that of man.
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According to verse 71 of chapter 9 of the Qur'an, the Muslim men and
women are friends and helpers of each other. They are severally and
jointly responsible for enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong,
and for establishing worship and paying Zakat. To cooperate with
each other for the good of the community and to protect their common
interests, is the duty of Muslim men and women. They can form political
or social organisations for protection of their religious, social and
political rights and for promotion and advancement of Islamic values
regarding socio‑economic and legal justice.
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One of
the attributes of the believers, according to the Qur'an (42:38) is that
their affairs are a matter of counsel. This verse is very important in
the socio‑political life of Islam. It is of a great constitutional
significance and has laid down the foundations of Islamic democracy.
According to the Qur'an, the believers are to decide their matters with
mutual consultation and no autocrat or dictator or despot has the
authority to decide for them or impose his decision on them. The
believers, men as well as women, have equal rights to participate, to
discuss and decide their matters regarding social, public and political
issues. In the matters where the Prophet of Islam did not receive any
guidance from Allah
through
revelation, he used to consult his companions. Matters regarding
Jihad, social or political life of the community were decided with
mutual consultations by the Prophet (may Allah's peace be upon him). Men
and women both were consulted and many such incidents have been reported
in the compilations of Ahadith and books of Islamic history. When the
Treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed with the Quraish and the depressed and
disappointed companions were reluctant to sacrifice their animals, the
Prophet (PBUH) consulted his wife Umme Salamah. On her advice, he
offered his own sacrifice which had a salutary effect and adduced the
response of the companions who followed suit. Once Hadrat Umar wanted to
fix the maximum amount of dower, but he dropped the idea on the advice
of a woman who drew the attention of the caliph to verse 20 of chapter 4
of the Qur'an. The righteous Caliphs used to consult the wives of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and other eminent female scholars on many
important issues of public interest.
This idea
of mutual consultation led to the establishment of Shura or
consultative body in the early days of Islam and right of vote, election
of representatives, establishment of parliaments and election of the
heads of Islamic republics in modern times. The women have equal rights
with the men to elect their representatives and contest elections and
seek for public offices.
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In verse
12 of chapter 60 of the Qur'an, the Almighty Allah has instructed the
Prophet of Islam to take oath of allegiance (Bai'at) from the
Muslim women. According to Marmaduke Pickthal, "It was the oath exacted
from men also until the second pact of Al‑Aqabah when the duty of
defence was added to the men's oath." Oath of allegiance or Bai'at in
the Islamic state is not only a solemn promise on the part of every
Muslim man or woman to uphold the Islamic values like belief in the
unity of God, performance of acts of worship, abstinence from evils like
stealing, adultery, telling lie, killing children, disobeying the
Prophet, etc. but also a declaration on his or her part to remain loyal
to the Muslim community and Islamic state through thick and thin and to
protect it against internal disruption or external invasion. Muslim
woman being equal citizen of the Islamic state has equal obligations and
consequently equal rights with man. So the idea of Bai'at not only
imposes certain liabilities on the citizens, men or women, but also
confers reciprocal rights on them. If the idea is developed further and
taken in the modern sense, it would include the right of vote, right of
representation, right to elect the public representatives, head of the
state and government and to participate in socio‑political activities of
the state. So, from the idea of Mutual Consultation (AI‑Qur'an 42:38)
and significance of Bai'at propounded by the Qur'an, we can
safely conclude that the Qur'an vests the viceroyalty of God on earth in
all the human beings, men and women, equally and gives equal rights to
all the believers in the exercise of Sovereignty of God on earth. The
Qur'an thus conferred such political and constitutional rights on its
followers, both men and women, like franchise and right to participate
in the state affairs, which have been obtained by the western and
non-Muslim people after a lot of struggle against their despotic
monarchs.
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The
Qur'an prescribes a code of conduct for the believing men and women when
they come in each other's presence and when they meet each other. This
has been done with a view to avert the possible evils which generally
come up in the community as a result of free mixing of the men and
women. So, some hard and fast rules of behaviour have been laid down. In
its verses 30 and 31 of chapter 24, the Qur'an Commands the believers to
lower their gaze and to be modest. In the verse 31 of chapter 24 and 59
of chapter 33, the Muslim women have been ordered to fulfil certain
additional responsibilities regarding dress, purdah and keeping
modesty. They have been forbidden to display their adornment except that
which is apparent and over which they have got no control. They have
also been instructed to dress up properly and cover their heads and
bosoms with cloaks or sheets or outer‑garments when they come out of
their homes. These verses do not order to shut the women in their homes
like prisoners as some of the people suppose. Neither the women in the
Muslim community have been secluded or segregated nor forbidden to come
out of their houses. They can participate in all the religious and
social gatherings provided they observe the commands regarding dress and
purdah. The verses 30 and 31 of chapter 24 rather pre‑suppose
that the women would come out of their houses and hence the command to
the men and women to lower their gaze and be modest.
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IV ‑ VIEWS
OF RENOWNED SCHOLARS
1.
Encyclopaedia of Seerah writes: "This incident fully reflects the
temperament, nature and attitude of Islam. The Prophet is praying
for the participation of a woman in jihad, even though jihad
is not obligatory on her; and in a jihad which is overseas,
demanding all kinds of sacrifices and extreme patience against very
heavy odds. This shows that Islam does not want woman to be
totally excluded from collective social activities and never to come out
of her own circle of activities. Its intention is that whenever there is
a need and demand for her services in any field and there is sufficient
talent and willingness available among them, society can make use of
them in those areas where they are most suitable and effective in
increasing the overall efficiency of the community without damaging the
fundamental principle of AI‑Din."
At another
place, the Encyclopaedia says: "Besides, there is sufficient historical
evidence that women did assemble occasionally for their various needs
and sometimes even presented their problems to the Prophet and received
replies from him. On some occasions; they sent their representative to
the Prophet to present their case. (Bukhari,
Kitab al‑Istihsan).
The famous
case of Asma bint Zaid, already described, when she presented the
problems of women to the Prophet, and the covenant that he took from
women when they accepted Islam are examples which indicate that women
did sometimes present their collective problems to the Prophet and
received satisfactory answers from him."
2. In his
book, `The Spirit of Islam', Syed Ameer Ali writes about the
position of woman in an Islamic society as under: "In the early
centuries of Islam, almost until the extinction of the Saracenic empire
in the East, women continued to occupy as exalted a position as in
modern society. Zubaida, the wife of Harun, plays a conspicuous part in
the history of the age, and by her virtues, as well as by her
accomplishments, leaves an honoured name to posterity. Humaida, the wife
of Faruk, a Medinite citizen, left for many years the sole guardian of
her minor son, educates him to become one of the most distinguished
jurisconsults of the day. Sukaina, or Sakina, the daughter of
Husain, and•the grand‑daughter of Ali, was the most brilliant, most
accomplished, and most virtuous woman of her time,‑ "la dame des dames
de son temps, la plus belle, la plus gracieuse, la plus brillante de
qualites." as Perron calls her. Herself no mean scholar, she prized the
converse of learned and pious people. The ladies of the Prophet's family
were noted for their learning, their virtues, and their strength of
character. Buran, the wife of the Caliph Mamun, Umm‑ulFazl, Mamun's
sister, married to the eighth Imam of the house of Ali, Umm-ul‑Habib,
Mamun's daughter, were all famous for their scholarship. In the fifth
century of the Hegira, the Sheikha Shuhda, designated
Fakhr-un‑nisa ("the glory of women"), lectured publicly, at the
Cathedral Mosque of Baghdad, to large audiences on literature, rhetoric,
and poetry. She occupies in the annals of Islam a position of equality
with the most distinguished 'ulama. What would have befallen this
lady had she flourished among the fellow‑religionists of St. Cyril can
be judged by the fate of Hypatia. Possibly she would not have been torn
to pieces by enthusiastic Christians, but she would, to a certainty,
have been burnt as a witch. Zat ulHemma, corrupted into Zemma, "the
lion‑heart," heroine of many battles, fought side by side with the
bravest knights."
"He draws
the comparative picture of a Christian woman of those days as follows:‑
"In the
early ages, when the religion of the people, high and low, the ignorant
and educated, consisted only of the adoration of the mother of Jesus,
the Church of Christ had placed the sex under a ban. Father after father
had written upon the enormities of women, their evil 'tendencies, their
inconceivable malignity. Tertullian represented the general feeling in a
book in which he described women as "the devil's gateway, the unsealer
of the forbidden tree, the deserter of the divine law, the destroyer of
God's image‑man." Another authority declared with a revolting cynicism,
"among women ‑he sought for chastity but found none." Chrysostom, who is
recognised as a saint of high merit, "interpreted the general opinion of
the Fathers," says Lecky, "when he pronounced women to be a necessary
evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic peril, a
deadly fascination, a painted ill." The orthodox Church excluded women
from the exercise of all religious functions excepting the lowliest.
They were excluded absolutely from society; they were prohibited from
appearing in public, from going to feasts or banquets. They were
directed to remain in seclusion, to observe silence; to obey
their husbands, and to apply themselves to weaving and spinning and
cooking. If they ever went out they were to be clothed from head to
foot. Such was the position of women in Christianity when Mariolatry was
recognised and practised by all classes."
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