Women in Islam

Asalamualikum.
I just wanted to begin on a quick note that you know, our mission with this small group of ours is not
really to get as many people as we to be muslims, as if it is a number game, this aint pokemon gotta
catch em all not trying to fill up our poxedexes here. We want quality over quantity. We should try
to use every opportunity to convey the message, but remember we want to build our character and
help others to really build themselves and see Islam holistically. Ive seen it myself, people revert to
Islam and your like oh MashAllah thats great and you feel happy, but you see them after a while and
theres not really much difference apart from you giving them a salam instead of hello! One reason
for this I believe is when we give Dawah to someone and they are interested in Islam or become
muslims, dont just leave them and be like ok on to the next one, link them up, give them time and
consideration. Sometimes, one fervent man can equal a thousand others; indeed one man can
outweigh a nation, as the saying goes: A devoted man can revive a whole nation. In a military
campaign, Khaalid Ibn Al-Waleed may Allaah be pleased with him surrounded Al-Heerah and
requested supplies from Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased with him who only sent him Al-Qaqaa Ibn
Amr At-Tameemi may Allaah be pleased with them and said: An army having men like Al-Qaqaa
will never be defeated. When Amr Ibn Al-Aas may Allaah be pleased with him requested supplies
from Umar may Allaah be pleased with him during the Islamic conquest of Egypt, he (Umar) may
Allaah be pleased with him wrote: I have sent you (the equivalent of) four thousand men; four men
each of whom are equal to a thousand others: Az-Zubayr Ibn Al-Awwaam, Al-Miqdaad Ibn Amr,
Ubaadah Ibn As-Saamit and Maslamah Ibn Makhlad. Honestly id rather spend time and learn with
a few young men such as yourselves taking things on board and striving to be the best rather than
100 people listening to me and being like safe nice talk wheres the food.
Anyway that was just a side point, today im going to be discussing an often controversial topic,
Women in Islam.
In the west there is a notion that women in Islam are unequal to men that they are locked up in the
homes, forced to cover their hair, or not allowed Jobs or to drive. But what does Islam really say? I
mean I read an article just today a women in Saudi was sentenced to 180 lashes and 8 months in
prison for driving a car. She also attacked some security officers so maybe thats why the sentence is
so heavy, but just note that people tend to think that Saudi is an Islamic state where really it is
absolutely not. Theres many Islamic values there, but its just another capitalist society.
Allah does not just speak to men in the Quran but also men, there is an entire Surah dedicated to
Women, Surah 4 An Nisa which deals with a lot of things relating to women as well as other things.
There is also Surah 58 Surat Al-Mujadila (The pleading women) which Allah revealed when a women
came to the Prophet peace be upon him seeking advice.
Women are allowed to get jobs and work if they want to, actually if a wife was a billionare and the
husband earned say 30k, she would not owe a single penny in maintaining the family, she can do as
she wishes the man actually has it harder. In western society, a woman is almost obliged to work.
Think about how most people view it, if a women isnt working, shes just some lazy sad house wife
who sits around at home or maybe even a gold digger, a failure. She may even go for some minimum
wage job just to get out of the house so that she can feel accomplished as if she is worth
something just because she earns money. This has a severe impact on family life and her childrens
upbringing. Britain today has real growing problems with the youth; teenage pregnancies, broken
homes, getting into vandalism, theft and even murder. Politicians are struggling to find an answer to

the problems facing the youth in Britain today. The increasingly negative Western youth culture
problem, whilst not entirely stemming from the home, is certainly not helped by having busy,
exhausted and even absent mothers, even if she is more affluent than before.
Islam does not hold this view, in fact, the position of a mother is so highly valued, that the Prophet
peace be upon him said 'Paradise lies at the feet of your mother' [Musnad Ahmad, Sunan An-Nasi,
Sunan Ibn Mjah] so by serving our mothers and earning their pleasure we can earn the pleasure
of Allah and aim for paradise.
A man came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah! Who from amongst mankind warrants
the best companionship from me? He replied: "Your mother." The man asked: Then who? So he
replied: "Your mother." The man then asked: Then who? So the Prophet replied again: "Your
mother." The man then asked: Then who? So he replied: "Then your father." (Sahh Bukhr 5971
and Sahh Muslim 7/2) this shows we should have precedence in taking care of and dealing with our
mothers they go through so much difficult and labour in taking care of us first 9 months of
hardship, then the unimaginable labour, then years of sleepness nights, cooking, cleaning, running
after their children, just yesterday my mum was telling us how much difficulty she had in having to
push the heavy push chair to and from school twice a day when we were younger.
Look at this example: Abdullah Ibn 'Umar saw a Yemeni man performing Tawf (circumambulating
the Ka'bah) while carrying his mother on his back. This man said to Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, "I am like a
tame camel for her! I have carried her more than she carried me. Do you think I have paid her back,
O Ibn 'Umar?" Abdullah Ibn 'Umar replied, "No, not even one contraction!!" [Al-Adab al-Mufrad
Bukhr 1/62] I hope were beginning to see the high status of women. To me the role of a mother is
better than the CEO of any company, a guy could roll up in a Lamborghini and Armani suit, Rolex, the
works, and on the other side of a street I see a stressed out mum with some kids trying her best to
take care of them, id rate the women far more though western ideals would dictate she is a failure
for not being a strong independent women. You tell me, who is a stronger women than your
mother? Good video if you wanna pause and see this: worlds toughest job
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezDfo8DSnQs
Another controversial aspect is the Hijab. People think it is oppressive. At the end of the day we can
go back and forth but we can prove Allah exists and the Quran is the word of God, and we simply
obey Allahs order. There seems to be hijabaphobia around these days, so I know this wont satisfy
most people unfortunately. So I say this, lets turn the tables for a minute. Living in the west, and I
keep mentioning the west because it is our reality. Living in the west, a woman is valued for her
looks, you often hear, you know shes in that high position cos she looks good. Women are literally
objectified, you get burger adverts with women in bikinis, I really dont understand the correlation,
women are strewn on top of vehicles, you see clothing adverts with half naked women and I think
arent they supposed to be showing clothes? Pornography is on the internet, movies, tv even video
games. Sexualisation of women is absolutely everywhere. Young men have lost their sense of
respect, the other day I was at the bus station I saw two young men just casually having a
conversation about a girls behind, not even whispering. You cant even hold a door for a girl without
some one thinking oh hes probably trying to sleep with her.
Lets take a look at women in power, figures like Margaret thatcher or Theresa may. Women in
power often make themselves be less feminine, a very harsh attitude, cold cut speech, business suits
nothing too girly, or people dont take them seriously. Look at universitys, the Lad culture is an
absolute norm. women are literally expecting to be stalked or drugged or howled at. Magazines and
websites are there to promote men to do what they want to women. But Islam says a women Is

worth more than her looks, she is worth her mind, the Hijab is brought to protect her from straying
eyes and to bring her peace of mind. Ive had so many sisters say yknow I dont need to worry I just
throw on my scarf even if my hair is messed I can have a good day. Not like how you see here a
women cant even go to the corner shop unless shes in tight jeans, high heels and has a cake face.
They say the hijab is an oppression of women, but I say this, the half naked women we see today are
truly oppressed because they are slaves of the desires of men and the powers that be, they have to
get plastic surgery and beautify themselves in order to even feel alright. It might be a crude example
but if you imagine a prostitute and a high end singer or actress who is considered successful, they
probably dress the same. But a muslim women is free, how? She only obeys her Lord, not any man,
not even her own husband or parents if they tell her to remove the Hijab she knows she is
submitting to the creator of the universe.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upqn him) as saying: Verily Allah does not look to your
faces and your wealth but He looks to your heart and to your deeds.
These concepts are more easily understood in light of a study conducted by the APA. Two sets of
girls were put into dressing rooms. One set was wearing bathing suits and the other was wearing
sweaters. Each set of girls then sat down in front of a mirror in the dressing room and was given a
math test. Results showed that girls wearing the sweaters achieved far higher scores than their
counterparts. Why? Girls with bathing suits were preoccupied with the way they looked, thereby
affecting their ability to concentrate on the math test. Imagine then, how girls are affected on a daily
basis amidst billboard ads, cartoons, movies, music videos, print ads, etc., that portray women and
girls in a sexual manner.
For me, if a man was staring at my wife, I would dislike, does a man not naturally want to protect the
ones he cares for? Does he not have honour that instead of flaunting his wife like a new watch or car
she is covered like a precious jewel which only very few can see? The Hijab and segregation saves
from a lot of trials and tribulations when I see or even talk to a sister in Hijab, even if its just a
message or email, id instantly feel shy or embarrassed and have a great deal of respect for her. I
think wow, she wears that hijab despite all the difficulties associated with it. Lets not forget men also
have Hijab we cant walk around naked, from the navel to the knee and loose clothing not skin tight.
For a man to walk around in a tight t shirt showing off his muscles is not exactly modest yknow?
Lets look at the example of Aisha, mother of the believers may Allah be pleased with her. She was
young when she married the Prophet peace be upon him and this had a benefit as her mind was like
a sponge which could absorb tonnes of knowledge. She even participated in the great battles of
Islam, bringing water and tending to the wounded.
Al-Haakim said in his book, Al-Mustadrak. One fourth of the rule of Sharee`ah was narrated on the
authority of Aisha. Umar Ibn Al Khattab, during his own Caliphate said that without Aisha, he would
be lost and destroyed, in every small and big issue, he used to ask her for advice and consultation.
And remember this is Umar ibn Al Khattab, one of the most powerful feared muslim men of all time
and he is asking a WOMAN for advice. How many Muslim men today seek consultation from a
woman if she has more piety and knowledge than them? How many Muslim men today respect their
wives, spouses, or daughters or anyone in society for their knowledge and calibre, regardless of their
gender? How many Muslim women today are authorities on religious knowledge and texts? Only
when Islam is correctly understood and implemented can we reach this level again.

Islam is not man made it is from Allah it understands the Human nature. Men and women have
differences, we cant expect absolutely every single thing to be equal for men and women. Their has
recently been a great uproar about how segregation should be banned in universitys. well, why are
men and women separated in sports, prisons, in toliets, in changing rooms ? David Cameron
condemns this segregation, look at his hypocrisy, he went to Eton a same sex school. Why are
muslims not allowed to segregate but Jewish segregation in their events is totally fine? This is going
towards the attacks on Islam and warrants a talk on itself.
But with inheritance, men receive more than women and people find a flaw in this. I say look,
women are provided for by their fathers, then by their husbands the money and wealth the
women has she is free to do what she wishes remember my billionare point previously. A man, he is
under the care of his parents until he is married then he has to provide for himself, his wife, his kids,
his parents of old age, so the extra financial support for the man is totally fine! Islam understands
this. Lets go over some more controversial differences,
A man can have multiple wives, a women cant. Well generally there are more women than men in
society we dont want to end up with lots of unmarried women. Generally a man could take on more
than one wife in order to support a divorcee or a widow who has no one to look after her anymore.
A muslim man can marry people of the book i.e jews and Christians but a women can not. Well one
reasoning here is that a husband is more dominant in terms of he is the maintainer of the house
the kids will be on his religion if a muslim women was married to a non muslim her kids would
probably not follow her religion thats one reasoning behind it.
Anyway before I wrap up I wanted to kind of squeeze in to todays discussion how us Men should
treat women. Often especially in my culture for a man to even show gentleness or romance to his
wife is seen as weak but lets look at this beautiful example:

'Ali ra
yAllhu 'anhu came home one day from a journey that he had been dispatched on by
the Prophet Muhammed
allallhu 'alayhi wa sallam, to find his wife, Fatima, the daughter
of the Prophet, radiya Allahu 'anha brushing her teeth with a siwak twig of an Arak
(Salvadora persica) tree used for brushing teeth. Spontaneously, he, ra
yAllhu 'anhu,
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I know were all fairly young here, im 19 and the oldest so were young dudes but naturally the
subject of marriage comes up and likely in a few years we will be properly searching. First of all, a
marriage starts as like an empty box. You have to work together to make something out of it, it isnt
just some magical romantic roller coaster, you will have difficulties and learn things which may upset
you, but you love that person and through that you create a marriage. Its formed not given.

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