Women as His Blessings

It is said that ‘change is the essence of life’ and that a person can never be physically, mentally or even spiritually the same over the span of years. You could say that evolution is natural for both genders but a deeper thought unravels the series of change a girl bears throughout her life.

Allah (swt) has addressed the girls as His Mercy whereas the boys have been referred as His bounty for man; therefore it is said that men will be questioned on the Day of Judgement for the bounties they were blessed with (the number of sons) whereas His Mercy is infinite and that is something that will rescue him on the day when no soul shall help the other.

Now what do we mean? Is it that girls have been awarded the distinction of interceding on their parents’ behalf? The answer is not a sure yes but there are a number of hadiths reported by the Prophet of Islam –a mercy on mankind- that show how a well raised daughter transforms many lives at one go. 

To begin with, female infanticide was rampant during the Age of Ignorance i.e before the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s) and it continued, albeit secretly, despite the advent of Islam and the Archangel Jibra’eel descended on earth with a verse that described the shattering experience mankind will have to suffer on the Day of Judgement and when the female child will be asked for what sin was she buried alive; it was clear for every sensible man that killing a female child due to fear of poverty, disgrace or humiliation was not acceptable in Islam.The Prophet said that ,” a pregnant woman receives the reward of fasting during the day and worshipping at night throughout her pregnancy,” and we all know that this reward is irrespective of the unborn child’s gender, which obviously proves that girls are as good as boys, or perhaps better.

When she reaches puberty, she becomes a source of comfort for her parents and has been reported by the Prophet as the one who will act as a shield for her parents in this world and in the hereafter (against hellfire) as well. The Prophet himself had only one daughter, Fatima-Az-Zahra, who was so dear to him that he made it a point to first greet her and then leave for the mosque; she was so beloved to him that she was awarded the title of being ‘Umm Abeeha’ for the motherly warmth and affection she’d shower upon him. His love for his daughter only symbolises the beauty of having a blessing whose profoundness is perhaps still unknown to us.

Next, when she’s finally married off, the girl becomes an equal for her partner in every walk of life. There is a tradition reported from the Prophet of peace (p.b.u.h) that when a man and his wife look at each other with love, Allah’s blessings descend upon them. In fact, another tradition urges the men to help their wives in their household matters to earn better rewards, thereby securing the comfort of women. Moreover, on the occasion of Hajjatul-Wida (The Farewell Hajj) Rasulullah among other advices said with regard to women; "0 People! fear Allah with regard to your wives. You have taken them into your possession with the permission of Allah. This hadith clearly admonishes man not to abuse his authority over woman and to fear his Creator in regard to his dealings with them as Allah has placed them in his trust, by making them lawful for him through the sacred bond of nikah. If the husband maltreats them, in reality he is misappropriating the trust that Allah has entrusted to him, what an honorable position Islam has secured for women that Allah himself takes their affairs as His responsibility!

The great Revolutionary leader of Iran, Imam Khomeini (r.A) said that,” if nations were deprived of courageous women who reared true human beings, they would decline and collapse,” thus explaining the important role of women in Islam; for it’s only the honor of a woman who has been honored the responsibility of inculcating exemplary moral values in her children which in turn helps in creating a peaceful society. And there is much reward for this, as evident by the tradition of the Prophet where he says, “"A woman, from her pregnancy to the time of weaning her child is like one protecting the boundaries of the Islamic State; and if she expires during this period she attains the reward of martyrdom. When the woman breastfeeds then on every gulp of milk she receives the reward as though she has granted life to a being and when she weans her child then the angels pat her on her back saying "Congratulations! all your past sins have been forgiven; now start all over again."

To conclude, I might as well add a quote from a scholar who said, “Allah has raised the status of women from below the earth that He has placed heaven beneath her feet.” And how true is that!!!

Hijab is Modesty Personified

                                                                            

Some years ago, Layla was a free spirited girl who made and broke her own rules like any other teenager with the only exception being her choice of dressing. Again, there was no patriarchal dictatorship involved here; it was of course her own decision and there was nothing in the world, not even the stares of women folk (yeah, not men!)that could stop her. The recognition earned by her attire didn’t go unnoticed when a semi clad female acquaintance walked up to her and asked, “Don’t you feel suffocated wearing all this?” It was rather rude for someone to pinpoint a person’s choice when that’s thoroughly fair for one to be comfortable in the skin she’s in. At first, layla couldn’t understand how can someone feel choked up in a loose knee length overcoat and a scarf that conceals her crowning glory. It was hijab, her pride. She tried explaining that being a Muslimah, she has been chosen by God as the flag bearer of her religion because her attire is an indication of the tenets of her faith. It uplifts the womankind to heights of human perfection because it’s only the woman who has been honoured by the responsibility of making a generation succeed the other, to be accepted for the person she is and is too outstanding to be reduced as a mere plaything. The one meter cloth that is tied around her head is what, according to her, distinguishes her from the hypocrites who believe that Islam has transformed the women into slaves or animals. The fact is that these very people are to be blamed for the ruthless portrayal of women as objects of desire, who believe that a woman’s greatness must be defined by the amount of skin exposure and not by the supremacy of her thoughts, character or behaviour. They’re of the opinion that Islam treats its women like animals; she wondered if these very people ever visited a zoo and saw any dressed up mammalian-nudity obviously symbolizes the beast and it’s definitely human to preserve her modesty. 

Again, hijab isn't something that must make the woman feel less fortunate or retrograding than her other non-hijabi counterparts. It allows a woman to dress modestly in a manner that doesn’t call for unwanted attention from strangers, and walk down the road with utmost dignity otherwise it doesn’t make much sense to come out in public wearing a long, black Halloween like super loose or tight costume with loud make up and come across as a blabbermouth. To be precise, good behaviour and humility are a prerequisite for fulfilling the rights of hijab. Layla says that she has always admired The Queen of England as she is impeccably dressed from head to toe and comes across as a very sophisticated lady; but wonders what makes them victimize the religion of Islam alone-perhaps it is the quality of an insecure, ill raised community that aims to achieve glory by suppressing their women in the name of liberation. When you’re free to wear whatever you want, what makes you question our decision to cover up?