leave them alone and I do not interfere in their private affairs." We
are required to do take an interest in the well-being of our fellow
Muslims in permissible worldly matters, even though a part of the
perfection of one's Islam is his leaving that which does not concern
him. As for matters which imply certain danger to the morals of others
)even if they are worldly matters( one is required to offer advice,
because offering advice with whole-hearted concern is an essential
pillar of the religion.
A believing woman is required to offer advice and invite people to her
religion as much as she can. The story of the noble Companion, Umm
Sulaym, may Allaah be pleased with her, in this respect is a wonderful
example:
Umm Sulaym, the mother of Anas ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with
them, was one of the early converts to Islam from among the Ansaar
)Helpers(. After her husband's death, Abu Talhah, may Allaah be
pleased with him, proposed to her when he was still a polytheist. She
said to him, "O Abu Talhah, do you not know that this deity whom you
worship grew out of the earth?" "Of course," he answered. She said,
"Do you not feel ashamed to worship a tree? If you become a Muslim, I
will accept you as a husband, and will not ask for dowry other than
your acceptance of Islam." He replied, "I will think about the
matter." He went out and then returned saying, "I bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship but Allaah and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah." Thereupon, she said to Anas, may Allaah be
pleased with him, "O Anas, approve the marriage proposal of Abu
Talhah," so Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, gave her away in
marriage to him. ]Al-Haakim[
It was a noble dowry for a woman who was a noble caller to Allaah. She
called Abu Talhah, may Allaah be pleased with him, to worship Allaah
Alone and abandon polytheism. Allaah The Almighty opened his heart for
Islam and accepted it, and what a noble dowry it was!
The Children of Isra'eel were destroyed because they abandoned the
virtue of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Allaah The Exalted Says
)what means(:}They used not to prevent one another from wrongdoing
that they did. How wretched was that which they were doing.{]Quran 5:
79[
To avoid people due to the belief that they are not righteous, is like
the old adage which says, "The last resort for curing is
cauterization." That is because when we avoid people because we feel
that our souls are purer than theirs, our hearts, characters and
intellects are better than theirs, in such a case we have not
accomplished anything constructive or beneficial. Rather, we have
chosen for ourselves the easiest road that requires the least effort.
Real greatness is when one intermixes with those people, is filled
with a spirit of tolerance and sympathy for their weakness,
non-observance and mistakes, as well as a spirit of true willingness
to purify, educate and elevate them to a higher level as much as we
are able.
As such, when a pious woman adheres to righteousness and is committed
to the Sunnah )tradition( and firmly follows it, she is required to
contribute in calling to what is good among women. This is a religious
obligation and a woman is considered guilty if she falls short in
this. Regardless of one's level of piety, each one is required to do
as much as one can for the cause of Islamic propagation, using kind
words and wisdom. Addressing His Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}So by mercy from Allaah,
]O Muhammad[, you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude ]in
speech[ and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about
you.{]Quran 3: 159[
She is kind to those who are around her, respects the old and is
merciful to the young. She does not forget that she seeks a sublime
goal and exerts her best to achieve it using a manner that satisfies
Allaah The Almighty and leads to successful results.
As such, our call should be in conformity with the verse in which
Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}Call to the way of your Lord
with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is
best.{]Quran 16: 125[
* Reconciliation among believing women:
When the devil works to sow seeds of enmity among Muslim women, we
should eliminate it by reconciling them. Eliminating enmity stands as
evidence behind the sublimity of the soul which works to spread
affection and love among others. In doing so, concord replaces
disputes and maintaining ties replaces boycott. That is why the degree
of the person who reconciles people is better than the one who
constantly performs voluntary fasting, prayer and charity.
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Ad-Dardaa', may Allaah be
pleased with him, that he said, "The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam, said:'Shall I tell you a virtue better than
voluntary prayers, fasting and charity?'They )the Companions, may
Allaah be pleased with them( replied in the affirmative. He
said:'Reconciling people, for hatred and enmity uproot good deeds,
just as a razor removes hair.'"]Al-Bukhaari, Muslim[
According to another narration, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, said:"It )hatred and enmity( is the razor. I do not say that
it shaves off hair, but it shaves off religion."
That is because planting enmity among others leads to desertion and
cutting off ties among Muslims which is prohibited under Sharee'ah. It
was narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"It
is not permissible for a Muslim to desert his )Muslim( brother for
more than three days. They meet each other and both of them turn away,
but the best of them is the one who starts with the greeting of
peace."]Al-Bukhaari, Muslim[
Warning against grudge and desertion and indicating that Allaah Is
Angry with the disputing persons until they agree to reconcile, the
Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"The gates of Paradise
are opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant ]of Allaah[
who associates nothing with Allaah will be forgiven, except for the
man who has a grudge against his brother. ]About them[ it will be
said, 'Delay these two until they are reconciled,' thrice."]Muslim[
When alienation occurs between two Muslim women, we should hasten to
reconcile them and encourage them to overlook each other's faults. A
Muslim woman is required to accept her Muslim sister's apology and not
turn her face away insisting on desertion and declining to accept her
apology. As the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
indicated, the worst among people are those who neither overlook
faults nor accept an apology.
It was narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased
with him, that he said,
The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"Shall I
tell you who are the worst of people?"They )the Companions, may Allaah
be pleased with them( said, "Yes, if you wish, O Messenger of Allaah."
He said:"The worst among you is the person who distances himself from
others; and who whips his slave; and does not give in charity. Shall I
tell you who is worse than that?"They said, "Yes, if you wish, O
Messenger of Allaah." He said:"He is the person who hates people and
they hate him. Shall I tell you who is worse than that?"They said,
"Yes, if you wish, O Messenger of Allaah." He said:"Those who neither
overlook any mistake, nor accept apologies, nor forgive faults. Shall
I tell you who is worse than that?"They said: "Yes, if you wish, O
Messenger of Allaah." He said:"It is the person whom others give up on
him and do not expect any good from him, and are fearful of the harm
that comes from him."]At-Tabaraani[
The role of Muslim women in achieving reform is summarized in the following:
* Reforming yourself by getting rid of ignorance and purifying your
faith by obligatory and voluntary acts of worship as well as
increasing in obedience to Allaah The Almighty day by day.
* Reforming the affairs of your family and raising your children upon religion.
* Reforming your Muslim sisters in two ways:
a- Directing to what is good.
b- Establishing and maintaining close ties with them through
reconciliation and exchanging visits with them.
Finally, you should know that you are very important and that you play
a great role in this Ummah. Do not imagine that you are marginalized
or at the periphery of community life. Rather, you are half of this
Ummah and you are responsible for producing and raising the other
half. You are a whole nation.
When you are reformed, and with your attempts to reform others the
Muslim Ummah is reformed and our status quo will change. Therefore,
you should fulfill this responsibility and your reward will be
Paradise, Allaah Willing.
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Regards,
NAJIMUDEEN M/
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*- Online Translator -*
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en
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