Fathwa, - Highlighting the status ofwoman in Islam

Question
Assalamu Alaikum We are living in a time that the opponents of Islam spreading wrong information about the freedom of women in Islam. But I am amazed to notice that wherever in the world occures any communal problems, the Muslim women are abused and molested by the opposite community but the Muslims are rarely doing the same to the women of other religion. Is it a result of the teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad )s a s( to respect women? Can we use this matter to the Dawa purpose? Jazak allah khairan
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
There is no doubt that there is no other civilization that respected the status of the woman as did the Islamic civilization. This is highlighted in the teachings of Islam in its two authentic sources: the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet.
Similarly, Islam advises its followers to be kind to the non-Muslims and to deal justly with them as long as they are not in war with the Muslims; Allaah Says )what means(:}Allaah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes — from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allaah loves those who act justly.{]Quran 60:83[. There is no difference in this respect between their males and females, young and old.
Even at war, the Prophetforbade killing a woman unless she is a fighter.Ibn ‘Umarnarrated that a woman was found killed in one of the battles of the Prophetso hedisapproved of the killing of women and children. ]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
Moreover,Imaam Maalikreported in “Al-Muwatta’a” thatAbu Bakrused to advise the leaders of his army telling them:"Do not kill a woman or a child or an old aged person, and do not cut down fruitful trees. Do not destroy the inhabited places. Do not slaughter a sheep or a camel except for food. Do not burn palm trees or drown them. Do not steal from the booty, and do not be cowardly."
There is no doubt that this is from the good traits of Islam whose followers abide by in most of their cases, and this is evident from their conduct as well.
Indeed, such good traits should be highlighted by the Muslims and used in calling non-Muslims to Islam and in their dealings with the non-Muslims.
Allaah knows best.

Fathwa, - Children’s Islamic upbringing woman’s major role

Question
I am a woman who loves her family very much. Is my exaggerated love for them considered a sin? If I enter Paradise, will my husband and children be with me? I do not work for the sake of my children. Have I committed a sin by not working?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, is His slave and Messenger.
Allaah The Almighty promised the people who die as believers, as well as their families, to gather them together in Paradise. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(, }And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.{]Quran 52: 21[ Allaah The Almighty told us that by His Grace and Bounty He gathers them in the perfect way by elevating those who are in lower ranks to those who are in higher ranks, not vice versa.
Every Muslim, male or female, should be keen on achieving high levels of faith. They should bring up their children according to the guidance of faith and righteousness in order to attain this great reward.
The questioner’s love for her husband and children is an innate love that does not result in any sin as long as she does not give it priority over the love for Allaah The Almighty, His Messenger and His religion.
A woman will have a great reward if she is mainly focused on upbringing her children properly in an Islamic way, devoting herself for this cause, and observing her husband’s rights. These goals are better for her than the transient earnings of this worldly life that she could have if she were to work. May Allaah The Almighty guide everyone to do what He loves and all that pleases Him.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa, - Her friend hates men, claiming Islam gives themsuperiority

Question
Assalamu alaikum. My friend hates boys much saying they r superior. islam gvs them importance etc. How can i advice her in light of islam. She has much wrong guesses. She startd hating from childhood when she saw teachers giving priority to males. Even she says she wont marry anyone. She says u cant make me lyk boys nor remove my hate. i hope u could help by telling how can i deal this islamically.] shes a good believer i hope[
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, is His Slave and Messenger.
Allaah, The Almighty, made man and woman complementary to each other and a means of tranquility for each other. Allaah, The Almighty, says )what means(:
• }And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.{]Quran 30: 21[
• }And We created you in pairs.{]Quran 78: 7[
Ibn Katheersaid: "]Pairs[ means male and female - each of them enjoying the other, and through this means procreation is achieved." ]End quote[
A woman's life cannot be stable without a man and vice versa. Therefore, if a woman hates the male gender as a whole, then it is something against the Fitrah )i.e. natural disposition( that Allaah, The Almighty, has created in women. Just because Allaah, The Almighty, distinguished men with some features not for women, this does not justify hating them. Allaah is the One Who has distinguished men with some features not for women, and He distinguished women with some features not for men. In addition, Allaah forbade His slaves from wishing for the things that He preferred others with, saying )what means(: }And do not wish for that by which Allaah has made some of you exceed others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allaah of his bounty. Indeed Allaah is ever, of all things, Knowing.{]Quran 4:32[
Ibn Jareersaid in his Tafseer )interpretation of the Quran(: "Do not desire that by which Allaah has made some of you exceed the others. It is said that this verse was sent down because some women wished for the status and rights of men. Hence, Allaah, The Almighty, forbade His slaves to have such false desires and commanded them to ask Him for His bounty because desires cause envy and hatred without right cause." ]End quote[
This is what may have occurred to your friend and may be what led her to envy and to hate men under the claim that they were preferred to women. Yet she neglects the fact that women have a high status in Islam, as pointed out in Fataawa 163533, 81205and 87751, which are about the status of women in Islam and observing women's rights. Therefore, you should advise your friend and explain to her what we have mentioned above. We ask Allaah to guide us and her and give us success.
Allaah Knows best.

Social Concerns, - The Dayyooth is deprivedof Paradise

The purifiedSharee‘ahof Islam encourages good manners and forbids bad ones owing to the harm that affects individuals and societies when bad manners prevail.
The IslamicSharee‘ahcame to guard the purity of progenies and to protect people's honor against anything that would soil or transgress them. Therefore, it sets the severest forms of punishment for anyone who thinks of violating the honor of others. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}The ]unmarried[ woman or ]unmarried[ man found guilty of sexual intercourse - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and do not be taken by pity for them in the religion of Allaah...{]Quran 24:2[
This punishment is applied to unmarried persons. Married adulterers, however, receive the punishment of stoning to death under theSharee‘ah. The IslamicSharee‘ahalso prohibits marrying a person who is known for practicing illegal sexual intercourse. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}The fornicator does not marry except a ]female[ fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that has been made unlawful to the believers.{]Quran 24:3[
Not only does theSharee'ahdo so, but it also raises the status of guarding honor so high that a person who is killed in defense of his honor will gain the degree of a martyr. The Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:“A person who is killed in defense of his honor is a martyr.”
Moreover, theSharee‘ahbrings up its adherents on being protectively jealous about their honor: The Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said about this attribute in a Companion of his:“Do you wonder at Sa‘d's jealousy? By Allaah, I am more jealous than him, and Allaah Is more jealous than me...”
Indeed, there is no good in a person who has no protective jealousy, for such a person moves towards Hell and distances himself from Paradise. He also makes his honor vulnerable to assault from anybody. This is theDayyooth, who is he who does not feel jealous when his honor is violated and who overlooks the indecency and immoral behavior of his family while he knows that it is wrong to do so. By doing this, he exposes himself to disgrace and humiliation.
Arabs and especially Muslims still venerate matters of honor. They respect the person who defends his honor and female family members, even if this means that he sacrifices his life and wealth. They guard their honor with whatever wealth they may have, for there is no value of any wealth when honor is lost. Moreover, if a person disregards this, he will be worthless in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be away from Allaah The Almighty. The Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:“Allaah The Almighty will not look at three persons on the Day of Resurrection: a person who is undutiful to his parents; a masculine woman; and the Dayyooth."]Saheeh[
This incurable disease does not afflict anyone but the person who lacks a sense of honor and jealousy and whose faith is weak. He does not care about non-Mahram)i.e., marriageable( men visiting his womenfolk, intermixing with them, or them appearing unveiled before them.
In fact, a person would be utterly shocked at seeing such "men" buying clothes for their women that reveal more than they cover, or clothes that are transparent and display the charms of the body. They are happy that people look at the ‘Awrah)nakedness( of their wives or the women whom Allaah has made them responsible for. They boast of their liberation from decency and virtue, and behave immorally and indecently. Such a man is a corpse in the guise of a living person.
Al-Ghazaali, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,“If a person lacks proper manly fervor, he is unlikely to react appropriately towards any assault against his womenfolk or wife. He will submissively bear humiliation from evil people and will have low self-esteem. This may cause such a person to lack any feeling of protective jealousy regarding his womenfolk. In this case, his offspring may become adulterated. Therefore it is said: ‘Once protective jealousy dies down in the men of a particular nation, the chastity of its women will be weakened.’”
Ath-Thahabi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,“A man who realizes immorality in his wife and ignores it because he loves her, or because he owes her money that he is unable to pay back, or because he owes her a large dowry, or because he has young children from her, then there will be no good in him for he lacks jealousy. A person who possesses this attitude is the Dayyooth.”
The Mass Media Encourages theDayyooth
People may think that the mass media shape the Muslim’s personality in an upright manner, but the reality is the opposite. It is in fact one of the greatest encouragers of theDayyoothand a destroyer of protective jealousy. It broadcasts immoral pornographic scenes, obscene advertisements and lewd songs. It beautifies such dissolute men and women and presents them as examples. Women even chant their love of a specific actor or singer in front of their husbands, fathers and brothers, who have no reaction at all. In some media programs, a married woman or a girl may call to express her love and adoration of the actor, paying no attention to the reaction of her male relatives, perhaps, because she is certain they will not object.