For children, - For Muslims follower of Islam, Every Year and Month and Day and Hour and Minute and Second is Mothers Day, Fathers Day and Parents Day

Share

3. Do you think your parents are happy with you? IF not then there is a Serious Problem and you need to correct IMMEDIATELY.
4. Have you ever said "Ugf (Oh!)" to your parents? Don't forget the following Ayaat:
"And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) "Ugh" nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word. And make yourself submissively gentle to them with compassion, and say: O my Lord! Have compassion on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little." Noble Qur'an (17:23-24)
5. What is it that your parents really wants to have, is that against the Noble Qur'an and Authentic Sunnah? IF not then there is a Serious Problem and you need to correct IMMEDIATELY.
6. What are the things that make your parents happy or sad?
7. How many minutes do you engage in "quality talk" with your parents in a week if not in a day?
8. When was the last time you cooked for your parents?
9. When was the last time you gave your parents a gift?

Share

Welcome to Islam, - *Equality between men and women - II

Share

The Status of Women in Islam:
Facing this dark history, Islam placed women in their natural position and returned to them their rights and status which were seized from them in the darkness of ignorance and corrupt customs and traditions.
Islam emphasized that males and females came from the same origin. Allah The Amighty Says )what means(:}O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.{]Quran 4:1[
Islam rejected the stance of the disbelievers, their stolid ordinances and their inability to understand the role of women. Islam acknowledged that they are just as essential to the system of life as men. Rather, men reside with women for women are more essential in maintaining the family. That is why Islam viewed women as a gift from Allah The Exalted. Moreover, the Noble Quran mentioned females before males as Allah The Exalted Says )what means(:}He gives to whom He wills female ]children[, and He gives to whom He wills males. Or He makes them ]both[ males and females, and He renders whom He wills barren.{]Quran 42:49-50[
Islam granted women respect, honor and affection in a way that prepares society to receive every newborn girl with sign of relief, satisfaction and confidence in the Help of Allah Who Says )what means(:}And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you.{]Quran 17:31[.
In addition, Islam honored women in their age of youth. Islam granted them the capacity to express their opinion in the most private issues of their lives in forming their households and choosing their husbands. The Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"A previously married woman must not be given in marriage until she is consulted and a virgin must not be given in marriage until her permission is sought.” They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, how will her )i.e. the virgin( consent be )confirmed(?” He said: “If she remains silent."]Muslim[
Furthermore, Islam granted women an individual entity as well as various rights such as the freedom to own property just as men without discrimination. Allah The Exalted Says )what means(:}For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, be it little or much - an obligatory share.{]Quran 4:7[
Islam respected this entitlement and enhanced it by granting women the freedom to dispose of it )at her own will(. Allah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And give the women ]upon marriage[ their ]bridal[ gifts graciously. But if they give up willingly to you anything of it, then take it in satisfaction and ease.{]Quran 4:4[
The Noble Quran places women and men on an equal footing before the law in rights and duties such as the right to conclude contracts, assume liabilities and to defend their rights before jurisdiction. Allah The Exalted Says )what means(:}And due to the wives is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable{.]Quran 2:228[
Fabrications and Rebuttals:
Some people say that some Islamic rulings are prejudiced towards women such as in divorce, polygyny and that their share of inheritance and testimony equals half the share of men. In essence, these issues honor women and preserve their status. The distinction in these matters preserves the dignity of women and respects the nature of their structure:
- Concerning the fact that the share of women is half the share of men in some inheritance cases; Islam, in return for this right granted to men, imposed upon them the equivalent of obligations. The Sharee'ah obligated men to financially sponsor women in every phase of their lives. Thus, a girl is sponsored by her father, brother or whoever assumes their role. The husband must spend on his wife and she is not obliged to spend anything. Allah The Exalted clarifies this point when He Says )what means(:}Men are in charge of women by ]right of[ what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend ]for maintenance[ from their wealth.{]Quran 4:34[ Nevertheless, in some cases the share of a woman may exceed that of a man according to the degree of kinship. Hence, the matter is not that a woman's share shall always be half the share of a man.
- With regards to testimony, the Noble Sharee’ah took into consideration the psychological traits of women. Women are emotional in their psychological makeup and their emotions may prevail )above reason(. That is why Allah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And if there are not two men ]available[, then a man and two women from those whom you accept as witnesses - so that if one of the women errs, then the other can remind her.{]Quran 2:282[
Besides, because of the nature of their social activity, women do not witness what men witness and do not take part in what adds to their experience and what qualifies them not to be deceived by fraudulent appearances. This may lead to committing what is forbidden without perceiving it. Nonetheless, the Monotheistic Sharee'ah granted women the right of testimony in what they practice such as testimony concerning seeing the newborn after delivery and the like. The reason for this is that testimony varies according to the subject matter. The testimony of a single woman may be accepted, as previously mentioned, in what is related to women's issues like delivery of newborns and similar issues.
- With respect to divorce, women have overriding emotions and are angered quickly. That is why Allah The Almighty gave men the authority of direct divorce as they are distinguished by patience and judgment by reason before emotions and being aware of the consequences of issues. At the same time, Islam does not deprive a woman from requesting a divorce if she is abused in a way that she cannot bear or if matters become complicated between her and her husband in such a way that makes continuing their marital life impossible. In both cases, both the husband and wife have their rights.
- Polygyny is a treatment for many social problems such as the barren woman who is not able to give birth while her husband wishes to have children but does not want to separate from her. In addition, it represents a solution for the problem of an increase in the number of women so that it exceeds the number of men due to circumstances such as wars.
Besides, women carry the offspring in their wombs. This is why it is not reasonable for her to demand the right to have multiple husbands which would lead to the intermixing of lineages and loss of chastity. In return for the right of polygamy granted to men, Islam set forth the condition of being just and fair among all wives.
The Twin Halves of Men:
In the Noble Hadeeth, the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"Women are the twin halves of men.”]Abu Dawood and At-Tirmithi[ Men and women are equal before Allah The Exalted and perhaps there is a pious woman who is more noble in the Sight of Allah The Exalted than a man:}Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you.{]Quran 49:13[. Paradise is not a destination for men void of any women.
The Noble Quran also presented women as examples of righteousness. Allah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people." And ]the example of[ Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into ]her garment[ through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient. {]Quran 66:11-12[
Islam came with values and principles that elevate the status of women and preserve their dignity. However, dangers appeared and arrows were directed towards Islam and the Muslims. So, would the Muslim woman support her religion and defeat the plots of the greedy? Allah The Exalted Says )what means(:}They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.{]Quran 9:32[.

Share

Welcome to Islam, - *Equality between men and women - I

Share

Allah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And due to the wives is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable. But the men have a degree over them ]in responsibility and authority[. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.{]Quran 2: 228[.
Equality between men and women in rights and performing duties is a lofty value and noble aim sought by everyone, male or female. However, it became a double-edged sword used by domestic and foreign enemies of women. They use equality as a tool to serve their demoralizing goals by making their voices heard demanding:
1- Emancipation of women from all religious and social restrictions and granting them absolute freedom to do whatever, whenever and however they wish! This is not what women were created for and it is not their role in society!
2- Educating women equally as men without distinction in any field they wish regardless of what benefits them as women who bear a special message in life and great importance for which they should prepare themselves.
3- That women should work just as men under any circumstances and in any field regardless of what suits their feminine nature and physical and psychological structure.
4- Equality with men in financial rights. They demanded that a woman's portion in inheritance should be equal to that of a man in spite of the fact that this bluntly contradicts the Sharee'ah of Allah The Almighty without taking into consideration the financial responsibilities of men such as financial maintenance and such which is compatible with his additional portion of inheritance.
The basic rule is to consider inheritance as Allah The Almighty divided and decreed, because it is He the Exalted Who Sets its legislation and Knows with His Wisdom what He Ordained and Decreed without the least injustice to anyone. Those who raise the previous claims did not bother to consider equality in the inheritance between siblings who share the same mother )but different fathers(. In this case, the portion of the male is equal to that of the female. Moreover, in some cases the portion of a woman may exceed that of a man.
These are some examples of their claims which appear to be merciful but actually entail suffering because they are not aware of the actual meaning of the equality they are calling for. They are not aware of the unnecessary suffering that women may experience due to their calls. Furthermore, nor are they aware of the rights and privileges Islam granted to women. They are either ignorant or pretend to be ignorant of the status of women before Islam in different doctrines and societies and how her status changed in the shade of Islam.
The Status of Women in ancient Greece:
If we take a look at ancient Greece, we find that in spite of their culture and science, women were no more than servants or, in the best case scenario, housewives. Furthermore, the Greeks – owners of the philosophical crown – made their wives live in rooms with few windows and prevented them from going out to the market or elsewhere.
Moreover, despite Plato's philosophical theory related to the military and political duties of women, they remained isolated from public life due to Greek customs and laws.
The common concept of the Greek image was that "the shackles of women shall not be removed". This is why, after the collapse of Greek civilization, voices were raised demanding liberation from the bodies and impurity of women which was the reason behind corruption. Thus, Greek women were showered with curses and horrible accusations.
The Status of Women in India:
In India, women were burnt alive in the coffin of their deceased husbands.
The Status of Women in Judaism:
In Judaism, Jews acknowledged women as dangerous and an evil that exceeds that of serpents. They viewed women with humiliation and contempt and appointed girls to the level of servants. Furthermore, there were some traditions that prohibited the marriage of girls in order to remain serving their families along with the right of their guardians to sell them as slaves.
Status of Women in Some Christian Doctrines:
In some Christian doctrines, a woman is considered no more than a body void of any soul. This applied to all women except for the Virgin Mary.
Status of Women in the Pre-Islamic Arab Culture:
In the Pre-Islamic Arab culture, a woman was simply a piece of property. She was considered an inheritance to the son of the deceased.
The pre-Islamic view of girls was based upon pessimism. This is why their corrupt habit of female infanticide )i.e. burying infant girls alive( became common.
To be continued...

Share

Welcome to Islam, - *Prophet Muhammad and polygyny - II

Share

Second: The Legislative Aspect
The second point of wisdom behind polygny has a legislative dimension. This form of marriage was established to abrogate the repulsive traditions followed by the Arabs in the pre-Islamic times, such as the tradition of adoption. This practice was a norm inherited from past generations. According to this tradition, a man could take a strange boy as his own son, treat him exactly as his real son in terms of heritage, marriage, divorce, unlawful affinity )prohibited relationships through marriage(, prohibited forms of marriage, and other matters agreed upon as sacred norms in that pre-Islamic period.
At that time, a man might adopt a son of another person and say to him: “You are my son; I inherit you and you inherit from me.” Islam neither endorsed this habit nor left people to grope in the darkness of ignorance. Allaah abolished adoption by inspiring Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )may Allaah exalt his mention( to adopt a son prior to his messengership. The son he adopted was Zayd bin Haarithah, may Allaah be pleased with him, whom people used to call “Zayd bin )the son of( Muhammad.”
Al-Bukhaari and Muslim )whose books are the most authentic after the Quran( narrated that 'Abdullah bin 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said: “We used to call Zayd bin Haarithah nothing but )Zayd bin Muhammad( till the revelation of the Quranic verse:“Call them ]i.e., those children under your care[ by ]the names of[ their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allaah…”]Quran: 33:5[ The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam then said to Zayd:“You are Zayd bin Haarithah bin Sharaheel.”
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam married his cousin, Zaynab bint Jahsh, may Allaah be pleased with her, to Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, while he was his adopted son. After a lengthy marriage, their relationship deteriorated. Being from a noble, high-class family, Zaynab, may Allaah be pleased with her, used to look down on her husband who was a slave before he was adopted by the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. She occasionally uttered harsh words against him whenever a dispute broke out between them. The consequence of this marital misunderstanding was divorce.
Allaah the Exalted then ordered Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam to marry her, so that the vicious tradition of adoption was abolished practically and the Islamic principles thus established. Being the supreme model of the Muslim Nation, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was ordained by his Lord, the Glorious, to practically inaugurate the divine legislation of abrogating adoption.
Third: The Social Aspect
The social dimension of the wisdom of the Prophet’s marriage is clearly manifested in his marriage to the daughter of Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, who was his first faithful minister.
To maintain good relations with his tribe, the Quraysh, he married several women from different family branches of that tribe. This wise strategy, moreover, enhanced the ties amongst those tribal sub-divisions themselves.
These marriage relationships played a vital role in attracting the resistant hearts of those tribesmen, changing their hostility into tender inclination towards the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and his Message. Brought to the folds of Islam, these tribes became its loyal supporters and devotedly served the Prophet’s cause )religion(. They sacrificed their wealth and lives for the pre-eminence and victory of Islam.
The Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam married 'Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, the daughter of his most intimate, lovable companion – Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, who was the first man to believe in the prophethood of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. This loyal follower devoted his life and wealth in the cause of Islam and in defence of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. The Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam found no better way of rewarding Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, for his courageous devotion than becoming his son-in-law. This marriage relationship further strengthened their friendship and enhanced their mutual affinity.
He also married Hafsah, daughter of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both – his second faithful minister. This marriage was a matter of honour to 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, and a great reward for his accepting Islam, truthfulness, faithfulness, and complete devotion to the religion. 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, was the prominent hero of Islam by whom Allaah reinforced Islam and the Muslims and raised high the banner of the religion. By the marriage of his daughter to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, 'Umar shared with Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with them, the great honour of being the Prophet’s father-in-law.
Fourth: The Political Aspect
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, – as mentioned earlier – made marriage relations with members of some tribes in order to reconcile their hearts with his and to gain their support. It is a fact that when a man marries into a family, he will maintain strong bonds with his in-laws and, accordingly, ensure their assistance and protection. The following examples demonstrate clearly how the political dimension of the Prophet’s marriages was embodied:
Example 1:
The Noble Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam married Juwayriyah, daughter of Al-Haarith – the chieftain of Bani Al-Mustaliq )a well-known tribe(, after she was captured along with her clan. She came to the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam asking for some money to ransom herself. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam suggested to her that he would pay her due ransom and marry her, which she wholeheartedly accepted. The Muslims then proclaimed: “The Prophet’s in-laws under our hands )i.e. as prisoners(?” They therefore freed all the captives. To this act of noble tolerance and magnanimity by the Muslims, the captives’ reaction was to profess Islam. Thus, they joined the folds of Allaah’s religion and became believers.
Example 2:
The Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam also married Safiyyah, daughter of Huyay bin Akhtab - the chieftain of the Jewish tribe of Bani Quraythah. After the Muslims in the battle of Khaybar killed her husband, she was taken prisoner. The advisory body )a company of men of thought and opinion( suggested that, being the mistress of Bani Quraythah, nobody was as worthy of her company )as a husband( as the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. After consulting with his Companions, the Noble Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ordered her presence and entitled her to choose between two options: either that he frees her and takes her as a wife, or that he frees her to join her tribe.
Admiring his graciousness, tolerance, nobility, and supreme conduct, she chose to be his wife after being set free. With her conversion to Islam, a great number of her tribesmen also converted.
So, deeply reflect upon the magnificent policy of the Noble Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and ponder his supreme and sublime wisdom.

Share