The man who plucked out his eye

The man who plucked out his eye
Ka'ab relates, once at thetime of Prophet Musa (AS), there was a
drought. The Bani Israeel asked him to prayfor rain. Prophet Musa told
them to come with him to the mountain. When they climbed the mountain
he said to his people, "Whoever has commited a sin? then do not follow
me." They all turned back down the mountain except for oneman. He was
blind from one eye and known to the people as Barkh. Prophet Musa
asked him,"Did you not hear what Isaid?" "Yes" he replied. Prophet
Musa asked again, "Have you never commited a sin?" Barkh paused and
then replied,"I cannot remember commiting a sin except for one, but I
do not know whether it is regarded as a sin. I will mention in to you
and if it is a sin I shall return." Prophet Musa enquired,"What is
it?" Barkh replied, "Once I happened to pass the door of a house which
was open. I glanced in and saw somebody, but Iwas not able to tell
whether it was a man or a woman. I said to my eye, 'Out of my whole
body you hurried to commit a sin, you cannotremain with me anymore',
so I plucked out my eye. If this is a sin, I will return." Prophet
Musa assured him that he had not sinned and then told him to pray for
rain. They prayed to Allah, "OhAlmighty, whatever you have does not
finish. There is no end to your treasures; you cannot beaccused of
being miserly. Oh Allah show usyour mercy and send forth rain." The
narrator states that they both walked home in the mud.

Why bitter fruits were sweet to Ayyaz

There was a famous ruler by the name SultanMahmud and he had a slave
called Ayyaz. SultanMahmud loved Ayyaz very much because of hisgreat
wisdom. From timeto time, Sultan would test Ayyaz with various things
to see how much love Ayyaz had for him. One day, Sultan Mahmudgathered
the most bitterfruits from his garden and called Ayyaz. Sultan told
Ayyaz to eat them. Ayyaz took the fruits in his hands and kissed them
and then started eating them without anyhesitation. Sultan observed
that Ayyaz was eating the fruits with great pleasure and the bitter
taste was not affecting him in any way. Now Sultan started thinking
that he might've picked the wrong fruits, so, he tookone of the fruits
from Ayyaz to find out. As soon as Sultan took a bite, he was
overwhelmed by the bitterness of the fruit and started screaming for
water. When Sultan settled down, he asked Ayyaz why he was unaffected
by the fruits. Ayyaz said "You only see the bitterness of the fruits
but you don't see the one who gave them to me? They were given to me
by the king himself!"
My dear friends, today we find some commandments of Allah to be bitter
and hard to follow. However, we should rather follow them with great
love because they were givento us by the King of all kings, Allah.

Kinfolks & Neighbors

The same general rights are legislated in Islamic jurisprudence for
women as are required for men. A concern for general public welfare
and mutual support of one another isa trademark of the Islamic social
system. The Prophet(Peace be upon Him) said:
"The similitude of the believers intheir mutual care, love and
kindness to one another is like one human body: if one organ aches,
this prompts the entire body to be feverish and remain awake."
[Muslim #2586]
And he (Peace be upon Him) said:
"The believers, one to another, are like a firm structure, supporting
one another." He thenintertwined his fingers.
[Bukhari #467 & Muslim #2585]
"A woman as an aunt, niece, cousin, or any type of relative,
regardless of the distance, is included in the kinfolk to whom Allah
commanded to be good, kind and supportive. Allah, the Exalted, states
in the Qur'an:
(Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the
land, and sever your ties of kinship?)
(47:22)
The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) said:
"A person who severs his kinship ties, will never enter Jannah ."
[Muslim #2556]
And he (Peace be upon Him) said:
"Charity to a poor person is one charity, and to a (poor) relative two
charities: a charity and a connection of a relative."
[ Tirmidhi #658 & Ibn Majah#1844 and verified]
If a woman is a neighbor and sheis a Muslim, she is entitled to
tworights: the right of Islam, and theright of a neighbor. Allah, the
Exalted, states in the Qur'an:
(Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to
parents, kinfolk, orphans, the poor who beg, the neighbor who is
related to you, the neighbor who is a stranger, the companion by your
side, the wayfarer you meet, and those slaves whom your right hand
possesses. Verily, Allah does not like anyone who is proud and
boastful)
[4:36]
Islam obligates a Muslim to be good to all his or her neighbors. The
Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) said:
"Jibreel (Archangel Gabriel) continued to recommend me to take care of
the neighbor so much so that I thought the neighbor was going to be
made alegal heir."
[Bukhari #5668]
He (Peace be upon Him) also said:
"By Allah he is not a believer, by Allah he is not a believer, by
Allah he is not a believer!
They asked: "Who, O Messenger of Allah?"
He said: "The one from whose harm the neighbor is not safe."
[Bukhari 5670]
It is also reported by Asfahani in Hilyatul-Awliya that Talhah (may
Allah exalt their mention) said:
"Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah exalt their mention) went out of his
home one night. I decided to follow him to see what he was doing
during the night. I saw himentering a certain house and after a while
I saw him come out and enter another house. In the morning I went to
the first houseand entered it to find out who lives there. To my
surprise I found an old, blind and disabled woman. I asked her: 'What
did the man, who came in your homelast night, want from you?'
She said: 'This man has been taking care of me for a time now,serving
my needs and helping meand supporting me.' Talha said tohimself: 'Why
should I investigateUmar's actions?
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) said:
"The person caring for the widows and the poor is like the one who is
on the path of Allah, and as if he said: Like one who stands in prayer
without sitting down and like the one who fasts without breaking the
fast."
[Bukhari #5038 & Muslim #2982]
These are some distinguishing aspects of honoring, respecting, caring
for, and supporting women according to Islamic teachings that
summarize the rights of women. We believe thatwomen never witnessed
this extent of respect and honor throughout the history of mankind on
earth. Some traditions show that the Islamic law never tolerated
crimes or abuses against a woman during any stage of her life.

Women's Rights in Islam

Islam deals with women in a comprehensive way in the context of her
relationship with Allah, her Creator and Lord, with herself as a part
of humanity, andwith man, her partner and natural spouse in the
family. During the presentation below, keep in mind the rights that
other societies grant them in comparison to the rights to which Islam
has entitled women.
It is noteworthy that Islamic teachings are attentive to the needs and
rights of the weaker gender throughout her life: as a daughter,
sister, wife, mother, and as a member of the Islamic society.
*. Equality of Men and Woman in Islam, and their complementarynature
to one another