Women in Da'wah (Call to Islam) -I

From the very beginning of the Islamic history, Muslim women have
played vital roles in the propagation of the Divine Message (Islam).
From the sacrifices of Sumayyah to the collected Ahadeeth [narrations
ofthe Prophet ] of 'Aa'ishah women have been instrumental in the
flourishing and spreading of this religion, the process which is
called "Da'wah" in Arabic.
Unfortunately, during our presenttimes, the Islamic revival suffers
from weaknesses in its properly qualified personnel, which limits its
spreading and restricts the Da'wah work to an elite group of
activists, with finite and limited efforts of Da'wah and Tarbiyah
(education) being focused on women.
Da'wah amongst women deserves, and should get, far more attention than
it does. So far, except in a few instances, women have been distanced
from the field of Da'wah work. If we consider the situation of Islamic
Da'wah work and the position of women in it today, we can easily find
the following problems:
1- Deficiency in Da'wah capabilities among women.
2- The ill-use of existing limited-resources in combination with a
lack of personal initiative on the part of women.
3- A neglect or omission of women's issues in the planning of Islamic Da'wah.
4- Absence of adequate educationand the lack of fundamental Islamic
knowledge in the Daa'iyaat (female callers) in the field of Da'wah.
Only a few of the wives and daughters of Du'aat (male callers) have
any worthwhile Islamic knowledge.
5- Most women do not possess a proper understanding of the role of
Da'wah made incumbent on their husbands. Because of this, they may not
understand the importance of time given to projects outside the home,
whichin turn, may become a source of tension within the home.
6- The level of general Islamic knowledge among most women is low.
7- Women's Da'wah programs, aswell as overall Da'wah programs and
institutions are rare and not well organized.
Roots of the problem:
Many obstacles and restraints have been the causes behind the weakness
and neglect of Da'wah work amongst women. Once theyhave been
recognized and analyzed, viable solutions can be sought and
implemented.
One major reason is that many men are not convinced about the
importance of women's role and responsibilities in the field of
Da'wah. The Quranic verse (whichmeans) "And abide in your houses..."
[33:33] has been misinterpreted by many, and so has the concept of
"Qawaamah", or the right/responsibility of stewardship. In many
instances, we see men objecting to women's participation in Da'wah and
thus preventing them from fulfilling their role toward their
fellow-Muslims and to the larger society in general. Spreading Islam
has been made incumbent on all Muslims, men and women.
"It is vital that husbands encourage their wives to participate in
Da'wah work," said Dr. 'Aa'ishah Hamdaan, Director of the Islamic
Education Foundation (IEF), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA).
Shehas a Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in child and
family issues. She teaches at a private university in the Twin Cities.
The main goal of the IEF is to increase the level of awarenessand
provide training in giving Da'wah amongst Muslim women and men. "They
(husbands) should encourage them to spread the message of this
religion, perhaps by taking them along when they go out, and by
instructing them on the proper ways of giving presentations about
Islam," she added.
A more particular reason is the absence or confusion of prioritiesin
the minds of the callers to Islam. Many of them have been overwhelmed
and distracted by the state of the Ummah (Muslim community), even to
the extent of ignoring to give proper attention to their homes and
families. Their energies having been exhausted in the work outside the
home, leaving them with nothing left for their families. This
imbalance affects not only the families, but also thecommunity as a
whole.
The level of women's education and awareness of their position and
responsibility plays an important role in the field of Da'wah.
A crucial role for the Muslim Women
The reasons women's participation in Da'wah is important are various
and diverse:
1. Women are more capable than men are in communicating with other
women. Women are usually more affected by word, deed, and conduct of
other women, more so than by men. On the other hand, women are more
capable of recognizing the particularities and problems associated
with women's education.
2. Women can better comprehend the direction in which women's Da'wah
work should be geared. They can best discern the order of priorities,
because they are more familiar with this sphere.
3. Women are freer than men in communicating with other women, either
individually for Da'wah activities, or in women's learning and other
forums and places of meeting.
4. Many Muslim women who are in need of guidance, education, and
direction lack the presence ofmen-folk who can provide this service,
therefore it makes sense that qualified women in the community should
do the job.
5. The need of education with women is greater than that with men.
They get pregnant, give birth, and nurse children. The children are
more tied to them than they are to their fathers. Women stay at home
with their sons and daughters, and thus canbring them up as they
please. If they are not allowed to share in the Da'wah efforts of
their husbands, a lot of the much-needed results may not be attained.
6. Women have a great effect on their husbands. If they have strong
Eemaan (faith) and character, they have a very good chance at helping
their husbands become strong as well.
7. Women have a lot of characteristics that stress the importance of
their Da'wah role. They should also be taken into account whenever any
Da'wah work is planned. Some are:
* Women have the innate ability to communicate strongly what they
believe to be true in their hearts. Dr. Hamdaan also points out that,
"Women are also generally stronger in terms of verbal abilities and
emotionality."
* Women sometimes lack will-power and a sense of direction, and
therefore need the assistance of other women to give strength and
motivation .