Dought & clear, - He is asking: why are most of the people on earth disbelievers, and why does Allah want them to enter Hell?

I am wondering: why are most of the people on earth non-Muslims? As
far as I know, Allah's love for His creation is seventy times greater
than the love of a mother for her child, so why are the majority
non-Muslims? Is it true that no one will ever enter Paradise except
Muslims, and Ahl as-Sunnah in particular?If this is true, then that
means that no one who will enter Paradise except a percentage that is
very small in comparison to the total number of people on earth. So
why does Allahwant the majority of His creation to enter Hell?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
First of all we should point out that what the questioner mentioned
about Allah's love for His creation being "seventy times greater than
the love of a mother for her child" has no basis in theQur'an or
Sunnah. Allah, may He be exalted, does not love the transgressors, and
He does not love the evildoers, and He does not love the
disbelievers,so how can it be affirmed that Allah, may He be exalted,
loves all of His creation when the vast majority of them are these
types of people? Rather Allah, may He be exalted, loves those who do
good, and He loves the pious, and He loves those who repent, and He
loves those who purify themselves, and He lovesthose who are patient,
and He loves those who put their trust in Him, and He loves those who
are fair and just. These types of people are the ones for whom Allah,
may He be exalted, affirmed His love and they – naturally – cannotbe
any but those who affirm His Oneness and not those who associate
others with Him.
But despite all that, among the names of Allah, may He be glorified,
are the names ar-Rahmaan (the Most Gracious), ar-Raheem (the Most
Merciful); His mercy precedes His wrath, and His pardon precedes His
punishment, and He is more merciful to His slaves than a mother to her
child.
It was narrated that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with
him) said:Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of
Allah(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and there was a woman
among the prisoners who was searching for someone. When she found a
small boy among the prisoners, she clasped him to her and started to
breastfeed him. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said to us: "Do you think that this woman would throw her
child into the fire?" We said: No, by Allah, she would never do that
if she is able not to. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "Allah is more merciful towards His slaves
than this woman is towards her child."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,5999; Muslim, 2754.
There is a difference between mercy and love. Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, has sent down a share ofHis mercy by virtue of
which people show compassion towards oneanother, He grants provision
to His slaves, gives them more time, is forbearing towards them and
bears patientlytheir disbelief and offensive words. All of that is in
this world; but in the hereafter, His mercy will be only for those who
believed in Him and submitted to Him.
Secondly:
With regard to the question, "Why are most people on earth
non-Muslims?" The answer to that is: because they are the ones who
have chosen disbelief over Islam. Herewe will set aside those who are
excused because the message didnot reach them, and let us ask: what is
the matter with those who read about Islam and whom the call reached,
and they saw thousands of their coreligionists race towards Islam, and
they saw the millions who follow this great religion, and they saw the
clear signs that pointto the truthfulness of theProphet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) and the truthfulness of his call, and the
truthfulness andmiraculous nature of theQur'an, and they heard the
debates in which theenemies of Islam were defeated and their specious
arguments refuted – yet despite all of that, and much more besides,
they did not believe in Islam and theydid not accept it as their
religion; rather billions of them were content to worship a cross that
theymade or an idol that they carved, or a grave that they built up,
or a cow that they worshipped instead of Allah. There is no power and
no strength except with Allah.
The truth is obvious and clear; the signs that point to the greatness
ofIslam are too many to becounted; no wise personcan argue against the
evidence that what these disbelievers are doing is false; sound human
nature and reasoning reject those (false) acts of worship and the
taking of other gods as lords instead of Allah, the One. Allah, mayHe
be exalted, has highlighted the evidence and has established proof
against them. Yet despite that, most people insist on disbelieving and
you willnot find most people to be grateful monotheists; rather they
are disbelievers and polytheists.
Thirdly:
As for the answer to the question, So why does Allah want the majority
of His creation to enter Hell?, The answer is that Allah, may He be
exalted,does not approve of the disbelief of these peopleand He does
not like it, but they liked it for themselves. The AlmightyLord, may
He be glorified and exalted, has stated in His holy Book that He is
not pleased with the disbelief of the disbelievers, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you; He
likes notdisbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being
believers), He is pleased therewith for you"
[az-Zumar 39:7].
This is a clear statement that Allah, may He be exalted, does not like
disbelief for His slaves; rather He likes Tawheed (affirmation of the
Oneness of Allah) and Islam for them. Rather they are the ones who
like disbelief as a religion for themselves, and they refused to join
the ranks of those who affirm the Oneness of Allah. Allah, may He be
exalted, does not force anyone to become a Muslim or to become a
disbeliever; rather He, may He be glorified and exalted, has explained
the paths of truth and falsehood, right and wrong, Islam and
disbelief, then He has given people the choice, along with His promise
to the Muslims of rewardand His warning to the disbelievers of Hell.
Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning):
"29. And say: 'The truth isfrom your Lord.' Then whosoever wills, let
him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. Verily, We have
prepared for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers), a Fire whose
walls will be surrounding them (disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah).
And if they ask for help (relief, water), they will be granted water
like boiling oil, that will scaldtheir faces. Terrible is the drink,
and an evil Murtafaq (dwelling, resting place)!
30. Verily, as for those who believed and did righteous deeds,
certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone who does his
(righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner to be lost.
31. These! For them will be 'Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting
Gardens); wherein rivers flow underneath them; therein they will be
adorned with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of
fine and thick silk. They will recline therein on raised thrones. How
good is the reward, and what an excellent Murtafaq (dwelling, resting
place)!"
[al-Kahf 18:29-31]
"2. Verily, We have created man from Nutfah (drops) of mixed semen
(sexual discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made
him hearer and seer.
3. Verily, We showed himthe way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.
4. Verily, We have prepared for the disbelievers iron chains, iron
collars, and a blazing Fire.
5. Verily, the Abraar (the pious believers of IslamicMonotheism) shall
drink of a cup (of wine) mixed with (water from a spring in Paradise
called) Kaafoor.
6. A spring wherefrom the slaves of Allah will drink, causing it to
gush forth abundantly."
[al-Insaan 76:2-6].
Here we will quote an example of how Allah offered guidance to people
by sending Messengers with clear signs, yet they chose disbelief over
Islam. They were the people of Thamood. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"17. And as for Thamood,We showed and made clear to them the Path
ofTruth (Islamic Monotheism) through Our Messenger (i.e. showed them
the way ofsuccess), but they preferred blindness to guidance; so the
Saa'iqah (a destructive awful cry, torment, hit, thunderbolt) of
disgracing torment seized them because of what they used to earn.
18. And We saved those who believed and used to fear Allaah, keep
theirduty to Him and avoid evil."
[Fussilat 41:17-18].
This is an example, and similar to these people are all those who
disbelieved in their Lord and rejected their Messengers, and were
content with disbelief in this world and eternity in the Fire in the
Hereafter. These moderndisbelievers have a precedent; messengers
brought the truth from their Lord to them, and Allah, may He be
exalted,made the Messenger to each people one of theirown, so that
they would recognise his truthfulness and honesty, and He gave each
one of them a sign that is enough proof for people, yet despite that,
they said that their Messengers were sorcerers or madmen. The
disbelievers of Quraysh demanded a sign from the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) so that they would believe. He showed
them the splitting of the moon, and they said that it was sorcery. So
the words of Allah concerning them are true (interpretation of the
meaning):
"and even if they see every one of the Ayaat (signs) they will not
believe therein"
[al-An'aam 6:25].
Those people did not stop at rejecting the Messengers of their
Lord;rather they conspired against them, to kill them or expel them
fromtheir lands. Allah, may Hebe exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And those who disbelieved, said to theirMessengers: 'Surely, we shall
drive you out of our land, or you shall return to our religion.' So
their Lord revealed tothem: 'Truly, We shall destroy the Zaalimoon
(polytheists, disbelievers and wrongdoers)'"
[Ibraaheem 14:13].
And Allah, may He be exalted, tells us that the people of Ibraaheem
(peace be upon him) said:
"So nothing was the answer of [Ibraaheem's (Abraham's)] people except
that they said: 'Kill him or burn him.' Then Allah saved him from the
fire. Verily, in this are indeed signs for a people who believe"
[al-'Ankaboot 29:24].
And Allah, may He be exalted, says concerning our Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him):
"And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you (O
Muhammadصلى الله عليهوسلم( to imprison you, or to kill you, or to get
you out )from your home, i.e. Makkah("
[al-Anfaal 8:30].
If this was the case with regard to those to whomthe Messenger, whom
they knew, brought the message from his Lord, and they saw the signs
with their own eyes, then what about those Indians, Chinese and
Europeans, if the Arabian Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon them) came to them as a bringer of glad tidings and a
warner??
When some of the polytheists claimed that Allah, may He be
exalted,approved of their disbelief and that if that was not the case,
He would have diverted them from it, our Lord, may He be blessed and
exulted, showed them tobe liars and explained that they were only
following their whims and desires and their forefathers who had gone
astray. Allah, may He be exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning)
"And those who joined others in worship with Allah said: 'If Allah had
sowilled, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped aught but
Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without (Command from) Him'"
[an-Nahl 16:35].
Then Allah, may He be exalted, refuted them bysaying:
"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a
Messenger (proclaiming): 'Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep
away from) Taghoot (all false deities,i.e. do not worship Taaghoot
alongside Allah).' Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of
them were some upon whom the straying was justified"
[an-Nahl 16:36].
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
In these verses, Allah explains that He did not approve of their
disbelief, and that He sent a Messenger to every nation, commanding
them on the Messenger's lips to worship Allah alone and to avoid
taaghoot (false gods), i.e., to keep away from the worship of any
deity besides Him. He also told them that Allah guided some of them to
worship Him alone, and that some of them went astray; in other words,
their disbelief and doomwere confirmed.
Allah, may He be exalted,says in Soorat al-An'aam (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Say: 'With Allah is the perfect proof and argument, (i.e. the Oneness
of Allaah, the sending of His Messengers and His Holy Books, to
mankind); had He so willed, He would indeed have guided you all'"
[al-An'aam 6:149].
The fact that He alone can help and guide people is the perfect proof
and argument against His creation. In other words: whoever We guide
and bless with Our help, that is grace and mercy from Us. And whoever
We do not do that for, that is justice and wisdom from Us, because he
was not owed that by Us and did not deserve it from Us. Rather if We
grant that, it is grace, and if we do not grant it, it is justice.
End quote fromAdwa' al-Bayaan, 7/95, 96.
Fourthly:
The questioner says: Is it true that no one will ever enter Paradise
except Muslims, and Ahl as-Sunnah in particular? That is subject to
further discussion:
Following the sending ofthe Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), then yes, no one will enter Paradise except a Muslim,
becauseIslam abrogated all the previous religions; Allah, may He be
exalted, commanded all His creation to enter this religion, and stated
that He will never accept any other religion from anyone, and that
whoever meets Him withany other religion will be among the losers.
Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be
accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:85].
Because of that, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) instructed Bilaal to call out to the people: "No one will enter
Paradise except a Muslim."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,3062; Muslim, 178.
With regard to the previous nations, everyone who believed in his
Prophet and Messenger will enter Paradise; they were the Muslims of
their time. Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and
Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous
good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be
no fear, nor shallthey grieve"
[al-Baqarah 2:62].
With regard to the question of Paradise being for Ahl as-Sunnah in
particular, this is an incorrect view. None of the scholars have said
such a thing; rather all ofthe ummah of Muhammad (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) who responded to his call willenter Paradise; no
one will be deprived of it except those who turnedon their heels
(apostatized) and nullified their Islam by doing something that took
them out of Islam altogether, and those innovators who went against
sharee'ah and opposed Ahl as-Sunnah. They, like other sinners among
the monotheists, will be subject to the willof Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted: if He wills, He will punish them, and if He
wills, He will forgive them, then the final destination of any one of
them will be Paradise, if he died believing in Tawheed.
This also applies to thosewho committed some sins or fell into some
innovation, but were among Ahl as-Sunnah in general; they will also
besubject to the will of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted: if He
wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them.
However, adhering to the Sunnah, defending itand following it in word
and deed will increase the hope of entering Paradise and being saved
from the punishment of Allah.
Fifthly:
The one who understands from the hadeeth about divisions and from the
words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about
the seventy-two different sects who go against Ahl as-Sunnah, "All of
them will be in the Fire", that they will abide forever in the fire of
Hell, is mistaken and has gone against the consensus of the Muslims.
The fact that these sects have gone astray and have been given a
warning ofHellfire does not mean that they will abide therein forever.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever says that the seventy-two sects have all committed kufr
(disbelief) in a way that puts them beyond the pale of Islam has gone
against the Qur'an, Sunnah and the consensus of the Sahaabah (may
Allah be pleased with them all), and also the consensus of the four
imams and others. There is no one among them who regarded each one of
the seventy-two sects as disbelievers.
End quote fromMajmoo' al-Fataawa, 7/218
Describing those who differ as disbelievers is the way of the
followers of innovation and misguidance; it is not the way of Ahl
as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The Khaarijis were the first ones to regard the Muslims as
disbelievers, saying that they become disbelievers because of
committing sins. They also regarded as disbelievers those who
disagreed with their innovation and regarded it as permissible to kill
them and take their wealth. This is how the innovators are: they
introduce an innovation and regard as disbelievers those who differ
with them, concerning it. Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah follow theQur'an
and Sunnah, and obey Allah and His Messenger; they follow the truth
and show compassion to all people.
End quote fromMajmoo' al-Fataawa, 3/279
And he said concerning the seventy-two sects: They regard one
anotheras disbelievers because of some of the ideas they believe in.
End quote fromMajmoo' al-Fataawa, 7/218
For reports of the hadeeth about division and some comments on it,
please see the answer to question no. 90112
For a description of Ahl as-Sunnah and the savedsect, please see the
answers to questions no. 10777and 206
Sixthly:
By the mercy of Allah, may He be exalted, to Hisslaves, He will not
punishwith Hell those whom the call of Islam did not reach. For those
who arealive at the present, or who lived before, whomnews of Islam
did not reach, they will be testedon the Day of Resurrection. And
Allah knows best.

8 Jannah: The Garden from the Qur'an and Hadith - The Abundant Wealth of the Garden

In non-religious societies, wealth has always been the symbol of power
and respect and it has been among the major goals that people strive
for throughout their lives. One of the reasons for this is that people
without faith believe that they will only be truly happy if they are
wealthy. They think that they can only secure their possessions and
achieve comfort, ease and the beautiful things they like in this way.
For this reason, they spend their whole lives amassing property and
possessions, saving money and making the right investments. They worry
that their possessions will be used up and so they do not make use of
them, they avoid spending money at all costs and do everything they
can to preserve their wealth.
But in the life of this world, a person's wealthwill not bring him the
pleasure he expects no matter how hard he works for it. It may give
him comfort in some ways, but in this flawed and imperfect world
wealth is also flawed and imperfect. The Arabic word dunya (world) is
derived from the word dani which means "low, inferior, simple,
worthless."
A reason why Allah created the world flawed, and as a transitory place
is to allow people to appreciate better the good things of the Garden.
For example, if aperson who has lived in poverty since childhood is
invited to a home withmagnificent furniture and priceless works of
art, decorated with precious stones, and is offered rare foods to eat,
he would be struck by the beauty of the place. Doubtless, this
person's delight would be much greater than that of someone who has
lived in such an environment since childhood. Our position in this
world is similar tothat of a person broughtup in poverty and want. But
even the world's wealthiest person is poor in comparison to the riches
of the Garden.And, in this world, a person can never attain this true
wealth. Even the richest person in the world will finally be wrapped
in a few metres of cloth or put into a coffin and buried in the
ground, leaving all his wealth behind. Allah tells us in the Qur'an
that the blessingsof the world are transitory:
"They will have Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing under them. They
will be adorned in them with bracelets made of gold..." (Surat
al-Kahf: 31)
The metaphor of the life of the world is that of water which We send
down from the sky, and which then mingles withthe plants of the earth
toprovide food for both people and animals. Then, when the earth is at
its loveliest and takes on its fairest guise and its people think they
have it under their control, Our command comes upon it by night or day
and We reduce it to dried-out stubble, as though it had not been
flourishing just the day before! In this way We make Our Signs clear
for people who reflect. (Surah Yunus: 24)
The wealth of the Garden, unlike the wealth of this world, is an
everlasting wealth that people will experience in their hearts and
with their bodies and senses, without worrying that it will ever come
to an end. This verse in the Qur'an tells us about the beautiful
wealth of the Garden: "Seeing them, you see delight and a great
kingdom." (Surat al-Insan: 20)
The wealth of the Garden is a harmony containing the artistry
ofAllah's endless bounty and dazzling splendour. All of this beauty is
presented in such a way as to fulfil the believers' passions and
desires, because it is only when wealth is turned into beauty in this
way that itcan give meaning to the human spirit.
In the following pages several hadith are included illustrating how
beautiful it is to dwell in the Garden and we will describe its wealth
at the same time.The beauty of these places, apart from their
aesthetic qualities, comes from the value of the materials used to
decorate them. In a hadith, our Prophet replied to someone who asked
about what materials the Garden is built from:
One brick of gold andone brick of silver, its mortar is of strongly
scented musk, its stones are pearls and emeralds,and its soil is of
saffron… (Narrated by Abu Hurayra, at-Tirmidhi)
The wealth promised to the people of the Gardenis limitless; it is in
abundance, and there is no worry that it will everbe used up.

7. Jannah: The Garden from the Qur'an and Hadith - Allah will reward them for what they say with Gardens withrivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. That is the recompense of the good-doer. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 85)

When considering the blessings that Allah will grant in the Garden, it
must not be forgotten that the human mind is very limited. For this
reason, people really cannot imagine the abundance, variety and
incomparable beauty of the blessings promised. Any description of the
blessings of the Garden, if it is to be enlighteningfor people, must
be done by way of comparison with the beautiful things of this world.
But the blessings of the Garden will be absolute in their perfection.
In His infiniteintelligence, Allah has created the Garden as a
magnificent place free from all imperfection.
The following example illustrates the limitationsof human thought. If
a human being had been created with the senses of taste, smell,
hearing and touch but without the sense of sight, he would never have
been able to conceive of visual beauty no matter how much it was
described to him. He would never be able to understand when people
spoke to him of colour, daylight, proportion, symmetry orvisual
splendours. By thesame token, there may be other senses that we know
nothing about at present, but which Allah will create in the Gardento
give us a totally new outlook. Therefore, in this world where we
arelimited to five senses, wecannot imagine what kind of blessings
there may be that may be beyond our ability to conceive. With our
limitations of sight, thought and imagination, we are like people in a
windowless house who never come out. Such people are unaware of the
beautiful things outside the house – mountains, rivers, trees,
beautiful flowers, animals, clear skies, bright sun-lit days – and so
cannot be aware that they live deprived of many blessings. In
addition, the comparison we make is based on the good things of this
world. The blessings of this world are extremely lacking when compared
with the blessings of the Garden and a person of faith must avoid the
error of interpreting even the limited things he knows about the
Garden from a narrow viewpoint. Apart from the things our Lord has
revealed about the Garden, a person has no idea of what surprises have
been prepared for the people of the Garden. Here is one of the verses
of the Qur'an that tells us about this: "They will have there
everything they want and with Us there is still more." (Surah Qaf:
35)
It is said that our Prophet described the blessings of the Garden in
these words:
Isn't there anybody hastening to the Garden? Because in the Garden
there are unimaginable blessings. (Mukhtasar at-Tadhkirah,
al-Qurtubi, pp. 306-307/499)

Al-Imam Al-A'zam, Abu Hanifa (r.a.) (699-767)

Al-Imam Al-Azam Abu Hanifa (ra), one of the most prominent figures
of the Islamic world, was a foresighted and highly insightful
scholar. His sound personality and profound fear of Allah were
greatly instrumental in his being embraced by the Islamic world.
Abu Hanifa (ra) was a very intelligent sharia scholar who always
kept his mind on the remembrance of Allah , meticulously observed
Allah's bounds, avoided vain and unbeneficial talk, and concisely
responded to questions. He attached great importance to what was
entrusted to him. He was a person who kept his lower-self under
control in all circumstances. He was a person of great compassion.
The objections and unbecoming words he faced throughout his life
never daunted him from his services rendered for the cause of Allah.
He possessed a pure wisdom that Allah granted him. He never
experience any breakdown in his line of thought and never ran
behind in responding. If anyone acted stubbornly or raised
difficulties, he tried to teach him the morality of Islam in the
most calm and gracious manner.
Imam Hanifa devoted a great part of his life to knowledge. Among his
principles were trusting in what was reliable, avoiding the
unreliable, tending towards the one that did not stir up trouble
among people and ensuring that no complications arose .
The method employed by Al-Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) in assessing issues
was based on the following seven principles:
Book: The pillar of the Religion and the strong rope of Almighty Allah.
Sunnah: Explanation of Allah's Book that provided details regarding
the general provisions.
The Accounts: The accounts of the Companions who transmitted the
"risalat" and personally witnessed the revelations.
Comparison: A method resorted to by sharia scholars in the absence
of evidence about an issue in the Qur'an, the Sunnah of our Prophet
(saas) or a statement of a Companion.
Istihsan: The particular judgment of a Sharia scholar that makes it
necessary for him to abandon previous judgments he made for similar
issues relying on an evidence such as a nass (injunction), ijma, a
state of necessity, concealed qiyas or recommendations.
İjma: The consensus of sharia scholars on any issue in any age. All
scholars agreed that ijma is an "evidence".
Tradition: The practices of Muslims about any issue in which no
nass (injuction) exists in the Qur'an, Sunnah and the practices of
the Companions.
Al-Imam Al-A'zam, Abu Hanifa
AL-IMAM AL-AZAM ABU HANIFA, THE IMAM OF OUR SCHOOL, STATED THAT THE
DESCENT OF THE PROPHET JESUS (AS) AND THE APPEARANCE OF HAZRAT
MAHDI (AS) ARE THE "ISSUES THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY"
Fiqh al-Akbar and the Wasiyyat , the two risalets of Abu Hanifa, are
the most precious and earliest texts on Islamic creed. The Fiqh
al-Akbar of Abu Hanifa is the fundamental book of Ahl al-Sunnah. In
this work, Imam Azam Abu Hanifa relates that the descent of the
Prophet Jesus (as) and the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) as the
"issues that are impossible to deny":
The appearance of the dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Gog, the sunrise
from the West, the descent of Prophet Jesus (as) from the sky and
other portents of the Day of Judgment informed by trustworthy
hadiths are right and they will happen. There are also other great
portents of the Day of Judgment, like the coming of Hazrat Mahdi
(as). All these happenings are correct , as brought and related by
trustworthy hadiths. and they will accordingly happen. (Translation
of Fiqh al-Akbar, Al-Imam Al-Azam Abu Hanifa, Prepared by Ali Riza
Kasheli, p.99)
The appearance of dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Gog, the sunrise from
the West, the descent of Prophet Jesus (as) from the sky and other
portents of the Day of Judgment are right, as the trustworthy
accounts relate us, and they will happen. (Abu Hanifa, Nu'man ibn
Sabid (150/767), Fiqh al-Akbar , Translated by: H. Basri Chantay,
Ankara, 1982)
When the Day of Judgment will come, Prophet Jesus (as) will descend
on Earth and thus all nations will come to become a single nation as
an Islamic nation. Before the advent of Prophet Jesus (as), Hazrat
Mahdi (as) will appear in the realms of Mecca and Medina and then
arrive to Jerusalem. Then dajjal will come and remain with him.
Prophet Jesus (as), on the other hand, will come down from the East
Minaret in Damascus to render the dajjal ineffective and there he
will make him ineffective by a blow. When Prophet Jesus (as)
descends, dajjal will dissolve and disappear as if salt dissolves in
water. Then Prophet Jesus (as) will meet Hazrat Mahdi (as).
Meanwhile they will pray together. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will point to
Prophet Jesus (as) to lead the prayer, but Prophet Jesus (as) will
offer his excuse telling that this prayer is fulfilled for him and
thus he deserves more to lead the prayer. Prophet Jesus (as) will
follow Hazrat Mahdi (as) to reveal that he complies with the sharia
of our Prophet (saas) and thus they will fulfill their prayers
together. (Imam al- Azam, Fiqh al-Akbar, Aliy al-Qari
Interpretation, Translated by: Yunus Vehbi Yavuz, Additional 3rd
edition, Cagri Publishing, p. 284)

Behold! verily to Allah belong all creatures, inthe heavens and on earth. What do they follow who worship asHis "partners" other than Allah? They follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but lie. (Qur'an, 10:66)

Behold! verily to Allah belong all creatures, inthe heavens and on
earth. What do they follow who worship asHis "partners" other than
Allah? They follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but
lie.
(Qur'an, 10:66)
-
ifferent concepts may come to mind when the theory of evolution is
mentioned. Some people, mainly materialists who think that it is a
scientifically proven fact, fiercely support it and, equally fiercely,
reject all ideas opposed to it.
A second group consists of people who are not well-informed about the
theory of evolution's claims. They are not particularly interested in
it, since they do not realize the harm that Darwinism has done to
humanity over the last century and a half. They see no problem with
how it is imposed on people and fiercely defended, despite its
scientific invalidity, for they have closed their eyes to what is
going on.
Even if they know that this theory has lost all scientific
credibility, they cannot take seriously those who still find it
important, because they themselves do not consider it important. They
consider it unnecessary to explain the theory's invalidity or to
publish books and hold conferences on the subject, for in their eyes
the theory is already "oldhat" or passé.
A third group consists of those who, under the influence of
materialist suggestion and propaganda, view this theory as scientific
fact and look for a "middle way" between it and belief in God. They
acceptDarwinism's account of the origin of life word for word, yet try
to build a bridge between the theory of evolution and religious belief
by maintaining that this account operates under God's control.
In reality, each of these views is mistaken, for thetheory of
evolution cannot reasonably be portrayed as scientific fact, passed
off as unimportant, or adapted to religion. As we shall see throughout
this site, the theory's ideological framework consists of
anti-religious thought put forward to strengthen atheism and to give
it a firm foundation. Moreover, it is fiercely defended by people who
have been persuaded by materialism, for it is constructed on
materialist philosophy and offers a materialist commentary on the
world. From the time it was first put forward by Charles Darwin and
right up to the present day, it has brought humanity nothing but
conflict, exploitation, war, and degeneration. Given this,it is
essential that we acquire a sound understanding of the subject and
launch a serious fight against it onthe ideological level.
This site replies from a very different perspective to the errors of
those believers who still support the theory ofevolution. It offers a
response to those Muslims who look for common ground between the
theory of evolution and the fact of creation, and who even try to find
evidence for the theory in the Qur'an. The purpose is not to criticize
Muslim evolutionists, but rather to explain that their attitude is
mistaken, to assist them on the level of ideas, and to be a means
whereby they can adopt a more correct perspective.
Two other facts will be discussed in this site: First, that Darwinism
is a theory that lacks any scientific foundation, and second, that its
real target is religion. Therefore, it will emphasize how wrong it is
for Muslims to take the theory lightly or to underestimate it, and to
see no need to wage an intellectual struggle against it.
Believers should avoid defending this theory and its ideological
meaning, for both contradict the truths of Islam. Some may support the
theory because they are unaware of the disasters that it has visited
upon humanity, that it is supported by people who hate religion, and
that it rejects the fact of creation. That being the case, those
Muslims who have only a little information on the subject should avoid
going down that road, for as Allah tells the faithful in the Qur'an:
Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of. Hearing, sight and
heartswill all be questioned. (Qur'an, 17: 36)
Exemplary Muslims should research the matter in all sincerity
andbehave according to the realization that:
... Those who have become Muslim are thosewho sought right guidance.
(Qur'an, 72: 14)
As the above verse commands, Muslims who believe in the theory of
evolution must consider this theory carefully, carry out wide-ranging
research, and make their decision according to their consciences. This
site has been prepared tohelp them do so and to shed some light upon
thepath that they are following.
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish prayer
and pay welfare and charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They
are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All -
Wise. (Qur'an, 9: 71)

Nimetullah Hodja

Nimetullah Halil İbrahim Yurt Hodja was born in the Taşova district
of the Turkish province of Amasya in 1932. His first teacher was
Mehmet Ali Efendi, the mufti of Tasova. His father took the hodja
to listen to the conversations of scholars and wise men from an early
age. The hodja greatly increased his knowledge of Islam during
these conversations. Nimetullah Hodja was also one of the first
pupils to attend the İsmail Ağa Qur'an course in Istanbul.
The hodja served as muezzin at the Sultanahmet Mosque in 1955. He
also served as deputy imam to the two great scholars Mehmet Efendi
of Gönen and Seyyid Arvasi. When these two illustrious figures
recommended that he become an imam, he served as imam, muezzin and
preacher in various cities, including Istanbul, Mecca and Medina, and
in various foreign countries such as Japan. While he was living in
Japan, Nimetullah Hodja was invited to many places. He knows Arabic,
Urdu, English, Japanese, Chinese and Farsi.
This fine passage of Nimetullah Hodja is a proof of his fine moral
virtues and humility:
"I have been honored to serve and know Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan,
Mehmed Zahid Kotku, Mahmut Sami Ramazanoğlu and many other friends
of Allah. I ask for Allah's mercy on all the friends of Allah and
our Scholars. I love them all and seek to benefit from them all. I
have striven to be a student throughout my life, I am a student and
I recommend that to you."
Despite his advancing age, Nimetullah Hodja still travels the world
preaching and calling people to Allah with the same passion and
sincerity. He has to date visited more than 55 countries for the
purpose of telling everyone that Islam bestows love, peace and
calmness. He has established sincere friendships with people in all
the countries he has been to, no matter what their language, color
or faith, and has introduced our religion, our country and our
values to them and been instrumental in the happiness of many
people.
During his conversations, Nimetullah Hodja reminds Muslims that
they are brothers and must love one another, and imparts the glad
tidings that Islam will prevail across the world in this century and
that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear in this century.
NİMETULLAH HODJA SAYS, 'THIS CENTURY WILL BE THE CENTURY OF ISLAM'
In an interview with Feyz Magazine on 30 August, 2008, Nimetullah
Hodja stated that the century we are living in will see the coming
of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):
Feyz magazine asks; Why do you emphasize the matter of the End Times so much?
Nimetullah Efendi: THIS CENTURY WILL BE THE CENTURY OF ISLAM, THERE
IS NO DOUBT THAT THE MAHDI WILL COME. SOME PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE THE
IMPORTANCE OF THIS. THAT IS VERY WRONG. I have heard that in person
from many elders. There are many hadiths on that subject....
THIS CENTURY WILL BELONG TO ISLAM, INSHA'ALLAH. OPPRESSION AND
INJUSTICE IN THE WORLD WILL FADE AWAY ... Great scholars in the Arab
world and Turkey are agreed that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will come.
There is no doubt about it. Our job is to assist Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)
by preaching. But not only by talking. It will happen if you set out
and strive to do what others cannot. You will wait a long time if
you do not observe Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) … WE MUST BOTH SEEK HIM and
work hard and strive to acquire the moral values of our Prophet
(saas). (30 August 2008 issue of Feyz Magazine)

Issues in which Men and Women are treated as dissimilar

This chapter deals and as well as tempers with the issues, which raise
most of the questions and criticisms.
1.Hijab
Muslim men and womenhave to fulfill very different requirements
concerning Satr (parts ofthe body which have to be covered). The
following Verse deals with the observation of Satr for women inside
the home where only close male and female family members can mix
together freely:
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their
private parts and not to show off their adornment except only that
which is apparent, and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna
(i.e.,their bodies, faces, necksand bosoms) and not to reveal their
adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their
husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's Sons, or their
brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their
(Muslim) women (i.e., their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves
whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigor,
or small children who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not
stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide ~of their adornment.
And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may
be successful." (V. 24:3 1)
Women can thus expose their objects of beautification such as make-up
and jewellery to other chaste women and the men listed in theabove
Verse only.
In front of other people, the Prophet's wives and all Muslim women
have been ordered to fulfill the requirements of Hijab by wearing a
Jilbab, which is a long outer garment that covers the entire body:
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e.,
screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the
way). Thatwill be better that they should be known (as free
respectable women)so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (V. 33:59)
Islam does not permit the free mixing of men and women outside the
close family group, and Western-style mixing even with wearing the
Hijab is not permissible as is seen in places of education and work.
TheQur�aan tells the believing men in the time of the Prophet:
"And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from
behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts."
(V. 33:53)
The wives of the Prophetwere models for all women and were regarded as
the Mothers of all believers. If they could only be addressed from
behind a curtain in order to avoid any temptation or impropriety, how
much more then is such a curtain necessary for ordinary women who can
be a much greater source of temptation? It is also clear from the time
of the Prophet that the Companions did not treat this Verse as
referring only to the Prophet' s wives but applied it to their women
as well, with the complete approval of the Prophet. The reason given
in the above Versefor such a curtain is"that is purer for your hearts
and for their hearts" and in another Verse we read:
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden
things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexualacts).
That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do."
(V. 24:30)
Islam wishes to establish a pure society in which there is no room
even for adultery of the eye. Free-mixing between the sexes is
forbidden, men and women are advised to marry at a young age so that
they can fulfill their desires lawfully, and all are told to "lower
their gazes" in public so that the eye may not be used as an
instrument of Satan. By observing Hijab, the woman's dignity and
decency is safeguarded. Her attire makes clear that she is not an
object for sale, advertising her beauty and availability for men's
lusting eyes and wolf whistles. We need little reminder of the immoral
society around us today in which the sexes mingle wearing indecent
clothes, and adultery is only frowned upon if committed after being
married. Before marriage individuals areencouraged to try different
partners, and the unfaithfulness, the misery, the jealousy and the
insecurities, which then take place, are a necessary result of such a
life style. The Muslims may well feel safe and secure within the
Islamicmoral and dress code, but they are often imitating too much of
the non-Muslims' behavior for complacency.
2. Polygyny
A man is allowed a maximum of four wives provided he treats them with
equality and justice. If he cannot support more than one wife or fears
that he willnot be just between them, he should remain monogynous. The
primary purpose behind polygyny is to provide for war widows and
orphans. The number of men in any society inevitably decreases after a
major war, and polygyny provides the only decent solution for the
widows and orphansleft alone. In such situations women may resort to a
monastic life, which is unnatural, or toan immoral and sinful life.
Islam also strictly forbids sexual relations outside marriage, and
polygyny is again the only decent and honest solution in cases where a
man wants more than one partner.
The widespread practicetoday of men having wives as well as mistresses
is demeaning for all the women involved, it is dishonesty and causes
untold misery. By marrying more than once, not only are all the woman
and the children involved legitimate, but the man also has to face up
to full responsibility for all the relationships he enters into.
3. Evidence of Women
The Qur�aan clearly states that the evidence of two women is
equivalent to that of oneman, giving the reason that if one forgets,
the other may remind her:
"And get two witnesses out of your own men. And if there are not two
men (available), then a man and two women, such as you agree for
witnesses, so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can
remind her." (V.2:282)
Giving evidence in court can be a daunting experience, especially as
the judicial system will consist mainly of men, sothe women can give
each other moral support as well as reminders. It is a serious and
burdensome responsibility, which hasbeen lightened for women.
There are four situationsin which evidence is required:
a. Crimes related to penal ordinances and retaliation. If men and
women are both available, the men will be called to give witness and
the women will not be summoned.
b. In economic affairs related to wealth and property, which are
usually the domains of men, the evidence of two men is accepted. If
two men are not available, then one man and two women will be
accepted.
c. In affairs concerning women only such as pregnancy, birth, sexual
defects, the evidence of one woman alone is accepted.
d. In criminal cases where only women are the witnesses, the four
Imams (religious leaders) are unanimous in not accepting the evidence
of women. They reason that in casessuch as murder and rape, the women
will be emotional and may get confused. Such evidence becomes
suspicious, and a principle of Shar'iah (Islamic law) is that any
suspicion about the evidence makes the evidence null and void. In this
context the Zahiri school of thought is more credible.
It states that if women alone are the witness in a criminal case,
their evidence will be accepted according to the principle of two
women's evidence beingequivalent to that of oneman. So in cases of
adultery, the evidence offour men or eight women will be accepted.They
argue that to rejectwomen's evidence entirely in such cases will allow
much crime to go unpunished.
It is an established scientific fact that women cannot explain the
intimate details of events with the accuracywhich men are capable of.
This fact has been confirmed by much research, such as Dr. Harding's.
in his book 'The Way of All Women.' According to one Hadith,the
Prophet described women as being incomplete in reason and religious
practice because they are exempted from the five daily prayers and
fastingduring their monthly menstruation. Their incompleteness in
reason is taken into account in the field of legal evidence. Giving
evidence in court is a serious responsibility from which a woman is
relieved, just as she is relieved from attending the Mosque for the
five daily prayers and the Friday prayer.
4. Inheritance
A daughter receives half the share of inheritance compared with the
son in accordance with the following Qur'anic injunction:
"Allah commands you as regards your children's (inheritance): to the
male, a portion equal to that of two females;" (V. 4:11)
If the daughter has no brothers and only women are the heirs, then
this principle does not apply. The ruling of giving a woman half the
share of a man seems unjust at first glance, butin fact it is more
generous to women. It isbased on the Shari 'ah principle of "Benefits
in accordance with the scale of responsibility."
To illustrate, a brother will inherit twice the sum his sister
inherits. What she inherits is hers to keep and she need not spend it
on anyone, even her husband though he may be poor. The brother is,
however, responsible for maintaining his family, which includes his
unmarried sister, surviving parent, wife and children. At the timeof
his marriage, he will have to pay bridal money to his wife as well as
provide for her throughout their married life. The sister will in
contrast receive bridal money and will bemaintained by her husband.
Any income she has and her share of inheritance is hers exclusively,
with which her family cannot interfere.
It seems that this same wisdom is behind the 'Aqiqah ceremony when the
two sheep are sacrificed at the birth of a male child, and one sheep
at the birth of a female child. This principle of benefits according
to responsibility has wide applications in Islam.
For example, after a battle the Prophet would distribute the captured
booty on the same principle by giving two shares to the cavalryand one
share to the infantry. (Musnad Ibn Abu Shaibah)
5. Blood Money
According to the principle of 'Benefits according to responsibility',
the bloodmoney of a woman is half that of a man. It is important to
remember that blood money is not the price for the soul of a murdered
person, as there can be no such price. It is instead a
smallcompensation for the financial sufferings of the deceased's
family. Men are usually the breadwinners and maintainers of their
families, so the financial sufferings are greater if the man is
killed, but if the murder victim was a woman who was the sole
breadwinner for her family, then the Qadi(judge) has the authorityto
increase her blood money.
A precedent for such an increase is found in the Qur'aan where it
allows the Qadi to double the blood money of a personmurdered within
the precincts of the Sacred Cities, Makkah and Al-Madinah. The wisdom
behind is that just as virtuous actions are rewarded more if practiced
within Al-Haram (the sanctuary), so the punishment for crimes or sins
within Al-Haram is also increased.
6. Divorce
The man has the primaryright to divorce. Allah says:
"And if you divorce thembefore you have touched (had a sexual relation
with) them, and you have appointed unto them the Mahr (bridal money
given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage),then pay
half of that (Mahr), unless they (the women) agree to foregoit, or he
(the husband) inwhose hands is the marriage tie, agrees to forego and
give her full appointed Mahr. And to forego and give (her thefull
Mahr) is nearer to At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness). And do not forget
liberality between yourselves. Truly, Allah is All-Seer of what you
do." (V. 2:237)
This may seem unjust at first glance, but Allah theAll-Mighty has
given injunctions based on men and women's different temperaments. The
woman is controlledmore by her emotions than by reason, and this is
obviously an asset in the home. Her tender nature and ability to
sacrifice her own comfort for the sake of her child makes her a better
parent than the man. In a situation of marital conflict, her emotional
nature will bemore inclined to exaggerate the seriousness of the
conflict and to thus instigate divorce. The man will be more inclined
to think calmly about the situation before pronouncing judgment.
Neither of these characteristics is inferior or superior to the other;
both are complementary and bestsuited to the roles the sexes have to
play. In order to mitigate rash conduct by the husband,the Qur�aan and
the Sunnah have made provisions for cases when the man does pronounce
divorce but then regrets it. The divorce never becomes binding
immediately butgives him a period of three lunar months (the woman's
'Iddah or waiting period) in whichhe can either endorse the divorce or
revoke it and seek reconciliation.
It should be remembered that a woman is not helpless inthe matter of
divorce as is widely believed. Although she cannot pronounce divorce
like aman, for the reasons of her temperament already given, she can
obtain one through a Qadi or arbitrator. This process is called Khul
', and the woman asks for divorce in lieu of returning her bridal
money or any other gift to the husband.
In the Western world today, the high rates of divorce are widely
attributed, among other things, to the financial independence of women
and the ease with which they can obtain divorce for flimsy reasons.
The Islamic ethos encourages men and women to save theirmarriage for
the sake of their children and to uphold the family institution.
7. Right to trade or seek other employment
A women is allowed to trade and work in institutions for women only,
and at all times she must observe the relevant rules on Hijab and
Satr. A woman's primary place is in the home but she may work if she
has no one to support her or because her husband's income is not
sufficient for the family's needs. As has already been mentionedunder
the discussion of Hijab, Islam does not permit the free mixing of men
and women outside the close family circle. Women are allowed to go to
Mosques for worship, educational institutions, and the battlefield. In
the Mosques and educational establishments, the Muslims should provide
separate places where women may pray and study in privacy. On the
battlefield, women may nurse the injured if there is a shortage of
male nurses. Whenever men and women work or study in the same place,
there is an increase in temptation from Satan. Sexual harassment in
Western places of employment is a common problem for which the women
often have no remedy. Islam tackles the root of the problem by
separating the sexes and so avoiding situations of temptation, which
can lead to sin.

Issues in which Men and Women are treated alike or Women are treated favorably

This chapter discusses issues, which carry little or no controversy.
1. Education
The Messenger of Allah ! once said: "Acquiring knowledge is compulsory
for every Muslim. (At-Tabarani)
This narration applies equally to men and women. "Knowledge" in this
context refers primarily to knowledge of the Qur�aan and the Sunnah as
no Muslim should be ignorant of his or her Faith, but it also covers
other areas of general education, which can contribute to the welfare
of civilization. It is preciselythe ignorance about their religion
among Muslims that has led to men oppressing women because they
believe it ispermitted, women not demanding their God-given rights
because they are ignorant of them, and children growing up to
perpetuate their parents' follies. Throughout Islamic history, men and
womenboth earned respect as scholars and teachers of the Faith. The
books of Rijal (Reporters of Hadith) contain the names of many
prominent women, beginning with 'Aishah and Hafsah.
2. Worship
It has already been discussed in detail that both men and women are
the slaves of Allah and have a duty to worship and obey Him. Men and
women have topray, fast, give charity, go on pilgrimage, refrain from
adultery, avoid the prohibited, enjoin the good and forbid the evil,
and so on. Because of women's roles as mothers, a role which does not
end at a specific time but is a roundthe-clock career, they have been
exempted from attending the Mosque for the five daily prayers or for
Jumu 'ah (Friday) prayer. Nevertheless, if they wish to attend the
Mosque, no one has the right to stop them.
3. Charitable Acts
Men and women are both encouraged to givecharity, and there is nothing
to stop a woman giving charity from her husband's income.
'Aishah reported that theMessenger of Allah ! said:
"A woman will receive reward (from Allah) evenwhen she gives charity
from her husband's earnings. The husband and the treasurer (who keeps
the money on the husband's behalf) will also be rewarded, without the
reward of any of them decreasing."
Asma' once said to the Prophet
"O Messenger of Allah, I have nothing except what Zubair (her husband)
brings home." The Prophet told her: "O Asma, give in charity. Don't
lock it lest your subsistence is locked."
4. The Right to own Wealth and Property
A woman has the right to keep her property or wealth, whether earned
or inherited, and spend it as she may please.
This right was granted to Western women only very recently, and the
women of India had to wait until 1956 for a right which Muslim women
have always taken for granted. Concerning the right to one's earnings,
the Qur�aan says:
"And wish not for the things in which Allah hasmade some of you excel
the others. For men there is reward for whatthey have earned, (and
likewise) for women there is reward for whatthey have earned, and ask
Allah of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knower of everything."
(V. 4:32)
5. Freedom to express One's Opinion
Few societies exist in which the ordinary citizen can confront the
ruler face to face and challenge his policies. Even fewer societies
allow women to be so bold, yet the Islamic ideal has always been open
and accessible. Thisfreedom of expression isaptly demonstrated by a
famous incident involving 'Umar the second Rightly- Guided Caliph.
'Umar was once standingon the pulpit, severely reprimanding the people
and ordering them not to set excessiveamounts of dower at thetime of
marriage. A woman got up and shouted, "Umar! You have no right to
intervene in a matter which Allah the All-Mighty has already decreed
in the Qur�aan:
"But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one
of them a Qintar (of gold, i.e., a great amount as Mahr bridal money),
take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully
without a right and (with) a manifest sin?" (V.4:20)
After being reminded of this Verse, 'Umar withdrew his order, saying,
"I am in the wrong and she is correct."
6. Participation in Jihad
The battlefield is a place,which frightens many men let alone women.
Due to the aggressive and violent nature of war, only men have a duty
to participate in Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) while women
are exempted. A woman once asked the Prophet to allow womento go on
Jihad with men because of its excellence and the unlimited reward
promised to Mujahidin (Muslim fighters) in the Hereafter.
The Prophet replied:
"For them is a Jihad without fighting," whichreferred to the Hajj and 'Umrah.
Nevertheless the Prophetdid permit women to nurse the injured and
supply provisions to the Mujahidin at some battles. A woman from the
tribe of Ghifar came with a large group of women to the Prophet when
he was preparing to leave for the conquestof Khaibar. She said:
"O Allah's Messenger, we wish to accompany you on this journey so that
we may nurse the injured and help the Muslims." The Prophet responded,
"Come may Allah shower His blessings upon you."
Umm 'Atiyyah an Ansari woman, once said:
"I have participated in seven battles with the Prophet. I used to
guard the camels of the Mujahidin in their absence, cook the food,
treat the injured and care for the sick."
Mu'adh bin Jabal reportsthat his cousin Asma' bint Yazid killed nine
Roman soldiers with a tent-pole during the battle of Yarmuk.
7. Freedom to choose Her Husband
The guardian of the girl, whether her father, brother or uncle, plays
an important role in her marriage, such as finding a suitable match
for her. But under no circumstance does this allow him to force his
choice on her against her wishes. She is free toaccept or reject his
choice, or make her ownchoice. A woman named Khansa bint Khidam once
came to the Prophet and complained:
"My father has forced meto marry my cousin in order to raise his own
status (in the eyes of the people)." The Prophet told her that she was
free to dissolve this marriage and choose whomever she wished to
marry. She replied, "I accept my father's choice, but my aim was to
let the women know that fathers have no right to interfere in the
marriage." (Ahmad, An-Nasa 'i and Ibn Majah)
8. A Woman's Guarantee in War is acceptable
If a woman gives surety to a war-captive or giveshim shelter, her
guarantee will be accepted. Umm Hani a cousin of the Prophet, said to
him after the conquest of Makkah: "I have given shelter to two of my
in-laws." The Prophet said: "O Umm Hani, we have given shelter to whom
you have given shelter."
According to another narrative, Umm Hani gave shelter to a man but her
cousin 'Ali tried to kill the man. She complained to the Prophet who
endorsed her act of giving shelter to the man.
9. The Right to custody of Children
Divorce is especially painful and difficult when the couple have had
children, and awarding custody to either party involves difficulties.
According to Western law, both fatherand mother have to prove to the
Court that they are more capable oflooking after the children, and
this often involves maligning the other party in order to strengthen
their own claims to custody. Islamiclaw has its own clear decision on
this issue. Custody of young boys and girls goes to the mother. The
son stays with his mother until he is about seven or nine years of
age, after whichhe is looked after by the father. The daughter remains
with her motheruntil she gets married. The exception is when the
mother herself re-marries, in which casecustody may be awardedto
someone else such as the girl's grandmother or aunt. This is based on
the Prophet's words to the divorcee:
"Your right to custody ofthe child is greater as long as you do not remarry."
10. Participation in extending cooperation for the promotion of good
and elimination of evil.
The Qur�aan deals with this subject in clear terms:
"The believers, men and women, are Auliya ' (helpers, supporters,
friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin(on the people)
Al-Ma'ruf(i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to
do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e.. polytheism and
disbelief of all kinds, andall that Islam has forbidden); they perform
As-Salat (Iqįmat-as-Salįt), and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His
Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely, Allah is
All-Mighty, All-Wise." (V. 9:71)

The Home and Women

While men are the physically stronger sex, the woman's biological
make-up has made her excel as the homemaker.She alone can be
impregnated, carry and deliver the child, and then suckle the baby.
Her gentle, caring and self-sacrificing temperament is best suited to
bringing up children and looking after the home. To say that she
should also earna living is an unacceptable injustice and implies that
everything she does for her home and children isworthless and needs to
be supplemented by an outside cover. A woman already has to play in
society a great and noble role as mother of a new generation, a
rolefor which no man can claim the honors. It is because of her
supreme role as mother that she is entitled to three times the
devotion given to the father from the children.
The roles of men and women in the Qur�aan are dealt as:
"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has
made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend from
their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and
guard in the husband's absence what Allah orders them to guard." (V.
4:34)
This Divine injunction describes the man as Qawwam (maintainer) and
the woman as Qanitah (obedient) and Hafizatun lil-Ghaib (preserver of
the secret).The Verse gives two reasons as to why men are described as
maintainers. Firstly, because "Allah has madethe one of them to excel
the other," which meansthat He has excelled mento be physically
stronger and more inclined to have a career outside the home. The
history of mankind has always shown that men, from the most primitive
to themost technologically minded, have assumed the role of providing
food, maintaining law and order in the community, waging war against
enemies, and going on expeditions in search of new lands, adventure,
food and even hidden treasure. The women have primarily stayed at
hometo provide a stable environment for the children.
The second reason is that "they spend from their means." It is the
man's duty to provide financially for his family, and it is also the
man who is required to give a dower to his wife at the time of their
marriage. In the castle ofhis home, the husband isthe ruler and the
wife is his pillar of support. As in any establishment, there can only
be one ruler; a car with two drivers, a country with two kings or an
army with two generals would all be in utter chaos and disarray. The
husband has thus been put in charge of his home, but this is a
responsibility and not a privilege.
Both Sexes have Rights over each other:
The different roles of thesexes means that never is one sex burdened
with all the duties while the other enjoys all the privileges. Instead
they both have individual duties and privileges. The Qur�aan says in
this regard:
"And they (women) haverights similar over them to what is reasonable,
but men have a degree over them. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
(V. 2:228)

Story, - Jealousy or what ...

Comments: 3
I have been married for five wonderful years. We have it all mutual
understanding, common interests, good sex life, nothing to complain
about not even financial troubles. But I have a problem.
My husband is one of those charming men withperfect manners who
captivate everyone with ease. That is one of the reasons why I married
him but nowadays this part of his personality makes me nervous.
It really bothers me whenhe pays attention to other women or when they
pay too much attention to him. It doesn't matter if it is a family
friend, a waitress, the next door neighbor or even my sister. I get
unreasonably angry and start thinking he is cheating on me with the
woman he is talking to. I bite my tongue and thinkof a reason why they
should end the conversation.
The monotony is killing me and I think it does thesame to him. So I
don't understand why his innocent flirting is bothering me so much.
I hate that I spoil my ownmood because of such trivial things.

Story, - True Love truned into nightmare

Hi, my name is James and my wife name is Angel. We have been together
now for 5 years. Let me start with my background before I met my wife.
Like all men, I too was enjoying my life to the fullest. I had lot of
friends; went on a weekend outing, drinks, party and so on. I am a
Christian and she is a Hindu and I had a lot of opposition from my
parents and families. Even my friends advised me to stop seeing her
and start new considering the consequences. But I was so much in love
with her that I thought it is worth to live with her for 2 minutes and
die rather than living without her for rest of the life. I somehow
convinced my parents and families risking my father's life. Due to all
this chaos he had a major cardiac arrest and underwent bypass surgery.
My mom'sblood pressure shoot to 190 and she bled from nose. Doctor
said that shewas lucky to live because with such high BP she could
have had a cardiac arrest and would have never recovered. Well, I
faced all these problems but still was firm to my parents that she is
the one. I started losing interest in everything; started coming home
drinking a lot, met with an accident and was just seconds away from
death. My parents looking at my ordeal approved our wedding and we got
married.
I could have married Angel without my parent's consent, but my parents
have done so much for me that I want their blessing in my wedding. We
got married and everything was going fine for 5 to 6 months and then
problems started. Considering that I am now a married person and have
a lot of responsibilities I started concentrating in my work. I
distanced myself with all of my friends, started working for 16hrsa
day (so that I can have overtime), and even started working on
weekends. All my hard work paid off, I was promoted as an Asst.
Manager and had a salaryhike of 75%.
The problem is my wife issuspicious on me for everything; she checks
my mobile call log, messages and even my purse. She does not let me go
out even for a minute, she keeps on calling me all day checking where
I am, what I am doing, with who I am. She checks my mobile for unknown
numbers and calls them back from her mobile to see if that is a male
or a female. If it is a female, she creates such a ruckus that I feel
like I am becoming a murderer with all the negative thoughts (can't
explain it here). Well, being a manager I have a lot of
responsibilities and get calls all day long. I really don't know what
to do; I love her more than anything but her behaviour has made to
think again. I have sacrificed my life so muchfor her and still
sacrifice a lot but she pushes me to the limit.
It is no use talking to her,I have tried so many times to try to talk
it to her and have her understand that her behaviour is not right.
ByGod's grace I have everything now and financially well settled. I am
just thinking if she is really worth all my sacrifices or if I should
move on without her.

Fathwa, - Something funny happened in my menstrual cycle�

Question:
A sister asked me about an issue and I thought I would put the
question to this website.
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum
In the Name of Allah the Inspirer to truth.
To answer this and other similar questions relatingto menstruation one
needs to keep the basic principles of menstruation in mind. Namely:
The minimum period for menstruation is three days (72 hours). This
means that if blood is seen for less than three days, it does not
count asmenstruation. The maximum period for menstruation is ten days
(240 hours). This means that if blood is seen for more than ten days,
it does not count as menstruation. A ladies habit ('aada) is the
length of her last valid menstruation. If she sees bleeding for more
than ten days then the length of her habit is considered
menstruationand what exceeds that is considered abnormal uterine
bleeding (istihada). For example, ifthe previous menstrual period
lasted 6 days, and the next time she sees blood for 14 days, she will
consider 6 of these days as menstruation (based on her habit) and the
other 8 days as abnormal uterine bleeding. She should have taken a
ghusl at thecompletion of day 10, even if there is bleeding. Seeing
that the bleeding goes over the maximum, she returns to her habit. All
the prayers missed from day 6 at the end of her habit to day 10 must
be made up.
It is not a condition that blood flow be constant during the menstrual
period. What is important is the first and last days it flows on and
all that is in between is counted as though bloodflowed though in
reality it might not have. For example, if she sees blood on the first
day and then the fourth day and then no more blood, this will be
treated as four continuous days of bleeding and will all be treated as
menstruation. The minimum length of apurity period between menstrual
periods is fifteen days. Whatever is seen during the menstrual period
is counted as menstrual blood no matter what colour it is. [Hashiya
al-Tahtawi 'ala Maraqi al-Falah, 1:199, Maktaba al-'Ilm al-Hadith]
These are the general principles that apply to most cases. A seventh
principle that can be derived from 3 and 4 above applies to the
specific case asked about. Namely; that an incomplete purity
periodbetween blood flows is treated as though blood flowed on all of
those days. An incomplete purity period is one that lasts for less
than fifteen days. This means that if a lady sees bleeding one day and
then no bleeding for 12days and then sees bleeding again, because the
purityperiod was incomplete as it was less than 15 days, she will
treat it as though she saw 14 days of constant bleeding. What does she
do in sucha case? She has to return to her habit as in 4 above. She
will have to calculate her menstruation and purity based on her habit
for bleeding and purity.
In the question above, from July 1st to September 24th there was no
complete purity period between bleedings and so she willtreat it as
though she bled constantly for those two months. To determine when she
will be menstruating and when not depends on her habit for
menstruation and purity which was not stated. If we take as an example
that her last menstruation lasted 8 days and her last purity lasted 20

Fathwa, - Can my wife continue memorizing Qur'an during menstruation

Question:
If my wife is memorizing the Qur'an, can she continue memorizing while
she is in a state of menstruation?
Answer:
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
In the Hanafi school, she can listen to the Qur'an and "read" (in her
mind) without "reciting" (with her tongue).

Fathwa, - Is my ghusl valid if Idid not wash my hair, but only wiped it with a wet hand?

Question:
After my menstruationhad finished I performed ghusl but did not wash
my hair (i.e. with shampoo) but did wipe over it with some water. Is
my ghusl valid? After that, I also prayed my salat, will they be
validalso? I can't really remember where, but I read somewhere thatits
OK if you miss something out of ghusl either accidentally or because
you did not know it was part of it. I'm not sure whether that is
correct.
Answer:
Wa alaikum salaam,
A condition for the validity of the purificatory bath is that water
must reach every portion of the body including all of the hair. Only
when hair is braided (for women) it ispermissible to not undo the
braids and simply ensure water reaches theroots of the hair. [Ibn
Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
In any case, simply wiping over the hair with some water is not
sufficient. As such, the bath was not valid and all subsequent prayers
will need to be repeated.
And Allah knows best.

Rulings on wiping over the socks for purification - I

Question 1What is the ruling of wiping over the socks, and what is the
evidence for that from the Quran and Sunnah )prophetic tradition(?
A. Wiping over the socks is a Sunnah which has come to us from the
Messenger of Allaahand it is better for the one wearing socks to wipe
over them, rather than taking them off to wash his feet.
The evidence for this ruling is the Hadeeth)narration( of Al-Mugheerah
Ibn Shu'bahwho said thatthe Prophetonce made Wudhoo')ablution(, and
that: "I moved to remove his Khuffs )leather socks(, but he said:
"Leave them, for indeed my feet were in a state of purity when I wore
them." So he wiped over them."
The legislation of wiping over the Khuffs or other kinds of socks and
stockings is established in the Quran and Sunnah.Allaah Almighty Says
in the Quran )what means(:"O you who believe! When you rise to
]perform[ prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and
wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles…"]Quran: 5:6[
There are two correct ways of reciting the phrase 'Wa Arjulakum')i.e.,
'and your feet'( having reached us from the Messenger of Allaah:
1( Reciting it as: 'Wa Arjulakum' with a Fat-ha on the laam, hence
linking it in meaning to 'Wa Wujoohakum' )i.e, 'and your faces'(, i.e.
wash the feet.
2( Reciting it as: 'Wa Arjulikum' with a Kasrah on the laam, hence
linking it in meaning to 'Bi Ru'oosikum' )your heads(, i.e. wipe the
feet.
That which explains when to wipe the feet and when to wash them is the
Sunnah, for the Messengerwould wash his feet when they were uncovered,
and wipe over them when they were covered by Khuffs.
As for its legislation in the Sunnah, Imaam Ahmadsaid: "There is no
aversion in my heart to wiping. There are forty Hadeeths with regards
to it from the Messenger of Allaahand his Companions."
Question 2.What are the authentic, established conditions for wiping
over the socks and what are their evidences?
A. There are four conditions:
The first:that he )who intends to wipe over the socks( be in a state
of purity when he wears them. The evidence for this is the saying of
the Prophetto Al-Mugheerah: "Leavethem, for indeed my feet were in a
state of purity when I wore them."
The second:that the Khuffs or socks be pure and clean. If they have
filth on them then it is not permissible to wipe over them. The
evidence for this is that the Messengerprayed with his companionsone
day in shoes, and during the prayer he removed them.Then he informed
his companions that he did so because Jibreel)Gabriel(had informedhim
that they had filth or dirt on them. This indicates that the prayer is
not acceptable when there is something in it which is impure, and
because when one wipesover the filth, it smears him too, thus
nullifying his state of purity.
The third:that he wipes over them when he is in a state of minor
impurity,not when he is Junub)i.e., in the state of major impurity( or
in any state that necessitates Ghusl)bath(. The evidence for that
condition is the Hadeeth of Safwaan Ibn 'Assaalwho said: "The
Messenger of Allaahordered us to not removeour socks for three days
and nights when we were on a journey, unlesswe were Junub, but not
after excretion, urinationor sleep." So, the condition is set that the
wiping is only for minor impurity, not for the major impurity.
The fourth:that the wiping be for the period determined by the
Sharee'ah )Islamic Law(, and that is a day and a night for one who is
resident, and three days and nights for the one ona journey. This is
due to the Hadeeth of 'Aliwho said: "The Messengerset a limit of one
day and night for the resident, and three days and nights for the
traveller," meaning for wiping over the Khuffs.]Muslim[ For the
resident, this period lasts for twenty-four hours, starting from the
first time one wipes over the socks, and seventy-two hours for the
traveller.
So, if we were to assume that one )who is resident( purified
himselffor Fajr )dawn prayer( onWednesday at 5am, then covered his
feet with socks and kept them on, and passed wind and renewed his
ablution, and then he remained in this state till the Ishaa')night(
prayer, then he slept and woke for Fajr at5am on Thursday, then he has
to make Wudhoo' and uncover and wash his feet, as the period
hasexpired. But were he to make Wudhoo' before 5am, then it would have
been acceptable for him to wipe and he could then pray Fajr with this
wiping. He can keep praying as much as he wishes afterwards with that
same Wudhoo', for itdoes not become void when the period of wiping
ends, according to the strongest opinion of the scholars. This is
because the Messengerdid not set a time period for the state of
purity, rather, he set a time period for the wiping only.
So, when the period for wiping has finished then there is no wiping
after this, but if one was in a state of purity when the period
expired, then his state of purity remains. This is because this state
of purity has been established according to the dictates of the
Sharee'ah, so it cannot be removed except by evidence from the
Sharee'ah. There is no evidence for the state of Wudhoo' ending as the
time period for the wiping ends. Besides these conditions set for
wiping over the Khuffs)and socks(, there are other conditions that
some scholars mentioned, but these arecontroversial.

Qualities to look for in a spouse -II

Beauty
Beauty is another important characteristic to be looked for in a
spouse. It has a certain role to play since one of the purposes of
marriageis to keep both mates from sin. The best way toachieve this
is if there is astrong attraction between the husband and wife.
Although this will surely grow over time, initial impressions can in
some cases become an obstacle to a successful marriage. The
Prophetseparated Qays bin Shammaas from his wife in the famous case of
Kuhl' )i.e. a woman asking for separation from her husband( and her
stated reason was that he was exceedingly displeasing to her. There
are many Ahaadeeth )prophetic statements( that urge theprospective
spouse to take a look at the other before undertaking the marriage.
Once, a companion told the Prophetthat he was going to get married.
TheProphetasked if he had seen her. When the man replied in the
negative, hesaid:"Go and look at her, for it is more likely to
engender love between the two of you."]Ahmad & Others[
'Umar bin Al-Khattaabonce said: "Do not force your young girls to
marryan ugly man, for they also love what you love."
Beauty has its role, but remember that it is way down on the priority
list, under piety, character and religion. When a person puts beauty
above all else, the results can be disastrous. This is one big reason
young people seeking to get married must be helped by more mature
family members in making theirchoice.
Looking at a Prospective Spouse
As we have seen, the Prophetencouraged men considering marriage to a
particular woman to get a look at her. He said in another Hadeeth:"If
one of you proposes to a woman and if he isable to look at a part of
her that motivates him to marry her, let him do so."]Abu Daawood&
Others[
Note that this Hadeeth does not abrogate the limits of what a woman
may expose to non-mahaarim)marriageable relatives(. She must continue
to be well covered, except for her face and hands, in front of all of
them, and the prospective husband,even if he has proposed, is no
exception to this. Even then, he is still only permitted to see what
anyone else is permitted to see. The difference is that he is allowed
to takea good look - if it were not for the proposal of marriage, both
would be required to avert their eyes after the first glance, as the
Prophetsaid to 'Aliabout the look at a non-mahram woman:"The first is
for you, the second is against you."
Also, it is clear that the purpose of this look is very specific: to
help one determine whether or not they would like to marry that
person. Once that has been determined and the decision has been made,
it is no longer permissible for them to look at each other. If a man
and a woman decide that they want to marry each other, this does not
make it permissible for them to continue to see each other. Just the
opposite, since the decision has been made there is no longer any need
for themto see each other and they are no longer allowed to do so.
This is because until the moment the offer and acceptance of the
marriage have been pronounced, there is no relationship of any kind
between them and all of the laws regarding alien men and women still
apply to them.
Women Looking at a Prospective Husband
The woman also has a right to look at her prospective husband. Many
scholars have stated that women desirethe same things that we)men( do.
Some have even said that it is even more important for the womanto see
the man. This is because the man holds the right of instant and
unconditional divorce in case he is displeased withhis wife. It is
not so easy for the woman to get outof a marriage and so she must have
priority on thisissue.
Can a Man be Alone with His 'Fiancée'?
Again, no matter what words, promises, commitments, etc. have passed
between the parties, until the marriage contract has been transacted
and a man and woman are actually married, there is no relationship at
all between them and they are to each other as any other strange man
and woman. The Prophethas expressly forbidden for a man and a woman to
be alone together. Thisruling applies to a 'fiancée' just as much as
it applies to any other unrelated man and woman. One Hadeeth that
makes this very clearly is:"A man cannot be alone with a woman, except
along with a male )non-marriageable( relative )of hers(."]Al-Bukhaari
& Muslim[
Touching
Obviously, since those 'engaged' to be married have no legal
relationship beyond any other strange man and woman, any form of
touching between them is not allowed. The Prophetsaid:"For one of you
to have your head pierced with an iron needle is better for him than
to touch a woman who is not permissible for him )to
touch(."]At-Tabaraani[
Phone Calls
Muslim scholars have pointed out that it is not proper or acceptable
for 'fiancées' to be alone together or to have numerous encounters,
telephone conversations or internet 'chats' for the purpose of
'getting to know each other'. In fact, this is a horrible innovation
that has spread among the Muslims. It must always be remembered that
until they are married, they are like any other unrelated men and
women to each other and their actions must reflect that fact.
This is clearly the result ofthe similar 'experiment' going on in
Western societies over the last few decades: the more they 'open'
these kinds ofissues the more disastrous their marriages become.
Recently, the success rate of marriages in the United States has
dropped below fifty percent )50%(. This is despite the complete
freedom of the couples to 'get to know each other' in every way, and
for as long as they wish, before marriage.
Muslims who are headingdown this same road need to wake up and take
heed. The Prophetsaid:"You will follow the ways of those who came
before you foot by foot and yard by yard;)to the extent that( even if
they are to descend into a lizard's hole, you will follow them."
The Difference between 'Engagement' and Delaying Consummation
In many Muslim countries, people transact the marriage contract, but
agree not toactually begin the marriage until after a certain period
of time. There is nothing wrong with this custom with two conditions:
The time period is not excessively long.
All parties understand that the two are legally married, their
agreementto delay being together is not binding and there is nothing
wrong if they change their mind and decide to be together before the
appointed time.
This is quite differentfrom the imported custom of 'engagement'. The
only parallel to this western custom which many Muslims have adopted
is what is called'Khitbah', whichis the time between the beginning of
discussions and the acceptance or rejection of the offer. In
short,this has no legal validity of any kind and does not change
anything about the relationship between the man and woman. Extending
this to very long periods of time or worse, violating the Sharee'ah
)Islamic Law( during that time in the ways we have discussed is a
horrendous religious innovation)Bid'ah( which has spread among the
Muslims.

Women's liberation through Islam -II

Economic Rights:
Allaah Says )what means(:"By Him Who created male and female; Verily,
your efforts and deeds are diverse."]Quran 92:3-4[
In these verses, Allaah declares that He created men and women to be
different, with unique roles, functions and skills.As in society,
where thereis a division of labor, so too in a family; each member has
different responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that women are
entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role.
Therefore, women are given the right of financial support.
Allaah Says )what means(:"Men are the protectors and maintainers of
women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and
because theyspend )to support them( from their means..."]Quran 4:34[
This guardianship and greater financial responsibility is given to
men, requires that they provide women with not, only monetary support,
but also physical protection and kind and respectful treatment.
The Muslim woman has the privilege to earn money, the rightto own
property, to enter into legal contracts and to manage allof her assets
in any way she pleases. She can run her own business and no one has
any claim on her earnings including her husband. Allaah Says )what
means(: "And wish not for the things in which Allaah has made some of
you to excel others. For men there is reward for what they have
earned, )and likewise( for women there is reward for what they have
earned, and ask Allaah of His bounty. Surely, Allaah is Ever
All-Knower of everything."]Quran 4:32[
Furthermore, a woman inherits from her relatives. Allaah Says)what
means(:"There is a share for men and a share for women from what is
left by parents and those nearest related, whether, the property be
small or large – alegal share."]Quran 4:7[
Rights of a Wife:
Allaah Says )what means(:"And among His signs is this, that He
created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose
in them, and He has put affection and mercy between you; Verily,
inthat are signs for people who reflect."]Quran 30:21[
Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity, but
in fact it is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on
divine guidance. Allaah created men and women with complimentary
natures, and in the Quran, He laid out a system of laws to
supportharmonious interaction between the sexes. AllaahSays )what
means(:"...They are your garments and you are their garments."]Quran
2:187[
Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults
of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the
other and hides the faults and compliments the characteristics of the
spouse.
To foster the love and security that come with marriage, Muslimwives
have various rights. The first of the wife's rights is to receive Mahr
)marriage dowry(, a gift from the husband, which is part of the
marriage contract andrequired for the legality and validity of the
marriage.
The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may
have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and
clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability
and his wifeis not entitled to make unreasonable demands. Allaah Says
)what means(:"Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the
man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what
Allaah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what
He has given him. Allaah will grant after hardship, ease."]Quran
65:7[
Allaah tells us in the Quran that men are guardians over women and are
afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying
Allaah extends to guiding his family to obey Allaah at all times.
A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs, as she has the
right to kind treatment. The Prophetsaid:"…The best of you are those
who are best )in treatment( to their wives."]At-Tirmithi, Ibn Maajah
and Al-Bayhaqi[
Allaah tells us that He created mates and put love, mercy, and
tranquillity between them. Both men and women have a need for
companionship and sexual needs,and marriage is designed to
fulfillthose needs. For one spouse to deny this satisfaction to the
other, temptation will rise to seek satisfying it elsewhere.
Duties of a Wife:
With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives have certain
obligations towards their husbands. Allaah Says )what means(:"…The
righteous women are devoutly obedient )toAllaah and their husbands(,
and guard in the husband's absence what Allaah orders them to guard
)i.e. their chastity, their husband's property, etc.(."]Quran 4:34[
A wife is to keep her husband's secrets and protect their marital
privacy. Issues of intimacy or faults of his, that would dishonor
him,are not to be spread by the wife, just as he is expected to guard
her honor.
A wife must also guard her husband's property. She must safeguard his
home and possessions, to the best of her ability, from theft or
damage. Sheshould manage the household affairs wisely so as to prevent
loss or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house whom her
husband dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband
disapproves.
A Muslim woman must cooperateand coordinate with her husband. There
cannot, however,be cooperation with a man who is disobedient to
Allaah. She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her to do
something Islamicaly unlawful. A husband also should not take
advantage of his wife, but rather he should consider her needs and
happiness.
Conclusion:
Allaah Says )what means(:"It is not for a believer,man or woman, when
Allaah and His Messenger )Muhammad( have decreed a matter that they
should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah
and His Messenger, he has strayed in a plain error."]Quran33:36[
The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights more than 1400
years ago that most womendo not enjoy today, even in the West. These
are rights granted byAllaah and are designed to keep balance in the
society; what may seem unjust or missing in one place is compensated
for or explained in another place.
Indeed Islam is a complete way of life.