Jaajef wa G-L,
For those interested another posting from the website dedicated to
Shamina Shaikh, anti-aparthied activist involved in South Africa's AZAPO
movement and the Muslim Youth Movement.
Yeenduleen ak jaama
Tony
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In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser Of Grace
Woman's Role in Contemporary
Society
Rhodes University
Muslim Students Association Islamic Week 1994
I would like to thank the Muslim Students Association for
giving me this opportunity to speak with you on the issue
of woman which is close to my heart and which is I
believe one of the biggest challenges facing us today as
we move towards a better and just society.
The role of woman, her position and status in society,
and
her nature have been issues of debate and discussion
informed by religion, tradition and culture, misogyny,
feminism and many times downright ignorance and
bigotry.
I am a Muslim and Muslims seek guidance from Allah
through his book the Qur'an and His messenger
Mohammed (pbuh). Muslims believe that the word of God
is supreme and takes precedence over all traditions
cultures.
The Muslim Youth Movement in its struggle towards
realising its goals of establishing a just order based on
the Divine Will and promoting the values and principles of
Islam felt that the area of gender needed redressing. We
therefore established the Gender Desk.
As the head of the MYM Gender Desk and on the many
campaigns we undertake - like getting women to the
mosques, struggling for a just Muslim Family Law system
or simply insisting that the woman's voice be heard - I am
often asked by people who are not Muslim why I do what
I
do, why struggle for the rights of women and particularly
Muslim women. What happened in my past that drove me
to this?
The answer is simple: we respond to the injunction of the
Qur'an to "enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong",
as we did when faced with the terrible injustices of
apartheid and oppression on the basis of race and class.
In discussing the role of women in contemporary society I
have divided my talk into three parts:
1.The perceptions of woman amongst contemporary
Muslim societies.
2.The status, position and role of woman in the Qur'an
and in early Islam from where we derive our
aspirations.
3.Some of the challenges facing us in contemporary
society - more specifically, in South Africa.
You might have heard at some time or the other that Islam
teaches that women are "inferior" and "unequal" to men.
Women are described as weak, inferior, inherently evil (it
is the nature of woman to promote fitnah (mischief)), we
have deficient intellectual capabilities and are spiritually
lacking. Furthermore, these evaluations have been used
to claim that women are unsuitable for performing certain
tasks, or for functioning in some ways in society.
Thus women are barred from mosques and excluded
from other Muslim institutions. The intermingling of the
sexes is frowned upon on the basis that women create
fitnah. The Muslim identity of a woman is restricted and
limited to her dress code.
Specific functions and roles have been attributed to each
sex; the function of woman is often confined to her
reproductive ability. It is known that her primary function
is
to be mother and wife. And that she would be lacking in
her Islamic duty if she in any way did not fulfil this role in
accordance with how society defines it.
Since it is the responsibility of males to provide for
females, women are liberated from all social, political and
economic obligations. They are freed from all these
burdens so they can enjoy the joys of housework and
child-bearing and caring. And this is regarded as the
special status that Islam has accorded woman, thus
liberating her from oppression and suppression over
1400 years ago.
Some traditionalists are of the opinion that "according to
strict Islamic injunctions, it is not obligatory for a woman
to
cook food for her husband or children or wash their
clothes or even suckle the infants. A woman may refuse
to
do all these things without this being made ground for
legal complaint against her. If she undertakes these
duties it is out of sheer grace." Nevertheless, they stress
that man and woman's roles are complementary and the
most important role the women plays is in the family unit.
The same traditionalists also believe that her primary role
is that of a mother and wife and that she needs not
venture from the home and the darkest corners of her
home are best for her. They also limit her freedom to
exercise her will and choice.
It is ironical that all of them claim that Islam liberated
women 1400 years ago. They claim that Islam gave
women the right to equal education and civil and
economic rights, but at the end of their analysis they
come to the conclusion that a woman's place is in her
husband's home and that she should be obedient to him
and the male elite.
How on earth can she enjoy any liberty if she lacks
knowledge, is confined to her home and has minimal
control over her life.
We need to ask: Are these the teachings of Islam or have
they been concocted by some people in order to maintain
control over a sector of society so that they alone can
benefit optimally. It is our duty as Muslims to refresh
people's memories and look to our Glorious Qur'an and
our glorious past. Let us look at the status and position
and role of women in Qur'an and early Islam.
The fundamental principle of Islam is Tauhid - the unity of
the human race under the sovereignty of the One and
Only, Universal Divine Allah. Islam's message of peace
affirms the equality of all human beings, and rejects all
discrimination on the basis of race, class and gender.
Yes, Allah is the Sovereign and we succumb to Him and
put aside our preferences, prejudices, and traditions and
culture which are secondary to Allah's injunctions.
The Qur'an declares the absolute moral and spiritual
equality of men and women.
"For Muslim men and Muslim
women, for believing men and
believing women, for devout men
and devout women, for true men
and true women, for men and
women who are patient and
constant, for men and women who
humble themselves, for men and
women who give in charity, for
men and women who fast (and
deny themselves), for men and
women who guard their chastity,
and for men and women who
engage much in Allah's praise, for
them has Allah prepared
forgiveness and great reward."
(Sura 33:35)
This passage makes a dear statement about the
absolute equality of the human moral condition and
identical spiritual and moral obligations placed on all
individuals regardless of sex. Incidentally, this is one of
the passages that addresses women directly. It is related
that the women asked the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
about why the Qur'an addressed only men when women
too accepted God and His prophet. This questioned
occasioned the revelation of the Qur'anic verses
explicitly
addressing women as well as men - a response that
unequivocally shows Muhammad's (pbuh) and Allah's
readiness to hear women. Thereafter the Qur'an explicitly
addressed women a number of times.
I would like to read Sura 3:195 to you:
"And their Lord hath accepted of
them, and answered them: 'Never
will I suffer to be lost the work of
any of you, male or female. You
are members, one of another:
Those who have left their homes,
or been driven out therefrom, or
suffered harm in My Cause, or
fought or been slain, verily, I will
blot out from them their iniquities,
and admit them into Gardens with
rivers flowing beneath. A reward
from the presence of Allah, and
from His presence is the best of
rewards.'"
Allah clearly tells us here that we are members of one
and
the same human race, and therefore equal to one
another.
We read in the Qur'an that taqwa (God-sconsciousness)
is the only distinguishing factor between humankind.
"O humankind! We created you
from a single (pair) of a male and
a female, and made you into
nations and tribes, that you may
know each other (not that ye may
despise each other). Verily the
most honoured of you in the sight
of Allah is the most righteous (or
God-conscious) of you. And Allah
has full knowledge and is well
acquainted (with all things). (Sura
49:13)
And taqwa - "God consciousness" - is definitely not
determined by gender!
Another interesting fact about women in the Qur'an is
that
the Allah relates instances when woman received wahy
(revelation). Oftentime the assertion is made that there
has never been a female prophet. To that I say that there
is no conclusive evidence that there did not exist a
woman prophet. And yes, women have received wahy.
Allah sent a messenger who carried Allah's message to
Mary (pbuh):
"She placed a screen (to screen
herself) from them; then We sent
her our angel, and he appeared
before her as a man in all
respects. She said: 'I seek refuge
in The Most Gracious from you:
(come not near) if you are
conscious of Allah.' He said: 'No, I
am only a messenger from your
Lord, (to announce) to you the gift
of a holy son.'" (Sura 19:17-19)
Allah also "spoke" to the mother of Musa:
"And We revealed to Musa's
mother, saying: 'Give him suck,
then when you fear for him, cast
him into the river and do not fear
nor grieve; surely We will bring
him back to you and make him
one of the messengers.'" (Sura
28:7).
And, in the Qur'an we read the story of Bilqis, the Queen
of Sheba. Most Muslims hold leadership as improper for
women. The Qur'an uses no terms to imply that
leadership is inappropriate for a woman. On the contrary,
the Qur'anic story of Bilqis celebrates both her political
and religious practices:
But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up and) said: 'I
have compassed (territory) which you have not
compassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with
tidings true. I found (there) a woman ruling over them and
provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent
throne... (Sura 27:22-23).
These verses and the verses following it tell us of a wise
woman; a woman who recognises the goodness in the
Propeht Sulaiman (Solomon) just fromhis letter to her; a
woman who rules her people through consultation; a
woman who readily recognises and accepts the Truth
when Solomon presents it to her.
What is interesting is that Allah, The Most Wise, has not
specified any particular role for all men or all women. The
Qur'an does not propose or support a singular role or
single definition of a set of roles, exclusively, for each
gender across every culture.
This thus allows individuals the freedom to decide on
their
functions and roles best suited to their contexts. This
must, of course, be done by maintaining fairness and
equality through mutual consultation, mercy,
consideration
and compassion between those affected by the decision.
Women do have a special and exclusive function. And
that is procreation. The Qur'an elevates this special
function in Sura 4 Verse 1:
"O humankind! Reverence your
Guardian-Lord... reverence Allah,
through whom you demand your
mutual (rights), and (reverence)
the wombs (that bore you)."
Another aspect that engenders the equal worth of
individuals is that the Qur'an does not set values for
particular deeds. (Note the verse 195 in Sura 3: "Never
will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, male or
female. You are members, one of another.") In
contemporary society this is not so. Much more value is
attached to the work that men do. Domestic work is not
less of a good deed than going out of the house to work.
I
believe that there is space in Islam to actually attach
monetary value to domestic work done by wives.
Indeed,
some classical scholars have stated that women should
be paid even for breastfeeding their own children! And if
the criteria for valuing to any function is monetary value
then we should insist that all these functions should also
have monetary values attached to them.
History
Let us know take a step back into our history and look at
the various roles our sheroes played in the societies they
lived in. I admit I will be focusing on and emphasising the
active and assertive roles they played. We have been
taught well about the what is traditionally considered to
be
pious about our early Muslim sisters. But what about the
other roles they played?
Women were actively involved in warfare.
Umm 'Umara was known for her effectiveness with
weapons. The Prophet (pbuh) commented that she was
better than many men. Umm 'Umara fought in many
battles and she lost her hand in oneof them.
Umm Hakim single handedly disposed of seven
Byzantine soldiers in the battle of Marj al- Saffar.
In one expedition against a Persian seaport the women,
led by Azdah bint al-Harith turned their veils into flags,
marching in martial array to the battlefield. They were
mistaken for fresh reinforcements, which struck fear into
the hearts of the enemy, and this contributed - at a critical
moment - to the victory of the Muslims.
Religion
Women of the first Muslim community attended the
mosque, took part in religious services on feast days,
and
listened to Muhammad's (pbuh) discourses. They were
not just passive listeners and docile followers, but
actively
participated in discussion and questioned, confronted
and challenged.
This practice continued even in 'Umar's time - when he
was caliph. It is reported that when 'Umar attempted to
limit the dowry ina khutbah in the mosque, a woman
challenged his ruling and 'Umar conceded that "the
woman is correct and 'Umar is wrong".
Talking about the mighty 'Umar, strong headed and
strong willed... He never forbade his own wife to attend
the mosque because he knew that this was a betrayal of
the Prophet's teaching. In fact, he tried some dubious
means to discourage her. He once hid in an alley and
frightened her to illustrate the danger of women being
harassed by the hypocrites while they were going to
mosque. He was not successful. His wife continued on
her way to the mosque!
Woman participated in political activities.
When Makkah was recaptured by the Muslims (Fath
Makkah) many woman came to give their allegiance to
Islam. They refused to offer their allegiance to 'Umar and
insisted that they wanted to give it to the Prophet (pbuh)
himself. The Prophet conceded and this was at a public
assembly of men and women.
Women like Asma bint Abu Bakr were active in the
workforce. She shared the responsibility of supporting
her family with her husband by working away from her
home.
Women were given the responsibility of running the
affairs of the State. A woman - Shifa bint abd Allah -
was appointed controller of the market of Madinah by the
Prophet. She was reappointed by 'Umar when he
became caliph.
The Prophet left it in the hands of his wife Umm Salamah
to advise the Muslims to forgo the haj and to rather sign
the treaty of Hudaibiyya.
'Aisha, the prophet's wife, was a reporter of many of the
Prophet's traditions. She also addressed the
congregation at the mosque and led an army in battle.
In the private domain women also exercised their rights.
They enjoyed the freedom of stipulating their demands in
their marriage contract. A illustrious example is the story
of Sukayna, the great-grand-daughter of the Prophet,
daughter of Husayn. In her marriage contract she
stipulated that she would not obey her husband and did
not acknowledge that her husband had the right to
practice polygamy. She brought a case against one of
her husbands who had violated her rule of monogamy.
The judge was obliged to hear her case.
Yet when we attempt to assert ourselves as Muslim
women we are accused of being influenced by the West,
and attempting to cause divisions and putting Muslims
and Islam to disrepute.
The renowned author Fatima Mernissi, says in Women
and Islam that such a person is "one who
misunderstands his own cultural heritage. The vast and
inspiring records of Muslim history so brilliantly completed
for us by scholars such as Ibn Hisham, Ibn Hajar, Ibn
Sa'ad and Tabari speak to the contrary.
"We Muslim women can walk into the modern world with
pride, knowing that the quest for dignity, democracy, and
human rights, for full participation in the political and
social affairs of our country , stems from no imported
Western values, but is a true part of Muslim tradition.
"Women fled aristocratic tribal Mecca by the thousands to
enter Medina, the Prophet's city in the 7th century,
because Islam promised equality and dignity for all, for
men and women, masters and servants. Every woman
who came to Medina when the Prophet was the political
leader of the Muslims could gain access to full
citizenship,
the status of sahabi, companion of the Prophet. Muslims
can take pride that in their language they have the
feminine of that word, sahabiyat, women who enjoyed
the
right to enter into the councils of the Muslim umma, to
speak freely to its Prophet-leader, to dispute with men, to
fight for their happiness, and to be involved in the
management of military and political affairs. The evidence
is there in the works of religious history, in the
biographical details of sahabiyyat by the thousands who
built Muslim society side by side with their male
counterparts."
Lastly, let us look at some of the challenges facing us as
we aspire towards the realisation of our goals of justice
and a better society. (Unfortunately, this section was not
completed by Shamima in the paper version we have,
although she did present it at the meeting. And no
recording exists to be able to complete it. - editor)
1.Addressing the misrepresentation and
misemphasis in Islam (which is contrary to what we
see in the Qur'an and in History).
2.Realising what the position and roles of men and
women are.
3.Addressing the problems of gender relationships in
Muslim communities and outside, gender
imbalances.
4.Muslim Personal Law
5.Muslim women and the Muslim public domain.
6.Campaigns
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