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TO THE
MUSLIM LADIES
This speech was delivered at the
seminar of Muslim Women at Chicago on June 19, 1977.
Brothers and Sisters !
I am deeply indebted to you for
inviting me to this meeting and giving me an
opportunity to express my views on a question which
is fundamentally related to existence, both social
and individual.
At the outset, I will recite a
verse of the Quran, and, then, try to explain the
Islamic viewpoint on social relations, and indicate
how realistic it is in its approach to community
life.
The verse is from Sura-i-Nissa
(the Chapter of Women). Its very title should be
enough to show what place Islam gives to womankind.
It reads : O Mankind! Be careful
of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a
single soul (i. e., Adam) and from it created its
mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a
multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty
towards Allah through Whom you demand your mutual
(rights), and towards the wombs (that bare you)-
Lo ! Allah hath been a Watcher
over you. (IV : 1)
I believe this verse fully
explains the Islamic standpoint on the status of
women and the mutual rights and duties of the two
sexes. First of all, God makes it clear that both
men and women have been created in the same manner
and their destinies are inter-related, as if they
are the two parts of a single body. The little
divergence in their physical structures is for no
other reason than that they performed the journey of
life comfortably.
Both the male and female groups
have been created from a single soul, and, then,
that single soul has been divided into two parts,
but there is no contradiction or hostility between
them. In life's journey, man has been provided with
a partner from his own species and who is a part of
his body. After it, the human race took its rise
from them. God blessed their union, love and
companionship with great abundance so that those who
were, originally, two multiplied into millions till
no one can tell how many men have been born into the
world. It is known only to God. He has alluded to
their abundance by using the word multitude'.
The Lord, then says: Fear Allah
in Whose Name you lay your claim on one another. The
revolutionary idea that in the economy of human
affairs, no one is sufficient into himself was, for
the first time, propounded by the Quran. All men are
dependent on one another. Everyone is, at once, the
beggar and the giver. The division is not such that
the beggars are one side and the givers on the
other. The beggar is, also, the giver, and vice
versa. Everyone is tied to the chain of rights and
duties. In the network of civilised life everybody
stands in need of others.
Without a woman, no man can
accomplish his natural journey in a pleasant and
comfortable manner, and, in the same way, no
virtuous woman can lead a happy and contented life
without a life-partner. The Lord Creator has made
them dependent on each other in such a way that
without one, the life of the other must remain
incomplete.
Again, it is proclaimed that it
is Allah in whose Name you demand your rights of one
another. The Islamic society is founded upon belief
in God, in His Power, Majesty and Oneness. The
partnership between a Muslim man and a Muslim woman
becomes legitimate when the Name of Allah is brought
in between them. It is the Name of Allah that makes
the strangers, the kindred, and the distant ones,
the near ones.
The bond between man and wife is
a bond of faith and love, and in its depth, intimacy
and naturalness; it is absolutely unique. All this
is the miracle of the Name of Allah. A new world is
born with the coming in of His Name. A Muslim man
and a Muslim woman cannot mix freely with one
another; sometimes, they cannot even travel
together. They are Na Mahram (A stranger. One who is
not permitted to enter women's apartment) to each
other. But a sacred tie is forged as soon as the
Name of Allah comes to dwell between them.
The Qaran, in its inimitable
style, has represented the basic reality of human
society, interdependence of its members, their
co-relation and mutuality, in the few, simple words
of through Whom ye demand your mutual rights.
It, then, proceeds to urge upon
us to be careful of our duty to Allah in whose Name
we make the unlawful, lawful , and bring about a
revolution in our lives. The Quran has used another
matchless expression, also, to describe the profound
relationship between husband and wife. It says: They
are raiment for you and ye are raiment for them.
(II: 187). It was Quran alone that could use the
word raiment in that context. Clothing is essential
for hiding nakedness and for adornment of life. It
conveys everything that can be said concerning the
relation- ship of love, faith and trust between
husband and wife. Just as without clothing a man
looks more like an animal than a civilised being, in
the same way, without a married life, must be
considered less than civilised.
In Islam matrimony is not
regarded a necessity but given the status of worship
which brings a man closer to God. Or, in other
words, the concept of marriage in it is not that of
a biological or social necessity without which the
enjoyment of life is not complete, but it has been
given religious significance and elevated to the
position of worship. The sacred Prophet furnished
the greatest example of it in his own life. He said,
"The best among you is he who is good to his family,
and, among you, I am the best for my family." if you
study the life of the prophet, you will be struck by
instances of showing respect to the fair sex and
paying regard to its sentiments which are not to be
found in the lives of the greatest champions of the
rights of women or of holy men and law-givers of the
highest order. and even in the lives of the other
Apostles. The pains the holy Prophet took to please
his wives and make them happy, his participation in
their legitimate recreational activities and doing
of justice to them were of surpassing charm and
nobleness.
With children, also, he was so
kind and affectionate that he would even cut short
Namaz, which was so dear to his heart, if he heard a
child crying. It was the height of benevolence and
sacrifice. Nothing could be more precious to the
holy Prophet than Namaz. Yet, he would say,
"Sometimes. I like to prolong the prayer-service,
but, then, I hear a child crying and shorten the
service, thinking that its mother would be
restless."
These are the examples we have
before us. The Lord exhorts us to protect the
dignity of the Name we have brought in. It should
not be that we put it only to our advantage. This
commandment is for both, men and women. You are,
now, living in the American society, We have not
only to introduce the tenets of Islam to the
American people, but, also, to present before them
living models of its family-system. The Western
Civilisation is rapidly on decline. There can be no
two opinions about it One of the foremost reasons of
it is the disintegration of the family. Love and
trust which are the cornerstone of a married life
are yielding place to selfishness and sensuality.
Modern philosophers are worried and studies are
being undertaken for the preservation of the
sanctity of the family. There ought to be love and
sympathy on both the sides for in it, alone, lies
true happiness. Even poverty and starvation are
tolerated with equanimity where there is love and
willingness to enter into and share the feelings of
one another. There are, even now, many families in
the East which do not have enough to eat and yet
live happily because their is mutual love. Here, in
the West there is everything-wealth, scientific
innovation, and educational advancement - but the
hearts are devoid of peace and contentment. They
have not been able to turn their homes into a
paradise. As Iqbal has said:
He sought the orbits of the
stars,
yet could not Travel his own
thought's world.
The modern man is equipped with
power, but lacking in vision. The conqueror of the
solar radiation could not brighten his own destiny,
and the seeker of the orbits of the stars-and, if
Iqbal were alive today, he would have said, the
traveller to the moon-could not explore the world of
his own ideas and make his home a place of bliss. He
who had set out to turn the world into a paradise
has ended up by making his own home a hell. Many
Western homes are unblest with peace and happiness.
That is why, they seek diversion in clubs and other
out-door activities.
You will be more aware of this
painful aspect of American life as you have been
living here for as many as ten or twenty years. It
will be futile for me to dwell upon it at length.
The Quranic verse I have quoted expounds the
fundamental truth of Islamic social design that
human society is based upon inter- dependence and
respect for each others's rights. Everyone has his
needs. But to realise it as a basic truth of human
existence and to feel grateful to the person through
whom the need is fulfilled is an attitude of mind.
Islam' seeks to promote and strengthen that outlook.
It wants everyone to consider himself dependent on
others and entertain respect for all members of the
society. No problems of adjustment will, then,
arise.
May Allah guide you to the
Straight Path and you are able to present the
pattern of Islamic life and social conduct that may
be appealing to the Western people who have grown
weary of life and encourage them to think over and
examine closely the social commandments of Islam!
You will, thus, be rendering
valuable service not only to this country, but also
to Islam. It is difficult to think of a more
positive and effective step towards the preaching
and propagation of Faith in the existing
circumstances. |
