Woman and Society

Woman During the Lifetimes of the Prophets (a.s.)

Woman had a prominent and important role during the course of divine summons and the movements of the prophets and messengers (a.s.). Woman took part in the intellectual and political struggle, and suffered from torture, murder, emigration, persecution, oppression, and mental and political terrorism.

She made public her view freely and joined the divine mission inspite of her loss of authority and property. For instance, Mary, the mother of Jesus (a.s.) who was praised by the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (s.a.w.) too. In many verses, the Qur'an has lauded this lady and offered her as an example to men and women to follow her behavior and the righteousness of her thinking and character.

Whoever studies the history of woman finds that the divine message addresses both the man and the woman. In other words, the divine message does not make any distinction between them because of their gender.

When we study some historical examples of the life of women in the course of the divine message, we will understand the important and active position which woman occupied during the lives of the prophets and their messages. Thus, the value of woman, her intellectual and political participation, and her lawful and humane rights appear in Islamic society. We can understand this important and active participation of woman when we read the story of the struggle of the father of the prophets, Abraham (a.s.), against his people in Bablon, in the land of Iraq, and his struggle against Nimrud.

That struggle ended for Abraham (a.s.) when he was saved from the fire through a divine miracle that exceeded all the imaginations of material intellect. So, he emigrated to Syria. Sarah, his wife, was the first to believe him and to accompany him during his flight to Syria. Then they emigrated to Egypt.

Then they returned to Syria to live there. Abraham (a.s.) started the most important period in the history of man. Meanwhile, his wife, Sarah, supported him and stood beside him throughout his struggle, sufferings, and emigration.

The Qur'an talks about the story of this emigration and the family life. It also talks about the role of Hajar (Hagar), the second wife of Abraham (a.s.), and her participation in creating the brightest period in history at Holy Mecca in Saudi Arabia. That was when Abraham (a.s.) brought her from Egypt.

The story of Hajar is one of the most famous of all the stories in history. Thus, she became very famous in history when she took care of her son, Prophet Ismael (a.s.), in a valley unproductive of fruit near the Sacred House. Then Ismael (a.s.) became the grandfather of the greatest Prophet in the history of mankind, Muhammad (s.a.w.). The Qur'an has recorded these events when it says:

"O Our Lord! Verily I have housed a part of my offspring in a valley uncultivable, nigh unto Your Holy House..." Holy Qur'an (Abraham, 14:37)

Moreover, the Qur'an talks about the mother of Moses (a.s.) when Allah inspired her to save Moses (a.s.) from Pharaoh. The Qur'an notes that Allah honored her when he returned Moses to her to raise for the wife of Pharoah. Later, Moses saved his people from oppression and destroyed the greatest tyrant in the history of mankind.

The Qur'an has mentioned this woman as a basic axle in creating these events. Then the Qur'an talks about Pharaoh's wife, Asiya, and the mother of Jesus (a.s.). The Qur'an has shown them as an example to generations to follow them. In this connection the Qur'an says:

"And Allah sets forth an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh, when said she: `O My Lord! Build for me a house with You in the Garden and deliver me from Pharaoh and his doing, and deliver me from the unjust people.' And Mary the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and breathed We into it (her body) of Our Spirit, and she testified the truth of the words of her Lord, and His Scriptures, and she was of the obedient ones." Holy Qur'an (Tahrim 66:11-12)

Let us read these two verses and consider carefully their wonderful intellectual meaning that talks about the character of woman with honor and respect which no material civilization grants her. The Qur'an has offered the righteous woman as a practical example to men and women to follow her. This has been mentioned in the verse: "And Allah sets forth an example to those who believe." The phrase ""And Allah sets forth an example." and the phrase "to those who believe" explain clearly for us a unique concept in the world of thought and civilization concerning the righteous woman.

The Qur'an has offered them as an ideal example to both men and women to follow them in thought and socio-political attitude. It has shown two examples to the high character of the believing woman and her position in Islamic thought. It has shown Pharoah's wife, the Queen of Egypt, the Lady of crown, palace, power, policy, and the great state at that time.

However, she challenged the authorities. The Qur'an has also shown Mary, daughter of Imran, who challenged the haughtiness and plot of the children of Israel. As the woman played an important role during the lives of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them), she played the same role during the life of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his mission. This unique ideological role was played by Khadija bint Khwaylid (a.s.). It is worth mentioning, Khadija (a.s.) belonged to tribe of Quraish.

She was the Lady of the society and had a remarkable position at Holy Mecca. She had wealth, trade, and position. She was the first woman to believe in Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w.) message. Accordingly she believed in his prophethood and spent her money to support him. For him, she suffered all persecutions throughout the ten years of her holy life, be his side. She endured all the sufferings of the siege that lasted for three years. Thus, she has become among the greatest women in the history of Islam. For this reason, Allah's Apostle (s.a.w.) called the year when she died the Year of Sadness.

Muslims magnify this Lady very much. They follow her behavior and noble attitudes.

In a conversation with his wife `A'isha concerning Khadija's character, the Prophet said: "Allah has not recompensed me with better than her. She was the mother of the family and a house-wife. She believed me when the people accused me of lying. She supported me with her money when the people deprived me (of that). She bore me a son when I was deprived (of that) from other than her."17

Again he talked bout her, saying: "Indeed, I love those who love her."18

Then the Prophet (s.a.w.) talked about his daughter Fatima, the chaste: "Fatima is part of me. Whoever hurts her hurts me."19 One day he was asked: "Which of your family is the most lovable to you?" "Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad," he said.20 From these texts we understand the position and character of the woman during the lifetime of the Prophet (s.a.w.). This attitude of the Prophet represents the best evaluation and respect to the position of the woman in Islam.

Through this brief Qur'anic and historical explanation, we understand that the woman looked after the great prophets and supported them. This was embodied during the lifetimes of Abraham, Moses, Ismael, Jesus (a.s.), and Muhammad (s.a.w.), who were the greatest of all the prophets and messengers and the leaders of thought, righteousness, and divine civilization in the earth.

The Qur'an has recorded the role of the woman during the lifetime of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and his mission. It has also mentioned that the women took part in emigrating with the Prophet and struggling before him. In this connection, the Qur'an has mentioned both men and women when it talks about emigration, pledge of allegiance, mission, good reward, the relationship between men and women, etc. There are hundreds of verses in the Qur'an about these matters. The following are some of them:

"And the believer men and the believer women, they are guardians to one another; they enjoin good and forbid evil." Holy Qur'an (Towba 9:71)

"And my Lord! Forgive You me and my parents and him who enters my abode believing (in You) and the believer men and the believer women, and increase not unto the unjust ones in aught save perdition!" Holy Qur'an (Noah 71:28)

"The day you shall see the faithful men and faithful women, with their light running before them,..." Holy Qur'an (Hadid 57:12)

In these verses, the Qur'an raises the woman to the highest position and treats her as it treats the man. In the concept of the Islamic message, the man and the woman support each other to communicate the thought. They both reform society and remove corruption and crime. They both convey the message of good and peace and righteousness throughout the earth.

In the second verse, Prophet Noah (a.s.) asked his Lord to forgive both believing men and women. Through the meaning of this prayer, the principles of honoring, love, and respect for the woman spread. That is because the supplication for a certain person has all these meanings.

The Qur'an pictures that believing men and women will be in a halo of light on the day when they meet their Lord to receive their reward according to their deeds.

Thus, we understand that the Qur'an has granted the righteous woman love and support. Besides it has summoned (people) to ask their Lord to forgive the believing woman and bless her. Moreover, it has surrounded the believing woman with a halo of light. Such a woman is she who follows Asiya Pharoah's wife), Mary (the mother of Jesus), Khadija (the wife of Prophet Muhammad [s.a.w.]), and Fatima (the daughter of Muhammad [s.a.w.]).

Apart from this, we understand the high character of woman and respect towards her when we know that the first martyr in Islam was Sumayya, the mother of the great companion `Ammar b. Yasir. She was killed by Abu Sufyan, the leader of the polytheists. Thus, Sumayya sacrificed her life for the principles of the Islamic message. That was when the confrontation took place between the terrorists and tyrants, and Muhammad (s.a.w.) and the deprived and slaves who followed the message of Islam to give them their rights and to save them from ignorance and exploitation.

A number of the deprived women hurried to believe in the Prophet (s.a.w.) at the beginning of his mission. They endured pain, torture, and persecution. So, they emigrated to Habasha and Medina. They supported Allah and His Apostle (s.a.w.) strongly. The character of the righteous women clearly appear when we look at the view that surrounds the martyrs whom the Qur'an has mentioned:

"And the earth shall get radiant with the light of its Lord, and the Book (of deeds) shall be set, and the prophets shall be brought up and the witnesses, and (it shall) be judged between them, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly." Holy Qur'an (Zumar 39:69)

The Muslim woman has not discovered her true position in Islam yet and the Muslim man has not known the true position of the woman in Islam yet. So the relationship between them has become disordered and it will not become ordered until they both follow the principles of the Qur'an and recognise the rights of each other.

If the woman who follows the material civilization knows her position and respect in Islam, she will embrace it.

Preparing the Women to fulfill their Tasks

The process of preparing and educating has an important effect on building and forming man's character. It directs his abilities and merits in a constructive manner. Thus, he is able to carry out his tasks in society. When man is neglected and deprived of education, direction, and organized preparation, he will grow up spontaneously.

In other words, circumstances, environment, and events will direct him. All these things kill his character, waste his abilities, and hinder his social growth. Then he will have a weak and unstable character, so he will be unable to deal successfully with society, events, problems, and chances. The conditions of woman should be studied through the picture represented in Islam. This picture is in the Qur'an and the purified Sunnah. It depends on numerous bases. They are as follow:

1. The unity of mankind depending on His words, the Exalted: "O people, keep your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind), and spread from these two many men and women. And keep your duty to Allah, by Whom you demand one of another (your rights), and (to) the ties of relationship. Surely Allah is ever a Watcher over your." Holy Qur'an (Nisa 4:1)

We can understand this verse not only through its great meaning, but also through the Revelation that opened the Sura of al-Nisa' that talks about the affairs of woman with this verse and depends on it. The sura of al-Nisa' is among the greatest Suras. It has 176 verses excluding the bismillah, namely, in the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This surah is regarded as the foundation, legislation, and values that organize the relationship between man and woman, and limit their position and their role in society.

2. The relationship between man and woman depending on love, affection, mercy, calmness, and tranquility. All these qualities are presented in these words of His, the Exalted: "And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves, mates that you may dwell (inclined) unto them, and caused between you love and compassion: Verily in this are signs for a people who reflect." Holy Qur'an (Rum 30:21)

3. Man and woman are equal in rights and duties: "and for the women shall be similar rights (over men) in fairness,." Holy Qur'an (Baqara 2:228)

In this verse, Allahs means that man and woman have rights and duties over each other. Each of them has rights and duties. They both should carry out their duties through paying the rights of each other with kindness and good association. With this unique religious, and moral principle, Islam has balanced the relationship between man and woman. Accordingly, it has established an outstanding principle for the rights of woman.

4. The social relationship between man and woman is based on friendship as declared by the Holy Qur'an. Allah, the Exalted: "And the believer men and the believer women, they are guardians to one another." The Qur'an gives this wonderful picture of the relationship between man and woman. This relationship is based on friendship. The highest degrees of love and respect are presented in this relationship. It has been established in the language that the word `wali' means supporter, lover, and friend.

Among the clear social phenomena in our world, which suffer from tyrants, are persecution, depression, force, and domination. Thus, this phenomena have negative effects on social dealings, education in school and home, the relations of work, and all kinds of social organization.

The absence of freedom, scorning the character of others, persecuting them, and depressing their will are familiar phenomena in our present society. Nobody protests against them but in some limits which are inappropriate for these phenomena.

Woman suffers from the pressure of this phenomena more than man. Our society has inherited backward habits, customs, and concepts. Through them it treats woman. Thus, it scorns the character, abilities, and merits of woman. Moreover, in many environments, man regards woman as a creature below the love of humanity of man.

The concepts of isolating woman from advanced social life have come into existence because of backwardness and the absence of Islamic awareness and understanding from the circles of Muslims, and general social, political, and intellectual situation. We find strange that some material writers have ascribed these concepts to Islam.

Because of the conditions of ignorance and backwardness, Muslims have submitted to material intellectual invasion through its two eastern and western schools. Thus, has begun a war waged against Islamic thought and to focus on the conditions of woman in the Islamic world. So, non-Islamic information and cultural foundations, secular parties, and the propagators of materialism and dissoluteness have spared no effort to drag woman from those circumstances and conditions in which she lives in backward society to the circle of dissoluteness, to corrupt woman, and to trade with her affairs politically and culturally.

That is because they have become sure of corrupting woman through sexual dissoluteness, and the motto of (woman's rights) and (woman's freedom), being the best way to corrupt the generation of males and females. That is because woman is the source of temptation and sexual excitement. Besides spreading sexual dissoluteness, which they have called (sexual rights), is among the most dangerous ways to destroy the family, to make children homeless, and to destroy human relationship between man and woman.

Thus, the plan of preparing and educating woman faces three directions. They are as follow:

1. The direction that resulted from the conditions of civilizational backwardness and awareness. It is the direction that depends on the base of scorning woman's character, depressing her will, and making absent her human and social role beside man. This direction has been inherited through habits and customs that have resulted from those who have no knowledge of Islam, the conditions of domination, the haughtiness of man, and intellectual backwardness.

2. Material direction: Western material civilization summons (people) to adopt this direction. It is the direction that summons people to believe in sexual dissoluteness that aims at destroying family relationships and empowering persecution and oppression of woman in another way and under the motto of "woman's rights" and "sexual freedom", etc., that makes woman the victim of sexual enjoyment and violation and diseases.

3. Islamic direction: It is the direction that believes in the unity of mankind and organizes the relationship between man and woman according to respect and cooperation that aim at building society and organizing sexual relationship between man and woman not according to dissolute woman's body and to enjoy it and to destroy the foundations of family ties, as it occurs nowadays in Europe, America, Russia, China, Japan, an other countries in the world, that have followed the trend of material civilization. Rather on the foundation of respecting woman's humanity and granting her her rights, for she is a human being with qualities and rights and character.

Building through Family Relationships

It has become clear that society stands on three basic pillars. They are as follows:

1. The reaction between the two cases of womanhood and manhood, for they have biological and psychological qualities, and that the happiness of society, its psychological tranquility, its social and material growth, the development of its production, and the righteousness of its behavior depends, to a large extent, on the righteous reaction between the two psychological states- the state of womanhood and manhood.

2. The link of common culture and thought.

3. Exchanging interests among the various members of society- males and females.

According to the first and third pillars, the social function of all the members of society, males and females, have come into existence according to their physical and mental abilities and their psychological inclinations. According to these pillars, woman moves to take part in building family and society. The widest fields of this participation is family.

Psychological studies have confirmed the Qur'an when it denoted that family was the base of society and was among its most important foundations and the foundation on which social life is built. Thus, the Qur'an has explained that and put the rules of relationship between man and woman and between the rights and duties of both man and woman to make them able to work and to build a happy social life.

Allah, the Exalted, said: "And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves, mates that you may dwell (inclined) unto them, and caused between you love and compassion: Verily in this are signs for a people who reflect." Holy Qur'an (Rum 30:21) "He it is Who created you from a single self and from it did He make his mate that he may dwell resting unto her." Holy Qur'an (Araf 9:189)

"Men have authoriy over women on account of the qualities with which Allah has caused the one of them to excel the other and for what they spend of their property; therefore, the righteous women are obedient, guarding the unseen that which Allah has guarded." Holy Qur'an (Nisa 4:34)

"and for the women shall be similar rights (over men) in fairness,." Holy Qur'an (Baqara 2:228) "but deal kindly with them (women)." Holy Qur'an (Nisa 4:19)

"Let him with abundance spend of his abundance." Holy Qur'an (Talaq 65:7)

"and help you (one another) in righteousness and piety, and help you not (one another) in sin and aggression." Holy Qur'an (Ma'ida 5:2)

The Qur'an has talked about the human and lawful foundations and ties. The Prophetic traditions (sunna) has also talked about that. We will mention some traditions which have been reported on the authority of the Prophet (s.a.w.): "All of you are responsibles. And all of you are responsible for your subjects. The emir who (rules) over people is responsible for his subjects. The man is responsible for the people of his house. The woman is responsible for the house of her husband and his children. The slave is responsible for the money of his master. Indeed you are all responsible for your subjects."(21)

It has been reported on the authority of Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.), who said: "It is the manner of the Prophets to love women."(22) It has been also reported on his authority (a.s.): "I do not think that a man gets better in faith without loving women better."(23)

It is useful here to refer to that the building which woman practices in society is sometimes a direct act and is sometimes through her psychological and moral relationship with her husband and her children. The wife should secure the atmosphere of rest and good association for her husband. She should also secure for him love, affection, and psychological tranqullity.

For such psychological atmosphere has great effects on the character of husband and his relations with others and his ability to produce and give. That is because the psychological conditions of man affect all his activities and his relations with others. When family life is full of problems, worries, and tension, it affects the husband's character, work, production, and relations with others.

Psychological atmospheres in the family not only affect the husband but also the children. It is difficult for the child who grows up in the atmosphere of hatred and tension and problems and bad treatment to be a righteous character in his behavior and his relation with others and in directing his physical and mental abilities. Sometimes, because of the conditions of bad education, the child becomes an irregularly aggressive human being or he becomes lazy and non-productive or becomes a loiterer and is ready to create problems and commit crimes.

However, sound education forms a sound character. So, such education affects the economical, social, and scientific future of the child. Thus the role of woman is very effective in building society through educating and preparing good members for society, and through securing a sound atmosphere for her husband.

In the foregoing texts, the Holy Qur'an and the purified Prophetic traditions have limits for family administrative, organizational, educational, psychological, and lawful rules and foundations. Through these woman takes part in building society. Accordingly, building the family stands on

1. Love, affection, mercy, and respect between husband and wife.
2. Woman has rights and duties.
3. Man is the leader and supervisor and manager of his house.
4. Man and woman cooperate with each other to run the affairs of life.
5. Man and woman should be moderate in spending, and that they should maintain the economy of their family.
6. They should feel responsibility, namely the husband should feel his responsibility towards his wife and the members of his family. Meanwhile, the wife should feel her responsibility towards her husband, her children, and her family. For she is responsible for looking after her house and her children. Moreover, she is responsible for bringing up her children in a good manner and treating them with love and kindness.