|
Tell me how long it took the west to give women any right to political representation, then compare this to an incident at the time of the second Islamic ruler. He was telling people about a new law for women. A woman stood up and told him about a verse that didn’t go with his law. He at once complied and said his famous saying, “A women was right, and Omar was wrong”.
Just before the rise of Islam, women didn’t have ANY rights whatsoever. They were considered men’s property and didn’t have any financial, political rights. I say the golden age of women rights is early Islam, when Islamic teachings were applied best. Islam gives women their rights such as voting, participation in politics and social life.
This guardianship and greater financial responsibility given to men, requires that they provide women with not only monetary support but also physical protection and kind respectful treatment. Muslim women have the privilege to earn money, the right to own property, to enter into legal contracts and to mange all of 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.
A woman inherits from her relatives and her right of Education is sponsored, in the 18th century in Europe women didn’t have these rights (remember in Pride & Prejudice?).
I’ll give some examples (other than the ones stating rights):
- Prophet Mohamed said: "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are the best to their women."
- And: “The greatest giving a man can give is a piece of food he puts in his wife’s mouth”.
And another thing is the relation between all the prophet’s companions & their wives, which is unparalled any time before or after early Islam. The sweetest and strongest of all is prophet Mohammed and his first wife (and big love, though 15 years older than himself) Khadeega’s. The first time Quran was revealed to him, he was so afraid it might be illusions. He ran back home (notice that he didn’t go to his best friend, Abu bakr, for example) to his wife. She took him in her arms and he told her what he saw. She said “Cousin, God would never disgrace you. You care for your relatives, look after the needy, get through your determination what others don’t, you’re generous to guests, and help people in trouble.”
It was a big day when Muslims came victorious to Mecca, from which they were thrown out, people were entering Islam and Mecca’s prominent men wanted to meet the prophet. In the middle of all this, he saw an old woman coming, so he took off his coat and placed it on the ground for her and they sat talking for an hour. His wife at the time came to see what was keeping him and he said “This is a friend of Khadeega’s, we were remembering her days”. His wife got jealous and said “You still remember this old woman, when God has given you a better wife”. The prophet got angry and said, “No, by God, He didn’t give me a better wife. She believed and helped me when no one did”.
I have never heard of a love so great or a faithfulness so lasting, considering this day was about 11 years after khadeega died. Where can we find this, Lysithea? And there are many other stories.
Yours truly,
Nahla
P.S. Here’s a link if you want to find more about Women in Islam:
http://www.thetruereligion.org/islam.htm#women
|
