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Pointers on Choosing Marriage Partners

2009-07-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

By Rabi'ah Hakeem

In light of the experience of the past years, it is time to take stock and try to halt the ever-mounting tide of divorces among Muslims. It is not unusual today to find Muslim women (and even an occasional Muslim man) who, by the time they are 30 or 35, have been married three or four times, their children suffering again and again through the trauma of fatherless and broken homes. Accordingly, we may list a few essential points to be considered by both brothers and sisters in the process of choosing a partner in life (although the masculine pronoun has been used throughout for the sake of simplicity, the following is generally equally applicable to both men and women).

1. Du'a. Unceasingly ask help and guidance from Allah, Most High, in the matter of finding and choosing a mate. As often as you feel it necessary, pray Salaah al-Istikhara, Islam's special prayer for guidance, in order to reach a suitable decision.

2. Consult your heart. Listen to what your inner voice, the 'radar' which Allah has given you to guide you, tells you about the prospective partner. It is likely to be more correct than your mind, which often plays tricks and can rationalise almost any- thing. For many people, first impressions are often the most accurate.

3. Enquire. Find out the reason why this man wants to marry you. Is he interested in you as an individual or will just any person do? Why is he not doing the logical thing, that is, to marry someone from his culture? If there is evidence that the primary reason for this marriage, despite claims to the contrary, is for convenience (greencard, money, property, etc.), forget it. This spells trouble.

4. Get to know your prospective partner, within the limits of what is permissible in Islam, before deciding on marriage. Just ' seeing' someone once or twice in the company of others, who may be anxious for this marriage to take place, is simply not enough under today's conditions, where two per- sons of totally dis-similar backgrounds are meeting each other without the safeguards of families. Without violating Islam's prohibition about being alone, try to understand his nature, what makes him tick, his temperament, what he might be like to live with.

5. Talk to several people who know your prospective partner, not just one, or have someone whom you can trust do this for you. Ask about him from various people, not just from his friends because they may conceal facts to do him a favour. And ask not only about his background, career, Islamicity, etc., but about such crucial matters as whether he gets angry easily; what he does when he is 'mad'; whether he is patient, polite, considerate; how he gets along with people; how he relates to the opposite sex; what sort of relationship he has with his mother and father; whether he is fond of children; what his personal habits are, etc. And find out about his plans for the future from people who know him. Do they coincide with what he has told you? Go into as much detail as possible. Check out his plans for the future - where you will live and what your lifestyle will be, his attitudes toward money and possessions and the like. If you can't get answers to such crucial questions from people who know him, ask him yourself and try to make sure he is not just saying what he knows you want to hear. Too many people will make all kinds of promises before marriages in order to secure the partner they want but afterwards forget that they ever made them, (this naturally applies equally to women as to men).

6. Find out about his family, his relations with his parents, brothers and sisters. What will his obligations be to them in the future? How will this affect where and under what conditions you will live? What are the character and temperament of each of his parents? Will they live with you or you with them? And are they pleased with his prospective marriage to you or not? Although it may not be the case in most Western marriages, among Muslims such issues are often crucial to the success or failure of a marriage, and answers to these questions need to be satisfactory to ensure a peaceful married life.

7. Understand each other's expectations. Try to get a sense of your prospective partner's under- standing of the marriage relationship, how he will behave in various situations, and what he wants of you as his spouse. These are issues which should be discussed clearly and unambiguously as the negotiations progress, not left to become sources of disharmony after the marriage because they were never brought up beforehand. If you are too shy to ask certain questions, have a person you trust do it for you. At an advanced stage of the negotiations, such a discussion should include such matters as birth control, when children are to be expected, how they are to be raised, how he feels about helping with housework and with the children's upbringing, whether or not you may go to school or work, relations with his family and yours, and other vital issues.

8. See him interacting with others in various situations. The more varied conditions under which you are able to observe your prospective partner, the more clues you will have as to his mode of dealing with people and circumstances.

9. Find out what his understanding of Islam is and whether it is compatible with your own. This is a very important matter. Is he expecting you to do many things which you have not done up to this point? If he emphasises " Haraams", especially if you are a new Muslimah, and seems unable to tolerate your viewpoint, chances are your marriage will be in trouble unless you are flexible enough to accommodate yourself to his point of view and possibly a very restrictive lifestyle. Let him spell out to you clearly how he intends to practise Islam and how he wants you to practise it as his wife so there will be no misunderstandings later.

10. Don't be in a hurry. So many marriages have broken because the partners are in such haste that they don't take time to make such vital checks as the ones outlined above and rush into things. Shocking as it may seem, marriages between Muslims which are contracted and then broken within a week or a month or a year have become common place occurrences among us. Don't add yourself to the list of marriage casualties because you couldn't take time or were too desperate for marriage to find out about or get to know the person with whom you plan to spend the rest of your life.

11. Ask yourself, Do I want this man/woman to be the father/mother of my children? If it doesn't feel just right to you, think it over again. Remember, marriage is not just for today or tomorrow but for life, and for the primary purpose of building a family. If the person in question doesn't seem like the sort who would make a good parent, you are likely to find yourself struggling to raise your children without any help from him or her - or even with negative input - in the future.

12. Never allow yourself to be pressured or talked into a marriage. Your heart must feel good about it, not someone else's. Again, allegations of "Islamicity" - he is pious, has a beard, frequents the Masjid, knows about Islam; she wears Hijab, does not talk to men- are not necessarily guarantees of a good partner for you or of a good marriage, but are only a part of a total picture. If an individual practises the Sunnah only in relation to worship or externals, chances are he /she has not really understood and is not really living Islam. Possessing the affection and Rahmah (mercy) which Islam enjoins between marriage partners is vital for a successful relationship, and these are the important traits to be looked for in a prospective partner.

13. Never consent to engaging in a marriage for a fixed period or in exchange for a sum of money. (Mut'a marriage). Such marriages are expressly forbidden in Islam and entering into them is a sinful act, as marriage must be entered into with a clear intention of it being permanent, for life, not for a limited and fixed duration.

If these guidelines are followed, Insha' Allah the chances of making a mistake which may mar the remainder of your life may be minimised.

Choosing a marriage partner is a most serious matter, perhaps the most serious decision you will ever make in your life since your partner can cause you either to be successful or to fail miserably, in the tests of this life and, consequently, in the Here- after. This decision needs to be made with utmost care and caution, repeatedly seeking guidance from your Lord.

If everything checks out favourable, well and good, best wishes for happiness together here and in the Hereafter. If not, better drop the matter and wait. Allah your Lord knows all about you, His servant, and has planned your destiny and your partner for you. Be sure that He will bring you together when the time is right. As the Qur'an enjoins, you must be patient until He opens a way for you, and for your part you should actively explore various marriage leads and possibilities.

Two words addressed to brothers arc In order here. If you are marrying or have married a recent convert to Islam, you must be very patient and supportive with her. Remember, Islam is new to her, and chances are that she will not be able to take on the whole of the Shari'ah at once - nor does Islam require this, if you look at the history of early Islam. In your wife 's efforts to conform herself to her new faith and culture, she needs time and a great deal of support, love, help and understanding from you, free of interference from outsiders. It is best to let her make changes at her own speed when her inner being is ready for them rather than demanding that she do this or that, even if it means that some time will elapse before she is ready to follow certain Islamic injunctions. If the changes come from within herself, they are likely to be sincere and permanent; otherwise, if she makes changes because of pressure from you or from others, she may always be unhappy with the situation and may look for ways out of it. You can help her by being consistent in your own behaviour. So many Muslims apply those parts of the Qur'an or Sunnah which suit them and abandon the rest, with resulting confusion in the minds of their wives and children. Thus, while firmly keeping the reins in your hands, you should look at your own faults, not hers, and be proud and happy with the efforts she is making. Make allowances, be considerate, and show your appreciation of the difficult task she is carrying out by every possible means. This will cause her to love and respect you, your culture, and Islam to grow infinitely faster than a harsh, dominating, forceful approach ever could.

Finally, a word of warning. Certain situations have occurred in which women, posing as Muslims (or perhaps actually having made Shahaadah), have deceived and made fools of numbers of Muslim men. Such women may be extremely cunning and devious, operating as poor, lonely individuals in need of help and/or husbands. The brothers who fall into this net may be shown false photos, given false information or promises, cheated in all sorts of ways, and finally robbed of anything the conniving lady can manage to take from them. As was said, it is wise to check out any prospective partner with local Muslims who know her.

Keep your eyes open and take your time. Since marriage is for life, for eternity, hurrying into it for any reason whatsoever is the act of a foolish or careless person who has only himself or herself to blame if things go wrong.

2009-01-12T07:54:00.001-08:00

IDEAL CHARACTER OF MUSLIM WOMEN

2008-11-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

In the Qur'an, Allah informs us how belief benefits a woman:

Do not marry women who associate [others with Allah] until they believe. A slave girl who is one of the believers is better for you than a woman who associates [others with Allah], even though she may attract you. And do not marry men who associate [others with Allah] until they believe. A slave who is one of the believers is better for you than a man who associates [others with Allah], even though he may attract you. Such people call you to the Fire, whereas Allah calls you, with His permission, to the Garden and forgiveness. He makes His Signs clear to people so that, hopefully, they will pay heed. (Surat al-Baqara: 221)

Allah reveals that belief, fear and respect of Allah, and Islamic morality are the foremost causes of the believers' strength of character and virtue. Belief makes all of a person's qualities meaningful. In addition, the Qur'an's morality helps women, and everyone else, to acquire a most strong, solid, and virtuous character. As Allah revealed in the verse, "No indeed! We have given them that by which they are remembered [i.e. their honor, eminence and dignity]" (Surat al-Mu'minun: 71), this morality gives people their dignity and honor. Therefore, women who live by this morality will be respected and enjoy their deserved honor and dignity.

As we mentioned earlier, Allah has not determined separate characters for men and women and therefore calls on all people to abide by one Muslim character. Therefore, Muslims fear and respect Allah, seek His good pleasure, and seek only to win the Hereafter, in the full knowledge that this worldly life is temporary and that he or she will die one day.

Muslim Women Submit to God:

Muslim women believe in Allah with a true heart, submit completely to Him, are aware that there is no other deity, that He is the Lord of every being and thing, and that He is All-Powerful. Therefore, she fears and respects only Him and seeks to win only His good pleasure. She worships only Him, accepts only Him as her closest friend, and seeks only His help. She also knows that only He can direct good and bad toward her, and so lives in the full knowledge that she is dependent on Him. She knows that He keeps her alive, provides and cares for her, and protects and guards her. For these reasons, she has no expectations of other people.

She believes in Allah without the slightest doubt in her heart for her whole life, never losing heart or belief regardless of the circumstances. She knows how to be grateful and content with her closeness to Him both when her life is good and when she is undergoing difficulties. She is in a state of constant submission, certain of our Lord's love, compassion, forgiveness, and providence.

When she encounters a problem, she knows that Allah has provided a solution in the Qur'an, and that what matters most is her continued sincere love, submission, and trust in Allah. She is certain of Allah's promise that He creates everything according to His justice and with wisdom and goodness.

Even if her problems seem to go on forever, she never surrenders to hopelessness or worries when His help will come. Content with what He has sent her way, she maintains her patience and submission, knowing that something good will come out of it. She remembers what the Qur'an says about those who abandon their belief in such times. In addition, she recites "My Lord is with me and will guide me" (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 62), just as the Prophets did when faced with hardship. Throughout her life, her profound faith enables her to see Allah's compassion, closeness, love, help, and friendship at all times.

This superior character becomes even more distinctive when compared with that of unbelieving women. Some unbelieving women do not show the appropriate degree of submission in their encounters, because they ignore the fact that Allah creates everything and inserts much wisdom and goodness hidden therein. One of the best-known characteristics of such women is their impatience, lack of determination, panic, and throwing tantrums when experiencing various hardships.

For this reason, and to save themselves the hassle, men often try to keep women away from potentially troublesome situations. Movies and novels are full of such stories. Since they do not place their trust in Allah and do not submit to Him, they cannot find the patience and resolution to endure hard times. In fact, their strength is in direct proportion to the size of the gain they can expect from working through these difficulties.

Believing women derive their strength from their belief and their determination to win Allah's good pleasure. Therefore, their resistance can be quite powerful. The Qur'an reveals this truth in the following verse: "Allah's guidance, that is true guidance. We are commanded to submit as Muslims to the Lord of all the worlds" (Surat al-An'am: 71). Allah gives good news to those who submit to Him:

Those who submit themselves completely to Allah and do good have grasped the Firmest Handhold. The end result of all affairs is with Allah. (Surah Luqman: 22)

Not so! All who submit themselves completely to Allah and are good-doers will find their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat al-Baqara: 112)

Muslim Women Have Great Ideals:

One of the unbelievers' most misguided character traits is the restrictions that they placed on people's ideals, thoughts, and lifestyle. In the case of women, society tells them that they have certain duties and responsibilities that they are expected to fulfill to the best of their ability. Usually, they are not encouraged to acquire different ideals or develop their personalities. Only when women become aware of this reality do they begin to perceive the need to seek greater ideals, widen their horizon, and develop their personalities.

rimarily, women are expected to provide for and cater to their families' needs and raise their children. Otherwise, they focus on themselves, according to the conditioning they received when young. They concentrate on their physical appearance, hair style, make-up, clothing and fashion in general; keeping their homes clean; and talking with their friends. While there is nothing wrong with such activities, it is wrong to limit their lives just to these tasks without even knowing why this is so.

Allah created men and women for a purpose and revealed their responsibilities in the Qur'an. Most importantly, each woman is responsible to our Lord, for He created her, gave her life, protected and watched over her, and provided for her. Men and women are required to lead the moral life prescribed by Allah, worship and serve Him, and to win His good pleasure. They are required to tell people who are far from the happy and contented life of following the Qur'an's values about Islam's values and to make a genuine effort to help them draw closer to Allah's pleasure, mercy, and Paradise. They must strive to save people from negative frames of mind, and from suffering under the influence of the chaos and disorder, all of which are presented by Satan and thus are devoid of true love, respect, and friendship.
All believers are obliged to help and guide those who are weak and distressed to His path:

What reason could you have for not fighting in the Way of Allah-for those men, women, and children who are oppressed and say: "Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!?" (Surat an-Nisa': 75)

Allah further reminds Muslims that they are obliged to assist orphans, people who are stranded, and other needy people:

Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him. Be good to your parents and relatives, orphans and the very poor, neighbors who are related to you and neighbors who are not related to you, and companions, travelers, and your servants. Allah does not love anyone vain or boastful. (Surat an-Nisa': 36)

A Muslim woman is aware of all these responsibilities and so does not focus only on herself. Rather, she does her best to solve the problems around the world, such as helping people who are suffering, fighting infectious diseases, working with children displaced or orphaned by war and conflict, and taking care of the elderly and other women as if they were her own problems.

She gives her full attention to every matter in her daily life, because she knows that the truly important thing is to win Allah's good pleasure, live the Qur'an's morality, and spread this morality in order to bring true contentment and happiness to all others. For this reason, she acts in the knowledge that what she encounters each day is not so important when put into the overall context of what she was created to do.

Muslim Women Are Dignified:

... And the soul and what proportioned and inspired it with depravity or heedfulness; he who purifies it has succeeded, he who covers it up has failed. (Surat ash-Shams: 7-10)

The above verses warn people about the selfish ego that, when not brought under control, will lead them to limitless evil. A person's fear and respect of Allah, as well as his or her belief in the Hereafter, gives each person the strength and reason to resist these temptations.

Without this awareness, people will follow their desires and not worry about their meeting with Allah in the Hereafter, where they will be held accountable for their deeds. If his ego demands anger, jealousy, or ill-treatment of someone else, he will indulge it. If her selfish ego encourages her to vent her anger or jealous frustration with insinuations, mockery, slander, lies, conspiracies, or hypocritical behavior, she will oblige it without giving it a second thought. Such people will commit all of these sins without reservation, because they believe that they will never have to account for their deeds.

Allah, however, reveals that all of these activities are unconstrained evils called for by the selfish ego. When people act on these impulses, things just get worse. People who cannot control their emotions, even when they know that what they are doing is wrong, show that they are both weak and ignore their conscience. In other words, they seem to grow smaller. It is debasing to be unable to act maturely or respond rationally when their selfish egos suggest otherwise. As Allah reveals, the dignifying and rightful response to such evil suggestions is to ignore them and act conscientiously. This character trait needs to be worked on, for eventually it will earn other people's respect and love and raise the person's ranks in His eyes, as well as in the eyes of other people.

Muslim women have enough dignity and character to reject such debasing behavior for small gains. Allah informs us of the conspiring nature of unbelieving women: "He saw the shirt torn at the back and said: 'The source of this is women's deviousness. Without a doubt your guile is very great'" (Surah Yusuf: 28). Unbelieving women often try to resolve situations by conspiring, intriguing, or lying instead of seeking rational solutions. Indulging Satan's suggestions, they fall back on hypocrisy, cowardice, or devious methods. Believing women, on the other hand, resolve their problems by honesty, openness, and sincerity, for their awareness of Allah totally removes them from such inappropriate behavior.

Unbelieving women also are characterized by envy. Allah mentions envious people and warns others about their evil: "Say: 'I seek refuge with the Lord of Daybreak, from the evil of what He has created and from the evil of the darkness when it gathers, and from the evil of women who blow on knots and from the evil of an envier when he envies'" (Surat al-Falaq: 1-5). Some unbelieving women are prone to such behavior, which causes distrust, tantrums, broken relationships, and endless arguments, all of which result in an unfulfilled and unhappy life. In addition, they cause great suffering and damage to themselves and to those around them. Believing women, however, will disregard this aspect of human ego, knowing that it leads to great losses in this life as well as in the next.

Mockery is another character defect of unbelieving women. In the following verse Allah warns them against such behavior: "O you who believe! People should not ridicule others who may be better than themselves; nor should any women ridicule other women who may be better than themselves. And do not find fault with one another or insult each other with derogatory nicknames" (Surat al-Hujurat: 11).

Those women who are shaped by the unbelief that rules their societies do not hesitate to ridicule people for their shortcomings or to mock others, because they do not think of the Hereafter. They do not consider this behavior as wrong, but rather as a kind of humor. Often this mockery is not even verbal, but is expressed by making faces, rolling one's eyes, imitating their mannerisms, or whispering about them. Believing women shun such activities, because they know that Allah requires them to live according to the Qur'an's morality.

In another verse, Allah reminds people not to speculate or gossip about others: "O you who believe! Avoid most suspicion. Indeed, some suspicion is a crime. Do not spy and do not backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat his brother's dead flesh? No, you would hate it. And have fear of Allah. Allah is Ever-Returning, Most Merciful" (Surat al-Hujurat: 12).

Believing women live dignified lives. Instead of mocking others, they try to help. They compliment people who are successful, instead of succumbing to envy and gossip. And, when in the company of unbelieving people who might somehow offend them, they do not compromise their integrity or dignity.

Humbleness

2008-11-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

The Muslim Creed

Humbleness is the opposite of arrogance, and is an attitude and behavior that Allah and His Messenger have commanded us to have. It is also a great tool used to spread Islam to others.

The best way to achieve humbleness in the heart is contained in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah , who prescribed many methods to teach his companions how to be humble. We ask Allah to help us all become humble and stay firm on that path. Following are some of the methods and ways of achieving humbleness:

1. Extending As-Salam (saying As-Salamu Alaykum, peace be unto you).
Abdullah ibn ‘Amer said that a man asked the Messenger of Allah , “Which part of Islam is the best?” He said, “To feed the food (to the poor), and to extend As Salam to those whom you know and whom you do not know. ”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Therefore, extending As-Salam to the old, young, rich, poor, noble, common folk, stranger and relative, will open one’s heart to achieve humbleness and will shut the door closed for arrogance and tyranny.

2. Muslims should hate that people stand up for them when they pass by them or enter their homes or businesses.

Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan once entered a house where Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair and Abdullah ibn ‘Amer were sitting. Abdullah ibn ‘Amer stood up while Ibn Az-Zubair did not. Mu’awiyah said, “O ibn ‘Amer! Sit down, for I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Let those who like for people to stand up for them take their seats in the Fire.’”
[At-Tirmithi]

This Hadith prohibits the Muslim to like that people stand up for him when he meets with or passes by them. Furthermore, this Hadith teaches Muslims to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, for Mu’awiyah criticized Abdullah ibn ‘Amer for standing up for him.

3. Sitting wherever one finds space.

Jabir bin Samurah said, “When we used to come to the Prophet , we would sit wherever we find space.” Also, Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet said, what translated means, “One of you must not remove a man from his place and sit in it. However, (those already sitting should) make space and spread up (leaving adequate space for newcomers).”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Also, Ibn Umar used to avoid the place which a man vacated to make space for him. Therefore, one should sit wherever he finds space, whether in the center of the audience or not. Also, those who accept it that first-comers have the right to the best seats, because all Muslims whether rich or poor are equal, will achieve humbleness in their hearts and deed, Allah willing.

4. Prohibiting the Muslim from claiming purity for himself. Allah said, what translated means,

So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him.
[Surah 53:32]

Mohammad ibn ‘Amr ibn Ataa’ said that he named his daughter Barrah (the righteous one). However, Zaynab bint Abi Salamah said that the Messenger of Allah prohibited using this name when she was called “Barrah.” He said, “Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. Allah knows the righteous ones among you.” The companions asked, “What should we call her?” He said, “Zaynab.”
[Muslim]

5. Prohibiting praising people in their presence.

Abu Musa said, “The Prophet heard a man praising another man and saying good words about him while he was present with them. He said, ‘You have destroyed or broke the back of the man!’”
[Al- Bukhari & Muslim]

Also,

Abdur- Ra’hman bin Abi Bakrah said that a man was once mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah . Another man said good words of praise about him. The Messenger of Allah then said, what translated means, “Woe unto you! You have beheaded your friend. If one of you has to praise, let him say, ‘I think this and that’ (about the praised man), if he thinks that he deserves it, ‘And his reckoning is with Allah,’ and let him not ascribe purity (to anyone).”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Also,

Ibrahim At-Taymi said that his father said, “We were sitting in the presence of Umar when a man praised another man to his face. Umar said, ‘You ‘Aqartahu (crippled him), may Allah do the same to you.’” Furthermore, Abu Ma’mar said that a man stood up and praised one of the leaders, then Al-Miqdad started throwing sand in his face, and saying, “The Messenger of Allah ordered us to throw sand in the faces of the praisers.”
[Muslim, At-Tirmithi, Abu Dawood & ibn Majah]

From these Hadiths and stories, we conclude that the Messenger of Allah prohibited praising others, especially while they can hear their praise. This is because such praise may encourage the praised persons to overestimate themselves, especially if they were people of position or wealth. Also, such praise may lead the praised person to be arrogant, which may lead to laziness and a lower number of good deeds, for one will depend on what he heard of praise and ignore acquiring more good deeds.

6. Shortening the length of the clothes.

Ibn Juray bin Sulaiym said that the Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, “Lower your dress to half the leg. If you do not prefer that, then to the ankles. However, do not increase the length of the dress (lower than the ankles), for it is arrogance, and Allah does not like arrogance.”
[Abu Dawood, At-Tirmithi & Al- Hakim]

In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah considered extending the length of the dress to cover the ankles an act of arrogance and pride, even if those who do this claim otherwise.

Also,

Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said, what translated means, “Whatever is below the ankles will be in the Fire.”
[Al-Bukhari]

Furthermore,

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at he who used to drag his dress behind him (because it is too long below the ankles) out of arrogance.”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

These Hadiths above state that wearing long dresses which cover the ankles is a type of arrogance, or at least leads to such behavior. Therefore, shortening the length of the dress is a type of humbleness and leads to such behavior, Allah willing. These are some of the ways with which one can attain the characteristic of humbleness, Allah willing. We ask Allah that He help us attain this attribute, He is the All-Hearer, the One Who can answer the supplication.

QURANIC APPROACH TOWARDS CHALLENGE

2008-11-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

My mind has been preoccupied, for some years, with the concept of change and permanence in human life and as to how the Quran itself envisions it. of course the concept is inherent in it and I was not unfamiliar, but what triggered off this constant preoccupation was, what could be described as woman bashing by Zia’s regime in the form Hadood Ordinance, Law of Evidence and the proposed law of Qisas and Diyat. As a consequence I got involved with some of the highly intelligent and highly qualified women activists of our country who were resisting these ordinance. The very fact that these women showed tremendous courage and resilience, rationality and creativity in the face of an unscrupulous military dictator, more than any section of the population, exploded many a myth about women. They were inferior to no one and they refused to live as second or third rate citizens.

However, certain issues that were more or less settled in my mind were enlivened afresh through constant arguments and doubts that were raised. This time It was not just a question of unauthentic Hadith and the outdated fiqah, but certain verses of the Quran themselves. Does or does not the Quran accept woman as equal? They wanted a categorical answer. Ultimately, the question did not remain restricted to the woman’s concerns, but included the institutions of slavery, of property and inheritance, of charity as distinct from an economic system, and of punishments for various crimes. All these challenges gave me the opportunity to look deeper into the issue and the result is this article. In what I am going to say I do not claim to be original, but this is the moment in this history of the world to speak out and speak out boldly and openly.

The Quranic claim is that varied historical experienced whether within the ambit of its attitude and values , or outside it, that is, under the process of “trial and error”, the Truth of the Quranic objectives will be ultimately vindicated. We see today the C0ommunist Structure collapsing not under foreign subversion and attack, but under the battering of “glasnost” and “perestroika” from within, led by no less a person than Mikhail Gorbachev himself. Then this year, 1989 happens to be the bicentenary of the French Revolution. Re-evaluation are being expressed from the advantage of hind-sight that is available to us. I am not referring to any country in the “Muslim” world because no bold experiment has been ,made by them and they do not have much to speak of about themselves except blind unthinking imitation and harking back to the past to maintain the status quo. Anyways, because of France and Russia, 1989 is indeed a great year, full of portends, constructive or destructive, for the time to come.

The emphasis of this article is on a particular aspect of the problem, that is, the approach Quran emphasis and teaches in the methodology of change, and it is on this very aspect that some comments of the analysis on the French and Russian Revolutions become relevant. My contention is that this clarification will go a long way in meeting the above mentioned doubts and questions.

The justification or the rationale behind “Wahi” is the limitations of human reason, reason which is indispensable but is not pure or perfect. Because of this hasty, impatient, quarrelsome and unable to see beyond their immediate profit. To harness human potentials and transform this “Khudbeen” attitude, as Iqbal puts it, to “Doorbeen” approach, permanent values are set forth as ultimate objectives of life on this earth. A mere glance at the relevant Quranic verses presents a picture of an earth-shaking revolution, reverberating in the corridors of power and challenging the status quo of establishment. At once one sees its fury and its uncompromising attack n kingship, autocracy and dictatorship, feudalism and aristocracy, preistcraft and Brahmanism, caste and class, slavery and buying and selling of human beings as commodities, sexual discrimination and women subjugation, ownership of the resources of the land and acquisition of property, disparity of wealth and doling out of charity, real polotik or Machiavellian politics. In a nutshell no man has the right to rule over another and there is no such thing as the ruler and the ruled. Now, no opponent or disbeliever will deny this; all this is as bright as sunshine unless one closes ones eyes and says: I cannot see. But the confusion and rejection arise when one comes across certain rules and rejection arise when one comes across certain rules and regulations regarding inheritance of property, woman as a woman and man-woman relationship, slavery, charity and punishment. The immediate comment is; Why this contradiction? If the concept of possession is rejected, why then these laws of inheritance? If slavery is abolished, why then these instructions for the treatment of slavery? If women are human why then these laws that humiliate and downgrade her? After all, as long as women remain economically dependent on men, for she does emerge as a victim of a Patriarchal Society according to these laws, then isn’t her emancipation and dignity set at naught?

Furthermore, if everyone will be economically secure, why then these exhortations to give charity with all its accompanied dehumanization? And last but not the least, if the Quran is the upholder of humanity, why then these barbaric and inhuman punishments? after pointing of these contradictions, no matter what initiative on takes, nobody is ready to listen. Seen superficially, the contradictions are apparent; the two sets of laws and values must connect at some point for after all the Quranic challenge is that the proof of its supra-human source is the absolute absence contradictions in its text.

Fortunately, the human experience of just the last two centuries makes the clarification easier for it can be picked as a pragmatic test. They have been very eventful centuries, teaching us meant things if we care to learn.

Now, what appears as a contradiction in the Quran, is a very profound understanding of the human condition. While laying down, radical changes in the socio-economic and political areas, the Quran emphasizes a slow and evolutionary and unhurried process and methodology in moving forward towards the ultimate goal. The Quran warns against overnight changes. They can be self defeating, and even if partially successful, can cause prolonged, unnecessary suffering and inflict wounds that can be too gaping to be cured and normally. As Arnold Glasgow has well said:

“the key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg—not by smashing it.”

explaining the same point Allam Ghulam Ahmad Parwez wrote in June 1938 about the doubts, questions and restlessness that were seething like a silent volcano in the breast of Muslim India, and promised to assuage them. “But it will be accomplished very gradually and slowly,” he wrote “because teeing off from the thorny bushes with an abrupt, sudden gesture is certainly no wisdom.”.

indeed, mental attitudes and world views change very slowly, and old habits die very hard. So the Quran begging by recognizing the reality of the situation here and now at any given point in history, both in material and psychological human conditions, while directing its movement outside of human life, unless totally transformed from within, is a familiar Quranic approach. This reality is ignored by the humans in their hastiness. Lets hear what Chingiz Aitmatov, a Kirghizian writer and editor of the Soviet Magazone “Foreign Literature” said to Natalya Kazmina, ANP correspondent. “When we rejected our past religion, history and philosophy—we laid waste our cultural field. We are duty bound to compensate the spiritual void that has formed as result of our undialected attitude towards the past.” Talking, about ‘glasnost’ and ‘perestroika’ in the same vein said “_____ we should not smash everything along way. In our attempt to change things today, to eliminate one thing or another—be it some relic or an alphabet—we should show great care, wisdom and tolerance in order to find the best possible decision. Our society has suffered enough from abrupt changes.” This is the crux of the matter. The Quran is anxious to avoid “abrupt changes”. An attempt is made below to give a few examples to explain the mode of change.

Economic: the ultimate objective of the Quran being the fulfillment of the basic needs of every individual along with t a guarantee to the unborn generations as well, it if followed by the permanent value – concept of using the resources of the land and not possessing them. “To possess” and “to have “ are alien concepts to this new setup.
Mode of Change: this indeed is a radical and dialectic stop in the midst of the large landed estates. However, no forcible snatching away is ordered; instead laws of inheritance divide and fragment the estates so that within a generation or two or three its total fragmentation will merge into non-possession of the Islamic Economic system. In the course of this ongoing process, Zakat, which is “to give away the surplus for the growth of the state in lieu of permanent guarantee of security”, and as such the very base of the economy, will have matured. But while in the process of maturing, the citizens are enjoined to give “sadaqah” to fulfill the deficiencies and eliminate disproportion in the existing condition, on individual basis. This is only for the transitory period. Once the system takes shape, both the “laws of inheritance” and “Sadaqah” lapse and become redundant. However these rules remain an integral part of the Quran for any society in any given space and time which is beginning from scratch. Charity in any case is not a Quranic concept.

2. Slavery: The ultimate objective is the establishment of a human family and equality of all humans. Every individual is honorable for the simple reason that he/she is human. No other consideration is needed. This is an absolute rejection of castes and classes, and above all, slavery. I wonder if anyone of us can visualize and feel what a dehumanizing affect, suppression of initiative and enterprise, the buying and selling and auctioning of human beings, as commercial commodities, can bring about. May be we can get some idea if we see objectively what imperialism has to us as a subjugated people.

Mode of change: the Quran encourages people to emancipate the slaves at every step, and side by side emphasizes loving and humane treatment like unto any member of the family. Thus measure are taken to protect them and course them in every stage by stage until they are capable of standing on their own feet economically and psychologically. Age old existence of being owned by somebody as a thing can make one feel lost, nervous and bewildered if suddenly thrown out into the free world as free persons. This exactly what happened when more that a hundred years ago Abraham Lincoln emancipated the black American slaves and then left them in the lurch, as it were with all good intentions of- course. Many couldn’t face this newly won freedom and pleased to be allowed to hop back into the cage. The worst part of it is that till today the attitude of the white man has not changed. It has not been educated out of their minds (More will be said about education later). Woman: the ultimate objective of the Quran is equality of all humans and equal partnership and companionship in the family unit. Without this mutual reacts and trust, a family cannot perform its functions in a normal healthy manner. I need hardly repay here that even towards the end of the twentieth century, the mass of women on this earth are economically dependent and depressed, and hence early manipulated condition in pregnancy, child birth and lactation and the early upbringing of children that is the root cause of these economic victimization. Instead of honoring other for this roles and helping her in her incapacitation, the perverted mind of the husband enslaves her for all times it is this perversion that the Quran attacks. Mode of Change: in the transitory period, help and protection in this incapacitated condition is emphasis, but it is obvious that once the Quranic Economic system gradually manifests itself in which no man or woman is economically dependent and his/her basic needs from the resources of land are fulfilled as a meter the birthright, and tone eats and drinks naturally alone breaths in the air and absorbs the sunshine as free firsts of nature, any talk of the economic dependence becomes irrelevant. The whole concept is inbuilt in the system. Similarly, rules and regulations regarding the moral support of the second woman to the female witness in financial matters become redundant when women become confident and experienced in these matters. In fact, when this happens, there is no reason why two female witnesses will not do when no male witness is forthcoming, such a situation can arise especially today, and it neednt be a prerequisite that one witness has to be a male. The way women all over, including Pakistani women, are entering the world of finance and backing, and trade and commerce, business and industry, to insist of such a condition sounds funny if not worse. Otherwise too, many a women in Pakistan, leave alone the rest of the world are so articulate, dialectic and confident that the term “bangled women” now applies perhaps more to some men than these women! Of course a large majority are still depressed and helpless, meek and illiterate, they may still need help and support, so the transitory rules may still apply on them and naturally remain and integral part of the Quran for all those who are making a beginning and breaking a new ground, lapsing again when closer and nearer the goal. Seen from this perspective the Quranic claim is vindicated that the proof of its divine source is that it contains no contradiction.

Punishments: talking about punishments, another aspect of this theme of change will have to be clarified, equally important and sensitive. The Quran, as the last and fine book spoke to humanity as a whole, it does not address a particular chosen people. Throughout that recipient is An-Nas, mankind. Its challenge is that criterion for survival is service to humanity as an ultimate objective. All else will wither away. But, the Quran, as we all know was revealed in the midst of Hejazi Arabs. Why is Hejaz, is a story by itself. Now, while the ultimate objectives, the values of the Quran are permanent and universal, beyond space and time, some references in it and certain transitory rules, particularly the realms of punishments, are local and historical, but definitely exemplary for all times to come. Here are some cases in point. Although Anbiya came to every nook and corner of the world, only a few from the Arabian peninsula are mentioned. Certain events , personalities and archaeological finds are referred to again fro the same area. Actually, pharaohs and nimrods exist everywhere and so does the ungrateful and treacherous people like the Jews. These are only examples familiar to Arabs of those days. Similarly, punishments of flogging is mentioned which was not common in other parts of white world. The philosophy and the psychology behind it all is, as Shah Wali Ullah put it, that Arabs were to be prepared as a leaven ( ) for the rest of humanity. They were to be a model for others, since Islam or for that matter any idea, cannot be spread by force. By force the nomenclature of the individual may be changed, the head and the heart remain atrophied to the idea, even more so as a vendetta of a defense mechanism. Nothing could be more so devastating to any new idea. So the Quranic approach to change is to begin from a certain point in time where one stand at the moment. Naturally, local and familiar methods and institutions are easier to user – politically, economically and judicially—than those that are superimposed. Nabi Muhammad (pbuh) for example used the tribal “bait” system to build democratic norms, i.e. to enable them to elect, select and participate in consultation. Iqbal and Jinnah recommended the secret ballot system and the parliamentary form with which the people were familiar. As one faints in experience and maturity these modes, techniques are evolved, changed, amended and improved where very necessary. This includes the penal code as well. The Arabs were to continue flogging until alternate and better method of deterrence was evolved or acquired. Another society ought to begin from what ever they are used to and the most inhuman practices were immediately done away with, for example killing and beheading the prisoners of war and taking the as slaves and concubines. They were to be ransomed or freed, as the case may be.
Indeed, this is how, according to my humble opinion and understanding the Quran views change; and as I said earlier, I do not claim to be absolute original in saying so. This approach wiped off confusion and contradictions and sudden, hasty changes.

But this is not all. The Quran foes not suffice in giving rules and regulations for the transitory period only. Prior to that, the peoples minds have to change, they must be mentally and emotionally prepared for the change. This is a long, patient, rational and very slow process of teaching. That is why the Nabi (pbuh) is described as teacher. He teaches, he does not preach. They are two very distinct terms with distinct connotation. Teaching is a painstaking method and it is a worthwhile method. Short cut in this method will not take us to the goal. Commenting on “perestroika”, Prof. Khawaja Masud says that it is a bloodless revolution is a revolution that is being washed in the hearts and minds of the people. It is a more difficult revolution because while it is easy to snatch power, it is a Himalayan task to change the hearts and minds of the people.” The professor considers “perestroika” as a continuation of the October revolution of 1917 in Russia and described them as synonymous. That may be so, but I think the precedence is all wrong. “perestroika” should have come first and then the Revolution. The Revolution then would not have been as bloody and as full of sufferings as it was. the Quran is so careful with its method that its enjoins upon Nabi (pbuh), the teacher to leave his country or home town (Hijrah) for a place which is more conducive it the implementation of the new sustain. So Nabi Muhammad Mesoptamia for Hijaz and Palestine, and Moses left Egypt for the valley of Sinai. Thus “Hijrah” is no ordinary migration. It is the removing of the last hurdle in the way of the new vision and establishment of this vision as a pragmatic test. If the vested interest will not see reason, then at least let them see the results, the fruit of the seed planted on another soil. After all, for a “Momin” the whole planet Earth is a home, and people of all climes, races and languages his brothers.

I am convinced a method other than this—that is teaching pragmatic test and a model, ruled and regulations for the transitory pages—will spell disaster. The great upheavals in France and Russia and China, well intentioned and visionary though they may be, were hasty and lacked the above mentioned methodology. The immediate results are described by themselves as “The Terror” which the historians now say was a “cruel experience”. The all-consuming guillotine of France and the Gulag labor camps, and the purge of the mid-thirties in Russia are regretted today. “terror” Johnson who talks about the terror and the counter revolution has pinned down the cause to “a new political class (that) has come to the fore neither educated nor experienced, reacting to events rather tan controlling them, thinking in terms of vengeance rather than in terms of principles.” Sounds familiar? Well! these lessons of history vindicating and backing up the teaching and educations process the Quran enjoins as a prerequisite to being a change. The tragedy of impatience and hastiness in manifests in all those regrets for it foes not bring the goal any nearer. It took France nearly a century to digest the revolution after many mishaps of counter-revolution, revivalism, revolution again , now Republican, now monarchial, accompanied by all the unnecessary pain. After seventy two years, Russia is back to square one, though at the same time it may be admitted that there is no going back to pre 1789 ancient regime. Hopefully, that is dead for ever. It may be pointed out here that failure can also be due to some inherent flaw in the philosophy projected, but that is another story. ( a perusal of “Mafhomul Quran” and Insan Ne Kia Socha “by Mr. G.A. Parwez may be with while.)

Talking about a model this is what Tim Blanking has to say about the enthusiasm and naive optimism of exporting the French Revolution across Europe. “If they had stayed at home and has set about creating a new order…..their example might well have inspired mass conversion to their cause across the globe. By trying to export that cause by armed force, they not only sealed their own fate, they also gave the old regimes they detested so much a fresh seas of life which was to see most of them through the next century”. Herein lies the vindication of yet another Quranic guideline, a model as an example to others. Hindsight and second thoughts have made the truth obvious. It is another thing if as Hilary Mantel says. “Writers have truths to offer, while politicians and clerics commonly trade in lies.” Politicians and clerics yes, they trade in lies, and in Islamic polity neither of them have any place. One we are educated in permanent human values and accept their implications and decision even if they go against us, then such Machiavellian politics has no feet to stand on. But I shall end here.

We can only hope that someday, somewhere, somebody will present this model as a Third alternative to Capitalist and Socialist systems. It will not be done hastily, and yet it is remarkable that the results can emerge sooner than one expects and with minimum death and destruction and unnecessary pain. The very beauty of “Wahi” is to use Iqbal’s words, the economy of time and energy. Remember, it was the tortoise, who won the race and not the hare!

EXTRACTS FROM THE MUSLIM FAMILY LAWS ORDINANCE

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1. Ordinance to override other laws, etc.: (1) the provision s of this Ordinance shall have effect notwithstanding any law, custom or usage, and the registration of Muslim marriages shall take place only in accordance with those provision.

(2) for the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the provision of the Arbitration Act, 1940 the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 and any other law regulating the procedure of Courts shall not apply to any Arbitration Council.

2. Succession: in the event of the death of any son or daughter of the propitious before the opening of succession, the children of such son or daughter , if any, living at the time the succession opens, such per stripes receive a share equivalent to the share which such son or daughter, as the case may be, would have received, if alive.1

3. Registration of marriages: (1) Every marriage solemnized under Muslim Law shall be registered in accordance with the provision of this Ordinance.

(2) for the purpose of registration of marriages under this ordinance, the union council shall grant license to one or more persons, to be called Nikah Registrars, but in no case shall more than on Nikah Registrar be licenses for any one ward.

(3)Every marriage not solemnized by the Nikah Registrar shall, for the purpose of registration under this Ordinance, be reported to him by the person who has solemnized such marriage.

(4)Whoever contravenes the provisions of subsection (3) shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.

(5)The form of mikahnama, the registers to be maintained by Nikah Registrars, the records to be preserved by Union Councils, the manner in which marriages shall be registered and copied of nikhmnama shall be supplied to the parties and the fess to be charged thereof, shall be such as may be prescribed.

(6)Any person may, on payment of the prescribed fee, if any, inspect at the office of the Union Council the record preserved under sub-section (5), or obtain a copy of any entry therein.

4. Polygamy: (1) No man, during the subsistence of an existing marriage, shall, except with the previous permission in writing of the Arbitration Council, contract another marriage, nor shall any such marriage contracted without such permission be registered under this Ordinance.

(2) An application for permission under sub-section.

(1) shall be submitted to the Chairman in the prescribed manner, together with the prescribed fee, and shall state the reasons for proposed marriage, and whether the consent of the existing wife or wives has been obtained thereto.

(2)the receipt of the application under sub-section

(3) the Chairman shall ask the applicant and his existing wife or wives each onto nominate a representative, and the Arbitration council so contributed may, if satisfied that the proposed marriage is necessary and just, grant, subject to such conditions, if any as my be deemed fit, their permission applied for.

(4)decided the application the Arbitration Council shall record its reasons for the decision, and any party may, in the prescribed manner, with in the prescribed period, and on the payment of the prescribed fee, prefer an application for revision, in the case of West Pakistan, to the Sub-Divisional Officer concerned and this decision shall be final and shall not be called in question in any Court.

(1) Any man who contracts another marriage without permission of the Arbitration Council shall—

(a) pay immediately the entire amount of the dower, whether prompt if deferred, due to the existing wife or wives, which amount if not so paid, shall be recoverable as arrears of land revenue; and

(b) on conviction upon complaint be punishable with simple imprisonment which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.1

(2) Talaq:

(1) Any man who wished to divorce his wife shall, as soon as may be, after the pronouncement of talaq in any form whatsoever, give the Chairman notice in writing of his having done so, and shall supply a copy thereof to the wife.

(2) whoever contravenes the provision of sub-section (1) shall be punishable with simply imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both.

(3) Save as provided in subsection (5), a talaq unless revoked earlier expressly or otherwise, shall not be effective until the expiration of ninety days from the day on which notice under sub-section (1) is delivered to the Chairman.

(4) Within thirty days of the receipt of notice under sub-section (1), the Chairman shall constitute an Arbitration council for the purpose of bringing about a reconciliation between the parties and the Arbitration Council shall take all steps necessary t bring about such reconciliation.

(5) If the wife be pregnant at the time the talaq is pronounced, talaq shall not be effective until the period mentioned in the sib-section (3) or the pregnancy, whichever be later, ends.

(6) Nothing shall debar a wife whose marriage has been terminate by talaq effective under this section from re-marrying the same husband without an intervening marriage with a third person, unless such termination is for the third time to effective.

6. Dissolution of marriage otherwise than by talaq: Where the right to divorce has been duly delegated to the wife and she wishes to exercise that right, or where any of the parties to a marriage wishes to dissolve the marriage otherwise than by talaq the provisions of Section 7 shall, mutates mutandis and so far as applicable, apply.

1. Maintenance: (1) If any husband fails to maintain his wife adequately, or where there are more wives that one, fails to maintain them equitably, the wife or all or any of the wives may, in addition to seeking any other legal remedy available, apply to the chairman who shall constitute an Arbitration council to determine the matter and the Arbitration Council may issue a certificate specifying the amount which shall be paid as maintenance by the husband.

2. Dower: where no details about the mode of payment are specified in the mikahnama, or the marriage contract, the entire amount of the dower shall be presumed to be payable on demand.

9.Amendment of child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 : In the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 –Minimum age for marriage both for boys and girls

(1) in section 2,--

(a) in clause (a), for the word “fourteen” the word “sixteen” shall be substituted;

(2) in Section 4, for the words “twenty-one” the word “eighteen” shall be substituted.

1 P L D 1968 Lh. 520.

1 P L D 1971 Kar. 139.

THE DISSOLUTION OF MUSLIM MARRIAGE ACT
(VIII OF 1939)

[ An Act to consolidate and clarify the provisions of the Muslim Law relating to suits for dissolution of marriage by women married under Muslim Law and to remove doubts as to the effect of the renunciation of Islam by a married Muslim woman on her marriage tie.]

whereas to is expedient to consolidate and clarify the provisions to Muslim Law relating to suits for dissolution of marriage by women married under Muslim Law and to remove doubts as to the effect of the renunciation of Islam by a married Muslim woman on her marriage tie: it is hereby enacted as follows:--

1. Short title and extentL1) this Act may be called the Dissolution of all Marriages Act, 1939.

(a) It extends to all the Provinces and the Capital of the Federation.

2. Grounds for decree for dissolution of marriage: A woman married under Muslim Law shall be entitled to obtain a decree for the dissolution of her marriage on any one of more of the following grounds, namely:--

(i) that the whereabouts of the husband have no been known for a period of four years;

(ii) that the husband has neglected of has failed to provide for her maintenance for a period of two years;

(ii-1) that the husband has taken an additional wife in the contravention of the provision of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961;

(ii) that the husband has been sentenced to imprisonment for a period of seven years o r upwards.

KNOW THY RIGHTS
A letter to the Editor
[“the Muslim” Islamabad, July 26, 1980]

Thank you for your editorial on the “Rights of Women” and for your championing the cause of women emancipation so correctly and forcefully. We need this support badly today in this unhappy country of ours.

Miss Gulzar Bano, leader of Pakistan delegation to Copenhagen has correctly pointed out “the lack of consciousness and knowledge of their r own rights by women of Pakistan.” I have witnessed personally, almost for the last 20 years, even since the Muslim Family Laws were introduced, the utter ignorance of educated girls about this great stride taken in principle in recognition of their rights. They do not have a clue as to what it is about they sign the nikah forms without so much as reading it. they do not even that their signature against clause 18 gives them the right to divorce the husband. No wonder “some one” at the nikah ceremony scratches out the clause without so much as taking the permission of the bride. Many suffer when marriage fails to work out, and all that one can is in such a situation is that they deserve to suffer. Ignorance of ones rights is no excuse for forgiveness.

Again you have very well said that “Pakistan falls far behind in fulfilling privileged provided to women by our religion.” Indeed we are being denied all to what is provided by our religion! Even Muslims Family Laws, a small though a fundamental stop taken to fulfill Quranic order is constantly threatened. In such circumstances I do now know how we can proclaim to the world that we stand for equality of the sexes. Are the women of Pakistan aware of the danger? Are they prepared to fight for their rights against the relentless forces of the “New Dark Ages”?

It is an obvious truth as emphasized by you that short of the difference in sex for which nature is responsible all discrimination must be obliterated. After all sex difference is purely biological, and is meant to perpetuate the human specie. It is a serious role not to be prostituted and dehumanized. In this context omen must be told that are not created as a play thing for men. They are not toys and dolls. They are human beings enjoying all human rights as a matter of right. They must not allow themselves to be used as sex symbols. The biblical theory of Adam and Eve that denigrates women must be analyzed, exposed and rejected.

All this can be achieved by launching a campaigning, as rightly suggested by you, centered on “know thy rights”. This campaign will go a long way to make a womanish exhibitionism and flaunt her sex around, instead of the ‘chadar’, donning of which will lead to the perversion rather than to moral evolution of men and women.

Miss Shamsa Sani, Lahore

ADAM AND EVE THEORY

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The Biblical concept of “Adam and Eve” had wrought havoc with the existence of women. It has had deep and far-reaching impact on her dignity and freedom and all that is beautiful in human life. As such it needs to be explained and discussed in more detail. Its implications are as follows:

(a) God created only the make creature, called MAN. Soon the MAN felt lonely, so God created WOMAN for MAN. Thus a woman came into existence not on her own right but to fulfill man’s purpose. Such indeed is the “Divine purpose” of woman’s existence on this earth.

(b) Woman was created from Adam’s rib-a rib that is crooked and cannot be straightened.

(c) It was a woman, and not man, who was tempted by Satan, implying thereby that man is stronger them woman and is, by himself, not pone to temptation. The woman is also wicked, because, she in her turn, tempted man. Thus while man emerges as the innocent party in this story, woman is confirmed as weak and wicked.

(d) Woman was caused by God. Her punishment was her labor pains in child birth! And, as if this is not enough, her sin is bequeathed to her progeny. Every child bears the burden of his/her first parents sin on his/her back.logically then, ideal life is that of monasticism, that is, keeping away from women.

Unfortunately, this concept has penetrated the beliefs of the conventional “Muslim” as well. This theory of “Adam and Eve” is invariably referred to prove the inferiority and wickedness of women.

The Quran has not even feeble affinity with this theory. It declared that men and women exist on their own right, and that both were created out of one single life cell. Both are responsible for their own actions and deeds. A woman is neither weak nor wicked simply because is she a woman. In Surah 2, Verse 36, it is stated that both men and women are equally susceptible to temptation.

It is very important to understand this in the interest of the future of women in Pakistan and the world at large. As long as the concept of Eve being created for man prevails, women can never be free in true sense of the word. The emancipated woman of the west has achieved a very high statues in the society and performs manifold activates, but sub-consciously, her role is till to fulfill mans purpose.

The Quranic attitude towards women has already been referred to above. All that needs to be understood at this stage is that the Quranic reference to “Adam” is equivalent to the English world “Man” and hence “mankind”. “Adam” was not an individual. He is symbolic of mankind, and the story of “Adam” is an allegory to explain the status of human beings in relation to their own lives, to each other , and the universe. In a nutshell, it bring home to us the following Truths:

(1) man can conquer all animate and inanimate objects around him. (Malaika)

(2) Man has been endowed, unlike other creations with the faculty of will and choice with the result that he can also say No to the Laws of God. (Shaitan)

(3) Deviation from God’s was mean frustration and pessimism. (Iblis)

(4) But there is always hope for the regeneration of they again follow the path laid down by God’s laws, revealed to the anbiya.

These are the implications of the Quranic concept of the story of “Adam”.

What is She?

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It is said that paradise lies at the feet of the mother.
It is also said that woman is an ever changeable foot-wear
Of the male.

What is She?

An Hadith

An oft-repeated Hadith these days say that a nation which puts a woman at the helm of affairs would not prosper.

Now, even if we restrict our experience to forty-four years of the history of Pakistan, we women have the right to challenge; who was at the helm of affairs when we lost East Pakistan and Siachin? Who have been at the helm of affairs all the will we have been unable to solve the Kashmir issue? And under whom does the country lie prostrate and impoverished, dependent and unable to stand on its own feet? After all, this blighted woman was the helm of affairs for twenty months. Will only those who were at the helm of affairs for the rest of the periods pluck up courage and admit they were men and not women who brought the country to such a pass!

Obscenity

In the may 10, 1991 issue of “The Nation” Yameema Mitha in her articles “Combating Obscenity” has narrated several Indicrous escapades of the guardians of law and order and morality in the name of “Obscenity” in the capital city of the holy land, Islamabad. All this seems to be happening because of some new obscenity Act, the crux of which is that women are obscene and must be removed off the face of the earth. The concluding paragraph of her articles is after my heart and I am reproducing it below because I could do no better.

“ it is pretty obvious to most of us, “she says” that the obscenity bill has been framed by men. If it had been drawn up by women, it may have had a somewhat different focus. For example, we may have suggested the one years imprisonment and five lashes a suitable punishment for all the men out streets are littered with, whose greater entertainment in their lives seems to be scratching their prohibited parts. And at every opportunity they get they seem to be urinating on the road while ogling that the woman passing by. We might also like to suggest three years and twenty lashes for all the men on the road who boldly undress you, burqa and all, with their eyes, and who also use their hands where ever possible. In fact, we may not suggest all these imprisonments and lashings. A far more suitable punishment for such excrescences that offend the eye would be chadar and a chardivari.

An Exposure at last!

In her “My Feudal Lord”, Tehmina Durrani says, “ I have chosen the indignity and humiliation of exposure fro myself for the sake of all those women who are oppressed by men and society at some level”.

While reviewing the book, Bapsy Sidhwa comments thus:

“Pakistani women are reared on horror stories of unhappy marriages, and on tales of the forbearance of silently suffering wives. Women are eulogized for putting up a brave front before the world and hiding the misdeeds of their menfolk; vicious acts, which h even if they cost women their lives, are often regarded as pardonable misdemeanors.

Women – much like chaste China vial that contain a precious perfume – are considered repositories of family honor. Or at least that is the analogy one conjures up to hear men talk about the issue. But ‘ izzat’ is a corrosive and formidable weight to carry, and requires something more like the tough buffalo – hide pouches favored by our ‘bhistis’ to contain it.

The burden would be tolerable if the men kept faith with their traditional roles as providers, protectors and custodians of the honor vested in their womenfolk. But when the man slides from his role and protectors and becomes instead the very person from whom the women needs protection, then to carry on wit this charade is not only brutal but also imbecile. It is surprised only that I has taken to long for a woman like Tehmina Durrani to white her story.”

Boycott

A home- bound , insecure and illiterate woman has, in the course of time, become her own enemy. Such an existence leads to a limited mental horizon, using Sufism and mullahism as a cutch and getting bogged won in superstition and irrationality. However, with so much emphasis on her being the ”queen of the home” she has some to dominate, through the ages, certain aspects and events of family life. Apparently at least he man seems to have been pushed into the background. These events are : choice of life partners for sons and daughters, wedding ceremonies, birth of children and their early upbringing and funeral rites.

Once while recalling the transport drivers strike against the implication of the law of Qisas and Diyat, and eventually the knuckling down of the Mullah, some of us wondered whether women had such a clout. At first it seemed they had no such country-wide power in bringing the economy to a grinding halt. But on a second thought, it was realized that the above mentioned female roles could form the basis of a strong clout in routing the fundamentalists from our family life and ultimately from our national life.

For instant, why should a Mullah preside over the birth, wedding, under ceremonies? Why should a Mullah enter the privacy of our homes and preside over the ’mikah’ ceremony, recite ‘azan’ in the ears of the newborn baby, and why is his presence necessary for the funeral rites? On the only hand we claim that there is no middle man between the Quran and the believers, and yet nothing seems to happen without him.

Women should launch a country wide movement of boycott. Nothing could be more effective

HOUSE OR HOME?

2008-11-09T11:28:00.002-08:00

When a nation does not live its life, when it stops thinking and researching, then words and concepts lose their meaning. This loss of semantics or science of words distorts our vision and world view. Another loss of an unthinking people is the absence of the art and awareness of connecting words and concepts and the various institutions we live by. Quite oblivious of it, we continue to wade through the mire of glaring contradictions smug in these elf-deception that we are “Muslim Ummah” and hence the best and the chosen ones.

I have picked up today the very basic and fundamental social unit- the Family. Does this family unit manage to make merely a house of mud, brinks, stone or wood or, transforms it into a “home” of living, vibrant, free, loving and wholesome members? That is the question. Whether each one of us is living in t a house o r home it is for reach on of is to think, feel and conclude. I am presenting the view in the way I look at it.

The family until construct itself on the institution of marriage, the husband and wife relationship, and its relationship within its progeny -- daughters and sons. Before analysis, and evaluation of this institution, it would be advisable to describe the status quo as it exists, and trace its heritage as well.

Now the society in which we live ins a sexually segregated one. Although the “mardana” and “zanana” walls in the house are breaking down, and more and more women are seen and accepted functioning outside the house without being immediately dubbed as prostitutes, the fact remains that in the innermost depths of our subconscious such a woman is still suspect.

Secondly, the logical result of this is the feel rooted system of arranged marriages and its concomitant, child marriage. Although and ancient and medieval times, this was not unknown the world over, basically in south Asia our heritage is traceable to the Hindu way of life, a particularly its caste system.

Thirdly, with the background of the institution of “sati”, widow remarriage was irrelevant and divorce in the Hindu law was unknown, hence, until today, a widow and a divorcee are looked down upon as a bad omen and remarriage frowned upon and stigmatized. In fact, before Muslim Family Laws of 1961, it was unthinkable, an anathema.

Fourthly, as far as the children are concerned, the society is very much parent and old age oriented, and children are merely an extension of the parents. They do not exist on their own right as individuals. In fact children are just not allowed to think and feel for themselves.

Our tragedy lies in that the existing traditional family life, and the various facets of this institution, where their heritage we have totally identified these with Islam and we continually keep on justifying, twisting, rationalizing the Quranic words and concepts to suit the status quo. Unfortunately, while perched on the highest executive position, Benazir, Bhutto seems to have put a stamp on it when, in her answer to repeated questions on her conventionally arranges marriage, she described it as traditional and Islamic. Then our Conventions, our meting, our speeches, are superfluous.

Thanks to Allam G.A. Parwez’s “Classification of the Quran”, “Dictionary of the Quran” and other great works, I have been able to test this “linkage” between ‘traditional’ and ‘Islamic’ in the light of the Quranic words and concepts and the result was a horror, for there is no ‘linkage’. This is where ‘semantics’ the science of words and the attempts to ‘connect’ contradictions play an indispensable role.

To being with Surah 4, Verses 3 and 19, and Surah 33, Verse 52, emphasizes that marriage is based on mutual likeness. Unless the desire to live together does not spring from the heart, indeed it is no marriage. This likeness is not that of physical appearance – the stupidity and childishness of seeing a photograph, o having a glimpse though a goal in the curtain, or a chink in the floor, makes me laugh. This likeness, as the Quran expresses, is in-depth discernment of each personalities and possibilities of likeminded companionship. this evaluation and description of marriage cannot be glossed over. There is much more to it that meets the eye. This kind of mutual likeness cannot originate and develop in a segregated society. On the contrary, a segregated society fosters lust, deprivation, mystery, disrespect, unhealthy curiosity and dishonesty. An open society which the Quran visualizes, is composed of integrated, developed men and women with healthy minds and intellect. After all, sec is not the only like between men and women.

A contract has certain preconditions: the two parties concerned should be adult grown up individuals, old enough to understand what the contract this all about and be able to bear its responsibilities. Secondly, a contract is signed between equal parties, and thridly, it must be willingly consented to. This its true of any contract, hence the very word immediately rejects child marriage and blind, arranged marriages. This is not all. A contract willingly signed, can be willingly terminated by the partied concerned. Hence in Surah 33, vs. 28, if differences arise in ones ideas and world-view, if one is no longer like-minded, then it is advisable to separate.

There is another very intriguing aspect to this marriage syndrome. When talking about marriage by choice andcuctaly likeness, the Quran is directly addressing the man and woman concerned. The role of the parents as advisors, the most concerned in the situation, even if they happen to be their own biological children, on matters that concern an intimate lifelong partnership is not understandable. As I said in the beginning, children are individuals who exist on their own right as persons/ there are certainly not a mere passive extension of the parents.

I can imagine you raising your hands in horror against what I have said. But all the I have tried to point out is that there is no linkage between our ‘traditions’ and ‘Islam’. Conceptually, their move in the opposite directions. At the same time, the Quran does not expect overnight changes. What is important at this stage is the consciousness and awareness of what is ‘tradition’ and what is ‘Islamic’. When slowly and gradually, this awareness becomes a convection and hence generally acceptable , the family pattern will change.

What I have attempted is only an academic exercise. We are not oriented towards scientific research. We gleefully quote and deride the western society on the break-down of their family unit, their high percentage of divorce rate, their wayward and defiant children. But how do we know all this? It is because that society has the grit and the self confidence to not only research, but also publish and distribute t the world over. Do we have the capacity to work hard and the confidence to find out whether we live in houses or home? Why are husbands dominating and indulge in wide beating? Why do they always resent a “No” from their family members? Why are wives always depressed, frustrated, and shrewish? Why do mother cling to their sons possessively and are unable to share them with their wives? Why are children dishonest and hypocritical? We like to presume that God’s Heaven and all is well with the World. How can anything be wrong with someone who describes himself as a Muslim?

Ejaculating from observation of our past 43 years of history, everything is wrong. How come our family units and it is a truism that aggregation of these units make a society and a nation – are not producing great leader, scholars and teachers? To make it worse, why are we so characterless? Why are we always camp followers? How come we not only fail to solve the Kashmir issue, we have even lost East Pakistan and Siachin? In the absence of scientific research, this is enough of an historical pragmatic test that our families have failed and alive in houses and not in homes.

SURAH 4, VERSE 34

2008-11-09T11:28:00.001-08:00

the rise of fundamentalism throughout the Muslim world, the most noteworthy examples being Khomenism and Ziaism, together with the existing model of Saudi Arabia, has in turn given rise to widespread awareness among women about their human condition. The decade of the 1980’s has witnessed a desire to find out for themselves the Quranic injunctions in particular. In Pakistan, under Zia, after a great deal of arbitrational activity, women seem to have settled down mainly to intellectual activity. This has taken the form of seminars and discussions and the establishment of research centers. On of the verses that boggles and preoccupies the mid most, is surah 4, Verse 34. in traditional translations its impact is primatitive and horrific, and totally unacceptable to the humanity and self-esteem of woman hood and the institution of the family itself.

It was in this mood which I shared with many of my compatriots that I approached Allam S. A. Parwez, the great Iqbalite, for further clarification of the above mentioned Quranic verse. I am glad I did, because he fell fatally y ill not very long after this I would have missed out on the details for what emerged out of our dialogue was for me an original rendering of the verse unknown to me in any other literature, including his own published works. No doubt the meaning and suggestion is implicit in his “Mafhumul—Quran”, which I shall follow phrase by phrase, but the comprehensive details given below are based on our dialogue. Since this verse is causing so much of ahead-ache and heart-ache among women of the Muslim world at large, I would like to share it with my readers. I write on Allama Parwez’s authority, and any lapse is entirely my responsibility.

Surah 4, Verse 34 asserts, to being with, as elsewhere that men and women are equal in the exercise of their human rights and duties. The difference lies in the biological functions of the two, there by complimenting each other. This “difference” des not mean inequality and the time-honored make chauvinism which is pathetically a victim of superiority complex. In facet both excel each other in their unique gender potentials bestowed on them by the creator. The uniqueness of the woman lies in her capacity to carry the baby in her womb, lactate and nurture it. this incapacitates her for w while which the men enjoined to perform the function of relieving her of the anxiety of this situation by giving her security and protection. This in no way implies that a woman is debarred from earning or that the man can strangulate her economically. ( In any case, the ultimate objective of the Quran is envisaging a people who have already gone though a metamorphosis, a change from infantile equation of dominance and subservience to human partnership.) after having said this, the Quran goes further to advise women to safeguard their biological function in the interest of the perpetuation of the human specie in accordance with the laws of nature., the next sentence in the verse refers to a possible “rebellion” (‘nashuza hunna’), translated as such by Marmaduke Pickthall, on the part of women. Parwez Sahid also uses the word”sarkashi” in his Mafhum-ul-Quran. the question arises as to rebellion against what and against whom. The traditional mind seems to immediately turn in the direction of sexual waywardness, followed by three stages of preventing it as laid down in the Quran (1) they should be counseled against it (2) the husbands should be separated from their wives (3) corporal punishment can be meted out to them by the husband, if the first and the second stages show no results. Seen with such reference, the woman’s mind naturally balks at it. why was not the sexual waywardness and immorality of the man included in this verse, I cried out in despair. Here two points must be understood at the very outset, explained Allama Parwez. Firstly, the Quran in this verse discusses the issue not between husband and wife, but between men and women in general. As such the matter is tackled by the society and the administration through its institutions, such as the court,. Secondly, the use at stake is not a womans sexual waywardness but her “rebellion” against the biological function of procreation.

In a male-dominated society it eventually comes home of a woman that what smothers and denigrates her is her uterus, so why not do away with it? as Carol Discroll points out: “it should not come as a shock to realize that women can never hop to be liberated in any sense if they are denied the right to control their bodies especially their reproductive organs.”.

This anti-uterus attitude may lead a woman to decide not to have baby. This kind of protest will never come from a man, for he never has to go through this process. He can never even appreciate what is entails both physically and emotionally. It may also be noticed that with more and more awareness and enlightenments the woman feels unfulfilled with her tradition role. If child bearing the ultimate? Vicki Pollard says; “Natural childbirth has been glorified as the most beautiful moment in a woman’s life. This is unfortunate because it leads to the idea the motherhood is the ultimate experience in life”. But a woman is a human being, and her head and heart are no less clamoring for artistic and intellectual creativity apart from sheer procreation. Such rumblings of dissatisfaction and rebellion are reflected even in ancient Greek literature where wives had no part to play in the cultural pursuits, when that country was passing through its most elevating and productive phase in this history.

In Euripides’ “Medea”, the rebel woman spoke out thus:

“Sooner would I stand
Three times to face their battles,
Shield in hand,
Than bear one child”.
Such individuals have existed perhaps on every phase of history and every society. A few individual do not matter but if this feeling becomes collectively articulated and gains momentum as a movement then the survival of the human specie is threatened.

At this stage of the dialogue my immediate report was “ On the contrary the world is threatened with the burden of overpopulation ; we are two billion too many ; in this context it is ridiculous to imagine that the human specie is threatened with extinction, or ever will be in the procreative sense. To this Allama Parwez referred to the liberation struggle waged by the women of Europe and north America. In the past two to three hundred tears. In time it has become more and more articulate and vocal. Already the copious anti-uterus literature is showing signs of dwindling population in those countries, and the omens liberation movement could lead those areas into a crisis. As the third countries (where the extra tow billions have been produced) develop and women gain awareness like the counterparts in the first world, similar literature and movements will blast the status quo. It will then become a world-wide crisis.

Now, the Quran is for all times. It visualizes the future possibilities and accordingly lays down guidelines. Surah 4, Verse 34 becomes applicable only in such a contingency. Otherwise it remains redundant. So, when the world is faced with such a crisis, women will be counseled against this attitude. Of course it if but natural that unless they are helped in eating the confidence and the certainty that marriage and mother hood is not the end of all experience, it will not show results. If this counseling fails and the anti0uterus movement shows no signed f abating, then sexual indulgence, by and large becomes irrelevant. Sex is not for pleasure alone. The administration and the court can then decide on separation, husbands abstaining from sex and thereby putting psychological pressure on the wives. If even this does not bring any punishment, not the husband. Indeed the very idea of the husband beating the wife dishonors and demeans the wife consequently the family life. Above all, it goes against the very values of the Quran. “Quranic Approach towards change” published in Talu-e-islan of January 1990, I’ve taken the position tat these are local and historical and the nature of the punishments can change from time to time and place to place. Regional and local historical continuity, provided the punishments are not too barbaric – makes it easier to implement ; secondly the change is inevitable when the cultural level of the human mind reaches heights of the refinement and beauty. Some psychologists in the meantime accept corporal punishment as part of treatment.)

The rest of the verse emphases that is women retract from their stand, there is no vendetta involved. It may be repeated relatedness between husband and wife, where husbands arrogant to themselves the prerogative of beating their wives black and clue and throwing them out of their bedrooms. It is this misreading of the verse because of which wife-beating if so rampant in almost all Muslim countries. Even so-called educated husbands claim this “Quranic” right to beat their wives, and if they do not beat it is to be seen as a favor in a spirit of magnanimity!

Talking of “rebellion”, the Quran chides men and husbands as well in their role as protectors. They can also be “rebellious” in the sense that they ill-treat and desert their wives. Again it is the administration through its courts that arbitrate understanding between them and settle the money-matters on conditions that are workable.

Such are the details communicated by Allama Parwez on this very sensitive issue. The details are definitely out of the rut of traditional translations and certainly more convincing. In any case, it is worth pondering over and taking up the challenge for further research. It is difficult to give up ideas that have the sanction of history and centuries of time to back it up, even when these ideas are negative and unproductive. Nevertheless the effort must go on, for anything positive said or written is never lost.

TWENTY ONE YEARS OF PAKISTAN AND THE NEW WOMAN IN THE MAKING

2008-11-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

The twenty-one years of Pakistan have come to mean much more to a women for, while for a man wider scope to the all ready existing though limited activities, to a women it meant the beginning of a change in her very “being”. The realization that it is one thing “to be” what one is, and quite another what one “ought to be” is a revolution. And when revolution comes there is bound to be a lot of sound and fury signifying tremendous possibilities, and the smugness of the upholders of the old values and systems is bound to receive many a rude and unexpected shocks. Their lot then is a perpetual harking back to the “good old days.”

But for a Pakistani women, the first disillusionment with the “good old days” came with the sad gory tale enacted in East Punjabi and other parts of Bharat with its repercussions in Pakistan. In this the female of the human specie was not even given a chance to die for what she believed or stood for. She was abducted and raped and made to live in shame and ignominy. Even her own people did not receive her happily for no fault of hers. All this raised many questions in her mind: Life is not easy, it is a mighty challenge; alongside beauty and harmony, there is ugliness and sordid realities. Should then a women be kept sheltered, hidden, absolutely innocent and oblivious of all this? Must not she be made tough, bold, self-confident and knowledgeable about the world she has to live in, move and have her being? Is innocence a virtue? Is sheltered piety and chastity an achievement? All these doubts penetrated our unthinking smugness and reverberated in private discussions and public debates. In sheer disgust at the 1947 happenings many discarded ‘purdah’ and with or without the cooperation of the family decided to venture into a world hitherto unknown, with all the hazards of inexperience and the hostility and antipathy of the environment.

Sometimes sheer necessity and hard realities of life and circumstances makes the society give in spite of itself. The British authorities and the public ridiculed and thwarted the efforts of the “suffragettes”, but when during the First World War they justified themselves by manning manifold activities behind the battle-lines, they got the right to vote as soon as the war ended. In the post-partition days the gruesome and colossal, problem of the refugees who poured into Pakistan into Pakistan, maimed and penniless, by the millions, needed first aid and care. Women, some of whom had till then hardly stepped out of their homes expect for certain conventionally accepted occasions-marriages, births, deaths and festivals—were now working shoulder to shoulder with men, sharing the national triumph and tragedy as never before. This experience was bound to open new avenues of service for them on a larger scale than it ever was in pre-partition days. There was no going back because they had achieved satisfaction in something that was more than just procreation. It was a case of an inner awakening, a conscious realization that she is not what she ought to be. There was a powerful though a vague restlessness within her for a fuller human life. Now, once this awakening has come, whether it is in a man or a woman, it has to follow its logical course. This is where I would like to strike a note of dissent, for it is high time that somebody did it, and this with reference to the “Westernization of Women.” I confidently assert that the slogan is misleading and unfair to the women of Pakistan for it detracts us form the real thing. No doubt that the dynamic impact of American leadership in almost every field includes also the cultural externalia of life. But these cultural tags adopted by women or men, for that matter, are a passing phase even in the land of their birth. What matters is the “inner awakening” and that is independent of nay influence. This awakening cannot be artificially injected, nor can it be suppressed for long once it comes. Its natural sequence is application of reason and logic, rejection of authority and the demand for conviction in answer to the question why? The human attribute of the freedom to choose asserts itself, independent thinking is manifested, search light is thrown on the inconsistencies

My plea is: As t is, the process of change is never easy. It is the most trying and difficult period of any nation’s history. We only make it more difficult by our irrational and unsympathetic attitude. whatever is happening anywhere in the world is a matter of cause and effect. Whenever we criticize or pass a judgment we should take this into consideration. I have analyzed just one probable cause above. Another could be the hypocrisy and false piety of the elders. In the West it could also be a reaction to the inhabitations and sexless ness of Christianity. An incomplete understanding of Freud’s psycho-analysis of the libido could be another. In short, what needs to be done is to find out the root cause and remove it. it is unfair to throw the whole onus on the emancipated women. It is unfair again that the men folk enjoying too free a license themselves, for this very reason, wish to enclose their wives and daughters in boxes, if it were possible.

So much for Westernization. The fact remains that in spite of everything, a Pakistani girl has a bad start in life. From the cradle, onwards to girlhood and womanhood, she is under unhealthy influences. Her very birth to begin with is an apology. Parents are generally offered consolation in the words of an old proverb—“rain of always preceded by a storm” (rain being a boy, storm a girl.) indeed there are very few homes where absolute unawareness of any discrimination between boys and girls pervades its atmosphere. Even the most wanted and beloved of daughters will soon come to know that she is the source of all evil on this earth. At every step the theory of Adman and Eve comes in her way. Eve was created from Adam’s rib, hence she is crooked! Any attempt to straighten her will break her. She is weak because she was easily misled by Stan to partake of the forbidden fruit (incidentally, the Satan could not influence Adam!) she is a wicked temptress because she tempted Adam to commit the original sin. Logically therefore she is the cause of our having lost Paradise, and logically again she will constitute the majority in hell. But the logic ends here and contradictions begin. Although she is the weaker vessel and the source of all evil( it is also said she has no soul) it is she on whom religious rites and ceremonies are imposed more rigidly and it is she who is to bear the greater responsibility of morality and righteousness (boys will be boys any way!) a very interesting contradiction emerges from another aspect of Adam and Eve story. Adam who was created first and started feeling lonely, so Eve was created for him to assuage his loneliness. In other words, the existence of a woman has no right of its own. The only justification of her existence is as to how much she can please and comfort a man, and she is stripped off all other human attributes. Ultimately, her role is restricted to procreation, all other human creative roles being denied to her. So far so good. But when the woman dutifully starts playing the roles assigned to her and flaunts her sex appeal around, the whole society screams out in horror. And when the woman makes an attempt to become more human with all this creative possibilities, she is described as an intellectual monstrosity, and one who is no longer “feminine”.

The Pakistani woman is in revolt against all these contradictions and such fallacious reasoning. By revolting no doubt she has challenged the established order that is not only considered right and natural because it has so many centuries behind it, but also considered unchangeable because it has the backing of priests who claim to speak on behalf of Divinity. All this demands tremendous courage, because her enemies can be formidable of she acts cowardly. Also the impact o f her rebellion tells heavily on human relationship, and entails many a conflict, mistakes, tragedies and heartbreaks.

The most grievously effected is the husband-wife relationship. Let us face it, now that we are on this subject that all is not well with the majority of our young married couples. Even though our girls are generally conditioned to be ready to give without expecting to receive, and to be ready adaptable without a corresponding response from the other side, there is trouble. Why? The reason is not far to seek.: The woman is changing, while the man is not. Contrary to the Adam and Eve theory she insists on asserting that she is not a plaything but a human being with all its potentialities of free will and self expression, and rights and duties. The husband is not ready to concede her this. He still harps on the evil role of Eve, and considers himself a degree above his wife. He is the master, the “Majazi Khuda” whom she must obey unquestioningly. Her arguments against this anti-human approach are shouted down by quotations from all kinds of religious and secular authorities. “A woman has no should,” “she is the weaker –vessel,”” she is an uisulaqal,” Vanity, Frailty, “thy name is woman,” “a woman should never be trusted”, and in any case “a woman was created for man”. This are the efforts of a woman at mature equal companionship set at naught.

In fact the man is taken aback at the changing image of his ideal woman. In the place of the shy, giggling, jointing, decorated doll, at best charming, there is one who is becoming more poised, self-confident, more interesting, well informed and thoughtful. Indeed there is a new woman in the making and the man I not yet prepared for this phenomenon. He still looks around for his lost dill and finds a solution by marrying a pretty little thing, sweetly unreasonable whom he can mould according to his own philosophy. If man also were to start changing, as a few here and there have, he would discern in the changing woman a comradeship and happiness hitherto unknown to him.

The wife would then be not just the mother of his children, but much more than that. The two classes of women that the societies all over the world have maintained in some form or other, may happily be a thing of the part—an obedient, unthinking healthy wife, the mother of children and the cultured courtesan as a professional companion.

However, the unchanging man is not the only stumbling block in the way of mutual adjustment. It so happens that the lives of even highly educated women being generally sheltered and limited compared to the freer and move varied experienced of the men results in a mental gap that is bound to keep them apart. Furthermore it is taken for granted that men have a fling of life, so to say, before they are married. To them marriage is more of a settling down as it were, to rest and be taken care of after the excitement and experiences of all kinds. To a woman marriage is just the beginning of a new exciting life, a break of some kind from the exaggerated innocence of a sheltered existence. These two mental conditions are sure to clash, followed by irritation on one side and frustration on the other. Thus married life, which even in normal conditions demands tremendous mutual efforts to succeed, is passing through a crisis. Such are the travails of the birth is a new way of life.

The changing woman and the unchanging man contend on leafier field too. The very idea of the women moving abroad and their more active participation in the national life is anathema to the established order. With or without “burqa” working as teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, executive officers, legislative members, stenographers and air-hostesses, and even such activities as shopping, visiting picture-houses and restaurants, although to some extent now taken for granted, is nevertheless lamented. It is still taken as the vicious influence of the West, and it is hoped that it may be a passing phase. We still think it is all wrong; after all, our grandmother and our great-grandmother never did this. By invoking the path of the forefathers, especially from the pulpits of the mosques, attempts are made to send the woman “back home” and make her more “respectable” thereby and misbehavior towards women is tolerated with impunity as never before for the simple reason that she has deviated from the traditional ways.

However, that is how it always is. The process of change is just another name for conflict, where the past and future grapple for supremacy. Until things have changes, that is, conflicts have been resolved, Pakistan shall remain, as it is today, a veritable tower of Babel, everybody confused and nobody understanding anybody else. The Pakistani woman has her share of the confusion too. Though she does not want to turn back, yet she wants to be accepted by the family and the environment. She is keen to venture fourth on grounds her grand-mother did not dare to tread, and yet she does not want to loose the sense of identification with the people as a whole. There are very few who can bear the burden and loneliness of a changing developing personality. So we see non-burqa, desegregated, free and educated young women more keen on wearing microscopic copies of the Quran in a gold case hung by a chain round the neck; expressing faith and devotion to the tomb of Data Ganj Baksh and other saints, strictly observing the month of Ramadhan, holding “Milad-Sheriff” sessions, and very spiritually covering their heads with their diaphanous “doputtas” at the call of the Muazzin. These are the little shields by which they think they can ward off the attacks on their changing statues. There are others who surrender and accept a secondary role, saying that women ought to look up to men, and some even become a mans plaything again flaunting their sex appeal around.

Out of this confusion and anarchy one single factor that emerges solidly in favor of women is their economic independence through careers. Neither their inner awakening nor their education alone could have given them the measure of freedom and self-confidence that they may possess today. To begin with it was primarily due to economic dependence on him that man was able to subjugate the woman.

The other factor is the Muslim Family Laws. It is both a reflection of the changing process and a guide to future development. The credit goes entirely to President Ayub. Before 1958 the Government neither cared nor fared to defy the priests and make laws more in conformity with the Quran. By restricting polygamy, making the registrations of the “nikah” legally binding, by regulating divorce procedures and by fixing the minimum age limit of 16 and 18 years for boys and girls respectively, a healthy atmosphere has been created and family life given more dignity. Even an uneducated woman in the rural area is aware however incompletely or vaguely, that she has been given more rights that she is freer than she was before. The impact of the Muslim Family Laws on women could be an interesting subject for research.

It is strange that man from the beginning of history has not learnt to live with woman. This observation becomes all the more strange in the light of the fact that nobody is born without a woman—respectively called a mother, but a woman nevertheless. Against her subjugation, the rebel woman of ancient Greece spoke out those in Euripides “Medea”.

“Sooner would I stand
Three times to face the battles, shielded in hand,
Than bear one child.”
In modern times Ibsen’s rebel woman refused to be a “doll” and live in a “Doll’s House”.

It is also beyond a Pakistani rebel woman’s comprehensions as to why a man would want to degrade her role or treat her like a doll, and raise unnecessary controversies.

The whole issue can be stated as simply as follows.

A human being, unlike any other creation has a “personality” or “Self” that is expressed through his free will. He has the freedom to choose from any number of given possibilities. He is born with powerful latent potentialities that develop and realize themselves through a total and active participation in life on this earth. He is also gifted with varied individual talents that demand creative manifestation through befitting opportunities and in an atmosphere free from inhibitions. A human being is the only created being who has these creative urges and is capable of improvement. All these innate attributes are so powerful that non-fulfillment of any of them results in frustration and caricaturist.

Now for the perpetuation of this wondrous specie, the Creator has designed its procreation through its make and female. By virtue of being a male of female neither ceases to be a human being. In other words, the make is a father within the human specie and the female a mother within the human specie. All these controversies as to whether a woman should be educated or not, should have a career or not, should move out of the house or not are such meaningless and wasteful exercises, and so naïve and immature. What matters, in the ultimate analysis, is the self expression of a human being in this totality. Each human being must find its own course for its own fulfillment. That is its birth-right and its denial is to contradict its Creator and by contradicting the Creator one does not change the situation, it only results in imbalance and suffering.

So why waste out energies and resources and time on these futile controversies? It is obvious that in the past twenty-one years the Pakistan woman could have done a lot more. The call of our poverty-stricken, custom-ridden, over-populated and diseased society has not been responded to as it should have, controversy and confusion has misled her energies toward trivialities and sham shows.

Perhaps the best thing for a woman would be to take her birthright for granted and quietly and steadily harmonies, whatever little education and freedom she has acquired, wither individual self-expression.

Truth About A “Muslim’s” Attitude Towards Women

2008-11-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

(Note: I will be using the term “Muslim” in its wide spread conventional connotation, distinct from the Quranic concept and meaning of it. in the context of this article, it denotes a community of men born and brought up in historical traditions and institutions with particular beliefs and attitudes. They are “Muslims” for no other reason than that for generations they have been called by that name. In other words, their birth and environment alone entitles them to be described as such irrespective of their choice and understand of the term. Above all, as pointed out earlier he term does not necessarily have any link with the Quran. The behavior of a conventional “Muslim” may only accidentally conform to or belief the Quran, just as much as the behavior of a Hindu and a Christian, a capitalist and a communist. In general, the attitude of men towards women is not above criticism. The subjugation of women in some form or the other has been an universal evil. I dealt with the causes of women’s subjugation in my previous article. In the following article I intend to deal with the convention “Muslims” as a class by themselves.)

Without beating about the bush, let me at the very outset, take my readers, we the womenfolk, are living in a disturbingly painful and ever-present sense of insecurity. It is an insecurity of a kind that carries with it an everlasting humiliation, an inexpressible ugliness, a sham that ultimately ends up in self hate, in the loss of any pride and self-respect that woman has. How many women can go back home and repeat or describe to their family members the ugly passes that were made at them, and the exact indecent and smutty remarks that were hurled at them? No! She cannot repeat or describe them. She lives with this poison; she feeds her own blood; it eats into the very vitals of all that could be beautiful and healthy. Oh Lord! How those vulturous nude eyes glare at her, shamelessly cutting through her ; that perversely sexy and brazen faced look which , it pains me to say so, the world today can only identify with the “ Muslim” eyes—a woman is constantly running away from them, dithering away into the security of her home after her day’s work. A woman who leaves her home in the morning to study. To teach, to minister unto her attaints, to shop the family’s daily requirements—is a perpetual source of anxiety to the rest of family members. Not until she is back home safe, can they sit back and heave a sigh of relief. And this goes on day after day; the family is all nerves, all jitters, with never a ray of hope, with never a moment of respite. There is no protest from the public, no protection from the authorities. If any one tries to bring to the motive of others the existing state of affairs, there comes an indifferent and a “pious” retort : Why don’t you lock your women in the homes? That is their rightful place, isn’t it?

obviously, according to them only bad women go out of their homes, and so they naturally invite bad treatment. From sometimes past this bad treatment has been exploited by religious demagogues, aided by their gutter journalism, to grind their own political axes. They have it a complexion of a religious duty. Sending women back home has become a means of achieving religious merit. Their vulgarity is now sacred. Their shamelessness is now virtuous. They have thus gained immunity from criticism,, condemnation and punishment.

Realizing this potential threat to the stability of the society, over a year ago, a group of student with whom I associated, made a public appeal “in the name of all that is decent and precious”, and asked; “Are we, the women of Pakistan, to expect no better treatment than this? Is it inevitable for Muslim woman to feel dishonored and insecure outside her home, simply because she lives in a Muslim society? We appeal to the intelligentsia to come forward and act, if not in the name of morality, then at least in the name of chivalry and gallantry. We warn you-to day this method may be used as a weapon and a means only, but if not checked in time, it may become a way of life. Retreat from there will not be an easy one”.

My fears are as to whether it has not already become a way of life!

I cannot imagine for a moment that Qaid-e-Azam visualized this in his Pakistan. No, not Qaid-e-Azam who had his sister Miss Fatima Jinnah, proudly beside him where ever he went in his public duties and programmes. And dear readers, I wonder how many of you are aware of Muhammad’s (pbuh) description of an Islamic Society? When questioned on the standard of judging as to whether a society has reached perfection, he replie:when a lone woman travels from Yemen to Syria with a complete sense of security, a society may be said to have achieved the standard Islam lays down. Indeed! There could not have been a better touchstone, and alas ! We are the furthermost from is compared to any other community in the world.

I have no intentions of starting another series of mutual recriminations and diatribes between men and women, on whose mutual understanding and harmony depends the future of our society. Enough mud-slinging has been done, and we have no time for any more emotional bouts. We have already wasted seventeen precious years in discussing intimately women’s hands and arms, they hair-do and dress in the National and Provincial Assemblies, in the newspapers, and from the pulpits in the mosque in every nook and corner of the country. The downright vulgarity and nakedness that marked these so-called public debates was more a manifestation of mental perversion than any concern for moral values. It is high time that we stopped all this and tried to analyze the causes of a “Muslim’s” attitude towards women dispassionately and objectively. What gave him his worldwide reputation of the owner of “harems”, and his never to be satisfied lust? Let us find it out and salvage his reputation for the future that is yet to be.

If we are ever to comprehend this very delicate and important issue, namely, relation between men and women, one thing will have to be borne in mine, that is, the nature of the sexual urge in a human being. Unlike his other important instinct, the instinct of self-preservation, sex is not a biological urge. The urge for food and drink is awakened irrespective of a human being’s thought process. The sex instinct on the contrary, is aroused by thoughts, thus distinguishing it from hunger and thirst as a biological urge, and entering into the realm of a psychological phenomenon. The general time-honored concept in our society is that sex is a biological urge, particularly in the male, implying thereby that his behavior is beyond his control, the idea being epitomized in a seemingly harmless phrase—“boys will be boys!” This is a dangerous attitude and a threat to the social equilibrium. The experts on the subject have proved it otherwise. The fact that it is no more than a psychological urge has been distinguished from hunger and thirst by the Quran as well. In Surah 2, verse 173, the Quran “forbids only carrion, and blood and swine flesh, and that which hath been immolated to the name of any other than Allah. But,” continues the nor transgressing, it is no crime for him.” Thus it is amply clear that the Quran recognizes hunger and thirst as a biological urge. It is not within man to be able to control it. Starvation inevitably means physical annihilation. To prevent this the forbidden is no longer forbidden. In contrast to this, in Surah 24, verse 33, the Quran points out; “And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste” till they find one. If sex were also a biological urge the Quran should have allowed sexual relationship with those with whom forbidden, in case one can find no match. But it suggests self-control indicating it to be a psychological phenomenon.

Now, this psychological urge, says Dr. J.D. Unwin in his masterly exposition on “Sex and Culture” depends on the extent of the “Sexual opportunity” provided in a given society. The wider the circle of sexual opportunity greater will be the possibilities and intensity of sexual urge. To clarify the point, I would invite the readers to ponder over the fact that even when men move freely in the “prohibited area”, that is, in the circle of mothers, sisters, daughters, maternal and paternal aunts, the very thought of sex does not occur to leave alone the awakening of the sexual urge, for the simple reason that sexual relationship with theses women is prohibited. Thus to keep the sexual urge of men in check, sexual opportunity should be reduced to the minimum and the prohibited areas should be widened to the maximum. Once this analysis is fully comprehended, the attitude of a “Muslim” towards women becomes understandable, though condemnable. The history of “Muslim” men is the history of unlimited sexual opportunity. This is the crux of the whole problem.

This opportunity finds its full expression in the institution of polygamy. In a monogamous system of marriage, the moment the man married, every other woman in the world enters the prohibited area. Not until he becomes a divorcee or a widower, can he think of another woman. Monogamy goes a long way in giving woman a sense of security. But a “Muslim” can think of any woman as his second, third and fourth wife. The avenues of unlimited opportunity are constantly open to him. Easy and irresponsible divorce, when a husband has merely to utter the word “divorce” thrice, further widens the area of sexual opportunity. Polygamy and easy divorce do not complete the story. Apart from four “harem” was enough to whet their appetite. Even today in our society, although a man may never marry more than one wife all his life, he knows that he can if he want to, and this makes all the difference in his attitude towards women. Thus the very concept of polygamy, easy divorce and slave girls will have to be done away with if women are to have any security in this society.

At this stage it become incumbent on me to explain the issue of polygamy in a little more detail, for it seems to be so inextricably glues to the conventional “Muslim”.

Let it be declared in unequivocal terms that the Quranic law is the law of monogamy. One man one woman is the rule. No man has the right to take more than one wife. Indeed! Polygamy is the very negation of a woman’s dignity and the beauty of married life.

In this law of monogamy, one exception has been made under extraordinary and abnormal circumstances which have so far been inherent in conditions of war. Men go forth to fight while women manage other departments behind the lines in all kinds of capacities. Prolonged war conditions reduce considerably the country’s manpower. It is inevitable that women will exceed in the number of men. This large number of widowed and unmarried women must be protected, sheltered and looked after in the fulfillment of heir basic needs of life. The society must tackle this issue in such a way that the dignity of human being is not hurt and undermined. It is possible that a society is so advanced economically that all women can work for themselves and achieve economic security and independence, and may not need the protection of a male bread winner. It is also possible that a society may have reached such an advanced stage of economic equilibrium that the basic needs of every individual are naturally fulfilled as a matter of right. If none of these conditions as yet prevail, a society may think of opening a “Home” for the unprotected women. But as the experience of orphanages and even “old age homes” have shown us, they are not “homes” – the inmates are more like outcastes in the society, stigmatized for the rest of their lives. Another alternative could e that they be absorbed in families as adopted “sisters,” and “daughters” but it is doubtful as to whether they still feel dignified, receiving everything as a matter of right. Living under the shadow of somebody’s magnanimity and favor is the worst form of attack on the dignity of a human being. Actually, it is up to the social order of the country to handle this delicate issue in such a way that there is not the slightest suggestion of humiliation.

law of monogamy to meet his emergency, that is, women exceeding men by a big ratio. The relaxation had to be made by the state and not by the individual on his own. When a man takes more than one wife in such an abnormal situation, it will be as a service to the nation, as a heavy burden on his happy married life, and not by way of carnal pleasure. When the state does make this relaxation, that is, when there is no other way out of this impasse, it is still not binding on the men—they may marry only if they can do justice. ( It is interesting to note that the word “justice” and not “love” used this is a proof of monogamy being the only possible state of happy married life on can do equal justice to even an enemy, but one cannot love four people equally at the same time.)

Those who know the happiness and joy of a monogamous marriage can realize that this duty cannot be very happily performed. Khalifah Omar (Allah be pleased with him!) himself had to ask his friends to take his widowed daughter in marriage, and they did not.

One thing must be borne in mind : This relaxation in the monogamous system has been made because in this way a woman is given a home where she retains her dignity and exercises command which only a wife can exercise. She lives in the house by way of her right and not by favor and charity of anyone.

It is obvious now that when such an emergency does not exist—for example in Pakistan men exceed women*—then there is absolutely no cause or justification for more than one wife. If they do no, they are leading un-Islamic lives.

Nothing could be more painful that to see attempts being made to justify polygamy on basis other than mentioned above. only a society that does not recognize women as human beings and whose concept of marriage is no more than the satisfaction of brute sexual lust, can coin up such inhuman and gruesome excuses as the first wife barren, or having contracted an infectious disease, or being inflicted with any physical disability, or disability in conjugal relation, and insanity. It is a thousand pity that have found sanction in the “Muslim Family Laws Ordinance” as well—am Ordinance that has been hated b our “Muslim” men (specially religious hierarchy) as giving too many rights to women! And, further more, those who talk in this manner do not realize that these arguments can boomer age on them. What for instance is a wife to do if her husband is barren or has contracted an infectious disease, is advisable and insane? What the conventional “Muslim” needs is a lesson in the rudiments of humanity.

Not only that polygamy is inhuman in this context only, it is interesting to note that “purdah” and segregation of the sexes is a natural aftermath of polygamy. A polygamous society that gives unlimited sexual opportunity to its males, women can never be secure and protected in it. they remain a perpetual source of sexual urge for man, so much so, that they have no other alternative but to hide from their unashamed gaze. “Purdah” and segregation is unknown in monogamous societies. Hindu women first observed “purdah” when Emperor Akbar laid the tradition of marriages between Muslims and Hindus. The Hindu women were no longer safe from the polygamous “Muslims”. Until then they moved about boldly, for as dark as “Muslims” were concerned, they were more or less in the prohibited area.

Here it may be pointed out that the western society, although monogamous by law are nevertheless immoral. I would like to take this opportunity to dispel a very erroneous conception that prevails amongst us regarding the western societies. Day in and day out, we are reminded of their immoral doings due to their absence of “purdah”, education of women, careers for women, and monogamous marriages,. With reference to the last mentioned Muslims argue that by legalizing four wives they have checked immorality, which the west can never achieve because of their monogamous sstem. I fail to understand as to how an immoral act can become moral by legalizing it!

As for the other factors, they have nothing to do with immorality. I am not convinced as to how education and careers for women, and desegregation of the sexes can make people immoral. The cause of immorality lies elsewhere….it lies in the change of values in the younger generations of Europe and America. They are no longer convinced that extra-marital relationship before or after marriage has any adverse or deteriorating effect on the society. For them it is just the right thing to do to satisfy their sexual urge. This is not immoral according to their new code values. Above all, “morals” in the West mean what is approved by the society, it is not considered as immoral, irrespective of the fact what people belonging to other societies think. Their behaviors should be judged according to what is approved and disapproved by them. After all, we do consider their eating of pork and drinking of alcohol as a part of their code of society. We know that they do not consider anything wrong in eating and drinking something that might abhor somebody else. So is their outlook on sex-life. If today the western societies discontinue education and careers for women and introduce “purdah” and segregation of the sexes, but their values on sex-life remain unchanged, there can be no restrain on their sexual behavior. Similarly, if our younger generation is going the western way, it is not because women are acquiring education and discarding “purdah”, but because they too like their western counterparts, are slowly beginning to doubt the efficacy of a strict moral code and its impact on the society as a whole. I am afraid that unless this problems is not looked at from this perspective, our social, cultural and educational progress will suffer a set-back. We are at a very delicate stage of our development, and a right or wrong decision can make or mar the fufture of many generations to come.

For centuries “Muslim” men have kept their women under house-arrest. Today they are staggering out in realization of their fundamental human rights, a little uncertain may be, but in complete wonderment at their own latent personalities and ever widening horizon of new avenues for exploration. But unfortunately to our” Muslim” men, a woman who moves out of her kitchen home for no purpose other than an evil one. Consequently, she has become the target of an organized, relentless and ruthless propaganda of a most obscene kind. Both on the individual and group level a only these self-righteous moralists read carefully Surah 4, verse 24 of the Quran which considers an unproved charge against an innocent woman the worst of crimes, they would think twice before they opened their mouths or picked up their pens.

And this is not all ! On the presumption that only bad women move out of their homes they think that they can take liberties with them, their theory is that if women are bad, how can men be good? There could not be a more derogatory thing that men could say about themselves. Individual integrity, personal character, self-control are qualities that men deny to themselves. Granted that all women who move abroad are evil women, where is man’s own sense of right and wrong, his own local development? Irrespective of a woman’s behaviors, a man should have his own values to stand by, just as so many women have stood and are standing the test irrespective of man’s immorality. I ask them : A man justified in going to her? To those who take liberties with women so as to drive them back home from colleges hospitals, and offices in the name of Islam with the plea that the fact that these women came out of their homes suggests that they are not good women, I ask: Does Islam allow them to go to the prostitutes?

We are supposed to be living in the second “Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” We women have every right to ask the authorities in particular and the public in general as to whether we can expect a better treatment than the one we are getting at the moment. If there no one in this country who would come forward to protect us all? If not, all that I can do is to draw the attention of my readers to the duties of a Muslims society towards their women folk as explained in the Quran in Surah 33, verses 58,59,60,61,62.

When Muhammad (pbuh) and his people migrated from Mecca to Medina, they had to face a situation very similar to ours, except that the anti-social elements then comprised non-Muslims. They teased and maligned women and bore the guilt of slander. Since the Muslim migrants were not in a position of authority (somewhat like the Muslims minority in Bharat) and since the hypocrites or “Munafiqeen” made an excuse of not being able to recognize good women from bad, the women were advised to wear a cloak as a mark of distinction when they moved abroad. But of course that made no differences to the “Munafiqeen”. They did not cease teasing and annoying women, for their hearts were diseased. And now that Muhammad (pbuh) and his people were in authority, they were enjoined by the Quran to rise against these anti-social elements and take measures that would make it impossible for them to live there. If they continued to stay on and to misbehave, they were to be deprived of their rights of citizenship. The last resort was to inflict capital punishment only for cold-blooded murder, treason and not these habitual criminals who make the life of women perpetually insecure. The security of women is thus as important as the security of the state and human life. Indeed! A society where women are not secure and protected can never be a stable society, in fact its very survival will remain in jeopardy.

The Quranic further makes it clear that these were the measure taken by earlier societies under Divine Guidance, so much so, that whenever such a situation is repeated, that is, women are made to feel perpetually insecure, similar measure should be taken to cope with it. these measures are therefore unchangeable for all times. My contention, as stated in the very beginning, is that we the women of Pakistan are always painfully insecure. From an “Islamic State” we have every right to demand protection according to Quranic measures.

These measures of course, are only meant to cope a situation of emergency and abnormality. Something more will have to be done to change the attitude of “Muslim” men towards women fundamentally. This can be done by changing this “Muslim” concept to the concept that the Quran gives.

In the first place, polygamy must be made illegal through legislation. The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance only restrains polygamy, it does not abolish it. the Ordinance should be so improved that absolute monogamy becomes the Law of Pakistan, thereby conforming it with Quranic concept of marriage as explained above. With it must also go all concepts of slave girls and “harems”. These institutions may not be the vogue here as in Saudi Arabia, but the fact that the conventional “Muslim” believed that this is permissible in Islam makes all the difference in his attitude towards women. Hence these ideas should be educated out of their minds. The Muslim Family Law Ordinance needs to be improved on the issue of divorce. The husband still retains the monopoly in divorce matters. All that he has to do is to inform the chairman of the Union Council who makes an attempt at reconciliation. Hence there is no adequate protection for the wife. According to the Quran both husband and wife have the right to divorce. The Ordinance should include this concept and the judiciary of the country made the guardian of both the parties concerned.

Legislation on the basis of these concepts, aided by proper education, will reduce sexual opportunity to the minimum and widen the prohibited area to the maximum.

Next, it should be made known that the Quran expects absolute chastity from both men and women it does not tolerate any dual standards of sexual morality—one for man and the other for woman. In such a background the very concept of morality becomes meaningless. Above all, the Quran could not be expected to envisage a penal code where crime is no crime if undetectable! Thus it first addresses man I Surah 24, Verse 30, to be modest and chaste, and not caste lewd eyes around. In the succeeding verse, 31, it expects the women to do the same. This uniform standard alone can set the tone of a social behavior where woman can feel secure at any hour of the day or night at any place.

Furthermore, women must be places on equal legal footing with men (some legal aspects pointed out in the Quran I hope to deal with in my next article.) they must be told that they are human beings existing on their own right, and tat they were not created for man ! the woman called “Eve” is not a Quranic but a Biblical character, hence the prevailing Adam and Eve theory should be blown into smithereens, for nothing has lowered the position of women more than this theory. Once this theory is rejected, a woman will not flaunt her sex appeal around. Up till now she has been told that her only attribute is sex, and hence the only justification of her existence is sex. No moralizing will do her any good unless she is convinced that she is a human being, and as such equal to man. Thus when the Quran, in Surah 24, Verse 31, condemns the all out campaign for sex appeal among women, it is only because it recognizes her as a human being with all its manifold attributes and potentialities.

Without introducing these changes, Pakistani Society can never expect to be a vigorous one, and the level of its culture and productive everything will ever remain at a low ebb. I shall summaries the essence of this article in the world of Dr. J.D. Unwin in the way that only he could have done:

“Is, on the other hand, a vigorous society wishes to display its productive energy for a long time, and forever, it must re-create itself, I think, first, by placing the sexes on a level of complete legal equality and then by altering its economic and social organization in such a way as to render it both possible and tolerable for sexual opportunity to remain at a minimum for an extended period, and even for ever. In such a case the dace of the society would be set in the Direction of the Cultural Process; it would achieve a higher culture than has ever been attained; by the action of human entropy its tradition would be argument and refined in a manner which surpasses our present understanding.”

In the end I would like to ask a question or two of our vulnerable religious divines!

For many years they have been crying hoarse about the equality of mankind and derisively pointing fingers at racial and color segregation and inequality in other countries. But at the same time they have launched a virulent and organized campaign against all those who state that women are equal to men. We women would like to know of them whether we are human beings or not. When they talk of human equality, do thy include women in it? this is my first question.

Another target of this theory of our religious divines is, and rightly enough, “original sin” among Christians and the caste system among the Hindus—theories based entirely on the factor of birth. Now, a woman is a woman because she was born such as. She never was given the chance to choose before her birth. Thus birth is the determining factor. Then are we to be punished for the “Crime” we never committed? A Christian woman gains hope by her faith in the crucifixation of Chirst. A Sudra hopes that if noting this, he may be a Brahman in the next birth. What hope has a Muslim woman? This is my second question.

The women of Pakistan demand a straight categorical answer. No side-tracking in legal quibbling will do any good. Are we or are we not Human Beings?

* Women are now said to be 51%

Causes of Woman’s Subjugation

2008-11-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

Woman Recreated

by Miss Shamim Anwar

Causes of Woman’s Subjugation
[Paper read at Tolu-e-Islam Convention on 8th April 1961]
This afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, I shall place before you some very practical propositions regarding this eternal, (what I choose to describe as the) “Woman’s Question”. The subjugation of women has been the theme of many a cook, and the fact that women even today are merely a dim travesty of what they might be, is now universally recognized. What provokes my curiosity is as to when, how and why women became subjugated. What are those factors that have created and perpetuated a margin between the potential development of her personality and individuality and her actual animal existence? Why has the woman not been able to cross this margin? This is the question that has always worried me. Whatever I have learnt and discovered so far I shall attempt to present before this august assemblage most humbly, but frankly and uninhibitedly.

Woman, by virtue of being the female sex, has been bestowed upon by Nature an important biological function, namely, the perpetuation of the human race. In this role she inevitably becomes incapacitated for a considerable period of time. This incapacity means that she has to depend upon someone for her self-preservation, someone who is never incapacitated and disabled as she is. This someone, in the Nature’s scheme of things is the man. It is to this man that the woman has to look up to for her daily bread, a garment to cover herself, and a roof on her head. To be dependent in this manner is to be absolutely helpless, to be helpless is to be exploited.

For sheer self-preservation and above all, the preservation of her children, the woman suffered it all until this relationships dependence and dominance became a universal and a rigid pattern. In the course of time this pattern came to be looked upon as a very “normal” and “natural” one, for man seems to be so constituted that if anything is practiced by the majority and practiced for a long time, it is regarded as the right thing, and any opposition to it is “abnormal”, “unnatural” and of course “wrong”.

From the above we deduced that one factor in the subjugation of women is economic dependence on man. This factor becomes clear and understandable when we analyze the background of the two types of tribal organization, matriarchal and patriarchal. There have been instances when a really healthy woman did not feel the necessity of confinement. Before and after the birth of her child, she continued to work along with the men folk. Secondly, in some areas of the world, struggle for existence has been comparatively easier, so much so, that women have been able to share equally with men their economic pursuits. These places have witnessed the birth of matriarchal societies. But the places where these factors have been non-existence, emerged the patriarchal form of society of course, the patriarchal societies have been found in a majority, but the very fact that a few matriarchal tribes did exist, proves beyond doubt that once the economic dependence is removed, woman has a better chance of realizing her womanhood, and she can live as she ought to live. This is true not only of relationship between men and women, but also between men and men. Those who have monopoly over wealth, be they feudal lords, or capitalists or big business, have invariably exploited those who depend on them economically. The feudal lord exploits the toiling farmers, the capitalists his famished workers, the master in the house dominates the domestic servant, the boss bullies his immediate subordinate, the wealthy nations crush and repress the backward and poor nations, and man subjugates the woman. The kings too found in this economic factor a master plan to maintain their kingship. All that they had to do was to reduce the common man to poverty, and this make him busy in eking out his living.

It is interesting to note here that in this economic struggle and the emergence of the rich and poor classes, women became in the economic terminology, a class by themselves.

However, the story foes not end there. Having once enjoyed the power to command and domineer, neither the ruler of the ruled, nor man, the master of the woman, cares to give it up. If only the position of the patriarch, the king and the man, gained through economic control, be justified, they could rule forever. The justification was easily obtained. The custodians of the man-made religions declared that obedience to the king’s will is obedience to God, and that woman, being the cause of Adam’s banishment from paradise, is the source of all evil*. The question of reforming and improving her does not arise, became being born of Adam’s ribs she will break if attempt is made to straighten her. The woman’s bondage thus received a religious sanction. The idea of her being inferior because sacred, and as such it could not be touched. Furthermore this sacrosanct character made its way into secular literature, where in the form of idioms and proverbs, it gained ground in the minds of the people. Without any hesitation and any qualms we today talk about the educated women being “intellectual monstrosities”, of her being “sweetly unreasonable”, and we believe that “women should never be trusted”, for “frailty-thy name is woman”.

The impact of this centuries old experience and development has convinced woman herself that she is inferior to man. Indeed, it is this conviction of hers that constitutes the biggest hurdle in her emancipation.

Ladies and Gentlemen—bear patiently with me, for the end is not yet! Even if we do manage to secure economic security for the woman and prove to the people rationally that she is not inferior to man, it will not completely solve the “Woman’s Question”, for after all said and don’t, she is still a woman.

Unfortunately, in the course of the development of its culture and civilization, mankind evolved unhealthy and unnatural notions about sex. The origin of this development can be traced to the ancient times, when the realization that God has no parents and no children, that He was neither begotten nor does He beget, let the people erroneously to the conclusion that perfection and goodness is devoid of sex. This idea reached its culminating point in Christianity. The theory of Immaculate Conception, the virgin birth of Jesus, and the unmarried life that Jesus life, all proclaim the sinfulness and evil of sex. And then—wasn’t Eve who at the instigation of Satan tempted Adam to partake of the forbidden fruit so that they could achieve immortality through their offspring’s? Consequently, every child is born with the original sin, and faith in the “purity” of Jesus alone can wash it away, and the ideal man is he who can escape the woman—the temptress.

One by-product of this attitude is that the woman has come to be associated wit sex alone. All other attributes are denied her. The fact that a man cannot talk to a woman as he does to another man is the result of this attitude. Indeed! There could be no deeper humiliation than to be made to personify something that has already been stigmatized and condemned. I am convinced that as long as sex is considered dirty and sinful, a woman will never be respected. Man has shown respect only to those women with whom he cannot have sexual relationship. These women are his mother, his sisters, and his daughters.

These are the hard and unpleasant facts that we must face. There is no escape from them. A woman is born a woman, and she has to die a woman. Birth is the determining factor. A Shudra might one day be born a Brahman even after 34 corores of births and rebirths. But “all the king’s horses and all the King’s men” cannot change a woman into a man.

Here is a challenge of the “Women’s Question”. This challenge can be met by the Quran alone. It is only the Quranic social order that guarantees the fulfillment of the basic need of every individual. It leaves no scope for one man to dominate another simply because he is in a position to fling to him a morsel of food. Each individual gets his requirements as a matter of right and not on the chance emotional bouts of charity and favor of a philanthropist. The future of the woman therefore lies in the Quranic Nizam-I-Rububiyyat, that is, the economic security to all, for to be secure is to be free.

Furthermore, the Quran breaks down one by one the citadels of man-made religion by proclaiming to the world that there is absolutely no difference between a man and a woman. In Surah4, Verse 1, the Quran says: “Both male and female were created out of one single life cell.” Again it is stated: “Both men and women are honored and respected. All the children of Adam are respectable.” (17:70. “Both men and women are worthy of heavenly life on the basis of their actions and deeds.” (3:194). “Husband and wife have equal rights and duties.” (22:28). “Women can perform all those duties which men perform.” (33:35). All these Quranic verses make it amply clear that neither on the bases of birth nor on the basis of rights and duties can man claim superiority over woman. There is only one difference (not superiority) between a man and a woman, that is, the biological function of reproduction (Surah 4, verse 34) and indeed it is ridiculous to allocate exclusive characteristics to men and women on the basis of this biological difference. Hence there are no such things as masculine tastes and feminine tastes, masculine habits and feminine habits, masculine interests and feminine interests, and masculine talents and feminine talents. There is only one adjective for all tastes and habits—the adjective “human”. Here it may be argues that what we observe today is contrary to this description. There are definite and exclusive feminine interests. This is true. But “femininity” is not inherent in woman as a woman. At a certain stage in history, as pointed out earlier, woman was reduced to a certain position, and the characteristics resulting thereby were passed on from generation to generation, so much so, that they today appear as peculiar to women only. The purpose of my address to you is to help you to penetrate through the mist of the past.

Above all, the Quean has wrought a fundamental revolution in the attitude of mind towards sex. In Surah 30, verse 21, the Quran describes the relationship between husband and wife as that of companionship and love. It is a mutual feeling of restfulness and comfort. In this one verse alone the Quran has ripped off all taboos and stigmas and reinstated sex to its proper role. The woman is no longer an object for the gratification man’s lust but complementary to him.

Such are the Quranic values. Considering what the woman has undergone in the past, and is undergoing today, she has an extra responsibility for her own sake to leave no stone unturned to establish the Quranic social order, for in this social order lies her hope and her future

Hydrology or Water Cycle in Qur'an

2008-11-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Water is the basic component of each and every living organism the concept of its balance in the environment is the important point to be think. Certain old secular concepts and divine revelations are as follows:

Secular Concepts :

1. “Water could have come from the infiltration of precipitations in the soil.”
2. Under the effect of winds oceans water were drive towards the interior of the continents.
3. According to Aristotle water vapour from the soil condensed in cool mountain cave and formed underground reservoir that fed fountains.
4. In the year 1580 Palissy clarified the concept of water cycle he claimed that underground water came from rain water infiltrating into the soil, this is the most acceptable and confirmed concept.

Quranic concepts:

“ We (Allah) send down water from the sky in measure an lodged it in the ground and we certainly are able to withdraw it “ (Sura 23, 18-19 Verses) the above verses are explaining the complete water cycle i.e., water fall, penetration of water in the soil and evaporation phenomenon.

“ Allah is the one who sends forth the winds which rised up the clouds he spreads them in the sky as he wills and breaks them into the fragments then thou seest raindrops issuing from within them (Sura 30, Verse 48) "

The above verses clarify the processes of evaporation, condensation, fragmentation and rain-cycle.

“ We send for the winds that fecundate. We cause the water to descend from the sky we provide you with the water you could not be the guardian of its reserves (Sura 15, 22 Verse) “

The above Ayat gives two possible interpretations, fecundating winds may be wind pollination to fertilize the plants or role of winds which convert non-rain carrying cloud into shower of rain. With the help of above verses 18,19 and 48 we could conclude the following imaginery water cycle.

(This cycle is based on verses 18,19 and 48)

The Ayyat 18 & 22 of Sura 23 and Sura 15 respectively states that the water in the form of rain collects on earth and penetrates into the soil. We (Allah) certainly are able to withdraw it, here withdraw means evaporation of water and formation of clouds with the processes of condensation, this is carried out by winds, further water is fragemented into rain drops. With this dead land converts into living green plants. We (Allah) cause pure water to descend in order to revive a dead land (Sura 25, 48 & 49 Ayyat).

References:

1. The Holy Quran

2. Geology by Verma

Medicine and Medical Education in Islamic History

2008-11-05T17:51:00.001-08:00

MEDICAL EDUCATION
In 636 A.D., the Persian City of Jundi-Shapur, which originally meant beautiful garden, was conquered by the Muslims. Its great university and hospital were left intact. Later other Islamic medical schools were built according to the Jundi-Shapur pattern. Medical education was serious and systematic. Lectures and clinical sessions included in teaching were based on the apprentice system. The advice given by Ali ibnul-Abbas (Haly Abbas: - 994 A.D.) to medical students is as timely today as it was then2. "And of those things which were incumbent on the student of this art (medicine) are that he should constantly attend the hospitals and sick houses: pay unremitting attention to the conditions and circumstances of their inmates, stay in company with the most astute professors of medicine, and inquire frequently as to the state of the patients and symptoms apparent in them, bearing in mind what he has read about these variations, and what they indicate of good or evil."

Razi (Razes: 841-926 A.D.) advised the medical students that while they examine a patient, they should bear in mind the classic symptoms of a disease as given in textbooks and compare them with what they found".
The ablest physicians such as Razi (Al-Razes), Ibn-Sina (Avicenna: $80-1037 A.D.) and Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar: 116 A.D.) worked both as the directors and the deans of medical schools. They studied patients and prepared them for student presentation. Clinical reports of cases were written and preserved for teaching," and regular registers were maintained.
Training in Basic Science
Only Jundi-Shapur or Baghdad had separate schools for studying basic sciences. Candidates for medical study received basic preparation from private tutors through private lectures and self study. in Baghdad anatomy was taught by dissecting the apes, observing skeletal studies, and studying didactics. Other medical schools taught anatomy through lectures and illustrations. Alchemy was one of the prerequisites for admission to a medical school. The study of medicinal herbs and pharmacognosy rounded off the basic training. A number of hospitals maintained herbal gardens as a source of drugs for the patients and a means of instruction for the students.
Upon completion of the basic training, a candidate was admitted as an apprentice to a hospital where, along with a large group, he was assigned to a young physician for indoctrination, preliminary lectures, and familiarization with library procedures and uses. During this preclinical period, most of the lectures were on pharmacology and toxicology and the use of antidotes.
Clinical training
The next step was to give the student full clinical training. During this period students were assigned in small groups to famous physicians and experienced instructors, for ward rounds, discussions, lectures, and reviews. Early in this period therapeutics and pathology were taught. There was a strong emphasis on clinical instruction and some Muslim physicians contributed brilliant observations that have stood the test of time. As the students progressed in their studies they were exposed more and more to the subjects of diagnosis and judgment. Clinical observation and physical examination were stressed. Students (or clinical clerks) were asked to examine a patient and make a diagnosis of the ailment. Only after all else had failed would the professor make the diagnosis himself. While performing physical examination, the students were asked to examine and report six major factors: the patients' actions, excreta, the nature.and location of pain, and swelling and effluvia of the body. Also noted was color and feel of the skin-whether hot, cool, moist, dry, flabby. Yellowness in the whites of the eye (jaundice) and whether or not the patient could bend his back (lung disease) was also considered important.'
After a period of ward instructions, students were assigned to outpatient areas. After examining the patients, they reported their findings to the Instructors. After discussion, treatment was decided and prescribed. Patients who were too ill were admitted as inpatients. The maintenance of records for every patient was the responsibility of the students.
Curriculum
Different medical schools pursued different clinical curriculum and offered separate courses of studies, but the mainstay was usually internal medicine. Emphasis was placed on clarity and brevity in describing a disease and the separation of each eAtity. Until the time of Ibn Sina the description of meningitis was confused with acute infection accompanied by delirium. Ibn Sina described the symptoms of meningitis with such clarity and brevity that there is very little that can be added to it even after a thousand years(6). Surgery was also a part of the curriculum. After completing the prescribed course of studies, some students specialized under famous specialists, while others specialized during their clinical training. According to Elgood,6 knowledge of many surgical procedures such as amputation, excision of varicose veins, and hemorrhoids was essential. Orthopedics was widely taught, and the use of plaster of paris for casts after reduction of fractures was routinely shown to students. This method of treating fractures was rediscovered in the West in 1852. Although ophthalmology was practiced widely, it was not taught regularly in medical schools. Apprenticeship to an eye doctor was the preferred way of specializing in ophthalmology. Surgical treatment of cataract was very common. Obstetrics was left to midwives. Medical practioners consulted among themselves and with specialists Ibn Sina and Hazi both widely practiced and taught psychotherapy. After completing his medical training, every medical graduate was required to pass a licensing examination before starting his medical practice. It is important to note that there existed a Scientific Association which was formed in the hospital of Mayyafariqin to discuss the conditions and diseases of the patients.'
Licensing of Physicians
In Baghdad in 931 A.D., Caliph Al-Muqtadir learned that a patient had died as the result of a physician's error. Thereupon he ordered his chief physician, Sinan ibn Thabit bin Qurrah to examine all those who practiced the art of healing. In the first year of the decree more than 860 were examined in Baghdad alone. From that time on, licensing examinations required and administered in various places. Licensing Boards were under a government Official called Muhtasib or inspector general. Muhtasib also inspected weights and measures of traders and pharmacists. Pharmacists were employed as inspectors to inspect drugs and maintain quality control for drugs sold in a pharmacy or apothecary. The chief physician gave oral and practical examination, and if the young physician was successful, the Muhtasib administered the Hippocratic oath and Issued a license. After a thousand years, licensing Of physicians has been implemented in the West, particularly in America by the State Licensing Board Specialties such as in Medicine, Surgery, Radiology, etc. European medical schools followed the pattern set by the Islamic medical schools and even in the early nineteenth century, students at the Sorbonne could not graduate without reading Ibn Sina's Qanun (Canon). According to Razi a physician had to satisfy two conditions for selection: firstly, he was to be fully conversant with the new and the old medical literature, and secondly, he must have worked in a hospital as house physician.

HOSPITALS

The development of efficient hospitals was an outstanding contribution of Islamic medicine (7). The hospitals served all citizens free and without any regard to their color, religion, sex, age or social status. The hospitals Were run by government and their directors were physicians.
Hospitals had separate wards for male and female patients and were staffed with nursing and other ancillary staff of the same sex.Diffrent diseases such as fever, wounds, infections, mania, eye conditions, cold diseases, diarrhea, and female disorder were allocated diffeient wards. Convalescence centers were divided into separate sections. Hospitals provided patients with unlimited water supply and bathing facilities. Only qualified and licensed physicians were allowed by law to practice medicine. The hospitals were teaching hospitals to educate and train medical students. They had housing for students and house-staff,g and contained pharmacies dispensing free drugs to patients. All hospitals had their conference rooms and expensive libranes containing the most up-to-date books. According to Haddad"'· the library of the Tulum Hospital which Was founded in Cairo in 872 A.D. (1100 years ago) bad 100,000 books. Universities, cities and hospitals acquired large libraries, physicians had their own extensive personal book collections, at a time when printing was unknown and book editing was done by skilled and specialized scribes putting in long hours of manual labor. Mustansiriyya University in Baghdad contained 80,000 volumes; the library of Cordova 600,000 volumes: that of Cairo 2,000,000 and that of Tripoli 3,000,000 books.
These hospitals kept records of all their patients and their medical care, something done for the first time in medical history.
For considerations of treatment, the hospital was divided into two main departments, out- patient and in-patient departments. The in-patient depart ment differed only slightly from any modern in-patient department. At the Tulum hospital, on admission the patients were given special apparel while their clothes, money, and valuables were stored away, and returned to them at the time of their discharge. On discharge, they also received five gold pieces each to tide them over until they could support themselves.
The hospital and medical school at Damascus had elegant rooms and an extensive library. Healthy people are said to have feigned illness in order to enjoy its cuisine. There was a separate hospital in Damascus for lepers, while, in Europe, even six centuries later, lepers were condemned and burned to death by royal decree.
The Qayrawan Hospital (built in 830 A.D. in Tunisia) was character ized by its spacious wards, waiting rooms for visitors and patients, and female nurses from Sudan, the first account of nursing in Arab history. The hospital also provided facilities for performing prayers.
The Al-Adudi hospital (built in 981 A.D. in Baghdad) was furnished with the latest equipment and supplies available at the time. It had interns, residents, and 24 consultants attending its professional activities. An Abbasid minister, Ali ibn Isa, requested the court physician, Sinan ibn Thabit, to organize regular visiting of prisons by medical officers.''
At a time when Paris and London were mud streets and hovels, Baghdad, Cairo, and Cordova had hospitals which incorporated innovations which sound amazingly modern. It was chiefly in the humaneness of patient care that the Muslim hospitals excelled. Near the wards of those : afflicted with fever, fountains cooled the air; the insane were treated with gentleness; and at night music and storytelling soothed the patients."
The Bimaristans (hospitals) were of two types - the fixed and the mobile. The mobile hospitals were transported upon beasts of burden and were erected from time to time as required. The physicians in the mobile were of the same standing as those who served the regular in the hospitals. Similar mobile hospitals accompanied the armies in the field. The field hospitals were well equipped with medicaments, instruments, tents and a staff of doctors, nurses, and orderlies. The travelling clinics served the totally disabled, the disadvantaged and those in remote areas. These hospitals were also used by prisoners, and by the general public, particularly in times of epidemics.

BACTERIOLOGY
Al-Razi was asked to choose a site for a new hospital when he came to Baghdad. In order to choose the most hygienic area, he hung pieces of meat in different parts of the city and observed where they decomposed the least.
Ibn Sina stated explicitly that the bodily secretion is contaminated by foul earthly body before getting infected. Ibn Khatima stated that man Is surrounded by minute bodies whichenter the human system and cause disease.
In the middle of the fourteenth century when the "black plague" ravaged Europe and Christians stood helpless, considering it an act of God, Ibn al Khatib of Granada composed a treatise in the defense of the theory of infection in the following way.
To those who say, "How can we admit the possibility of infection while the religious law denies it?" we reply that the existence of contagion is established by experience, investigation, the evidence of the senses and trustworthy reports. These facts constitute a sound argument. The fact of infection becomes clear to the investigator who notices how he who establishes contact with the aftlicted gets the disease, whereas he who is not in contact remains safe, and how transmission is affected through garments, vessels and earrings.
Al-Razi wrote the first medical description of smallpox and measles two important infectious diseases He described the clinical difference between the two diseases so vividly that nothing since has been added.'" Ibn Sina suggested the communicable nature of tuberculosis. He is said to have been the first to describe the preparation and properties of sulfuric acid and alcohol. His recommendation of wine as the best dressing for wounds was very popular in medieval practice.(8) However Razi was the first to use silk sutures and alcohol for hemostasis.l5 He was also the first to use alcohol as an antiseptic.(2)

ANESTHESIA
Ibn Sina originated the idea of the use of oral anesthetics.(l7) He recognized opium as the most powerful mukhadir (intoxicant or drug). Less powerful anesthetics known at the time were mandragora, poppy, hemlock, hyoscyamus, deadly nightshade (belladonna), lettuce seed, and snow or ice cold water. The Arabs invented the soporific sponge which was the precursor of modern anesthesia. It was a sponge soaked with aromatics and narcotics and held to the patient's nostrils.(l7)
The use of anesthesia in Islam was one of the reasons why surgery rose to the level of an honorable profession, while in Europe, surgery was belittled and practiced by barbers and quacks. The Council of Tours in 1163 A.D. declared "Surgery is to be abandoned by the schools of medicine and by all decent physicians"(l2). Burton'" stated that "anesthetics have been used in surgery throughout the East for centuries before ether and chloroform became the fashion in civilized West."

SURGERY
Al-Razi is the first to use the seton in surgery and animal gut for sutures. Abu alQasim Khalaf Ibn Abbas Al-Zahrawi (930-1013 A.D.), known to the west as Abulcasis, Bucasis or Alzahravius, is considered to be the most famous surgeon in Islamic medicine. In his book Al- Tasrif, he described hemophilia for the first time in medical history. The book contains the description and illustration of about 200 surgical instruments many of which were devised by Zahrawi himself" In it Zahrawi stresses the importance of the study of Anatomy as a fundamental prerequisite to surgery.(l2) He advocates the reimplantation of a fallen tooth and the use of dental prosthesis carved from cow's bone, a better alternative to the wooden dentures worn by the first President of America, George Washington seven centuries later.(l5) Zahrawi appears to be the first surgeon in history to use cotton (Arabic word) in surgical dressings in the control of hemorrhage, as padding in the splinting of fractures, as a vaginal padding in the tearing of the pubis and in dentistry. He introduced the method for the removal of kidney stones by cutting into the urinary bladder. He was the first to teach the lithotomy position for vaginal operations. He described tracheotomy, distinguished between goiter and cancer of the thyroid, and explained his invention of a cauterizing iron which he also used to control bleeding. His description of varicose veins stripping, even after ten centuries, sounds almost like modern surgery." In orthopedic surgery he introduced what is called today Kocher's method of reduction of shoulder dislocation and patellectomy, thousand years before Brooke reintroduced it in 1937.(13)
Ibn Sina's description of the surgical treatment of cancer holds true even today after 1,000 years. He says the excision must be wide and bold; all veins running to the tumor must be included in the amputation. Even if this is not sufficient, then the area affected should be cauterized.(9)
The Muslim surgeons performed three types of surgery: vascular, general, and orthopedic. Ophthalmic surgery was a specialty which was quite distinct both from medicine and surgery. They freely opened the abdomen and drained the peritoneal cavity in the approved modern style. To an unnamed surgeon of Shiraz is attributed the first colostomy operation. Liver abscesses were treated by puncture and exploration. Today surgeons all over the world practice and use several surgical procedures first introduced by Zahrawi a thousand years ago.(25)
MEDICINE

One of the most brilliant contribution to medicine was made by AlRazi who differentiated between smallpox and measles, two diseases that were hitherto thought to be one single disease.'" He is credited with many contributions: he was the first to describe true distillation, glass retorts and luting, corrosive sublimate, arsenic, copper sulfate, iron sulfate, saltpeter, and borax in the treatment of diseases." He introduced mercury compounds as purgatives (after testing them on monkeys); mercurial ointments and lead ointment." His interest in urology focused on problems involving urination, venereal disease, renal abscess, and renal and vesical calculi.(28) He described hay-fever or allergic rhinitis.
Among other Arab contributions to medicine are included the discovery of itch mite of scabies (Ibn Zuhr), anthrax, ankylostoma and the guineaworm by Ibn Sina, and sleeping sickness by Qalqashandy.(l3) They described abscess of the mediastinum. They also understood tuberculosis and pericarditis.(7)

Al Ash'ath demonstrated gastric physiology by pouring water into the mouth of an anesthetized lion and showed the distensibility and movements of the stomach, preceding Beaumont by about a thousand years(l3). Abu Sahl al-Masihi explained that the absorption of food takes place more through the intestines than the stomach.(l0) Ibn Zuhr introduced artificial feeding either by gastric tube or by nutrient enema.(l3) Using the stomach tube, the Arab physicians performed gastric lavage in case of poisoning.(l0) Ibn Al-Nafis was the first to discover pulmonary circulation.
Ibn Sina in his masterpiece Al-Qanun (Canon), containing over a million words, described complete studies of physiology, pathology and hygiene. He specifically discoursed upon breast cancer, poisons, diseases of the skin, rabies, insomnia, childbirth and the use of obstetrical forceps, meningitis, amnesia, stomach ulcers, tuberculosis as a contagious dixax, facial ties, phlebotomy, tumors, kidney diseases and geriatric care. He defined love as a mental disease.

OPHTHALMOLOGY

The Arab physicians exhibited a high degree of proficiency and certainly were foremost in the treatment of eye diseases. Words such as retina and cataract are of Arabic origin. In ophthalmology and optics Ibn al Haytham (965-1039 A.D.) known to the West as Alhazen wrote the Optical Thesaurus from which such worthies as Roger Bacon, Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Kepler drew theories for their own writings. In his Thesaurus he showed that light falls on the retina in the same manner as it falls on a #urface in a darkened room through a small aperture, thus conclusively qroving that vision happens when light rays pass from objects towards the eye and not from the eye towards the object as thought by the Greeks. He experiments for testing the angles of incidence and reflection, and a theoretical proposal for magnifying lens (made in Italy three centuries later). He also taught that the image made on the retina is conveyed along the optic nerve to the brain. Razi was the first to recognize the reaction of the pupil to light, and Ibn Sina was the first to describe the exact number of extrinsic muscles of the eyeball, namely six. The greatest contribution of Islamic medicine in practical ophthalmology was in the matter of cataract. The most significant development in the extraction of cataract was developed by Ammar bin All of Mosul, who introduced a hollow metallic needle through the sclerotic and extracted the lens by suction. Europe rediscovered this in the nineteenth century.

PHARMACOLOGY
Pharmacology took roots in Islam during the 9th century. Yuhanna bin Masawayh (777- 857 A.D.) started scientific and systematic applications of therapeutics in the Abbasid capital. His student Hunayn bin Ishaq al-Ibadi (809-874 A.D.) and his associates established solid foundations of Arabic medicine and therapeutics in the ninth century. In his book al-Masail Hunayn outlined methods for confirming the pharmacological effectiveness of drugs by experimenting \vith them on humans. He also explained the Importance of prognosis and diagnosis of diseases for better and more effective treatment.
Pharmacy became an independent and separate profession from medicine and alchemy.)" With the wild sprouting of apothecary shops, regulations became necessar~ and were imposed to maintain quality control.(ll) The Arabian apothecary shops were regularly inspected by a syndic (Muhtasib) who threatened the merehants with humiliating corporal punishments if they adulterated drugs." As early as the days of al-Mamun and alMutasim pharmacists had to pass examinations to become licensed professionals and were pledged to follow the physician's prescriptions. Also by this decree, restrictive measures were legally placed upon doctors, preventing them from owning or holding stock in a pharmacy.

Methods of extracting and preparing medicines were brought to a high art, and their techniques of distillation, crystallization, solution, sublimation, reduction and calcination became the essential processes of pharmacy and chemistry. With the help of these techniques, the Saydalanis (pharmacists) introduced new drugs such as camphor, senna, sandalwood, rhubarb, musk, myrrh, cassia, tamarind, nutmeg, alum, aloes, cloves, coconut, nux vomlca, cubebs, aconite, ambergris and mercury.(g) The important role of the Muslims in developing modern pharmacy and chemistry is memorialized in the significant number of current pharmaceutical and chemical terms derived from Arabic: drug, alkali, alcohol, aldehydes, alembic, and elixir among others, not to mention syrups and juleps. They invented flavoring extracts made of rose water, orange blossom water, orange and lemon peel, tragacanth and otheraromatic ingredients. Space does not permit me to list the contributions to pharmacology and therapeutics, made by Razi, Zahrawi, Biruni, Ibn Butlan, and Tamimi.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

From freckle lotion to psychotherapy - such was the range of treatment practiced by the physicians ofIslam. Though freckles continue to sprinkle the skin of 20th century man, in the realm of psychosomatic disorders, both Al-Razi and Ibn Sina achieved dramatic results, antedating Freud and Jung by at least a thousand years.(l5) When Razi was appointed physician- inchief to the Baghdad Hospital, he devoted a ward exclusively for the mentally ill making it the first hospital ever to have such a ward."
Al-Razi combined psychological methods and physiological explanations, and he used psychotherapy in a dynamic fashion. Al-Razi was once called in to treat a famous caliph who had severe arthritis. He advised a hot bath, and while the caliph was bathing, Razi threatened him with a knife, saying he was going to kill him. This deliberate provocation increased the natural caloric, enhanced its strength, and consequently dissolved the already softened humors, so that the caliph stood up in the bath and ran after A1-Razi.
The Arabs brought a refreshing spirit of dispassionate clarity into psychiatry. They were free from the demonological theories which swept over the Christian world and were therefore able to make clearcut clinical observations about the mental diseases."
Najab ud din Muhammad," a contemporary of Al-Razi, has left many excellent descriptions of various mental diseases. His carefully compiled observations about the patients made up the most complete classification of mental diseases theretofore known.(39) Najab described agitated depression, obsessional types of neurosis, Nafkhae hrlalikholia (combined priapism and sexual impotence). Kutrib (a form of persecutory psychosis), Dual-Kulb (a form of mania).(40)
Ibn Sina recognized 'physiological psychology' in treating illnesses involving emotions. From the clinical perspective Ibn Sina developed a system for associating changes in the pulse rate with inner feelings which has been viewed as predating the word association test of Jung. He is said to have treated a seriously ill patient by feeling the patient's pulse and reciting aloud to him the names of provinces, districts, towns, streets, and people. By noticing how the patient's pulse quickened when names were mentioned. Ibn Sina deduced that the patient was in love with a girl whose home Ibn Sina was able to locate by the digital examination. The man took Ibn Sina's advice, married the girl, and recovered from his illness.
It is not surprising to know that at Fez, Morocco, an asylum for the mentally ill had been built early in the 8th century, and mental asylums were also built by the Arabs in Baghdad in 705 A.D., in Cairo in 800 A.D., and in Damascus and Aleppo in 1270 A.D.40 I, addition to baths, drugs, kind and benevolent treatment given to the mentally ill, musico-therapy and occupational therapy were also employed. These therapies were highly developed. Special choirs and live music bands played daily to entertain the patients by singing, music, and other light-hearted performances.(l3)

The Woman as Feminine Being

2008-11-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Islam has always appreciated the femininity of the woman and regarded her as playing a role integral to that of the man, and similarly regarded the man as playing a role integral to that of the woman. Neither is a foe, adversary or a competitor to the other. Rather, each is a help to the other in attaining the relative perfection of his or her person and each's whole sex.

Allah's ordering of the universe makes binary existence one of its characteristics. This principle is manifested in the presence of male and female in the animate world of man, beast and plant, and the presence of negative and positive in the inanimate world with its phenomena of magnetism, electricity and others. Even in the atom, there are positive and negative charges, that is, the proton and the electron. The Qur'an, revealed fourteen hundred years ago, makes an explicit reference to the fact: "And of everything We have created pairs, that you may remember". [Surah 51:49]

Men and women are, so to speak, like a can and its lid, a unity that comprises the thing and its counterpart; one does not exist without the other. When Allah created the first human soul, Adam, He also created from it its counterpart, Eve, so that he would settle and find peace with her. The Almighty did not leave Adam alone, not even (self sufficient enough) in Heaven. Allah's discourse, whether in the form of prohibition or command, was addressed to both of them: "Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimun (wrongdoers)". [Surah 2:35]

What all this comes to is that the woman is different from the man, for she complements him and he her. A thing does not complement itself. The Qur'an emphasises that difference: " And the male is not like the female". [Surah 3:36] They are as unlike as positive and negative. Yet the difference does not mean that they are adversaries in any sense. They arise from each other and are for each other: "you are from one another" [Surah 4:25] , and "And Allah has given you wives of your own kind". [Surah 4:25]

Allah's wisdom has also ordained that the physical and psychological construction of the woman should carry elements that enable her to attract and be attracted by the man. Fundamental to this purpose was Allah's equipment of the female with an instinctive desire and a strong natural passion that leads to their mutual attraction and communion so that life would continue and generations would spring forth.

Therefore, Islam disapproves of systems that clash with this instinctive nature or render it ineffective, such as the system of monasticism. By no means, however, does this reflect acceptance of the channelling of this energy in the wrong direction, that is, outside divinely-sanctioned marriage which forms the basis of the family. Thus Islam, as do all other revealed religions, prohibits adultery as well as all forms of licentiousness whether they be visible or invisible. Islam has filled in all the gaps that could lead to these acts, thus providing protection for men and women from all factors of seduction and lust.

On the basis of the instinctive nature of the woman and the need for a healthy and proper atmosphere for her relationship with the man, Islam has set its codes for the woman as well as all the other relevant codes, instructions and rules. To guard her femininity and acknowledge its needs so as not to repress it, is what Islam is after. It tries to create a barrier between the woman and degradation, to protect her from the human wolves and predators who chase her into their lairs, devour her and discard the despoiled remains.

We can give a rough summation of Islam's attitude to femininity as follows:

1- Islam protects femininity to keep the stream of tenderness and beauty running. For this reason some of the things that men are forbidden to do are permissible for women. So the woman can wear gold and pure silk; hence the Hadith, "These two (substances) are prohibited for the men of my nation and allowed for its women". [Transmitted by Ibn Majah on the authority of Ali (3595), Hadith Sahih.] The permission to use things that suit women is supported by forbidding them from handling things that go against their femininity, such as men's wear, movement and behaviour in general. A woman is not to wear a man's garment; a man is not to wear a woman's garment. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) says: "Allah condemns the man who dresses like a woman and the woman who dresses like a man". [ Transmitted by Abu Huraira, Abu Dawud (4098); and Ahmad 2/325; and Ibn Hibban (1904); and others.] For men to behave like women and women to behave like men is equally condemned by Alkib. Again the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) says, "Three (kinds of people) do not enter Paradise and do not enjoy Allah's gaze upon them on Judgement Day: a son who is disobedient to his parents, a mannish woman and an adulterer. [ Transmitted by Ahmad lbn Umar and approved by Sheikh Shaker as Sahih (1680); and Al-Nisa'i 5/80; and Al-Hakim 1/72 and others.]

2- Islam supports femininity in view of its relative weakness, placing it in the hands of a supporting man, securing the costs of living and the provision for her needs. Whether under the guardian care of her father, her husband, her son or her brother, she will be provided for by them as an obligation under the shar'a. No basic need should compel her then to wade in the unexplored stretches of life with its conflicts, within the hustle of competitive men to win her bread-something that has befallen the Western woman under severe necessity in which neither father, brother, son or uncle look after her. The result is that she has to accept any kind of work for whatever payment in order to survive.

3- Allah's Religion protects her morals and decency, guards her reputation and dignity, and defends her chastity against evil thoughts and tongues, and tries to foil tempting hands that seek to harm her. In order to achieve these noble objectives, Islam makes it incumbent on the woman to lower the eyes and preserve chastity and purity.

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts etc)". [Surah 24:31]

Preserve a decent, unrevealing manner of dress and ornamentation, all without being oppressive towards her. "and not to show off their adornment except that which is apparent and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (we. their bodies, faces, necks, and bosoms, etc.) " [ Surah 24:31] The visible or apparent ornament that the verse refers to has been interpreted to be inclusive of kohl, the finger ring, the face, the two hands and, some exegetes and jurisprudents establish, the two feet. [ At the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him). it was customary for some women to cover their face. The flexibility of Islam allows the woman the option of covering her face or not. (editor's note)]

Cover the other attractions that do not show, such as the hair, neck and throat, arms and legs, from all people except her husband, and her consanguineous, non-marriageable relations or mahrim [ Those persons whom the woman is forbidden to marry because of the proximity of the relation. (editor's note)] (brothers, uncles etc.) whom she finds it hard to hide these afrom. "and not to reveal heir adornment except to their husbands, fathers, their husband`s fathers, their sons, their husband's sons, 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 vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex". [Surah 24:31]

Maintain staidness in gait and speech. "And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment". [Surah 24:31] and" if you keep your duty (to Allah), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy or evil desire for adultery, etc.) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner. [Surah 33:32]

Therefore she is not (as some wrongly understand) forbidden to speak; nor is her voice a shameful thing to show. On the contrary. She is commanded in the Quran to speak in good faith.

Be above all acts meant to excite and tempt men in a way reminiscent of the showiness of Pre-Qur'anic ignorance or Jahiliyya. or in the manner of modern jahiliyya. This showiness contradicts the conduct of a decent woman.
Avoid being in seclusion with a man who is neither a husband nor a non-marriageable relation, so as to keep a barrier between herself or the other man and all thoughts of sin, and between her good name and false rumours. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) says, "No man should be in seclusion with a woman and no woman should travel except with a non-marriageable relation," or her husband of course.
Avoid male gatherings except on the grounds of necessity or an appreciable interest and only to the necessity or limit. Attending the congregational prayers in the mosque, seeking learning, co-operation in charity and promotion of piety are fields in which a woman's presence with men is accepted so that she will not be deprived of her right to participate in serving her community, and only on condition that she observes the limits of the Islamic code on social life.

With these directions and regulations, Islam provides safety for the woman and her femininity from impious tongues; it preserves her decency and chastity by distancing her from all factors of deviation. Islam guards her honour against the slurs of slanderers and spreaders of calumny. Above all, it protects her soul and calms her nerves against the tension, instability and trepidation that spring from wild imaginations or obsessed hear torn between the factors of agitation and excitement. At the same time, islam protects the man from anxiety and aberration, the family from disintegration, and the society from collapse and decay.

The Hunt of Thought (Sayd Al-Khatir)

2008-11-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

by Ibn Al-Jawzi
The wisdom behind delaying the answer for a supplication

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It is puzzling your insistence on asking for your desires and when ever they were delayed your insistence increase without thinking that your are not granted what you ask for because of:

1. Your benefit (for what you have asked could be a harm to you in a way)
2. Your sins (for the sinner's prayers are not answered).

If it was the second reason, you will have to clear the path of answering from the stains of sins. If it was the first reason then look at what you ask for:

Is it to strengthen your religion, or just a plain earthly desire? If it was only an earthly desire, then know that it is the kindness and the mercy of Allah that delayed it for you, and by your insistence, you are like a child that asks for what harms him and he is denied that for his own good. And if you think that what you asked for is for the benefit of your religion then your benefit could be in delaying it, or the well-being of your faith is by the nonexistence of it.

In other words, the planning of the Truth the Almighty (Allah) is better for you than your own planing, and He could deprive you from what you ask to test your patience. So let Him see from you a determined patience and you will soon see from Him what will give you joy. And when you have cleaned the paths of answering (of supplication) from the stains of sin and was patient about what He has chosen for you, then every thing that happens to you is better for you weather you were given or deprived of what you have requested