The 'Burying' Of Muslim Women in the Modern World
The burying of Muslim women “For what sin was she buried?” This ayah in Surah at-Takwir brings to mind images of little girls being burie...
https://www.newshelm.name.ng/2015/01/the-burying-of-muslim-women-in-modern.html
The burying of Muslim women
“For what sin was she buried?”
This ayah in Surah at-Takwir brings to mind images of little girls being buried under the Earth, by the very people who were meant to keep her alive. Allah and His prophet eradicated such a vile injustice towards His creation with this succinct perfect verse, damning the practice of female infanticide. We, as a people, who also know of this practice in it’s current form in some parts of the world; thank Allaah that such a practice is no longer common among us.
Or is it?
Until I attended a lecture by Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi – an Islamic scholar and author of 25 books ranging from fiqh, hadith and Arabic language – I was convinced that such a practice of burying girls alive was no longer relevant to the current atmosphere within the ever growing Muslim diaspora. But then the Sheikh made a statement that could only wake me up further to a truth, which should be the wisdom of learned men.
He said that this ayaah is still very much relevant today. Because little girls are still being buried. Though no longer was this physically enacted- their minds, their efforts, their contributions, their very souls are being buried under the rubble of misogyny, misguided fatwas, and discrimination.
Reading the book Muhaddithaat by Dr. Nadwi in which he collected the accounts of women scholars in Islaam- a book as a result of 15 years of research- you are shown a world that no longer exists. At all. The semblance of this world is so far from our minds ,it feels fictitious. A world where women were respected for their contribution to the most important force on Earth- the religion of Allaah. This covered a dearth of knowledge and thinking.They were not barred from teaching in the masjid- let alone barred from entering them!
Their opinions were heard, respected and accepted- even by the head of the judiciary court. Amatur ibn Abdur Rahman – she was considered one of the best muhaddithah (muhaddith refers to a specialist who profoundly knows and narrates hadeeth) of her time- once corrected the ruling of a Qadi (Judge) when he sentenced a Christian man to hand amputation though he had stolen less than one quarter of a dinar. The Qadi accepted her knowledge of hukm derived from the hadeeth and reversed his ruling.
According to Dr. Nadwi, 1/3rd of religion of Allaah was taught, preserved and passed down by the women.
Fatima bint Ibrahim (d.711 hijri) from Damascus studied the hadeeth from the best muhaddith at that time; Zabilee .He taught Sahih al-Bukhari in the Prophet’s mosque twice. Men and women travelled far and wide to attend his class. After his death, Fatima Ibn Ibrahim was asked to teach Sahih Bukhari- the most important source of legislation after the Quran. In it are rulings on personal, family matters, ascending to matters of the state. She taught men and women alike sitting opposite the burial site of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalaam. Its significance? She sat where her teacher once sat.
Muslim women in the current reality of the world seem forced into one of the two worlds – one dominated by the West where her identity as a Muslim is buried under the pressure of ridicule and hostility for little more than her dress. They have no desire for her to succeed, though claiming otherwise, for how could they continue with their narrative of her robed oppression. Or the other world dominated by Muslim men where her identity can be hidden behind a wall of grumbling disapproval, set off by religious unchecked edicts confining her to her face veil and her ability to achieve paradise only through pleasing others.
Both extremes are so far beyond the history of her place in Islam – one could easily believe one needs the other in order to give them respective oxygen.
But of course, these women raise generation after generation. And it would not be too far-fetched a claim to assert that this exact ‘burial’ of women has contributed heavily to our demise in our lands fueling corruption, confusion and ignorance. And no doubt is one of the tragedies of our time when we speak of being in a declined state. So I wonder, how can this same revival of Islam, also perpetuate this element of decline? Why is the culture of misogyny still passed down to our sons by those charged with telling the whole story of Islam and its glory?
According to Dr. Nadwi- this will only change once Muslim men start to change their attitude towards women and start to emulate the Prophet and the Rightly Guided Caliphs in how they gave respect and position to women. It saddens me that other men cannot see this truth also.
In my mind this requires education of men from a young age of what a woman is and what her role in this world must be. Just like a man’s role is not only confined in taking care of his wife and children- so too for a woman.
The ahadeeth on the role of a woman as a wife and mother are highlighted so often by our shuyukh that we believe there are no other roles of women. What purpose would this serve if it is not done within context of the whole picture. How many times have we heard from shuyukh the story of Umm Haram- the companion of the Prophet who asked to join the naval expedition?
Even though they were in the middle of Arabia, far away from sea, it was her insight that led her to believe that Islaam will spread and a naval army will be formed. Her desire was to join one and asked the prophet if her dream will come true. He did not question her desires, or tell her that her place is at home. Instead he made her joyous informing her that her dream will come true. She later on married who eventually became a commander of the first naval army of the Muslims and she accompanied him! Now today, if a Muslim woman desires to do anything beyond her home and household duties- she is discouraged and even shunned in some communities. She has become invisible.
Buried.
Until the Muslim world recognises that you can’t build a nation by keeping half of it in a state of ignorance and lethargy – we will remain in this state.
“To educate a man is to educate an individual, but to educate a woman is to educate a whole nation.” -Malcolm X –
Nada Umm Nour
Sultanah Parvin
“For what sin was she buried?”
This ayah in Surah at-Takwir brings to mind images of little girls being buried under the Earth, by the very people who were meant to keep her alive. Allah and His prophet eradicated such a vile injustice towards His creation with this succinct perfect verse, damning the practice of female infanticide. We, as a people, who also know of this practice in it’s current form in some parts of the world; thank Allaah that such a practice is no longer common among us.
Or is it?
Until I attended a lecture by Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi – an Islamic scholar and author of 25 books ranging from fiqh, hadith and Arabic language – I was convinced that such a practice of burying girls alive was no longer relevant to the current atmosphere within the ever growing Muslim diaspora. But then the Sheikh made a statement that could only wake me up further to a truth, which should be the wisdom of learned men.
He said that this ayaah is still very much relevant today. Because little girls are still being buried. Though no longer was this physically enacted- their minds, their efforts, their contributions, their very souls are being buried under the rubble of misogyny, misguided fatwas, and discrimination.
Reading the book Muhaddithaat by Dr. Nadwi in which he collected the accounts of women scholars in Islaam- a book as a result of 15 years of research- you are shown a world that no longer exists. At all. The semblance of this world is so far from our minds ,it feels fictitious. A world where women were respected for their contribution to the most important force on Earth- the religion of Allaah. This covered a dearth of knowledge and thinking.They were not barred from teaching in the masjid- let alone barred from entering them!
Their opinions were heard, respected and accepted- even by the head of the judiciary court. Amatur ibn Abdur Rahman – she was considered one of the best muhaddithah (muhaddith refers to a specialist who profoundly knows and narrates hadeeth) of her time- once corrected the ruling of a Qadi (Judge) when he sentenced a Christian man to hand amputation though he had stolen less than one quarter of a dinar. The Qadi accepted her knowledge of hukm derived from the hadeeth and reversed his ruling.
According to Dr. Nadwi, 1/3rd of religion of Allaah was taught, preserved and passed down by the women.
Fatima bint Ibrahim (d.711 hijri) from Damascus studied the hadeeth from the best muhaddith at that time; Zabilee .He taught Sahih al-Bukhari in the Prophet’s mosque twice. Men and women travelled far and wide to attend his class. After his death, Fatima Ibn Ibrahim was asked to teach Sahih Bukhari- the most important source of legislation after the Quran. In it are rulings on personal, family matters, ascending to matters of the state. She taught men and women alike sitting opposite the burial site of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalaam. Its significance? She sat where her teacher once sat.
Muslim women in the current reality of the world seem forced into one of the two worlds – one dominated by the West where her identity as a Muslim is buried under the pressure of ridicule and hostility for little more than her dress. They have no desire for her to succeed, though claiming otherwise, for how could they continue with their narrative of her robed oppression. Or the other world dominated by Muslim men where her identity can be hidden behind a wall of grumbling disapproval, set off by religious unchecked edicts confining her to her face veil and her ability to achieve paradise only through pleasing others.
Both extremes are so far beyond the history of her place in Islam – one could easily believe one needs the other in order to give them respective oxygen.
But of course, these women raise generation after generation. And it would not be too far-fetched a claim to assert that this exact ‘burial’ of women has contributed heavily to our demise in our lands fueling corruption, confusion and ignorance. And no doubt is one of the tragedies of our time when we speak of being in a declined state. So I wonder, how can this same revival of Islam, also perpetuate this element of decline? Why is the culture of misogyny still passed down to our sons by those charged with telling the whole story of Islam and its glory?
According to Dr. Nadwi- this will only change once Muslim men start to change their attitude towards women and start to emulate the Prophet and the Rightly Guided Caliphs in how they gave respect and position to women. It saddens me that other men cannot see this truth also.
In my mind this requires education of men from a young age of what a woman is and what her role in this world must be. Just like a man’s role is not only confined in taking care of his wife and children- so too for a woman.
The ahadeeth on the role of a woman as a wife and mother are highlighted so often by our shuyukh that we believe there are no other roles of women. What purpose would this serve if it is not done within context of the whole picture. How many times have we heard from shuyukh the story of Umm Haram- the companion of the Prophet who asked to join the naval expedition?
Even though they were in the middle of Arabia, far away from sea, it was her insight that led her to believe that Islaam will spread and a naval army will be formed. Her desire was to join one and asked the prophet if her dream will come true. He did not question her desires, or tell her that her place is at home. Instead he made her joyous informing her that her dream will come true. She later on married who eventually became a commander of the first naval army of the Muslims and she accompanied him! Now today, if a Muslim woman desires to do anything beyond her home and household duties- she is discouraged and even shunned in some communities. She has become invisible.
Buried.
Until the Muslim world recognises that you can’t build a nation by keeping half of it in a state of ignorance and lethargy – we will remain in this state.
“To educate a man is to educate an individual, but to educate a woman is to educate a whole nation.” -Malcolm X –
Nada Umm Nour
Sultanah Parvin
