… Continued
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not leave out women in his farewell speech; he said: “Fear Allah in your dealings with women, for they are entrusted to you.”[Muslim] This shows how Islam honoured the woman as a mother, wife and daughter, taking care of her from her birth until her death. Moreover, Islam protected her body and made it unlawful to be looked at, at a time when it was openly on display for all to see. Islam also gave her the right to inherit and be educated, and it made her equal to man in worship, religious obligations and rewards. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, and has faith – We will surely cause them to live a good life}[Quran, 16: 97]Women’s rights in Islam do not come in the form of deceitful, hollow theories and conventions. One needs to read the biographies of the believing women like Khadeejah, Sumayyah, Asmaa’, ‘Aa’ishah, Hafsahand Al-Khansaa’, may Allah be pleased with them all, who were living examples and brilliant role-models. Islam elevated the status of the woman, purified her soul, reformed her behavior and made her objectives and wishes far more dignified and honourable than what they were prior to Islam.
The actions of the believing women throughout history will eternally be remembered as clear proofs and real evidence of their dignity and status in Islam. Those who claim to be reformers, leading women to ‘enlightenment’ and accusing those who want to preserve the chastity of women as being stupid, old-fashioned and narrow-minded when in fact there is deviation and irrationality in thinking, and perversion from human-nature and in their methodologies and motives. These people are only working to deprive women of their dignity, chastity, and honor so as to ultimately render her valueless.
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “I have left with you that which if you adhere to, you will never be misguided - the Book of Allah.”[Muslim]Allah The Almighty created man and He knows that his ultimate happiness and contentment lies in his adherence to the Quran and Sunnah (Prophetic traditions).
Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
· {Indeed this Quran guides to that which is most suitable}[Quran, 17: 9]This means that the Quran will guide to that which is best in dealings, financial transactions, judicial laws, politics, economics, finance, education, upbringing and morals.
· {We have omitted nothing from the Book}[Quran, 6: 38]
· {And to Allah belongs all honour, and to His Messenger, and to the believers}[Quran, 63: 8]Those who wish to achieve peace and security will find the solution in the Quran; Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {It is those who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice – those will have security}[Quran, 6: 82]Those who want a flourishing economy and prosperity will achieve it by following the instructions in the Quran. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {If only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened (i.e. bestowed) upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth}[Quran, 7: 96] For those who seeks power, the Quran instructs the Islamic state to acquire and prepare the necessary weapons and equipment. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy}[Quran, 8: 60] The Quran also lays the foundation for the protection of human rights and the preservation of human dignity. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {We have certainly honoured the children of Aadam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with (definite) preference}[Quran, 17: 70]
The Salaf (righteous predecessors) were leaders of guidance; they took it upon themselves to live by and adhere to the teachings of Quran. Consequently, they were able to establish a just and religiously-observant Islamic state. However, when the Muslims abandoned those important morals and teachings, they disintegrated into groups that cursed and fought one another. This was something that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam warned against in his speech, saying:“Do not go back to disbelief after my death by killing one another.”[Al-Bukhari, Muslim]The Khutbah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is a call to the Muslim nation to re-evaluate itself and to respond to the call of the last of all the messengers.