Green Elephant Turning Grey

“The first thing you will lose of your religion will be Khushoo and the last thing you will lose of your religion will be the prayer, and it is well possible that there is no good in a person who prays; and soon will come a time when you shall enter a large Masjid and not see a single person with Khushoo.”

Umar ibn al-Khattab

Originally found on: islamic-dawaah

Ramadan Reinspired: Day Ten

Many men think that housework is beneath them, and some of them think that it will undermine their status and position if they help the womenfolk at home. This was not the attitude of best man to ever walk on the face of this earth - Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SWS).

Helping your wife with the household chores is a much neglected Sunnah. When Aisha, the beloved wife of the Prophet (SWS) was asked “What did the Prophet (SWS) do in his house?” She replied, “He used to keep himself busy serving his family and when it was the time for prayer he would go for it.” (Bukhari)

If the Prophet (SWS) being the most the important man in the world did not find these things too feminine for him to do, then what about us? It is no wonder that he said, “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.” (Tirmidhi)

The argument these people use begins with a verse of the Quran. In Surah al-Ahzab, Allah (swt) says:

يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ ۚ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَّعْرُوفًا

O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech. [Surah Al-Ahzab: 32 Sahih International]

Those who argue that women’s public speaking is a fitna or that the woman’s voice is awrah use the word  تَخْضَعْنَ to argue their point. They translate this word to mean “to be soft of speech” and say that a woman’s speech is naturally soft, and therefore  anything she says could lure a man. Thus, she must not speak publicly in order to obey Allah (swt). However, the word تَخْضَعْنَ comes from a root word that means to submit, defer, yield, or surrender. So one would draw the conclusion that the women addressed in this particular ayah are told not to be submissive in their speech, but rather be firm or direct, which implies they will be speaking, not remaining silent.

Furthermore, this ayah specifically addresses the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) by saying “لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ” (you are not like anyone among women). The first three words of the ayah are literally يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ, which means, “Oh wives of the Prophet.” It describes The Mothers of the Believers directly because they serve as examples and have more direct guidance than anyone else. Because there were so many people in Medina looking to start any kind of scandal against the Prophet (pbuh) and those near to him, Allah (swt) is warning the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) by telling them that if they speak in a manner that is not straightforward, waswasa (whispering) of the shaytan may happen to the men they address. Ibn Kathir comments on this ayah and says that as long as a woman is not actually trying to be alluring in her speech, she should be able to speak publicly as she wishes.

There are several examples of women speaking or addressing men in the Quran, including the Queen of Sheba [Surah an-Naml ayat 29-35] and the women who addressed Musa (as) [Surah al-Qasas ayat 23-25]. There is also an ayah in Surah al-Mujadala that specifically addresses an interaction the Prophet (pbuh) had with a woman:

قَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِي تُجَادِلُكَ فِي زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ

Certainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you, [O Muhammad], concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah . And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing. [Surah Mujadala: 1 Sahih International]

The woman spoke in front of the Prophet (pbuh) to bring a complaint about her husband. Rather than condemning her speech or saying she should not speak to a non-Mahram man, Allah (swt) said that He heard her and was responding to her. He did not forbid her from speaking; rather, he validated her complaints. Hadith of Umar: There was a woman who got up and asked him why he wasn’t giving them their dowerys when Allah allows a kintar, which is a lot of money. And she was told she was right, not that her voice is awrah.

There are also hundreds of women speakers and scholars who existed classically, many who were the teachers of some of the greatest scholars of Islam. A'isha bint Sad ibn Abi Waqqas had students who included Imam Malik. Sayyida Nafisa, the great-great granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammed was a well-known scholar who taught Imam Shafii. Umm Darda, a great Tabiiyyah, used to teach for six months out of the year iin the mosque of Damascus and the other six months in Masjed al-Aqsa. Her ahadeeth are in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Nasaii, and Al Mustadrak of Imam Hanbal. Men who attended her classes include the Umayyad Khalif, Abdul Malik Marwan. Despite being incredibly pious and learned, being compared to Saaid Ibn Musayyab in his knowledge of fiqh and hadith, Umm Darda was the one he went to further his education from.  Amrah bint Abdur Rahman who was a jurist, mufti, and a hadith specialist from who taught both Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz and Imam Zuhri, who also encouraged people to go to her in order to learn hadith.

Fatima bint Ibrahim [died in the year 711], a teacher of Imam Thahabi and Imam Subqi from Damascus studied Sahih Bukhari under Hussein Ibn Warak al Zubaidi. After performing a hajj and visiting Medina, scholars of Medina requested that she teach in the mosque of the Prophet (pbuh). One of her students said that she taught next to the grave of the Prophet (pbuh). She would write ijazahs in her own hand in the most holy mosque.

There are even examples of women who simply worked in places where men were dominant. Al Shifaa bin Abdullah al Adawiyyah from banu Adi was appointed as supervisor of the market of Medina by Umar bin Khattab. She would see if businesses were halal and haram, so she would travel around. Similarly, Subayya Al Salamiyyah was appointed by Umar bin Khattab to command good and forbid evil from the society. Also during the time of the caliphate of Umar Bin Khattab, when the Battle of Yarmuk happened between Romans and Muslims, there were thirteen female companions fighting. It is mentioned in Ibn Khuzaymah that one of these women killed over twenty men. Umar Bin Khattab did not stop these women from fighting in the battlefield.

Again, these are only a few of hundreds of examples of classical female scholars who spoke and addressed both males and females.