Women of Islam: Divinely Fortified Pillars of Strength

[hijab flutter ~ MuslimMatters]

فَأَجَاءهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا

“Allah has heard the saying of her that disputes with you (Muhammad) concerning her husband, and complains unto Allah. And Allah hears what you both have to say. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower.”

[Quran - 58:1]

The backdrop of Surah Al-Mujadilah is a very interesting one. It tells us how once a Muslim wife directly approached the Prophet Muhammad [صَلَى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم], complaining to him of the dhihaar which her husband had pronounced on her earlier. According to Arab custom in those days, dhihaar constituted a divorce initiated by a sentence spoken by a (usually enraged) husband to his wife: “You are to me like my mother’s back”, which obviously implied that he’d no longer give her, her conjugal rights or financial support. This left a wife dangling, and though her husband could proceed to marry another wife, she had no hope for marrying another.

The woman whose husband divorced her, then wanted her back:

This lady was Khaulah Bint Tha’labah [may Allah be pleased with her], and to this day she is respected for being the woman whose appeal for justice was heard and responded by Allah. This is because the Quran itself testifies to how Allah heard her complaint. A little analysis of the Arabic words:

سَمِعَ اللَّهُ - Sami’Allahu: Muslims recite these two words as a start of the phrase uttered when standing back up from rukoo in salah. In the verse above, it means, simply and empathetically, that Allah heard her.

تُجَادِلُكَ - Tujaadiluka: “The woman who was altercating with you” – the word meaning of the root – ja-da-la – is provided directly from Edward William Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon

The reason for going into the depth of this word by consulting this lexicon is to enable the readers to imagine the way Khaulah Bint Tha’labah was “presenting her case” to the Prophet Muhammad [صَلَى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم]. Certainly, suffice it to say that her guts are admirable indeed. Not the typical, stereotypical picture of the oppressed Muslim woman under a cloth shuttlecock, is it?

تَشْتَكِى - Tushtakee: She was complaining.

[And to think how often women are criticized for "nagging"!]

Incidentally, this Surah is known as both Al-Mujadalah as well as Al-Mujadilah. If it were read as “mujadalah“, it would mean, “pleading and arguing”, and if it were read as “mujadilah“, it would mean “the woman who pleaded and argued.” Both cases apply to the incident that happened as a backdrop of its revelation.

Khaulah Bint Tha’labah could have stayed at home crying about her fate, resigning herself to it after her husband proclaimed dhihaar on her and left. Something, however, made her get up to go appeal to the Prophet [صَلَى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم] directly. The three words Allah has used in the verse above – disputing, complaining, and mutual conversation – followed by the admission that He was listening to her, indicate that what she did was admirable and praiseworthy, not dissident or rebellious.

The word تُجَادِلُكَ implies that Khaulah was eloquent and confident in setting forth her case, as the lexicon proves. I think this verse of the Quran is ample proof of the fact that if the husband is persistently wrong or oppressive in a certain way towards his wife, she has the right to complain about him to a higher authority, who can set matters aright.

Cut to the present, and the rampant incidents of domestic abuse that women suffer the world over, make dhihaarpale in comparison. It is normal for husbands and wives to argue and fight sometimes, yet in some cases, when extreme lines are crossed, insults and verbal altercation can pave the way for physical abuse. Each case is different and one solution cannot apply to each, unless the particular circumstances are taken into account first.

“This flame is nothing…”

[Hijab flutter ~ Ammi]

Qari Muhammad Qayyam (may the mercy of Allah be upon him) related that a great deal of fighting and bloodshed had started prior to the Indo-Pakistan partition of 1947. He said that a very beautiful daughter of a very rich man in a certain community stepped out of her house to visit her aunt, who lived no more than a few streets away. Suddenly a riot erupted as she had gone halfway and she found herself trapped with apparently nowhere to go. She saw a mosque nearby and quickly went inside, sitting in the women’s section. The rioting continued late into the night and this girl did not know what to do.

The custodian of the masjid was a very young student there and late at night when he walked through the masjid before locking up he noticed this beautiful young lady. He was a respectful young man who feared Allah and so politely asked her to leave, saying that if she was found there then both would be dishonored and thrown out. She pleaded with him because of the extreme danger outside and so he agreed that she could spend the night, and sat down to study at the opposite end of the masjid.

The girl was unable to sleep with the events of the day in her mind and so watched the young man sitting studying by candle light at the opposite end of the masjid. She kept watching him and was very surprised at something she saw. From time to time this young man would extend his hand and keep it over the open flame, only withdrawing it when the flame obviously became unbearable. He then would resume his studies and continued this throughout the night until the dawn broke.

The young man called the adhan and asked the girl to leave before the congregation started coming to pray since now everything was calm outside. She agreed on the condition that he tell her why he was placing his hand on the candle flame throughout the night. The young man said that that was his own business and so the girl refused to leave until he told her what she wanted to know. The young man gave in and said, “I am at the age of youth and strong desire. We were alone and my desire was increasing, and although I was studying the shaytan would occasionally put temptation in my heart. Hence whenever I would feel any temptation I would put my hand on the flame and my fingers would burn. I would say to myself that this flame is nothing compared to the fire of Hell.”

The girl left the masjid and reached home, calming her parents’ fears as to what had happened to her. She also confided in her mother that she wanted to marry the custodian of the mosque near their house. She related the night’s events to her parents and said that only such a man with true fear of Allah in his heart can be true to his wife. Only such a man who truly fears Allah can fulfill a wife’s rights properly.

Hence the poor custodian of the mosque earned the daughter of a rich household in marriage. He received this honor not because of his looks but because of his character. Everything disintegrates and turns to dust but character remains strong. Honor is not bestowed because of handsome clothes or beautiful jewelry but because of what is in the heart. Knowledge is only beneficial when it is captured within the heart, and not merely written in books.

Beauty and Capitalism

[hijab flutter ~ Muslema]

Verbage Note: A really good article on how we worship beauty.

As I am in the midst of reading Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, I thought it appropriate to resurrect this essay I wrote back in 2005 after my first brief encounter with the modeling/fashion industry. As Weber so ably demonstrates, it is not the forms of production that shifted so drastically with the onset of the capitalist revolution, but rather the “ethos,” or “spirit” of labor and acquisition, which came to be seen as moral goods in and of themselves. This radical change took natural human qualities like greed and acquisitiveness and channeled them into a new controlled, disciplined approach to work in which increasing efficiency and production was a goal in and of itself – a benchmark of a person’smoral development. This precipitated a change in the relationship between consumers and producers, and indeed in the way capital was managed. As Weber says, “Wherever this spirit becomes active and is able to have an effect, it acquires the money reserves to be used as a fuel for modern capitalism’s activity – not the other way around” (2009, 82).

It struck me that the same “capitalization” of labor and profit could be applied to the way society sees beauty. Like seeking profit, worshiping female beauty is nothing new, but never in history has it been so commodified. It is no accident that Weber sees the “spirit of capitalism” emerging from a religious ethos – as profit became god, so did its spinoffs like fame and beauty. We now have an arsenal of celebrities who are famous for being famous, and women who are famous for being beautiful. The latter, I argue at the end of the essay, are indeed deified, especially by legions of insecure and fragile young women. Similarly, they strike fear into the hearts of many insecure men, who believe their unattainability reflects the unattainability of women in general – again reinforcing the equation of “woman” with what is seen and desired. I would much appreciate any of your comments and feedback.

It seems that the otherworldly “alien” look is what fashion moguls want; take for instance the well-known cases of Kate Moss and Gemma Ward. The same extraterrestrial standards apply to body as well as face: superfine bone structure, the only curve permissible being in the hips when the body is viewed from the front, and in the buttocks when viewed from the side. The stomach should be concave.

Forget being 5′10 with a 24″ waist – our culture’s beauty ideals have become, quite literally, inhuman.

Regrettably, being American and European (which is even worse in this regard – Europeans are far less forgiving of fat in women and girls than are Americans), I have internalized many of the fashion industry’s beauty standards (though Moss is still a stretch). At this point there appears to be very little I can do about it. It’s like a drug habit that I’ve tried several times to kick, only to relapse upon seeing any magazine in which fashion models are featured. Designers claim that what they want from models is a blank canvas on which to paint, a hanger-like body on which clothes become the most apparent aspect of the ensemble. But I think we all know that the fashion industry is as much about designing people beauty as it is about designing beautiful clothes. And even if they don’t do it self-consciously, it most certainly is the case de facto.

And let’s face it: 99% of women will never ever look like models, nor will they have their pictures taken with teams of people working to make them look as good as possible. And with the ready availability of pictures of these stunning women (perhaps “mermaids” or “goddesses” would be more accurate, since, as I’ve been saying, the human resemblance is stretched), what’s to keep men interested in us day to day females besides our proximity and the unattainability of models? It’s a question many women, subconsciously or consciously, ask themselves.

Voices of Guantanamo

Be Not Grieved

a ghazal of Hafiz

Joseph who was lost will come back again to Canaan; be not grieved.

One day the hut of sorrows will become a rose garden; be not grieved.

This saddened heart will change its state (for the better); do not make thy heart bad.

And this frenzied head will settle down again; be not grieved.

If the Springtime of Life will be back again on the garden’s throne,

thou wilt pull a canopy of roses over thy head; O sweetly singing bird, be not grieved.

O heart, if the torrent of troubles engulfs the foundation of existence,

when thou hast Noah for a captain, from the storm be not grieved.

If one day the spinning wheel (of fortune) did not run according to my wishes,

the state of revolving will not always be the same; be not grieved.

Come, do not despair when thou art not aware of the secret of the Unseen;

behind the veil there be hidden plays; be not grieved.

If thou wouldst walk in the desert with the desire of reaching the Ka‘bah,

if the thorn of the acacia hurts thee, be not grieved.

Though the stage of the journey be quite perilous, and the goal so far away,

there is no path that does not have an end; be not grieved.

My state is in the separation of souls and the persistence of the antagonist.

The Lord of the revolving state knows all; be not grieved.

Hâfiz, in the corner of spiritual poverty and the seclusion of the dark nights,

as long as thou art saying prayers and dhikr and studying the Qur’ân, be not grieved.

Comprehending Allah’s Names

When we beseech Allah by His names, we should do so with dignity, composure, and understanding.

There are two ways that we call upon Allah. The first is to beseech him with our petitions, to entreat him with the concerns we have about our worldly lives and our hopes for the Hereafter. This is what we usually understand by supplication (dua).

The second way we call upon Allah is through our devotions. We do so by invoking His names in our remembrances, by meditating upon the meanings and significance of those names. We do so by praising Him and glorifying Him as His noble attributes warrant through devotion in our prayers, our remembrances, and in our God-consciousness.

Ibn al-Qayyim observes: “Allah is Knowing and He loves those who have knowledge. He is Beautiful and He loves beauty. He is Merciful, and He loves those who show mercy. He is Kind and He loves those who show kindness to others.”

When we take to ourselves something of the light of Allah’s beautiful names by learning what they mean and developing ourselves and our temperaments accordingly, then we have truly comprehended His names.

It is as Ibn al-Qayyim explains, that Allah is Oft-Pardoning and He loves to pardon. Therefore, He rewards and blesses those of us who pardon their fellow human beings. He is Generous and loves for us to be generous as well. He is the Concealer of Faults, and He loves it for us to conceal the faults of those who might have wronged us. He is Merciful, and He shows His mercy especially to those of us who are merciful to others.

One way that we call upon Allah’s names through our devotions is by reading the Quran. This is because the Quran is full of the mention of His names. We also do so when we call up their meanings in our minds so that they become a constant part of our lives. In this way, we become more fully reliant upon Allah, more penitent, more mindful of our conduct, and stronger in faith. These are all ways in which we bring Allah’s names to full realization in our lives.

Compiled From:
“Calling Upon Allah with Our Words & Deeds” – Salman al-Oadah

The Economics of Fear

Republished from The Watchtower of Destruction | Edit: Removed all curse words.

Scientific studies have shown that you can destroy a child by calling them “smart.” Even when they’re very young, little kids know that being “smart” is what makes them special – and so, the first time they encounter something they don’t understand immediately, it’s a threat. Their specialness is in danger of being stripped away. And if they lose that smartness, then what are they?

Kids who are called smart take fewer chances. Why risk all that glorious social acclaim for a stupid test? And if you don’t really try, then you can still be smart – you may have potential, but even a six-year-old knows that having the potential to be smart gives you more benefits than finding out that no, you’re not really smart at all.

Far better to tell a kid that they’re hard working. Hard work is something you can’t take away. Hard work is something that can always be improved. Smart can just… vanish.

I was told I was very smart.

Knowledge Passes By.

[Hijab Flutter ~ Damascus Dreams]

Ibn ‘Ata’illah said in his Hikam:

Rubamaa waradat ‘alayka al-anwaar

Fa wajadat il-qalba mahshuwan bil-aathaar

Fartahalat min haythu nazalat

“Perhaps illuminations passed by you and found your qalb (heart) filled, buried, occupied with vestiges of creation. So it took off from whence it had come.”

Rachel Maddow Exposes Anti-Islam Extremists in Congress

Is This Love I’m Feeling?

By Yasmin Mogahed | InFocus

“Love is a serious mental disease.” At least that’s how Plato put it. And while anyone who’s ever been ‘in love’ might see some truth to this statement, there is a critical mistake made here. Love is not a mental disease. Desire is.

If being ‘in love’ means our lives are in pieces and we are completely broken, miserable, utterly consumed, hardly able to function, and willing to sacrifice everything, chances are it’s not love. Despite what we are taught in popular culture, true love is not supposed to make us like drug addicts.

And so, contrary to what we’ve grown up watching in movies, that type of all-consuming obsession is not love. It goes by a different name. It is hawa—the word used in the Quran to refer to one’s lower, vain desires and lusts. Allah describes the people who blindly follow these desires as those who are most astray: “But if they answer you not, then know that they only follow their own lusts (hawa). And who is more astray than the one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?” (28: 50)

By choosing to submit to our hawa over the guidance of Allah, we are choosing to worship those desires. When our love for what we crave is stronger than our love for Allah, we have taken that which we crave as a lord. Allah says: “Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah.” (2:165)

If our ‘love’ for something makes us willing to give up our family, our dignity, our self-respect, our bodies, our sanity, our peace of mind, our deen, and even our Lord who created us from nothing, know that we are not ‘in love’. We are slaves.