The Reminder (J thaani 1435)

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Transcript of The Reminder (J thaani 1435)

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Table of Contents

FOREWORD ......................................................................................... 3

Al-Qur’an: Suratul Insan 1-3 ............................................................... 4

Adab: Etiquettes of Dialogue ................................................................ 9

Tahreek: Abu Darda and his wife ........................................................ 15

Thaqofah: Misconception about Islam ................................................ 19

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FOREWORD

اخليي الصالة والعادلني والاحلمد هلل رب سالم على أت قى البشر وأخشاهم هلل نبيمي وعلي آله األخيار وصحابته األتقياء األوفياء وتابعيهم قوال وفيعال إىل راحي

ذيي ادل

.يوم الدين

All praise is due to Allah who loved the pious among His

slaves1 and raised the level of the knowledgeable among

the believers2, He sent the messengers and revealed

guidance to them in order to save humankind from

darkness and narrowness of ignorance to the brightness

and vastness of knowledge. We thank Him and appreciate

His Will to assist us on guidance.

At this age where promoters of falsehood are unrelenting

in their efforts, using all kinds of media and tools at their

disposal to promote misguidance; it is equally obligatory

for those whom Allah has assisted on guidance and

elevated with knowledge to promote the truth.

It is hoped that with Help from Allah, the information

contained in this serial edition will be of benefit to all who

read it with a sincere heart.

1Refer to Suratul Al-Imran 76 2 Refer to Suratul Mujadilah 11

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Al-Qur’an: Suratul Insan 1-3

أعوذ باهلل من الشيطان الرجيم

Translation

1. Has there [not] come upon man a period of time

when he was not a thing [even] mentioned?

2. Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture

that We may try him; and We made him hearing and

seeing.

3. Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or

be he ungrateful.

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Introduction to the Surah

A Medinan Surah3 containing 31 verses.

Naming: The most common name for this surah is

“Al-Insan” meaning “Man”. Alternatively, it may be

referred to as “Ad-Dahr” meaning “Time” or

“Period”. Both names are connected to human

beings; man is only a portion of time or period in

the vast existence timeline.

Relationship with preceding Surah: This Surah

relates to the preceding one as both are under the

same theme; serial and persistent admonitions for

man to accept the reality of resurrection.

o The preceding Surah ends with the description

of human morphological development in the

womb. This Surah (Al-Insan) starts by taking our

minds back to the very origin of man’s creation.

While the former generally applies to the

offspring of Adam, the later refers specifically

to Adam and his wife; a complete information on

man’s origin.

o The preceding Surah only contains a summary of

the description of the people of Paradise and

Hell; this Surah also gives some detail on the

subject.

o The preceding Surah focuses on the

chastisement that will afflict the people of Hell;

this Surah focuses on the bliss that will be

enjoyed by the people of Paradise.

3 Some scholars took this Surah to be revealed in Makkah due to its content stressing the reality of resurrection, which is characteristic of Makkan Surahs.

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Contents of the Surah:

o Verses 1-6: The origin of man is described.

o Verses 7-11: The qualities of thankful slaves.

o Verses 12-22: The rewards for the slaves that

appreciate the blessings and give thanks to Allah in

due measures.

o Verses 23-26: The Qur’an and how the prophet

should relate with it are explained.

o Verses 27-28: The ungratefulness of humans; their

nature of hastiness and threat to replace them with

better generation if they persist on kufr4.

o Verses 29-31: The Qur’an is presented as a universal

reminder and admonition to the whole of mankind

and encouragement to implement its content.

Title

خلق اهلل اإلنسان وهدايته السبيل

THE CREATION OF MAN BY ALLAH AND HOW HE GUIDED HIM

Explanation

1. The Surah starts in a question format just like the

preceding Surah ends with same. This style of

presentation common to some Surahs has been

adopted by humans in their professional

presentations which was an example of how man

has improved his acquired skills from revealed

knowledge5.

4 Kufr: disbelief or ungratefulness to Allah 5 Educationist have used this style to develop “student centered” method of teaching where the teachers will either make their presentation to students in

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2. Allah initiated the creation of man and perfected it;

He endowed him with knowledge and improved his

skills; He equipped him with all that is necessary to

live a comfortable life before his existence. How

ungrateful will he be if he chooses to turn away

from his Creator6?

3. Allah gives information to man that he was

sometime ago non-existing and some other beings

have been created before his existence.

4. Allah mentioned “seeing” and “hearing” in

connection with an ordained trial in life and these

are two reasons why we must be tried in life.

Anyone who fails the test of the trial is an

ungrateful careless slave and he will be legitimately

due for scolding and punishment. While the one

who passes is a thankful slave that deserves praise

and noble reward.

5. Imagine the life of a “blind” and “deaf” person; he

can neither, naturally, appreciate the beauty and

value of existence nor improve himself with any of

them (both senses).

6. Education is to maintain7, improve and protect

culture8; Seeing and hearing are a significant part

a question like format or encourage them to study the material before the class for the teacher to ask them questions on what they have studied and improve on it. 6 This is not a question; it is an example of how man mimics the Qur’anic style of presentation. 7 Islamic schools and institutions must be established not only because Muslims’ children must attend it but to maintain, improve and protect the foundation of Islamic culture which can only be done through education.

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of what makes education possible; students who fail

tests after tools and aids to learn have been

provided for them will be responsible for their

failure, the consequent result for wasting valuable

resources and time.

7. We have been granted many years of stay in life

with all the requirements including “seeing”,

“hearing” and “clear guidance” necessary for

education; they are enough to pass through the

trials of life. It is left to man to choose either of

the two ways: appreciation and gratefulness OR

devaluation and ungratefulness.

Life lessons

1. Critical analysis and explanation of existing favours

is a means of reminder to a neglectful soul before it

will be too late.

2. A look into the past is a means to re-examine,

improve and correct the present.

3. The ultimate purpose of existence is for trial. Trial

is normal and inevitable; a believer must not view it

as a surprise.

4. The opportunities9 we are naturally born with and

the guidance received10 and acquired11 after birth

are enough to manage the trials of life.

8 Culture is a learned behavior which is a characteristic of a group of people and not a result of biological inheritance. 9 Including hearing and seeing 10 Revealed knowledge through the messengers of Allah 11 Knowledge gained by man from his inquisitive biological trait with the help of the revealed knowledge

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Adab: Etiquettes of Dialogue

آداب الحوار والمناظرة

Preamble

Dialogue and conversation are means by which the true

character of a person can be understood. This is because

dialogue contains all that is necessary to showcase the

true picture of the inner and outer qualities of the

individual(s) involved. These qualities include: (1)

sincerity of intention and purpose12 (2) ability to control

the tongue (3) tolerance to different opinions (4) the

power to sort and apply evidences appropriately (5)

internal stability to control temperament (6) tender heart

to tolerate insults in exchange for establishing the truth

(7) high quality intelligence to think ahead of speech and

presentations (8) Gentleness and calmness to listen,

understand, grasp, appreciate and utilize information (9)

Sufficient knowledge on the topic.

Purpose of dialogue

Participants in a dialogue should understand the purpose,

aims and objectives of a dialogue in order to maintain the

required Islamic etiquettes. These aims and objectives

include:

12 The aim of dialogue is neither to claim superiority nor to embarrass the other participant.

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To establish facts and clear misconceptions: This

is the highest point among the aims and objectives.

Additionally, to eliminate doubts, unnecessary

conjectures and corruption in speech and opinion.

وما لهم به من علم إن ي تبعون إل الظن وإن الظن ل ي غني من الحق شيئاAnd they have no knowledge thereof. They only follow an

assumption, and Verily, assumption is not a substitute for the truth13.

وما ي تبع أكث رهم إل ظنا إن الظن ل ي غني من الحق شيئا إن الله عليم بما ي فعلون And Most of them follow nothing but conjecture. Certainly,

conjecture can be of no avail against the truth. Surely, Allâh is All-

Aware of what they do.14

To call to the path of Allah (i.e to do Dawah):

Dialogue and conversations guided with proper

etiquettes is an effective way of reaching to the

heart of the participant/conversant. It is a means

with which Allah may open up locked hearts and

soften the hard ones.

اا إل بيي ب بالح م والموعظ الح ن و االهم بالتي هي أ ن Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and

argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most

knowing of who have strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of

who is [rightly] guided.15

13 Surat-ul-Najm 28. Truth is the fact; assumption is a conjecture. The people of assumption should not be left to have authority over the people of truth. Dialogue is an effective means to engage the people of assumption and convince them to accept the truth as fact. 14 Surat-ul-Yunus 36 15 Sural Nahl 125

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To close the gap of differences: This is necessary

to foster brotherhood and keep fine relationship. It

is better to dialogue with people of different

opinion and methodology until they appreciate the

truth and accept it or we appreciate our mistakes

and make correction. In either case, we will both

be returning to the truth and secure the protection

of Allah’s guidance.

To clear doubt and highlight the dangers in

falsehood: Some people from among the leaders of

groups are deliberate and determined to continue

on falsehood even after they know the truth with

precision. This is clear arrogance16. Leaving them

unchallenged is tantamount to leaving the

community of Muslims vulnerable to misguidance.

Open dialogue for presentation of facts and

refutation of falsehood will leave their ignorant

followers with better choices.

وك ل ف ي ااياا ولت تبين بيي الم رمين And thus do We detail the verses, and [thus] the way of the criminals

will become evident.17

pg 4: Ref عمر بن عبد اهلل كامل لآداب احلوار وقواعد االختالف

Etiquettes of dialogue

In order to achieve the aims and objectives of an Islamic

dialogue the following etiquettes become obligatory:

16 Arrogance: to reject the truth and to prevent it from spreading. 17 Surat-ul-An’am 55

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1. Sincerity: Dialogue is an act of worship; therefore

sincerity which is required for other kinds of

worship must apply to it. If sincerity is lost from the

dialogue, its aim and purpose will be destroyed.

Either party in a dialogue must maintain the

required sincerity and continue till the end. If one

party losses his sincerity, it will be to the advantage

of the other; therefore, the one with the truth

should be especially careful to fulfill his obligations

with optimum sincerity through the dialogue.

Equally, if one party losses his sincerity it will be

difficult to reach a conclusion which may leave the

audience in greater confusion.

إ ما »: اا وا الله ل اا عليه و لم : عن عمر بن ال اب اا «…العماا بالن ياا، وإ ما لمرئ ما وى،

Umar ibn Kattaab narrated:

The prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said: “Every deeds are based on intention;

each person will be rewarded according to what he intended;…”18

2. Good speech: Proper etiquettes should be

maintained throughout the conversation. This is

because good speech characterized with softness

and gentleness is necessary to open up brains and

hearts. It is also an indication to the sincerity and

purity of the person’s intention. Shouting and

raising voices, abuses and curses, mockery and any

other form of molestation should be avoided. We

18 Sahih Bukhari

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must avoid these lowly, cowardly and unintelligent

weaknesses to safeguard the truth and sacred

values from attack. The admonition of Allah is very

clear:

ك ل زي نا ول ببوا ال ين ي عون من اون الله ي ببوا الله ع وا بغير علم ل ي أم عملهم م إل بهم مر عهم ي نبئ هم بما كا وا ي عملون

And do not insult those they invoke other than God, lest they insult

God in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to

every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return and

He will inform them about what they used to do.19

You should not lose your internal stability and express

shock to the foolishness of those who reject the manifest

truth; this may lead to over-reaction, abuses and mockery.

3. Justice and balance: Participants in a dialogue

must be open-minded and avoid double standard.

The hatred that may have been nurtured against

the other party should not prevent us from

accepting the truth from them. This following verse

of the Qur’an is crystal clear:

يا أي بها ال ين آمنوا كو وا وامين لله شه اء بالق ط ول ي رمن م شنآن وم عل أل ع لوا اع لوا هو أ رب للت قوى وا قوا الله إن الله بير بما عملون

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for God, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear God; indeed, God is acquainted with what you do.20

19 Suratul An’am 108 20 Surat-ul-Maidah 8

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4. Mutual respect

5. Clemency and compassion

6. Good listening culture

ال ين ي تمعون القوا يتبعون أ نه أولئ ال ين ه اهم الله وأولئ هم أولو اللباب

Those who listen to speech and follow the best of it; they are the ones God has guided, and those are people of understanding.21

7. Tolerance

8. Forbearance and patience

21 Surat-ul-Zumar 18

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Tahreek: Abu Darda and his wife

إ المهما و حبتهما- رضي اهلل عنهما- أبو ا ااء وزو ته

Topic: Abu Dar’da and his wife: Their Islam and

companionship with the prophet.

Abu Dar’da - أبو ال ااء Fact box

Name: Uwaimir bn Maalik عومير بن مالكTribe:

Al-Khazraj tribe in Madinah

اخلزرجيFamous name:

Abu Dar’da أبو درداء

Before Islam

Before he became Muslim he had an idol that he made by

himself and placed it in the best place in his home, he will

regularly adorn it with perfume and wore an expensive silk

cloth on it. When he wakes in the morning he will go to

this idol he worships, besides Allah, before going to work.

But he had a friend, Abdullah ibn Rawaha, who accepted

Islam and fought against the idolaters in the battle of

Badr.

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When the army of Muslims was returning to Madinah with

victory, Abu Dar’da noticed the crowd and approached

them, he called one man from among them and asked him

about his friend Abdullah ibn Rawahah, the man informed

him that he suffered from the battle but he returned alive

with booty of war. Abu Dar’da had much concern for his

friend because they were very close in friendship before

Abdullah embraced Islam.

From darkness to light

The story of how Abu Dar’da embraced Islam clearly

demonstrated his natural humbleness that assisted him

with realization and appreciation of the truth.

On day, Abdullah ibn Rawahah thought of doing something

which prophet Ibrahim (alayhi salaam) did; he went to the

house of Abu Dar’da to destroy his idol; Abu Dar’da was

not at home but he met his wife; Abdullah went straight

to the idol and broke it to pieces. Abu Dar’da returned to

meet his wife in front of the house weeping over what had

struck them. He enquired what happened and she

informed him that his friend Abdullah ibn Rawahah had

come to destroy the idol.

Abu Dar’da realized how powerless and useless his god

could have been that allowed an ordinary man to have

destroyed it easily; he turned to his conscience and

realized the need to find a better alternative for his

worship. He finally chose to embrace Islam and joined the

community of Muslims; and became one of the companions

of the prophet.

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Notable qualities

He was notable for his asceticism, devoutness and

preoccupation with the worship of Allah. However, he

maintained a balance between seeking worldly sustenance

and preparation for the afterlife. The statement of the

prophet was clear:

, ليي ب يركم من رر ا ياا ا ر ه، ول من رر آ ر ه ل ياا، إل أن يي منهما معا . إن الول م ي للثا ي

The best of you is neither the one who forsakes his sustenance of this

world for the afterlife nor the one who neglect his afterlife and

preoccupy with amassing of worldly materials except that you should

maintain a balance between both.

Ummu Dar’da - أم ال ااء Fact box

Name: Ujaymat bint Uyay OR Juhaymot هه يم ه بين ه حهييي الوصصابييص ه

OR جههيم ه األوصابييص ه

City of origin: Damascus in Syria مشقييص ه الد

Famous name: Ummu Dar’da أم الدرداء Who is Ummu Dar’da

She was the wife of Abu Dar’da and the mother of Dar’da.

She was known for her knowledge, swift understanding,

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devotion to the remembrance of Allah and following His

commandments.

An admonition to a sustainable relationship

Abu Dar’da told her one day, “If I’m angry with you, then

you should be pleased with me; if you are angry me I will

be pleased with you”

A knowledgeable worshipper

Her tender heart allowed the people to often gather at

her home so that she may teach them what she knew from

the religion. One day, the people were with her and they

noticed her long silence, they assumed that she was

worried with their long stay with her, they enquired but

she replied saying: I cannot be disturbed due to the

persistence of those who seek to learn what I love to

teach; my notable silence is for reflection and reflection is

a form of remembrance of Allah.

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Thaqofah: Misconception about Islam

شبهات حول اإلسالم

Focus: Misconceptions about women rights in Islam

Preamble

Praise be to Allah who revealed the following verses in His

Book:

ا ي ع فه (8)ومن الناس من ي ااا ي الله بغير علم ول ه ى ول كتاب منير ذل (9)ليضي عن بيي الله له ي ال ب يا زي و يقه ي وم القيام ع اب الحريق

م للعبي مت ي ار وأن الله ليي بظال (10)بما (8) And of the people is he who disputes about God without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening book [from Him], (9) Twisting his neck [in arrogance] to mislead [people] from the way of God. For him in the world is disgrace, and We will make him taste on the Day of Resurrection the punishment of the Burning Fire [while it is said], (10) “That is for what your hands have put forth and because God is not ever unjust to [His] servants.”22

يري ون لي فئوا و الله بي واههم والله متمب و ا ولو كرا ال ا رون They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.23

He instructed His messenger to declare the following statement to humanity:

22 Surat-ul-Hajj 8-10 23 Surat-ul-Saff 8

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ل زاا طائف من أمتي : " اا - ل الله عليه و لم - عن وبان، أن وا الله 24"عل الحق من و ين، ل يضربهم من الفهم ت يي ي أمر الله عز و ي

Thaoban narrated that the prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said: A group from my

Ummah will remain on the truth, they will assist (with their clear

evidences), and those who differ from them will not be able to harm

them (destroy their values) until the command of Allah reaches

them.

Background

The noble task of Islamic message is to establish a just

society, reform nations and entrench lofty principles. If

this should be left to continue on its course, humanity will

enjoy a life of stability and peace both inward and

outward. The destruction of inner and outer stability of

man is necessary for shaytan to achieve his devilish task of

human’s doom.

Allah has chosen to propagate His message of Islam

through messengers from among humans; it will be more

effective to challenge and counter this message through

another set of people among humans. Therefore, shaytan

resorts to the use of people who accept his deceptions25

from among humans to cause confusion and misguide the

people who wish to follow the truth.

Among the means of attack against Islam is psychological

warfare. The remaining paragraphs under this topic will be

24 Sunan ibn Majah 1/8 25 Shaytan’s deceptions include disbelief and rejection of the truth after it has been made manifest via arrogance, egoism, materialism, power struggle, etc

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on this aspect with special focus on women’s rights due to

the impacts it has on the internal stability of Muslims and

their ability to maintain and uphold the superiority of

Islamic values in the midst of Western orientation and

values.

How the problem started

Opportunities opened to the enemies of Islam to

propagate their misconceptions and false creed to destroy

the foundations of Islamic families and communities at a

time when the administration of Islamic states were under

leaders who had been diverted26 away with worldly

materials and became unmindful of guarding the sanctity

and values of their religion from attacks that had already

been foretold by Allah and His messenger. Unfortunately,

Islam was relegated to only solat and other rituals27. Other

affairs were governed by the values brought by the

orientalists.

The influences of these attacks left the many Muslims in

doubt of how compatible are the values of their religion to

modern developments.

Attacks on the foundations of Islam

Since the most effective way to destroy a system is to

devalue its foundations, the orientalists are unrelenting in

their efforts to attack the sacred foundations of Islam.

26 This diversion is an overnight rigorous effort of the enemies as part of their deliberate plan to achieve their goal. 27 Ritual: what is done repetitively and very much the same way as a means to maintain the identity of a group or set of people.

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Among the misconceptions they spread are the attacks on

the prophet and his nobility; the Qur’an and its

sacredness; the Ka’bah and its sanctity; the injunctions of

the Shariah28 and its fairness.

Notable areas of misconceptions and attacks

Allegations on the authenticity of the prophet’s

claim to prophethood.

Attacks on his personality.

Allegations that he was blood-thirsty.

Allegations that he was not a lover of peace.

Allegations of many injustices in the Shariah Law.

Allegations of mistrust and betrayal.

Allegations on the prophet’s plural marriage.

Allegations on having uncontrolled lust for sex.

Allegations that of massacres in the name of jihad.

Allegations that the Shariah does not allow free

mixing between men and women

Explanations on the above allegations, the claims of the

enemies and appropriate responses (textual and rational)

will be provided in subsequent editions. The focus herein

is the clarifications on allegations of women’s right

violation in the Shariah.

Misconceptions on women’s right Allegations: The enemies of Islam and the promoters of

misconceptions alleged that the Shariah of Islam was

28 Shariah: the body of Islamic laws

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unfair to women using the following false claims as

support:

Claims & Responses:

1. Claim: The Shariah gives authority to men over

women according to Qur’an 4:34.

o Response: (1) The verse should be taken in

context. The reason for the authority is the

undisputable natural psycho-physical superiority

of men over women (2) Administration is

required for a stable co-existence; a head that

possesses the major qualities of leadership29 is

required for successful administration.

2. Claim: The Shariah put an autonomous30 right to

divorce in the hands of husband only, leaving the

wife to the mercy of another man’s intervention (a

Muslim male judge).

o Response: (1) Medically, during menses,

pregnancy and postnatal periods women

experience some psychological anomalies due to

the physiological change their body is

undergoes. Furthermore, women mostly have

low ability to control utterances during

emotional periods. The Shariah does not take

29 Refer to Surat-ul-Qasas 23-26 (The story of prophet Musa and the daughters of Shuaib). Strength and Trust are two qualities ordinarily known for men. 30 The husband does not require a judicial intervention to divorce his wife; but the wife must seek the intervention of a judge if she wishes to end the sacred bond of her marriage.

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divorce lightly, once it is deliberately

pronounced it will take immediate effect.

Therefore, it was a wise decision to prevent the

woman from the authority over a divorce before

the careful consideration by the judiciary. (2)

The Shariah granted the husband authority to

administer over his wife; if she knew he was not

capable of ending the marriage, she will be

defiant to most of his commands and the

purpose of administration will be lost. A

government cannot be effective under a system

of anarchy where all parties are equal in

authority.

3. Claim: The Shariah allows men the right to plural

marriage and prevents the women from same.

o Response: (1) The verse31 of the Qur’an that

permits polygamy32 should be taken in context;

justice is strictly attached to this permission (2)

The culture of polygamy is inseparable from

human nature and existence. This has been from

time immemorial to solve critical issues that

may destroy the nature of man. Any attempt to

constitute a law preventing such will destabilize

the foundation of human moral culture. (3)

Since the time of human’s existence on earth,

women have always been in surplus for several

reasons like war and the varying levels of

31 Surat-ul-Nisa 3 32 With restriction on the numbers of wives to a maximum of four.

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resistance33 to diseases and plague. An outlaw of

polygamy will leave surplus women whose

options34 that will be inimical to the nature and

moral culture of humankind.

4. Claim: The Shariah suppressed women and denied

her right to free communication and association by

obliging her to cover up with jalbaab, hijaab and

niqaab35.

o Response: (1) The verse36 of the Qur’an that

commanded this code of dressing should be

taken in context; the reasons for the institution

of the dressing were immediately outlined in the

verse. (2) Islam is a religion of honour, dignity

and respect; People who embrace the religion

must enjoy same. Islam encourages peaceful co-

existence between its adherents and the people

of other faiths. Muslims may live in the

community of people who lack the moral

principles of bashfulness and suffer from

corruption that molest the sacredness of

33 Medically, Women have higher resistance to fight disease than men due to their regular menstrual periods that afford them the opportunity to get rid of blood diseases; a favour that most women don’t realize. 34 Options include prostitution, celibacy , etc 35 Hijaab is the outer non-transparent loose garment for woman to cover up her dress and body with the exception of the face and hands up to the wrist when leaving inside her home to the public. Niqaab is an extention of hijaab to include the covering of hands and face. Jilbaab or Jalbaab is a term used for both. Scholars of Islam are unanimous on the preference of Niqaab over the hijaab and they differ over the obligation of the former. 36 Surat-ul-Ahzaab 59

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women’s body. In order to save the Muslim

women from unnecessary harassment of an

uncultured man, the jilbaab was instituted as a

protective measure. (3) A number of surveys

across the world show that majority of women in

hijab chose to wear it; if they considered it a

means of suppression, this will not be the case.

5. Claim: Islam placed the bulk of home maintenance

activities on the wife leaving the husband with only

what is too little compared to his strength and

other capacities.

o Response: (1) Islam shared the responsibilities of

a marital life between the husband and wife; it

placed bulk of in-house activities on the wife

and the bulk of the outside home activities on

the husband; anyone who defaults in his/her

responsibilities will be responsible to Allah’s

judgment. The husband is solely responsible to

make available provisions necessary to service

the home needs. While the wife’s responsibility

to utilize the provisions and make the home

healthy and clean (2) it will be strange, and the

required authority lost if the husband were

obliged to do what he was supposed to direct.37

37 However, Islam highly encourages the husband to consider the tender nature of the woman and assist her with home duties as part of his benevolent gesture seeking his reward from Allah; neither taking that as a substitute nor allowing that to affect his major responsibility of providing for the family.

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6. Claim: Islam gave only half of a male’s inheritance

to a female and made the witness of two women

equal to only one man.

o Response: (1) The glorious history of Islam shows

that the concept of justice and the alignment of

its Shariah with it is undisputable (2) Equality

does not always mean equal justice. Islam

promotes justice and not necessarily equality (3)

All of the financial obligations that Islam

commands is placed on the male. The half that a

woman gets from the inheritance will be a

surplus for her; which is an indicator of the right

Islam granted her to possess wealth and

property. (4) The verse38 of the Qur’an that

requires two female as equal to one male should

be taken in context. The reason for demanding

such was made clear in the verse: so that one

may remind the other. (5) It is an established

medical fact that the average mental capacities

of the female to remember is not equal to that

of the male by default, therefore, Islam requires

more of females than males to satisfy the

requirement in its judicial proceedings.

38 Surat-ul-Baqarah 282

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Conclusion

ك ل ي ب ين الله ل م آيا ه لعل م هت ون …Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you

may be guided.39

39 Surat-ul- Al-Imran 103

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