In short,
remaining loyal to Faith is something that applies to both men and women as
does migrating in the way of Allah (SWT). In this connection, please note the
following verse of Surah Aal-e-'Imran:
"And
their Lord hath heard from them (and He says) Lo! I suffer
not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You are one and the same.
So those who fled and were driven forth from their homes and suffer damage for
My cause, and fought and were slain, verily I shall
remit their evil deeds from them and verily I shall bring them
unto gardens underneath which rivers flow “[Al-Qur’an
3:195]
Men and women
were all put through the same ordeals during the thirteen-year stay of the
Prophet (SAW) in Makkah. They were the victims of the same hatred and
persecution. And they were all forced to leave their beloved homes. They also
sacrificed their lives for the noble cause of defending their faith. On the
other hand, we do not find any instance of female participation in the armed
conflicts in which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his valiant companions raised the
flag of the Revolutionary Movement in Arabia.
The Prophet (SAW)
sent eight expeditions immediately after the migration to Medina and there is
no mention of any women being sent. The first real battle fought in the way of
Allah (SWT) in Islamic history was the battle of Badr and the books of Seerah
make no mention that Muslim women took part in it. On the basis of this, we can
easily determine what our religion requires from us. Instead of inventing
fictitious duties for us, we should objectively understand our actual
responsibilities.
Uhad is the only
battle where we find, as an exception, when women participated in the battle
but this was an emergency situation. The news that seventy Muslims were
martyred had reached Medina. There was the rumor that the Prophet (SAW) himself
had been martyred. Naturally there was a state of extreme panic in the city.
Moreover, Uhad was only two and a half miles away from Madinah. Therefore, the Muslim
women rushed to the scene of the battle to tend the wounded and supply water.
In addition, we must keep in mind that the commands regarding Hijab had, not
been revealed at that time. It is important for us to keep in mind the
chronological sequence of the events. The orders of Hijab were introduced for
the first time in Surah Al-Ahzab, which was revealed following the battle of
Ahzab after the fifth year of Hijrah. Surah Al-Noor was revealed in 6th
year after Hijrah and contains explicit commands about Hijab.
Afterwards in the
battle of Ahzab, which was the toughest battle of all, the Muslims fought while
their women stayed inside a fortress. There is no evidence of any woman taking
part in this battle. Only Safiya (RA) is said to have killed a Jew in
self-defense. In 7th year after Hijrah, the battle of Khyber was
fought. The following incident, narrated in the books of Hadith and Seerah,
throws light on the role of women in this battle:
"Hushraj
bin Ziyad narrates from his grandmother that she and five other women left for
Khyber along with the Prophet (SAW). She says, 'When the Prophet (SAW) learned
of our presence, he called for us. When we came to him, he was furious and said,
'With whom have you come and with whose permission?' We said, 'We will make wool
and work in the cause of Allah (SWT). We have some bandages for the wounded; we
will hand arrows to the fighters and
give them water.’ The Prophet (SAW) said, 'Get up
and go back. When Khyber was conquered the Prophet (SAW) gave us a share from
the spoils of the battle. 'Hashraj says he asked his grandmother about what she
received as share. She replied, 'some dates.’"
There are lessons
to be learnt from this story. The Prophet's query: "With whom have you
come and with whose permission" is very important. Whenever a woman comes
out of her house she should see to it that she is accompanied by a Mahram. Sometimes
women who want to work for their religion become over-zealous and cross certain
limits that they are supposed to stay within. For example, they begin to
neglect their household duties and their children. It will be useful for such
ladies to bear in mind a certain incident from Seerah:
Asma
bint al-Yazeed (RA) was an Ansari woman. She once came to the Prophet (SAW) and
said, "Women have sent me to you as their representative. What all of them
are saying is similar to what I will say and they have the same point of view
as I. Allah (SWT) sent you as a Prophet (SAW) to both men and women. Therefore we
believed in you and obeyed you. However, as women, we are supposed to observe
veil and remain inside our homes. Our duty is to keep our men satisfied and to
look after their children. Men outdo us in matters such as the Friday
congregational and funeral prayers and also in Jihad in the way of Allah (SWT).
When they go to war, we protect their houses and tend their children. Will we get
the same reward as them?" When the Prophet (SAW) heard this eloquent
speech, he turned to his companions and asked them, "Have you ever heard a women
give a more excellent speech about her religion than this one?" All the companions
of the Prophet (SAW) swore that they had not. Then the Prophet (SAW) turned to
Asma (RA) and said, "0 Asma, help me in conveying my answer to the women who
sent you as their representative. Fulfilling your housekeeping
responsibilities, keeping your husband’s happy and co-operating with them, is equal
to all those acts of the men that you have described."
Asma (RA) returned happily after listening to this answer
and did not raise any objection.
What we must learn
from this incident is that our actual aim is to carry out the tasks that Allah
(SWT) has assigned to us. If we assume certain duties that were never meant for
us, it will be totally unfair to our own selves. Whenever an individual takes on
unnecessary, self-assigned duties Allah (SWT) lets him carry them out but withdraws
His help and support. And if, in the process, he happens to exceed Divinely
ordained limits, he may end up among the unfortunate lot in the Hell according
to the Qur'anic words:
"We
appoint for him that unto which he himself has turned and expose him unto Hell,
a hapless journey’s end" [Al-Qur'an 4:115]
In short, women
are exempted from any direct participation in the duty of establishing the Deen.
They are indirectly involved, by taking care of the household and children in
order to provide a harmonized and congenial atmosphere for the men, who are
directly involved in this struggle. They should focus on fulfilling the
responsibility of bringing up the children and of their education and moral
guidance. In this way, men will have ample free time to devote themselves to
the cause of Islam. Women should facilitate their husbands' participation in
the struggle for the supremacy of Islam by relieving them of unnecessary
burdens and by not being over-demanding. By doing this, they would be making
the most valuable and a substantial contribution to this noble cause. After all
why should they bother to come out if they can earn the same reward inside
their homes!
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