Haifaa Younis – Faith And Feminism
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AI: Transcript ©
Thanks be to God, and to his family,
his companions, and those who follow him.
O Allah, teach us what benefits us, and
benefit us with what You have taught us.
You are the All-Hearing, the All-Responsible
for supplication.
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from
knowledge that is of no benefit, and from
a heart that does not humble itself, that
is not satisfied, and from a prayer that
is not heard.
O our Lord, do not shake our hearts
after You have guided us, and grant us
mercy from Yourself.
You are the bestower.
O Lord, open my heart and facilitate my
affairs, and release the knot in my tongue,
so that my speech will remain.
It's always good to be back.
It's becoming home more and more.
So, Alhamdulillah, Rabbul Alameen.
May Allah keep the blessing in this place.
Ya Rabbi, Ameen.
And increase You, and give You more.
And most importantly, make You among the grateful.
If I can ask that we have the
children.
Where is...
If we can have the children in the
room.
For many reasons, but especially the topic.
And if I can ask everybody in the
back to come a little bit to the
front.
And, can we do that?
Jazakallah Khair.
So, I was asked, actually, to talk about
this subject.
And we're going to talk about it also
in a different way in the morning for
the youth.
And we will talk about it definitely in
way more details tomorrow for the women.
From 11 to 1.
So, what is faith and feminism?
And I'm going to ask you here.
I'm not going to just give you a
lecture.
And I'm going to start from feminism, and
then I'm going to come to faith.
What is feminism?
I don't want you to Google or give
me the definition.
As the word comes to your mind, and
this includes the brothers also.
Because, by the way, this subject is for
both.
What is feminism?
It's a very common word.
You hear it all over, thrown in our
faces day and night.
What is feminism?
Who can tell me?
Please.
Okay, so, realizing the potential of what woman
is and can be.
So, why it's negative?
This is a very beautiful definition, positive.
But it's usually comes as, most of the
time, as something negative.
Am I right?
She is feminist.
And then that's a question mark after it.
Why?
Yes.
So, the fact that the man, the woman
wants to be equal with the man is
a negative thing.
This question is to the brothers.
When I did, we did, just to give
you the background of this topic, we had
a woman conference two weeks ago in California,
in Irvine.
And it was only for the women.
And we had 750 women attended.
And I received many requests from the brothers,
but also from scholars.
And I said, this is a woman place.
However, we're going to open it for live
stream.
And you are free to listen to it.
So, this subject is not only for the
women.
This subject is actually for both.
And this is, again, I'm saying to everybody,
when I travel, especially overseas, and I meet
scholars, very frequent question I get, what do
you think of feminism?
Me, as a woman.
So, if I ask the brothers, what is
feminism?
For you, as a brother.
So, you heard what the woman said.
Anyone can raise their hand and tell me.
Negative, negative.
Let's hear it.
Positive, alhamdulillah.
What is feminism for you?
Anybody?
No, you're not raising your hand.
That's going to be tough on you.
Yes, anyone?
No idea?
Yes, please.
Say that again.
Man and woman are equal?
Anybody has anything to add?
Anyone?
So, next question.
It's going to be questions and answers, because
this subject cannot be covered in 45 minutes.
Are men and women equal?
That's the biggest question.
As Muslims, I'm not talking about outside.
Outside is a completely different story.
We, as Muslims, do you, as a woman,
do you, as a man, a sister and
a brother, a husband and a wife, a
brother and a real sister, are we equal?
Are we the same?
It's two important questions here.
Are we the same?
Yes or no?
Are we equal?
Yes or no?
So, what is feminism then?
You all answered right.
We are equal, but we are not the
same.
That's confusing for a 15-year-old, or
13, and even some of us.
So, what is feminism?
I'm going to give you some background.
There was a lot of history.
I don't want to give you a lot
of history.
But feminism, basically, it's a movement.
Bismillah.
I didn't finish it.
I just said one word.
What is the movement?
And where did it come from?
Unless you know the background, don't judge yet.
And then we're going to bring whatever this
movement, and then bring it to our faith,
and see.
And you have to be extremely balanced, and
not judgmental.
Don't say Islam is against feminism.
Because, please forgive me, you're wrong.
And don't tell me Islam is all feminism.
You're also wrong.
Okay?
Bismillah.
So, what is feminism?
It came at the end of the last
century.
At the end of the 1800s, 1900s.
A range.
This is the definition in Wikipedia.
So that's easy.
You all can see it.
It's a range of social, political, ideological movement.
It's a movement.
Social.
There's no religion here, by the way.
Social, political, and ideology.
And what is the goal?
What is the goal?
Establish political, economical, personal, social equality of the
two genders.
Are you with me?
So are we equal?
In front of Allah, are we equal?
Absolutely.
So the first thing Islam, when I go
back to Islam, and I said, I don't
need this.
I don't need this.
I don't need this movement.
Islam came to me 1400 years ago, and
I'm going to quote the verse, which a
woman asked the Rasul, peace be upon him,
how come when we read the Quran, the
reward goes to the men?
What about us?
And Allah revealed it.
It's in Surah Al-Ahzab.
Innal muslimina wal muslimat.
Some of you may be familiar with it.
Verily, the Muslim, men.
Muslim, women.
wal mu'minina wal mu'minat.
Believing, men.
Believing, women.
wal qanitina wal qanitat.
wal sadiqina wal sadiqat.
All the description, including those who are in
always a state of dhikr, but he in
every act of worship, he put men, and
he put women.
In general, in the Quran, when Allah does
not differentiate between the genders, that means both.
But this was revealed because a woman asked
about that.
Where is my reward?
Am I equal in the sight of Allah?
And Allah revealed it.
All the above, men and women.
So bring back the feminism.
Am I, and again, I'm not talking about
culture.
Both sides.
Culture is a complete different story.
And this is where the confusion is coming.
Culture treats men and women differently.
You know, the biggest question I get from
the youth, you may be a little bit
surprised, and this was actually in a program
I did in Irvine, I did mother and
daughter program.
The masjid was packed.
There was more than 500 people.
Because the youth, they really wanted to hear
it.
And mothers wanted to see what is going
on.
So a 14 or 15 year old, she
stood up.
And I said, what is the issue that
you face with your parents?
Right?
Your mothers are here, let's talk about it.
She raised her hand.
And she said, me and my brother are
treated differently in the house.
I was like, tell me about it.
Because sometimes our perception is wrong.
I said, how come?
She said, my parents say, and actually she
said, my mother said, I have to be
home by 9 o'clock p.m. But
my brother can be up out till 2
a.m. That's not fair.
What is the answer?
Let's hear it from you before I tell
you what I said.
This is one of the roots where women
get absorbed to feminism.
How many of you do this in their
homes?
Now I'm exposing the community.
Don't raise your hand.
Okay.
How many of you think what is wrong
with this statement?
It's okay.
I tell my son come at 2 a
.m. but my daughter needs to be home
at 9 p.m. How many of you
say that?
You're too quiet today.
I had a feeling because this is a
very tough, sensitive subject.
We don't want to admit it.
But unless you admit it, we will lose
these girls.
Unless we start looking at this as Muslims
and we know how to respond, in 10
years those who are playing the masjid, there's
a good possibility we will lose them.
Because unless you understand your deen very well
and you practice it the way it pleases
Allah, you can easily be pulled to the
other side.
I said to her, both of you need
to be home before 10 p.m. Because
they are absolutely right to be worried about
you.
But what they are worried about you maybe
does not apply to your brother.
But there is a lot of other things
that applies to your brother that doesn't apply
to you.
Both of you need to be at home
before 10 to the house.
So feminism is not exactly equality, but it
is also equality.
There's a beautiful book written by Sheikh Jamal
Badoui more than 20 years ago.
It's a very small book.
I highly recommend everybody reads it.
It's in English, beautiful, easy.
And he said, I can't remember the title,
but something in meaning, we are equal but
we are not equal.
We are the same, but we are not
the same.
But I want all of us to come
from this base.
Now I'm going to ask everybody, and all
of you will answer me, inshallah.
You will not hesitate.
Is Allah just?
Show me your hands.
Everybody.
Allah is just.
We have no doubt.
Absolutely.
Even if what we see is not just,
but that doesn't mean it is not just.
It's just what I'm seeing right now with
my limited knowledge.
So when Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, said
the woman cannot do that and the man
can do that, or the opposite.
I come to this verse or to the
hadith of the Rasul, alayhi salatu wa salam,
from the base that it is just.
I'm just not seeing it.
How many of you, adult, in this room,
when you were a teenager, myself included, a
lot of what my parents wanted me to
do, I didn't like it.
And it's not fair.
And why I have to do this?
And we did it because they are our
parents.
Twenty years later, you're telling your children exactly
what your parents told you, because now you've
seen that this is right.
So the first thing when you come to
feminism, it's a movement for equality because there
was no equality.
The woman paid less than the man.
The woman cannot vote.
Did you know that?
We're getting to the voting very soon.
Did you know that in this country, at
one point, the woman had no right to
vote?
Yes or no?
Let me ask you now.
Let's see how much you know about your
deen.
Does Islam allow the woman to vote?
Yes?
Brothers?
Anyone disagree?
What is your proof?
You cannot just throw things on Islam and
you don't have a proof.
You answered right, all of you.
What is the proof that the woman can
vote?
Because that's one of the things feminism went
for.
Women should vote.
Yes.
I can't hear you.
Absolutely, when the delegates left Medina, went to
Rasul before he migrated, to give him the
allegiance, the first allegiance, there were two women
with them.
You're talking about 14 plus hundred years ago.
Two women came from Medina to Mecca, right?
Not two hours train or five hours car.
This is two weeks at that time.
Allah knows walking or they were on an
animal.
To give him allegiance, who were they?
Two women.
I'm sorry?
Nusayba bint Ka'b.
Yes.
Umm Amara.
I want you to feel this.
Fourteen hundred plus years ago, woman living in
Medina, coming all the way and Rasul still
not yet the Rasul that he had the
power, he had the presence.
No.
The people in Mecca actually were against him
and they were pushing him out.
She came all the way against majority of
people to tell him, yes.
I vote for you.
Why do I need feminism?
Voting is number one.
Equality.
Socially.
Because this is what the movement is all
about.
Socially at that time and if you're going
to listen to the talk, it was a
whole day conference.
Highly recommend listen to Sheikha Aisha Prime because
she brought the history of this country.
And how they looked down.
The women among them looked down at the
colored women.
But they want them because of numbers.
She kept saying because we're numbers.
What did Islam say about me in front
of Allah?
Spiritually.
Am I the same?
Am I the same?
I want to hear it.
I want one of you, especially the brothers
because that hadith many of the brothers knows
it and some of the women knows it
too.
I want you to challenge me with this
statement I just said.
I said we are the same spiritually in
front of Allah.
Does anyone know a hadith of Rasul that
challenged this statement externally?
You better know it because that's one of
the things the feminist movement will come against
Islam.
Anybody knows it?
Can you speak up please brother?
That's for and I'm looking for against.
You're absolutely right.
There is no difference between Arab and non
-Arab.
There is no difference between Arab and non
-Arab except at the level of their piety.
That's for and I'm looking for a hadith
externally can easily be taken especially by the
brothers and the feminist movement against Islam and
they tell her the woman is not the
same.
Yes, that's inheritance.
We'll come to this later because that's another
one.
The majority of the dwellers of Jahannam is
from the sisters.
That's another one but that's not the main
one.
Yes.
There's a hadith of Rasul you all have
to know it and you need to read
about it and understand what he said.
I'm very surprised the men don't know it
or maybe you're too shy to say it.
He said to the woman.
Now listen to the external and you're going
to say really?
Really?
I have not seen.
He was talking to the woman.
I have not seen more than you and
he didn't say woman.
He said they have less wisdom and their
deen is less yet they can affect and
manipulate the man.
So when you look at it externally wow.
So I'm less in my deen and I
am less in my wisdom.
The woman asked him Why we are less?
And he said because of the monthly period
so your prayer and your act of worship
number wise are less and then because of
the witness the testimony.
Is that a compliment or this is not
a compliment?
Because this is one of the hadiths and
the verses in the Quran if Allah gives
me time I will cover it too where
the woman Muslim woman and the non-Muslim
men and women come and attack and say
Islam don't give the woman the same Islam
say the woman has less wisdom and less
religion.
Okay.
I'll give you a parable of the hadith
and inshallah you will understand it.
If any of you know Arabic, go to
Al-Jazeera.
I did an interview with them, subhanallah, the
day before October 6th last year.
It's on a Friday and this was the
topic and this was the hadith.
Let's clarify what Islam say about women.
The parable I'm going to give you let's
say this girl in front of you may
Allah protect her and make her from the
righteous right?
So I'm assuming she's three years old so
I look at her with her father right?
And I see her pulling her father arm
to take him to where she wants.
And I'm going to say what a three
year old this one can make a man
do what he wants.
Did I praise her or I attacked her?
Done.
That's the hadith.
That's how you have to understand it.
That in spite you pray less because of
what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made it
unconditional on me.
In spite of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
said your witness in the economy economical matters
need two women instead of one yet you
have I wouldn't say full control but you
can absolutely move the man or make the
man do what you want.
Is it a compliment or not?
Done.
You need to learn this.
You need to learn this.
Inheritance, that's the second attack.
Who knows Quran here well so I don't
have to.
Like you know Quran.
I don't mean hafidh, I mean you understand
it all.
Did Allah says the man inherited twice than
the woman?
Yes or no?
Yes, of course.
Absolutely, I can't.
يوصيكم الله في أولادكم للذكري مكلو حظ الأنثيين.
I can't change the Quran.
يوصيكم الله في أولادكم Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala have made it obligation on you that
your son أولادكم will inherit double what your
daughter will inherit.
Yes?
Is that anti-feminism?
Why?
He's taking double than me?
It's not fair.
Just a second.
Yes or no?
If you're going to say no, you have
to explain it.
Second question for everybody.
See how you really have to learn your
deen.
Because once you know then you're absolutely fine.
Nobody will affect you.
Is this rule in every situation the man
inherit double the woman?
Just a second.
As you're doing this, give me the proof.
No, you don't say you don't speak about
this deen without a proof.
That's not my opinion and yours.
You just said the right.
What is the proof?
I'm sorry.
Go ahead, brother.
Can't hear you, unfortunately.
The mother can take more than the father.
Right?
And the double is only for the brothers
and the sisters.
Sometimes the woman inherits more.
Sometimes the woman inherits less.
And sometimes equal.
It's all in Surah An-Nisa.
This is very clear in chapter the woman.
Isn't it interesting?
Subhanallah.
Third, am I equal in the sight of
Allah?
When I'm gonna stand, you're gonna stand and
you're gonna stand.
Are we the same?
Completely?
If I sin as a woman, am I
gonna be punished the same as a man?
Yes or no?
Yes or no?
Give me the proof.
Again, don't say yes or no unless you
tell me.
Because if you're gonna be debating somebody who
knows a little bit about the Quran, knows
only the verses that is not very clear,
then it's gonna be tough on you.
What happens if I steal and you steal?
If I steal, a woman steals, and a
brother steals, is the punishment the same?
Absolutely.
...
The woman thief, the man thief cut their
hand.
Both.
What about adultery?
Both is the same.
...
...
...
...
Punishment?
Same.
Reward?
You fast, I fast.
You do qiyam, I do qiyam.
You do charity, I do charity.
Right?
Same?
...
...
...
...
Whomsoever do a good deed.
Here, he said, a man and a woman.
...
You have to be a believer.
We're gonna make you live a very good
life, and we're gonna reward you both the
same.
So what's feminism then?
Feminism, basically, as a woman and as a
man, you need to know that Allah gave
me rights but at the same time gave
me responsibilities.
And he honored the man.
...
honored the man with certain things I don't
have, but he's gonna be asked about it.
Back to the son inherited double, why?
Just a, why?
Why Allah give you double than me?
It's not fear.
I'll do better, but I'm telling you what
I hear from the mouth of Muslims, the
mouth of Muslims.
Maybe they don't say it in front of
you, but I get these emails and questions.
How are you gonna respond?
This is your daughter, 15 years from now,
she's 25.
And she says, are you telling me this
house, my brother will take two third and
I will take one?
Why?
That's not fear.
And imagine she's saying this to her friend
in college, her coworker, how you will respond?
Yes, the man is responsible for the woman
throughout her life.
Who said so?
And now we are talking, because this is
one of the, this is one of the
most misunderstood verse in the Quran, and you
really have to learn it.
It's also in Surah An-Nisa.
Ar-rijalu qawwamuna ala an-nisa, and the
men use this.
Right?
And when the woman wants, she use this
verse also.
What is qawwama?
What is a man is qawwam.
Anybody knows Arabic here?
From the men I'm asking, yes?
They are caretaker.
That's one of the translation.
Second, protectors.
Third, I'm sorry, provider.
Okay, but mainly, mainly the first two.
Protector, caretaker, and then provider.
If you have the money.
Because Allah said, bima fadhalallahu ba'dahum ala ba'dum,
wa bima anfaqoo min amwalihim.
So when I say to my wife, and
now coming to the brothers, that you need
to take care of me, and I never
use the word obey me, because it's very
negative in this country.
Although in deen, ista'a, but in this
country, obey is usually used for slaves.
So be very careful, especially when you speak
to non-Arab.
For us, we know what's ta'a, it's
very easily understood.
But when you say obey, people will misuse
this word, and some gets very offended.
I call it take care.
And I'm gonna say, why?
And you're gonna respond, and you say, because
I have to take care of you.
Listen to this.
You taking care of your wife is a
responsibility.
Me taking care of my husband is responsibility.
Both.
Both.
So I cannot say as a man, I'm
not gonna take care of her, because she
doesn't take care of me.
Don't do it, it's your choice.
But Allah will ask you.
And the same thing applies here.
You can't come and say, you know what,
I'm not talking about abuse.
Always abuse stays in another place.
I'm talking about regular.
But he doesn't take care of me.
And I was like, what does that mean?
If he is taking care of you the
way he pleases Allah, fulfilled the qawamah, the
caregiver, then you need to take care of
him.
Otherwise, Allah will ask you also.
That is not understood in feminism.
Feminism is understood in this equal, 50-50.
You know the 50-50 rules?
50-50.
Islam is not 50-50.
Islam is a wholesome.
In the house, wholesome.
Not you wash the dishes one day and
I will wash the dishes next day.
That's not Islam.
Islam is the house needs to be clean.
If I am working 18 hours, and for
some reason Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A
'la made your job easy, then there is
nothing wrong with you washing the dishes.
Because that's what he did, alayhi salatu wa
salam.
But if you are working 18 hours and
I am not, then I need to do
it.
What is the big deal?
Why do I look down at taking care
of my house?
That's my responsibility.
That's taking care.
Are you with me?
Because all these misunderstood things about the deen
needs to be cleared.
Remove the culture.
The culture is a huge issue here.
What is faith?
What is faith?
Everybody in this room is believer?
Of course.
Why we are in the masjid?
Alhamdulillah.
What is faith?
I'm sorry?
Don't tell me believing, I know that.
Right, what is the word faith mean?
Have you ever looked it up?
You wanna learn anything?
You know, when I prepare any talk, the
first thing I do, I go and look
at the linguistic meaning.
So if I'm reading alhamdulillah, I speak Arabic,
so I always go to the Arabic word
first.
What does it mean, the word?
Not Islam, the word itself.
Faith, and I actually wrote it here.
Faith is, and this is for every religion,
associated with trust in Allah, God, and his
promise.
Trust in Allah and his promise.
Faith also have secular meaning.
Outside religion, what is it?
Don't we say, trust me, I have a
good, or I say, I trust her, I
have a good faith in her.
What is that?
Or I have a bad faith in her.
What is that?
Trust.
Faith is trust.
You trust in Allah, what does that mean?
Everything he said is good for me, even
if I don't understand it.
Everything he said do, it is good for
me.
Everything he said don't do, is not good
for me.
Now the issue is, I don't understand the
religion, for many reasons, I'm talking about depth
of religion, that I need to go by
the good faith.
And I wouldn't say it's not fair.
And I wouldn't say, this is exactly what
you have to do.
I need to know, Allah is just, Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, anything he put in
this religion, even if externally, does not fit
where we are living, it doesn't matter, because
I know my creator, the one who created
me, is, what he said, is good for
me.
I'm just gonna keep some, I wanna leave
some time for, what time is Isha?
8.30?
Okay, we still have, okay.
Here, I'm gonna say one thing.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made a human
being honored, true or false, human being in
general, yes or no?
Are we honored?
Okay, you are so confident, you're right.
We have honored, actually, takrim is even exalt,
the human being, he didn't say man or
a woman, Bani Adam, children of Adam.
We facilitated for them to walk and move
on this earth and in the sea, we
have gave them from the best we have
sustenance, Allah have exalted you and me over
a lot of other creation.
So when you see a bird, when you
see a cat, when you see any animal,
there's two things you say, this is what
I always say.
I'm actually envy of that animal, I'm jealous.
You know why?
Because there will be no accountability.
That animal is not gonna stand in front
of Allah and says, why didn't you do
this or do that?
And what do they do in life?
Eat and drink and fulfill their desires, done.
But at the same time, he did not
exalt it.
When Allah said, I exalted Bani Adam, I
have honored, he didn't say, I honored the
man.
Second, when the word man comes in the
Quran, because again, majority of you read English.
When Allah says man, doesn't mean the male
gender, necessarily, no.
For example, Rijalun, Allah said this in Surah
An-Nur, talking about masajid, right?
And he says, Rijalun la tulhihim tijaratun wala
bay'un an dhikrillah.
If you read the translation, this is in
Surah An-Nur, men, because that's how you
translate, men that will never get distracted from
the remembrance of Allah by money or by
work.
Does that mean men only?
But you will read it as men.
Men, if Allah did not describe it in
the Quran, that means the both gender.
So when you read a man, not necessarily
it is man only.
When Allah says, karramna bani Adam, the children
of Adam, this is all of us.
So that's number one.
We all have been exalted by Allah, and
you all know the famous ayah when Allah
told the angels, what?
I am gonna be, do what?
inni ja'alun fil ardi khalifa I am
gonna make a successor in this earth.
What did the angel says?
Why?
The argument you all know.
That's basically an exaltation for the human being.
He did not leave angels on earth.
Can I ask you a question just to
bring your attention back?
Which one is better, us or the angels?
Us, oh, mashallah.
And why is that?
Why is that?
Will, what does that mean?
I know what you mean, but I need
you to explain it.
Always when we speak about the deen, especially
living in a non-Muslim country, talk in
the mind of the people who don't know.
Not the mind of you and me, of
course we know, right?
So if you are gonna talk to a
15-year-old or 16-year-old, and
I keep saying this every, when I come
to you on Friday, because normally on Thursday,
I teach the youth girls.
And many of the things that we take
for granted and we understand, believe me, they
have no idea.
And you have to explain it.
So when we say, when we come and
say, what you just answered me, why?
So is angels better or us?
Us, why?
There's a huge debate between scholars, basically, because
I have ability to choose.
When I don't have the ability to choose,
what is the problem?
Fasting, but the water, I'm so thirsty.
And I can pick up the water right
away and drink it.
So I have a choice.
When I have a choice, it's very difficult.
It's one of the reasons we, living in
the West, we're not happy, as the simple
people who live in villages.
And we have everything, and they have nothing,
because they don't have a choice.
What do you wanna eat for dinner?
Mafi, what do you wanna eat for dinner?
This is the only thing in dinner, and
hamdullahi rabbil alameen.
For us, so when we have a choice,
I can choose to please Allah, and I
can choose not to.
And this is a question always I am
asked.
Is hijab for the woman a choice?
Yes, it is her choice to obey Allah
or not.
It is her choice to obey Allah or
not.
And that's up to you.
And we can also say many other examples
for the woman.
So basically, basically, we have been exalted, we
have been honored, man and a woman.
Many of the things they talk about, we
as Muslim women, we have it already, right?
Now back to the Hadith, the brother said,
I'm gonna bring you the verse.
Ya ayyuhan naas, inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa
untha wa ja'alnakum sha'uban wa qabaila
li ta'arafu.
Next, inna akramakum indallahi itqaakum.
People, and Allah, he did not address believers.
He addressed people.
We have created you from a man and
a woman.
And this, a very good way to respond
to the LGBT argument.
But that's a different story.
And Allah said, man and a woman.
And we have made you nation and tribe.
Look at each other.
The men look at each other, the women
look at each other.
Are we the same?
Do we come from the same place?
Even if you come from the same country,
are we the same?
How many dialogue you have, how many foods
different?
But we are different, but to know each
other and the best among you, neither man
or a woman, nor young, nor old, white
or not white, have accent or don't have
an accent, none of that in the sight
of Allah.
The most pious.
And only Allah knows who is the most
pious.
So when I come back to feminism, when
I come back to feminism and I say,
let me take you back to the definition
so you can connect together.
This is the definition of feminism in Wikipedia.
A range of social, political, ideological movement aim
to define and establish equality, political, economic, personal
and social.
Does Islam gives me that?
Not 50-50.
I want to reemphasize this.
It is not 50-50.
One day he does that, the next day
I do that.
And it is not zero and 100.
She does everything and he does nothing or
he does everything and she does nothing.
That's not an Islam.
Nobody is better than the Rasul, peace be
upon him, and he served his family.
And he used to even, literally, sew his
clothes, the best of the creation, right?
Last but not the least, it's a story
which really, really moved me.
There is two women in our deen, in
the Quran, two women in the Quran, one
by name and the other one not by
name, who really tell you, can faith and
feminism live together?
Does anyone know who those are?
One, her name is mentioned, the other one,
her name is not mentioned.
I'm sorry?
Sayida Mariam, Mariam name is mentioned.
And the other one?
No.
Sorry?
No, no.
The Sayida Aisha without her name.
What is feminism here and what is faith
here?
All the names you mentioned, you're absolutely right,
especially those without a name, but not in
the context of this.
Let's take Sayida Mariam, where is faith and
feminism?
This is a single woman, right?
Unmarried, virgin, very pious, everybody knows her, whenever
they see her, she is worshiping Allah, right?
Because Allah described her in Ahlul Imran.
Kullama dakha alayha zakariya al-mihraba.
Zakariya, her uncle, where does he find her?
In the masjid.
Mihrab is her place of worship.
Wajida indaha risqa, he found food.
And where is this, Mariam, where did you
get this from?
Qalat innahu min indi Allah, this is Allah.
Yarzuqu ma yasha, what happened to this woman?
Come on, what happened to this woman?
She got pregnant, right?
And gave birth to a boy without marriage.
Imagine this here, you are a tight community,
everybody knows everybody, right?
You have a single girl here, right?
Comes in the masjid, not pregnant, carrying the
baby.
Yes, right?
Huge, huge.
And what the community said, they expected.
Qalu ya Mariam, ma kana abuki mraa sawiin,
wa ma kanat umuki baghiya.
Your father was not a bad man, and
your mother was not baghiya, meaning she, I
can't say the word because of the age
in here, right?
But you all understood.
And if you don't, just go back to
Surah Mariam, you will find it.
Where is feminism here?
Did she stood up and said, it's my
right, you have nothing to do with it,
right?
Did she said, ya Allah, this is not
fair, why me?
Right, did she look at the men and
said, because the community asked her, did she
looked at the man and says, that's not
your business, you mind your own business.
Did she, that's what she said?
What did she do?
Pointed to him.
To whom?
Why?
Why?
Because Allah told her so, through him.
fa idha ra'iti, fa imma tari'inna
minal bashari ahadan fa quli, inni nazartu lilrahmani
sawman falan ukellima alyawma insiya When you see
anybody, don't speak, sawm, hear fasting from speech.
And say, he's talking, baby, newborn, just delivered.
Say, don't speak, don't answer, rather say, I'm
fasting, right?
falan ukellima alyawma insiya I am not gonna
talk to anybody.
How many of us will believe this?
And bring the baby, and don't speak a
word, because Allah told you, and then you
point to the baby, and you don't know
if the baby will speak, to defend you.
That's faith, and that's feminism.
Did you get my point?
Faith and feminism.
And by the way, there is a lot
of the same story for the men, but
the subject is feminism.
Second one, which you all need to know,
that story is very strong, very powerful, and
very impactful, you all know it.
What happened to Sayyida Aisha, and how they
accused her, and then 40 days no Quran,
and everybody is talking about her.
I'm gonna end up with just this, because
see how feminism and faith.
Was Sayyida Aisha strong?
Yes or no?
Was she very knowledgeable?
Was she the most beloved to Rasul A
.S.? Absolutely, he said it.
She did not brag about it.
There is no Hadith.
She's bragging about, I'm the most beloved.
No, but he said it.
So here you go, end of the story.
She came to find out that all the
town is talking about her.
Imagine this, I really want you to feel
this, because also you're a tight community, but
a good-sized community.
Everybody is talking about you, or you, or
you, and talking in the most negative way,
and your father is not Abu Bakr, and
your mother is not Umar Oman, and your
husband is not Rasul A.S., which means
I can easily fall into mistake, and you
are not living in a house where the
Quran is being revealed, and you are not
at that point the Quran stopped.
So the husband comes in.
Who's the husband?
Rasul A.S., he said one word, and
you read the Hadith, you have to all
read it, because she said it.
She said, from the moment I know, the
whole community is talking about me, this I
did not, there's not a drop, my eye
would never dry.
This is actually the word she said, and
then she said, I was in my parents'
house, crying and sobbing.
Will you?
Absolutely, I'll be dead actually before that.
He comes in, A.S. Now think, Rasul
A.S., he sat in front of her,
looked at her, her father on her right,
her father on Rasul A.S. right, and
her mother next to her, and he said,
Aisha, Aisha, if you have done it, say
it, and Allah will forgive you.
What happened?
Look at your faces now.
This is 1400 years ago.
You know what she said?
She said, at that moment, not a single
drop of tears came out of my eyes.
I didn't say anything.
I looked at my father, and I said,
answer Rasul Allah, in her top anger, and
quote unquote, because his question implies what?
There's a doubt.
And we women know this.
When the man is doubting his wife, or
you men know this, when the wife is
doubting you, it hurts, because when you don't
trust me, it hurts, whether it is the
man or the woman.
So she's, no, not a single drop of
tears.
Daddy, ajib Rasul Allah, ya abi, respond to
Rasul A.S. What's Sayyidina Abu Bakr was
saying?
Now imagine your father did not defend you.
Looked at her mother.
You answer him, what do you think your
mother will defend you?
Who's gonna defend you against Rasul A.S.?
Not a single word.
No one.
You're alone.
Talk about feminism now.
You're alone.
In that room, the whole town talking about
you, talking very negatively about you, and now
your husband is doubting you.
Ouch.
She said, I'm not gonna say anything.
I'm only gonna say what the father of
Yusuf said.
Sabrun jameel.
Beautiful patient.
Allahumusna'anu ala ma taqooloon.
And Allah is my helper against what you
are saying.
And look at now, feminism.
She said, I turned my back to Rasul
A.S. And to my parents.
Is that feminism?
But that's feminism with faith.
That's why absolutely they live together.
Two seconds, two minutes?
Very soon.
Her mother said, because the description is the
face of Rasul A.S. changed in the
way that Quran is being revealed.
So her mother looked at her.
He said, Ya Aish Abshiri.
Good news, Ya Aisha.
Your innocence came from the sky.
She didn't say a word.
She didn't turn.
Ya Allah.
And then her mother, go and hug Rasul
A.S. Your innocence came.
No.
Father, no.
You know what she said?
I am not gonna be grateful to anyone
but to the one who sent my innocence
to Allah.
That's feminism and that's faith.
You stand up for your right but the
way it pleases Allah is not by following
everything outside there because majority of outside there
is not pleasing to Allah.
And as a woman of faith, you will
be tested.
Doesn't mean when I obey Allah, life will
be smooth.
No, you will be tested, all of us.
But my response always has to be the
way it pleases Allah.
And what she did to Allah that he
sent Quran till this day is revealed, is
being read about her innocence.
So when you wanna be like Sayyida Aisha,
build the relationship with Allah so when you
are tested, he sent you the right action,
the right words that pleases him.
May Allah make us like Sayyida Aisha.
May Allah make all the brother I can't
say like Rasulullah, I wish.
But I'm gonna say, not because you are
not but because who is he.
But I will say on his footsteps, exactly
on his footsteps.
And we are on the footsteps of him
as a woman but also on the footsteps
of his wives.
May Allah be pleased with them all.
Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdik.
Ashadu an la ilaha ila anzal astaghfiruka wa
atubu ilaih Sallallahu ala sayyidina Muhammad wa ala
alihi wa ashabihi tasliman kathira.
Any questions?
I think we have some time for questions
or no?
You tell me, brother.
It's your masjid, five minutes.
Can I ask the sisters, because I'm doing
the topic tomorrow and we have two hours.
If there's any question from the brother's side,
I'll start with it.
Yes, please.
Yes, yes.
I love that.
Oh, okay, okay, okay.
These two?
Okay, so there is two also.
Two verses, two hadiths of Rasulallah sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam.
Second one is, la kuntu amiran basharan an
yasjud li bashar la amartul mara an tasjud
li zawjiha.
That's another one is used.
Jazakallah khair.
He said, if I have the authority for
a human being to prostrate to another human
being, I would have ordered the woman to
prostrate to her husband.
Wow, right?
You need to know, you know Arabic?
Lovely, because then I can explain very easy.
Because he said law.
Law is a term, is a tool in
Arabic.
They said, harf umtina in limtina.
It's a tool that is used for something
will never happen.
Will never happen.
It's not can happen if this thing, but
it will never.
If you wanna change, if you said in,
then that may not happen.
But if this happened, it can.
So that's number one.
So why did he say that?
He was telling the woman.
Now, when you take this hadith, you have
to say, okay, what did he tell the
husbands also?
Islam, and this is why really important that
you study the social, the social components, or
the social makeup of the Muslim society.
It is not what we have outside there.
It is not what we have back home
culture.
Neither.
Neither.
He is telling the woman, the husband has
a lot of rights upon you.
At the same time, he looked at the
man and says, khairukum khairukum li ahli.
The best among you is the best of
their wives.
And he said, wa ana khairukum li ahli.
And that was in the last sermon he
gave.
He khutbatil wada.
So when you look at these hadiths, you
cannot just get the hadith by itself.
Like you get, la takrabus sala.
Don't get close to sala.
Wa antum sukara, when you're intoxicated.
He talked to the woman.
I'll tell you what, this probably gonna make
it easy.
One of my friends, she had always issues
with her husband.
Right, but not major issues.
And I said, what did you do?
She said, I always remembered my mother advice.
I said, what is it?
She said, whenever things goes bad, but not
bad, bad.
You know, different opinion.
Think of one thing he did good for
you.
What a wise mother.
And I said, and she said, once I
think about it, I become calmer.
It's not like it's not an issue anymore,
but I become calmer.
So what is he saying, alayhi salatu wassalam?
He wanted to calm the woman, to remind
her, because we can say it's not fair,
whatever, or I tell you it is not
fair.
He's trying to calm me down.
And he's trying to remind me that marriage
is give and take.
There is rights you have to fulfill.
Then he looks at the man and say
the same thing.
Brings the balance to the house.
If I keep telling the woman, you need
to prostrate to your husband, now this is
gonna be impossible.
And if I keep telling the man, you
need to be very good to her with
no rights, there is no balance.
Islam is a dean of balance.
And unfortunately, we are tilting the balance.
Whether we women tilting the balance or the
men tilting the balance.
Jazakumullahu khayran, subhanakallahumma wa bihamdik, ashhadu an la
ilaha ila an, astaghfiruka wa atubu.
I was asked to remind you that there
is a fundraising gala.
Can we put it there?
I would love to attend if I was
in the country, but I am not, unfortunately.
Honestly, I would have flu to attend.
Because your presence, the gala is for what?
Is for the most jealous from masjid in
the country, in case you don't know.
Yes, and you are extremely blessed.
But this masjid doesn't get sustained by itself.
Allah does not send like, you know, bags
of money goes on the masjid.
We need to start the bag, and Allah
will put the baraka in it.
So when you have a gala, and I'm
sure it's gonna be beautiful.
Yeah, I'm sure it's beautiful, because I attended
one of your Eid gala.
I came back to California, and I was
like, what is this?
We need to improve.
So please come in, and if you can't
come in, at least buy the ticket.
Buy the ticket, and then give the ticket
to somebody else.
May Allah make it easy.
Jazakumullahu khayran.