Ingrid Mattson – Women of Islam 2 of 4
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Was there anything in the initial revelations of
god that improve the status or role of
the woman in Arabia?
What we have to understand is that the
first thing that,
improved the status of women was simply
a redefinition
of the value of human beings. I mean,
women as human beings
were
reassessed
according to their value. Now their value was
not primarily
as,
as chattel or as property of men,
But
as individual human beings who who had who
had their
own spiritual relationship with God.
That's vitally important. It means that if a
woman is married or if she's not married,
whether she's a mother or she
cannot have
children,
whether she lives a life that is,
in
in the public eye and is famous or
is is someone who is,
who gets
great acclaim because of
her, career or
her accomplishments,
that all of these things in the end
are irrelevant because her primary
value in relationship is the dignity that she
can attain through a relationship with god. It's
very important to understand that.
Of course, there were specific
rulings about females in that society
that did help their situation
within the limits of what was possible within
7th century Arabia.
One of the first things that was done,
of course,
in the early revelations was
to link the mistreatment of women
with,
morality
so that the burial of of,
of female children, female infanticide
that was practiced among the pre Islamic Arabs
was condemned. And not only was it condemned,
as something that was,
that was wrong, but it was linked to
a, ultimate
value,
which was that
god
would judge this action.
It's very important to understand that the pre
Samic Arabias Arabians did not believe in an
afterlife.
So they did not believe that their actions
would have any ultimate consequences
other than,
whether,
other human beings would assess them as good
or bad.
That's what's really important about this message is
that
whether human other human beings think that your
actions are good or bad,
ultimately it is God who is the judge.
And the fact that that female infanticide
is
immoral,
is sinful,
is unlawful in the sight of God
means that whether any
person knows about your action or not, it
is wrong. God will know, and you will
be judged for for that.
Because so many crimes that occur against women
occur in private.
So often, women are hurt and abused
within the private sphere, within the domestic sphere.
No one ever finds out about that abuse.
And that's why,
the awareness that it is god who sees
all things, God sees these actions
is the most important aspect of this message
because you cannot get away
with abusing girls, with abusing women,
when god sees and knows all things.
This is a cue back again to
a statement where they practice infensicide, female infensicide.
Why did they practice that?
That? There are two different reasons why,
the pre Islamic Arabs, some of them, not
all of them, practice female infanticide.
The first was out of,
simple
inability
to take care of all of their children.
Among the poorest tribes,
those who are living on the margins of
life,
those who had the poorest grazing grounds,
they would,
kill
some of their children because,
they were afraid they wouldn't be able to
take care of them.
And they would rather kill,
their girl
than the possibility,
not just of her dying, but of having
to sell her or give her away,
where she would be,
be abused. So this in a way,
for many of them, it wasn't something that
they love doing. It's not because they hated
girls,
but because
they did not
have any hope that that,
they would have a way to take care
of their children.
This is why we have to look at
the Islamic message holistically
because Islam not only said that
it's,
it's wrong to bury the child, but that
you also have to believe
that God will provide for you
and for your children.
So it's that linking to faith,
realizing that it is God who gives Rizek
that is important.
But it doesn't stop at that because we
know that there are people who are poor.
We know that there are people who can't
feed their children.
And that is why
this issue then has to be understood within
the context of
the Islamic Economic Social Order, which is that
it is the responsibility
of the rest of the community
to help you
if you can't take care of your children.
That not only through the CAD, but also
through through sharing
and through a different social economic order,
you have to,
be assured that this community will take care
of your children.
How did the early Muslim women contribute to
the understanding and preservation of Islam?
What's important to understand is that the Quran
was revealed over a period of 23 years.
And
and very often, verses of the Quran were
revealed
in connection with
issues that arose in the community
or questions that were asked.
So
from Islamic perspective we understand that God,
put in place a certain community
around the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
that
asked questions,
that was vocal,
that wanted
had a had a certain sense of curiosity
and wanted to understand what this revelation meant
for them. What that means is that the
questions that were raised were important,
and women were among,
you know, were equal to men and asking
questions.
What does
God have to say about my situation?
If we think about about Kaula, for example,
who came to the prophet Muhammad, peace be
upon him, complaining
that her husband
had,
uttered the words of Vihar
against her saying to her, you are to
me as my mother's backside.
Very vulgar expression
by which a man would separate himself from
his wife but not divorce her.
Completely unjust
practice in pre Islamic Arabia.
She came to the prophet Mohammed, peace be
upon him, and said,
you know, he's done that. Now I'm in
this situation where I'm hanging between
between marriage and divorce. I'm in kind of
no man's land.
What does god have to say to that?
And soon, god does reveal,
a judgment
about this practice,
outlawing it,
saying that it is shameful
and that,
that a man who utters this pronouncement
has to,
make compensation
and kafar and repent.
That's just one example.
We know of many other examples where women
asked questions about their own situation,
about their status.
Selama, who asked,
about the revelation.
Why was the revelation
being addressed to men?
In in Arabic,
the,
the masculine form of a noun encompasses both
male and female.
Now, of course,
the the Arab women knew that. They knew
their language,
but they wanted to
clarify
and make it make sure that the men
in their community understood this.
And it's a response to that question that
Allah
revealed,
the verse
that says, verily,
the Muslim
men and the Muslim women and the believing
men and the believing women to the end
of the verse saying that each of them
will have,
their reward from God. So that's an affirmation
from God that that women are equal to
men. And it's in response to that question
that arises from a woman who knows the
men of her time, who knows that the
men of her time,
do not think much of women, and that
they might use the Quran
and use the the way that the Arabic
language is structured
to exclude women from the life of the
community.