Women's Rights in Islam

(This is an extract from the speech delivered by Dr. Zakir Naik in a Public gathering in Mumbai)

Definition

According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘Women’s Rights are the rights, that promote a position of social and legal equality, of women to men. According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘they are the rights, claimed for the women, equal to those of men, as regards to suffrage that right to vote, as regards to property, etc ‘Modernising according to the Oxford dictionary means, ‘to make modern, to adapt to modern needs or habits. And according to the Webster’s dictionary it means ‘To make modern, or to give a new character or appearance - e.g., to modernise ones ideas. In short, modernising is a process of updating or opting for the betterment of the present status itself - It is not the present modern status itself. Can we modernise ourselves, to master our problems, and to realize a new way of life, for the whole human race?

I am not concerned about the modern ideas, the conclusions and the categorical statements made by scientists and inexperienced armchair experts, as how a life should be lived by a woman. I am going to base my conclusions and considerations on truth, which can be proved by experience.

Experience and unbiased factual holistic analysis, are the sure test, between the gold of truth, and the glitter of theory. We have to check our thinking against reality, otherwise many a times, our mental process will go astray - Indeed the great brains of one time, believed that the world was flat.

Women Rights in the West

If we agree with the ‘Women’s rights in Islam as portrayed by the Western media, you have no option, but to agree that the ‘Women’s rights in Islam are outdated. The Western talk of women’s liberation, is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honour and degradation of her soul. The Western society which speaks of upgrading the status of women in Islam, have actually reduced her status to concubines, to mistresses, to society butterflies, which are mere tools in the hands of sex marketers and pleasure seekers, which are disguised behind the colorful screen of art and culture.

Women Rights in Islam

Islam’s radical revolutionary support, gave women their due right and status in the days of ignorance 1,400 years ago. Islam’s objective was and continues to be, to modernise our thinking, our living, our seeing, our hearing, our feeling and striving for the women’s upliftment and emancipation in the society.

Before I dwell further with the topic, I would like you to make note of a few points.

Approximately one fifth of the world’s population, consists of Muslims. There are different Muslim societies - Some may be close to Islam, some may be far away from Islam. The ‘Women’s rights in Islam should judged according to the authentic sources, and not what individual Muslims do, or what the Muslim society does.

The authentic sources of Islam, are the Qur’an, which is the word of God, and the authentic Sunnah, and the traditions of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Qur’an will never contradict itself, nor will the authentic Hadith contradict itself neither will these two authentic sources, contradict each other.

Sometimes the scholars differ, and many a times, these differences can be removed by analyzing the Qur’an as a whole, and not just by quoting one particular Verse. Because if one particular verse of the Qur’an is ambiguous many a times the answer is given somewhere else in the Qur’an - Some people quote one source and neglect all the other sources.

It is the duty of every Muslim, male or female, to seek the pleasure of God, and to act as His trustee on this world, and not to try and gain fame or satisfy one’s own ego. Islam believes in equality of men and women ‘Equality' does not mean ‘identicality'. In Islam, the role of a man and woman is complimentary, it is not conflicting. It is that of a partnership, it is not contradictory, so as to strive for supremacy.

Where ‘Women’s rights in Islam is concerned, I have divided it into 6 broad categories.

Six Categories of Women Rights in Islam :-

The first are ‘the Spiritual rights, second are ‘the Economical rights, third are ‘the Social rights

fourth are ‘the Educational rights, fifth are ‘the Legal rights, and the sixth are ‘the Political rights

Sex is Not the Criteria to Enter Paradise:

The greatest misconception that the West has about Islam, is that they think ‘Paradise in Islam, is only meant for the male - it is not meant for the female


This misconception can be removed by quoting from Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, Verse No 124, which says,

‘If any of you do deeds of righteousness, whether it be male or a female and has faith, they shall surely enter Paradise and not the least injustice shall be done to them

A similar thing is repeated in Surah Nahl, Ch.16, Verse No.97 which says

‘If any of you perform good deeds, be it a man or a woman and is a believer, We shall give you good life and We should reward you for all your good works


Just because in Islam, sex is not the criteria to enter Paradise, will you call such rights in Islam as modernising or outdated?

A. Spiritual Rights of Women in Islam :-


Another misconception is that, which the Western media has, that, The woman has no soul. In fact, it was in the seventeenth century, when the Council of Wise Men, when they gathered at Rome, and they unanimously agreed that the woman had no soul.

In Islam, man and woman have the same spiritual nature. It is mentioned in Quran, Ch.4, Verse No.1, which says that,

O humankind reverence your Guardian Lord, who has created you from a single person and created like nature his mate

A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Nahl, Ch.16, Verse No.72, which says that,



We have made for you companions and mates of your own nature

In Surah Al-Shura, Ch.42, Verse No.11, it says,



He is the one who has created the heavens and the earth and has made for you pairs from among yourselves

Just because the spiritual nature of a man and woman is the same in Islam, will you call such rights in Islam, as modernizing or outdated?

The Qur’an clearly mentions that,

God has breathed somewhat of His spirit into the human beings

If you read Surah Hijr, Ch.15, Verse No.29, it says,

When I have fashioned you in due proportion and have breathed into you something of my spirit, fall you down in obeisance

A similar thing is repeated in the Qur’an, in Surah Sajdah, Ch. 32, Verse No.9, which says,

Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His Spirit...

Here, when God refers to as ‘Something of My Spirit, is breathed into the human beings - it does not mean, a sort of incarnation or a pantheistic form.

It means that Allah has given to every human being something of His spiritual Nature, and the Knowledge of God Almighty, and coming closer towards Him. Here it refers to both Adam and Eve (may peace be upon them) - Both were breathed something of God's Spirit.

Again we read in the Qur’an, that Allah has appointed the human being as His vicegerent, as His trustee, as is mentioned in Surah Isra, Ch.17, Verse No.70, which says,

We have honoured the children of Adam and bestowed on them special favours

Note, here all the children of Adam have been honoured, male as well as female.

There are some Religious scriptures, for example the Bible, which puts the blame on Eve for the downfall of humanity.

In fact if you read the Qur’an in Surah Araf, Ch.7, Verse No.19 to 27, Adam and Eve (may peace be upon them both) are addressed, more than a dozen of times. Both disobeyed God, both asked for forgiveness, both repented, and both were forgiven.

Whereas, in the Bible, if you read Genesis, Ch. 3, only Eve is held responsible (May peace be upon her) for the downfall of humanity.

And according to the doctrine of Original Sin because of Eve (may peace be upon her) the whole of humanity is born in sin.

Does Pregnancy Uplift the Women or Degrade?

If you read the Bible in Genesis, Ch. 3, Verse No.16, it says that, 'To the woman He (God) said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."'

That means, pregnancy and child birth has been said in the Bible to degrade the women and the labour pain is a sort of punishment.

Whereas, if you read the Qur’an, pregnancy and child birth have uplifted the women. If you read Surah Nisa, Ch.4, Verse No.1, it says, Respect the womb that bore you

Its mentioned in Surah Luqman, Ch.31, Verse No.14, it says,

We have enjoined on the human being to be kind to the parents, in travail upon travail did their mother bore them and in years twain was their weaning

A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Ahqaf, Ch.46, Verse No.15, it again repeats, which says, We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to his parents

To be kind to the parents - in pain did their mother bore them, and in pain did she give them birth - Pregnancy in the Qur’an has uplifted the women not degraded her. Just because pregnancy has uplifted the women in Islam will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated?

Criteria in the Sight of God to Judge Male and Female:

The only criteria for judgment in the sight of Allah is 'Taqwa' ‘God consciousness' or 'righteousness'

It is mentioned in Surah Hujurat, Ch.49, Verse No.13

O humankind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female and have divided you into nations and tribes, so that you shall recognize each other not that you despise each other and the most honored in the sight of God, is the one who is the most righteous

Sex, colour, caste, wealth has got no criteria in Islam - The only criteria in the sight of God is 'righteousness' neither is sex the criteria for God to reward or to punish a person.

If you read Surah Imran Ch.3 Verse No.195 it says

I will never suffer the loss of any of you, be it male or female, you are companions unto each other

Equal Moral Duties for Men and Women:

I had started my talk by quoting a verse from the Qur’an from Surah Al Ahzab, Ch.33, Verse No.35, which says,

For Muslim men and Muslim women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast and deny themselves, for men and women who guard their chastity, for men and women who engage much in God's praise, God has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward.

This verse indicates that the spiritual duties, the moral duties, for the men and women in Islam are the same - Both have to believe, both have to pray, both have to fast, both have to give in charity, etc, etc.

But the women has been given certain concession in Islam.

If she is undergoing her menstrual period or pregnancy, she does not have to fast - She can keep those fasts later on, when she is more healthy. During the menstrual period and during the postnatal period, she needs not pray also - she has been given the concession, and neither does she have to compensate it later on. Just because the moral duties of the men and women are equal in Islam will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated?


B. Economical Rights to the Women

Islam gave economical rights to the women 1,300 years before the West.

An adult Muslim woman can own, she can dispose or disown any of her property without consulting any one, irrespective whether she is married or she is single.

In 1870, it was the first time in England, that the West recognized the rights of the married woman, where she was allowed to own or dispose any of her property without consultation.

I do agree that the women were given their economical rights 1300 years ago - these are ancient rights - but the question is 'are they modernizing or outdated?'

Women on Job:

A women in Islam, if she wishes to work she can work - There is no text in the Qur’an or the authentic Hadith which prevents or makes it prohibited for a woman to do any work, as long as it is not unlawful, as long as it is within the preview of the Islamic Shariah, as long as she maintains her Islamic dress code.

But natural, she cannot take up jobs, which exhibit her beauty and body - Like for example, modeling and film acting, and such kind of jobs.

Many of the professions and jobs which are prohibited for the woman are also prohibited for the man, for example serving alcohol, working in gambling dens, doing any unethical or dishonest business. All these jobs are prohibited for both men and women.

A true Islamic society requires women to take up profession such as doctors.

We do require female Gynecologists, we do require female nurses, we do require female teachers. But, a woman in Islam has got no financial obligations - The financial obligation is laid on the shoulders of the man in the family - Therefore she need not work for her livelihood.

But in genuine cases, where there are financial crisis in which both the ends do not meet, she has the option of working.

Here too, no one can force her to work - She works out of her own, absolute free will.

Financial Security for Women:

A woman in Islam has been given more financial security, as compared to the man.

As I told you earlier, the financial obligation is not put on her shoulder - It is put on the shoulder of the man in the family. It is the duty of the father or the brother, before she is married and the duty of the husband or the son, after she is married to look after her lodging, boarding, clothing and financial aspects of her.

Compulsory Marital Gift for a Woman:

When she gets married, she is on the receiving end.

She receives a gift - she receives a dower or a marital gift, which is called as 'Meher'

And it is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah Nisa, Ch.4 Verse No.4 which says, 'Give to the woman in dower, a marital gift'

For a marriage to solemnize in Islam, 'Meher'is compulsory.

But unfortunately in our Muslim society here, we just keep a nominal 'Meher' to satisfy the Qur’an, say 151 Rupees, or some people give 786 Rupees and they spend lakhs and lakhs of Rupees on the reception, on the decoration, on the flowers, on the lunch parties, on the dinner parties.

In Islam, there is no lower-limit, nor is there an upper limit for 'Meher' - But when a person can spend lakhs of Rupees on the reception, surely the 'Meher' should be much more.

There are various cultures which have crept into the Muslim societies, specially in the Indo-Pak area.

They give a small amount of 'Meher' and they expect the wife to give a fridge, to give a T.V set, they expect the wife to give an apartment, to give a car, etc., and a large sum of dowry, depending upon the status of the husband.

If he is a graduate, they may expect 1 lakh - If he is an engineer they may expect 3 lakhs - If he is a doctor they may expect 5 lakhs.

Demanding dowry from the wife, directly or indirectly is prohibited in Islam.

If the parents of the girl give the girl something out of their own free will, it is accepted - But demanding or forcing directly or indirectly, it is prohibited in Islam.

No Financial Liabilities:

If a Woman works, which she does not have to - whatever earning she gets, it is absolutely her property.

She need not spend on the household - if she wants to spend it is her free will.

Irrespective how rich the wife is, it is the duty of the husband to give lodging, boarding, clothing and look after the financial aspects of the wife.

In case of divorce or if a wife gets widowed, she is given financial support for the period of 'Iddah' and if she has children, she is also given child support.

Right to Inherit:

Islam gave the right to the women to inherit, centuries ago.

If you read the Qur’an - in several verses, in Surah Nisa, in Surah Baqarah and in Surah Maidah, it is mentioned that a woman, irrespective she is a wife or she is a mother, or a sister, or a daughter, she has a right to inherit. And it has been fixed by God Almighty in the Qur’an.


C. Social Rights of Women in Islam

Broadly it can be categorized into four sub-headings. Social rights given to a daughter, to a wife, to a mother and to a sister.

Social Rights to a Daughter:

Islam prohibits, female infanticide. The killing of female children is forbidden in Islam.

It is mentioned in Surah Taqveem, Ch. 81, Verse No. 8 and 9, 'When the female child is buried alive and when she questions you, for what crime was she killed'

Not only female infanticide has been prohibited, all sorts of infanticides has been prohibited in Islam, whether it be a male child or a female child.

It is mention in the Qur’an in Surah A’nam Ch.6, Verse No.151 that, 'Kill not your children for want of sustenance for it is God that will provide sustenance for you and for children'

A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Isra, Ch.17 Verse No.31 which says 'Kill not your children for want of sustenance, for it is God that will provide sustenance to you and your children, for killing of children is a major sin'

In the pre-Islamic Arabia, whenever a female child was born mostly she was buried alive.

Alhamdullillah, after the spread of Islam this evil practice has been discontinued.

But unfortunately it still continues in India - According to a BBC report, in the programe assignment the title of which was 'Let Her Die' there was a British reporter by the name of Emily Beckenen, who came all the way from Britain to India to give us the statistics of the female infanticide.

In that programe, it gives the statistics, that every day more than 3,000 fetuses are being aborted on being identified that they are females.

If you multiply this figure by the number of days, that is multiplied by 365, you get a figure of more than one million female fetuses are being aborted every year in our country.

And there are big hoarding and posters in states like Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, which says spend 500 Rupees and save 5 lakh Rupees.

What does it mean? - That spend Rupees 500 on medical examination like Aminocententus or Ultra Sonography, and identify the gender of child.

If it is a female you can abort it and you’ll save 5 lakh Rupees - How?

The couple of lakhs you spend on upbringing her and the remaining lakhs of Rupees you spend on giving dowry to the man who will marry her (a custom in India).

According to the report of the Government Hospital of Tamil Nadu 'Out of every 10 female children that are born, four are put to death' No wonder the female population in India is less than the male population.

Female infanticide was continuing in India since centuries - If you analyze the statistics of the 1901 census, for every 1000 males there were 972 females.

According to the 1981 statistics and census, it tells you for every 1000 males you have 934 females.

And the latest statistics of 1991 tells you that for every 1000 males you have 927 females.

You can analyze that the female ratio is dropping every year - And since science and medicine has advanced, it has helped in this evil practice.

Just because Islam tells you that you should not kill any children whether it be male or female will you call these rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated?

Qur’an not only prohibits female infanticide, it rebukes at the thought of you rejoicing at the birth of a male child and getting saddened at the birth of a female child.

In Islam, a daughter should be brought up correctly.

In Islam, there should be no partiality in upbringing of the daughter or the son.

According to a Hadith, 'In the presence of the Prophet Muhammad, once a man kissed his son and placed him on his lap but did not do the same to his daughter. The Prophet immediately objected and said that you are unjust - You should have even kissed your daughter and placed her on the other lap'

Social Rights to Wife:

All the previous civilizations, they have considered the women to be an 'instrument of the devil'

The Qur’an refers to the women as 'Mohsana' that is a ‘fortress against the devil'
And if a woman, who’s good, marries a man, she prevents him from going on the wrong path.
There’s a Hadith in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) he said that, 'there is no monasticism in Islam'.

And again according to Sahih Bukhari, Volume No. 7, Ch. No. 3 Hadith No 4 it says that ‘the Prophet Muhammad ordained the young men, all those who have the means to marry, they should marry - For it will help them to guard their gaze and guard their modesty.

The Qur’an say’s that, 'We have put love into the hearts of the husband and wife'

If you read Surah Rum, Ch. 30, Verse No. 21 it says that, 'And amongst our signs We have created for you mates or companions, so that you may dwell in them in tranquillity and we have put love and mercy between your hearts'

According to Surah Nisa, Ch.4, Verse No.21, marriage is considered as a strong agreement, a strong contract.

According to Surah Nisa, Ch.4, Verse No.19, it says, 'You are prohibited to inherit women against their will - Means, to marry the permission of both the parties are required. '

It is compulsory that the man and women both should agree to marry. No one - not even the father can force their daughter to marry against her wishes.

There’s a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 69, which says 'that a lady she was forced by her father to marry against her wishes - And she went to the Prophet and the Prophet invalidated the marriage'

Another Hadith in Ibn-e-Humbal, Hadith No. 2469, it says ‘that a daughter was forced by her father to get married - And when the daughter approached the Prophet, the Prophet said you can either continue, or if you wish you can invalidate the marriage. '

That means, the consent of both the male and the female is required.

In Islam, a women is considered as a homemaker - She is not considered as a housewife, because she is not married to the house.

Many people use terminology, without understanding what it means 'Housewife' means 'you are the wife of the house'

So I believe, from now onwards the sisters would prefer calling themselves 'homemakers' than 'house wives' if they are occupied more in the home.

In Islam, a woman, she is not married to a master that she should be treated like a slave - She is married to her equal counter part i.e. Man.

And there is a Hadith which says in Ibn-Hambal - Hadith No 736, 7396. It says that, 'the most perfect of the believers are those that are best in character and behavior, and those that are best to their family and their wives'

Islam gives equal rights to the man and woman. Qur’an clearly mentions that men and women, husband and wife have equal rights in all aspects, except leadership in the family.

It is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah Ch.2, Verse No.228. It says that, ' ..the women have been given rights similar against them (men) on equitable terms but the men have a degree higher...'

Most of the Muslims have misunderstood this verse, when it says ‘a men have a degree higher'- As I said we should analyze the Qur’an as a whole. And its mentioned in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse No.34 which says, 'The men are the protectors and maintainers of the women, for God has given one of them more strength than the other and they give them their means'

People say the word ‘Kawwam' means, 'one degree higher in superiority' - But actually the word 'Kawwam' comes from the root word 'Ikamah' 'Ikamah' means for example 'when you give the Ikamah before prayers - You stand up'

So ‘Ikamah' means to standup - so the word 'Kawwam' means one degree higher in responsibility, not one degree higher in superiority.

Even if you read the commentary of ‘Ibne-Kathir - He says that the word ‘Kawwam means one degree higher in responsibility, not one degree higher in superiority.

And this responsibility, should be carried out by mutual consent of both husband and wife.

It is mentioned in Surah Baqarah, Ch.2, Verse No.187, which says, Which meansE‘Your wives are your garments, and you are their garmentsE

What’s the objective of garments - It is used to conceal and to beautify.

The husband and wife, should conceal each others faults, and they should beautify each other - Its a relationship of hands and gloves.

The Qur’an mentions that, ' even if you do not like your wife, you should treat her kindly'

It is mentioned in Surah Nisa, Ch.4, Verse No.19, that, '....consort with them (your wives) in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein God has placed much good. '

Even if you dislike your wife you have to treat her kindly and with equity

Just because the rights of a wife are equal to those of the husband in Islam, will you call such rights in Islam as modernizing or outdated?

Social Rights to a Mother:

The only thing above respect to Mother, is the worship of God - It is mentioned in:

Ch.17, Verse No.28-29, It says that ' God has ordained for you, that you worship none but Him, and to be kind to your parents. And if any one or both of them reach old age do not say a word of contempt or repel them but address them with honour, and speak to them with kindness, and lower your wing of humility and pray to God - ‘My Lord! bless them as they have cherished me in childhood'

Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, Verse No. 1 says, 'Respect the womb that bore you'

Surah A’nam, Ch.6, Verse No.151, says that, 'You have to be kind to your parents'

Surah Luqman Ch.31, Verse No.14, says that, 'We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to his parents. In travail upon travail, did their mother bore them and in years twain was their weaning'

A similar thing is repeated again in Surah Ahqaf, Ch.46, Verse No.15, that ' We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to his parents. In pain did their mother bore them and in pain did she give them birth'

Another Hadith related in Sahih Bukhari in Volume 8, Ch. No. 2 Hadith No. 2, as well as in Sahih-Muslim - It says that a man asked the Prophet Muhammad ' Who requires the maximum love and respect and my companionship in this world?'

The Prophet replied 'Your mother ' he asked again 'Who is next'the Prophet pbuh replied ' Your mother ' he asked again 'Who is next?' the Prophet replied again ' Your mother '
The man asked for the fourth time, - 'Who is next' The Prophet replied ‘your fatherE

So 75% of the love and respect goes to the mother and 25% of the love and respect goes to the father.

Three fourth of the better part of the love and respect goes to the mother One fourth of the remaining part of the love and respect goes to the father.

Social Rights to a Sister:

According to Surah Tawbah, Ch. 9, Verse No.71, it says that, ' The men and the women they are friends of each other '

Prophet Muhammed (may peace be upon him) he said, ‘The women are the 'Shakat' - ' Shakat' means 'Sister'


D. Educational Rights to a Woman

The first 5 verses which were revealed in the Qur’an were from Surah Alaq, or Surah Iqra, Verse No. 1 to 5 which says:

‘Read, recite or proclaim in the name of your Lord, Who has created the human beings from a congealed clot of blood (a leech like substance).

Read, your Lord is most bountiful.

Who has taught the use of the pen.

Who has taught the human beings that which he knew-not '

The first guidance given in the Qur’an to the humankind was not to pray, was not to fast, was not to give charity - It was read - Islam pays utmost importance to education.

Education is Compulsory in Islam:

According to Quran:

God will exalt those of you who believe and those who are given knowledge to high degrees. (58:11)

And say, O my Lord! increase me in knowledge. (20:114)

And whoever is is given knowledge is given indeed abundant wealth. (2:269)

According to a saying of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) “It is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, to acquire knowledge (Al-Bayhaqi).

Imagine, 1400 years ago, when the women were ill treated and were only used as "Public property", Islam asked the women to be educated. Because Islam tells that every woman should be educated, - Will you call such women’s right’s in Islam as modernizing or outdated?


E. Legal Rights to a Woman

According to the Islamic law, men and women are equal - The Islamic Law protects the life and property of a man and woman both.

If a man murders a woman he too will receive the capital punishment of 'Kisaas '

According to the Islamic law of 'Kisaas' men and women - irrespective the injury be of the eye, of the nose, of the ear, of the body - both receive equal punishment.

And if the guardian of the murderer, even it be a woman - If she says, that forgive the murderer and she accepts 'Dia' that is compensation - her opinion cannot be rejected - they have to accept it.

And if there’s difference of opinion between the relatives of the person whose murdered - And some say that the murderer should be killed and some say that he should be forgiven and 'Dia' should be accepted - people should prevent the relatives from killing that murderer.

And irrespective whether the witness or the opinion is given by a man or woman, it has same weight.

According to Surah Maida, Ch.5, Verse No.30 - It says ‘As to the thief, whether he be man or a woman, cut off his or her hand as a punishment for his crime, an example from God'

Means, if a person robs, irrespective whether he is a man or a woman his or her hands should be chopped - The punishment is the same.

According to Surah Nur, Ch.24, Verse No.2, it says 'If any commits fornication, be it a man or a woman, flog them with 100 stripes'

The punishment for fornication in Islam irrespective whether it is a man or a woman, it is the same - Flogging with 100 stripes.

The punishment for men and women, is the same in Islam.

In Islam a woman is allowed to give witness

Imagine, Islam gave right to a woman to be a witness, 14 centuries ago.

Even now in as late as 1980, the Jewish Rabai, they were considering that whether the women should be given a right to act as a witness or not - And Islam gave that right 1400 years ago.

Accord­ing to Surah Nur, Ch.24, Verse No.4, it is said 'If any of you put a charge against the chastity of a woman, produce 4 witnesses, and if they falter, flog them with 80 stripes'

In Islam for a small crime, you require 2 witness - for a big crime you require 4 witnesses.

Accusing a woman falsely is a big crime in Islam, therefore you require 4 witnesses.

Now a days you see in the modern society, you find men abusing women and calling them all sorts of name. They call them prostitutes etc, and nothing is done.

In an Islamic state, if a man calls her a ‘prostitute' in public or anywhere else, and if she takes that man to court - And if that man cannot produce 4 witnesses or even if he produces 4 witnesses and any one of them falter, all of them will receive 80 lashes each, and in future all their evidence will be rejected.

Islam gives utmost importance to the chastity of the woman.

When a lady marries, she normally adopts the name of her husband.

In Islam she has the option of either keeping her husband’s name, either adopting the name of the husband, or maintaining her maiden name.

And maintaining the maiden name is recommended in Islam - And we find in several Muslim societies that women, even after they get married they maintain their maiden name, because according to the Islamic law men and women are equal.

Will you call such rights in Islam modernizing or outdated?

F. Political Rights of a Woman

According to Surah Tawba, Ch.9, Verse No.71, 'The men and the women they are friends (supporters) of each other'

Supporters not only Socially - even Politically, men and women should support each other.

Women can even take part in law making.

And according to the famous Hadith in which Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he was discussing with the Sahabas, and considering putting an upper limit on the ‘Meher' since young men were discouraged from getting married - a lady from the back seat she objected and said When the Qur’an says in Surah Nisa Ch.4, Verse No.20 that ‘you can even give a heap of treasure, a heap of gold in 'Meher' when Qur’an puts no limit on ‘Meher' who is Umar to put a limit (may Allah be pleased with him).

And immediately Hazrat Umar (peace be upon him) said 'Umar is wrong and the lady is right'

Imagine, she was a common lady - If it would have been a famous lady, the name of the lady would be mentioned in the Hadith. Since the Hadith does not mention the name of the lady, we can understand that the lady was a common lady. Means, even a common lady can object to the 'Khalifa' - the head of the state.

And in technical terms it would be called that ‘She is objecting to the breach of the constitution' - because Qur’an is the constitution of the Muslims - That means a woman can even take part in law making.

Women have even taken part in the battle fields

There is a full chapter in the Sahih Bukhari mentioning women in the battle field - Women gave water - they give first aid to the soldiers. Because the Qur’an says ‘Man is the protector of the 'Woman'

Under normal circumstances, the women should not go to the battle field. It is the duty of the man. Only when required, under necessity are women allowed - and they should go to the battle field if they want.

Otherwise you’ll have the same position as you are having in the USA.

Women in USA are Not Safe

In USA women were allowed to join the battle since 1901 but they were not allowed to take active part - They only played the part of a nurse.

Later on after the 'Feminist Movement' had started in 1973, the ‘Feminist movement' demand­ed ‘Why aren’t women allowed to take active part in the battle field?

So the American government allowed women to take active part in the battle field.

And according to a report of the Defense Department of America, which was released on the 23rd of April, 1993 it said that, '100' people were sexually assaulted in a convention, out of which 83 were women and 117 officers were charged with in disciplinary action. Imagine in one convention only, 83 women sexually assaulted.

What was the crime of those 117 officers?

They made the women run and they snatched at their clothes. They made them parade absolutely nude without even covering the genital parts. They were made to have sex in public.

Is this what you call 'Women’s rights'

If you think that this is what is 'Women’s right' then you can keep your rights to yourselves. We do not want our sisters, our daughters our mothers to be sexually assaulted.

And there was a uproar in the parliament and the President, Bill Clinton - he himself had to apologize publicly and he said, 'Necessary action will be taken'

And you know when politicians say ‘necessary action will be taken, what happens.

So Islam allows women to take part in the battle field only when required. But there also they should maintain their Islamic dress and the Islamic ethics, and their modesty.

USA Has One of the Highest Rates of Rape (the father of So called Democratic Freedom)

United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to a FBI report, in the year 1990, every day on an average 1756 cases of rape were committed in U.S.A alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 cases of rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got ' bolder ' in the following years.

Islamic Law Let's Women Breathe Easily

Consider a scenario where the Islamic law is implemented in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic dress as mentioned in Quran. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?

If Islamic law is implemented in any part of the world, women will breathe easier.


CONCLUSION:-

Before I conclude, I’d like to give an example.

As I said in the beginning of my talk, Islam believes in equality between men and women - Equality does not mean identicality.

Suppose in a classroom 2 students, student 'A'and 'B' during an examination both come out first - Both secure 80% marks - 80 out of 100.

When you analyze the question paper, the question paper has 10 differ­ent questions, each carrying 10 marks.

In question 1 student 'A' got 9 out of 10, and student 'B' got 7 out of 10 - So in question 1 student 'A' was higher than student 'B'

In question 2, student 'A' got 7 out of 10 and student 'B' got 9 out of 10 - Student 'B' was higher than student 'A' in question number 2.

In question 3 both of them got 8 out of 10, both were equal.

So when we add up the marks of all the ten questions, both student 'A'and 'B' got 80 out of 100.
So in short, student 'A' and student 'BEare over all equal.

In some questions ‘AEis higher than 'B' in some questions 'B' is higher than 'A' in others both are equal.

In the same fashion, taking the example that since God has given man more strength - Suppose a thief enters the house will you tell, 'I believe in women’s rights' - 'I believe in women’s rights' - will you tell your mother, your sister and your daughter, to go and fight the thief?

No, but natural you’ll fight him - If required they may interfere - Under normal circumstances since God has given you more physical strength, you have to go and tackle the thief.

So here, in physical strength, man is one degree higher than the woman

Let us take another example where it comes to respecting the parents - The children are supposed to respect the mother 3 times more than the father (as mentioned earlier).

Here the women have one degree higher than the men - Over all both equal

So Islam believes in equality, not identically - Men and women are over all equal in Islam.

This was in brief, the highlights, of the 'Women’s Rights in Islam'

After this what the Muslim society did is different - Many of the Muslim societies did not give the women their rights and they deviated away from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

The Western society is largely responsible for this - because of the Western societies, many Muslim societies have become over protective, over precautions and have gone to one extreme and deviated away from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

On the other extreme, some of the Muslim societies turned to the Western culture, and followed their culture.

I want to tell the Western society that if you analyze the women’s rights in Islam according to the Qur’an and the Sunnah - you will realize it is modernizing and not outdated.

Muslims of Today - Thoughts and Perceptions

Perception means cognizance, conciousness or in other words 'your view of reality'. It is not reality but it is what you believe to be true. In my Management course I learned that 'Perception is Stronger than Reality' i.e. what you percieve is much more of belief to you than the real side of the picture. Our perception is quite very much based on the thoughts that we have in mind. Infact it is our thoughts that shape the percieved ideas in our minds.

Sadly what is to see in the modern day time is that the 'Thoughts' of muslims as a nation are greatly influenced by the media to such an extent that they are practically failing to recognise evil as an evil. Which, together with driving us away from their belief and practise, is also affecting our percieved ideas about the west. I didnt mean to say we are at war with them or we should always be at war with them but we must not intermingle with them to an extent where we fail to recognise the difference and we must operate with in the boundaries depicted by Islam.

Below is the 4 minutes video documentary promotion about the "Bright Side" of Pakistan which was uploaded on Youtube.com with the title 'Made in Pakistan Documentary'.

watch it first and than read on.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2kFAUHdowI

The documentary is made basically about the on going series of happenings in Pakistan and it portrays the 'Bright side of Pakistan' i.e. it has a lot more to offer than just terrorist inflicted areas and suicide bombings. It consisted of 4 people, 2 man and 2 woman, out of them one is portrayed as a Lawyer, one of them is an Event Planner who is a lady, one of them is a Politician and the last one is a Writer who also is a lady.

An attempt is been made through this documentary to let the world know that very learned people live in this beautiful country of the world and the whole nation is not as harsh as they are exhibited by the western media. A woman can practise full freedom of her life and she can get along with whatever she wants to do and itsnt a daunting job for her as thought by many who live out of Pakistan. Political will and freedom is also practised to a larger extent and the Youth does have 'healthy' extra curricular activities.

Although the documentary does expose the soft side but I think its quite far from the reality.
I think what really lies behind the curtain is that you need to be greatly influenced by the British or American society to stand yourself amongst the successful. Two woman candidates who seemed to be quite successful in what they do were shown and neither of the one, let alone practised Islamic hijab, were dress modestly even in the religious terms.
I mean I dont know what people or maybe my critics call modesty but by no mean the way girls were dressed up appeared to be a Pakistani dress or at least qualified for the regional modest terms (If not Islamic).
What was highly amusing but not funny was to see the subtitles that were in English!! Everyone was speaking English and yet the subtitles were in english too, were they trying to press on that we are so 'Mentally Colonized' by the Britain and USA that it is english that we eat and sleep......
I mean if they wanted to publicise something really about or with the title of 'Made in Pakistan' that needed to be have in Urdu language as this is the most widely understandable language of Pakistan or at least it would have the subtitles in Urdu.

I just dont understand why a successful person cant speak Urdu, Why he cant wear a traditional Pakistani dress and yet be full of wisdom. When a svenska speaking swede can be successful, a mandarin speaking chinese is acceptable, an arabic speaking Arab is considered to be very learned than why not a Urdu speaking Pakistani?

Perception means cognizance, conciousness or in other words 'your view of reality'. It is not reality but it is what you believe to be true. In my Management course I learned that 'Perception is Stronger than Reality' i.e. what you percieve is much more of belief to you than the real side of the picture. Our perception is quite very much based on the thoughts that we have in mind. Infact it is our thoughts that shape the percieved ideas in our minds.

I think what muslims of today needed to realise is that we originates from the HABAL ALLAH (The Rope of Allah) i.e. Quran and Sunnah and not from the media as thought by many therefore our subscription should be towards Allah SWT instead of the Cable Guy.

Allah Swt says in the Quran

“ Hold fast together to Allah’s rope and let nothing divide you. Remember the favour of Allah SWT upon you when you were enemies to one another, then he united your hearts and by His Grace you become Brothers, and you were on the brink of abyss of fire and he rescued
you from it.” Al-Quran 3:103

If our perception will originates from the Quran Inshallah its fruit will be enjoyed both in this life and hereafter.

May Allah Swt help us to guide and build ourselves upon the principles enjoined by him through the Future Counstitution of the World - Al-Quran Al-Hakeem and the Actions and doings of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH - The Sunnah.

Ma Salama

The Meaning Of Islam

(Following is the extract from 'Towards Understanding Islam' written by Syed Mawdudi RA)

Every religion of the world has been named either after the name of its founder or after the community and nation in which that religion took its birth. For instance, Christianity takes its appellation from the name of its prophet Jesus Christ; Zoroastrians from its founder zoroaster; and Judaism, the religion of the Jews, from the name of the tribe Judah (of the country of judea) wherein it took its birth. Similar is the case with other religions. But not so with Islam. This religion enjoys the unique distinction of having no such association with any particular person or people. The word ‘Islam’ does not confer any such relationship-for it does not belong to any particular person, people, or country. It is neither the product of any human mind nor is it confined to any particular community. It is a universal religion and its objective is to create and cultivate in man the quality and attitude of Islam.

Islam, as a matter of fact, is an attributive title. Whosoever possesses this attributive, may he belong to any race, community, country, or clan, is a Muslim. According to the Qur'an (the Holy Book of the Muslims), among every people and in all ages there have been good and righteous people who possessed this attribute of them were and are Muslims.

This automatically brings us to the question: What does Islam mean? And who is a Muslim?

ISLAM - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

‘Islam’ is an Arabic word and connotes submission, surrender, and obedience As a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and obedience to Allah and that is why it is called ‘ISLAM’. Everyone can see that the universe we live in is an orderly universe. There is law and order among all the units that comprise this universe. Everything is assigned a place in a grand scheme, which is working in a magnificent and superb way. The sun, the moon, the stars and in fact all the heavenly bodies are knit together in a splendid system. They follow an unalterable law and do not make even the slightest deviation from their ordained course. The earth rotates on its own axis and in its revolution round the sun scrupulously follows the path laid down for it. Similarly, everything in the world, from the little whirling electron to the mighty nebulae, invariably follows its own laws. Matter energy, and life-all obey their laws and grow and change and live and die in accordance with those laws. EVEN in the human world the laws of nature are quite manifest. Man's birth, growth, and life are all regulated by a set of biological laws. He derives sustenance from nature in

Accordance with an unalterable law. All the organs of his body from the small tissues to the heart and the brain are governed by the laws prescribed for them. In Short, ours is a law-governed universe and everything in it is following the course that has been ordained for it. This powerful, all-pervasive law, which governs all that comprises the universe, from the tiniest specks of dust to the magnificent galaxies in high heavens, is the law of God, the creator and ruler of the universe. As the entire creation obeys the law of God, the whole universe, therefore, literally follows the religion of Islam-for Islam signifies nothing but obedience and submission to Allah, the Lord of the universe. The sun, the moon, the earth, and all other heavenly bodies are thus ‘Muslim’. So is the case with air, water, and heat, stones, trees, and animals. Everything in the universe is ‘Muslim’ for it obeys God by submission to his laws. Even a man who refuses to believe in God, or offers his worship to someone other than Allah has perforce to be a ‘Muslim’ as far as his bodily existence is concerned. For his entire life, from the embryonic stage to the body’s dissolution info dust after death, and every tissue of his muscles and every limb of his body follow the course prescribed for each by God’s law. His very tongue which, on account of his ignorance, advocates the denial of God or professes multiple deities, is in its very nature a ‘Muslim’. His head which he wantonly bows to other besides Allah is a born Muslim. His heart wherein, through his lack of true knowledge, he cherishes love and reverence for others, is ‘Muslim’ by intuition. These are all obedient to the divine Law, and their functions and movements are governed by the injunctions of that law alone. This, in short, is the real position of man and the universe. Let us now examine the problem in a different light. Man is so constituted that there are two aspects of his life: two distinct spheres of his activity. One is the sphere in which he finds himself totally regulated by the Divine Law. He cannot budge an inch or move a step away from it. Nor can he evade it in any way or from. In fact, like other creatures, he is completely caught in the grip of the law of nature and is bound to follow it. But there is another sphere of his activity as well. He has been endowed with reason and intellect. He has the power to think and form judgments, to choose and reject, and to adopt and spurn. He is free to adopt whatever course of life chooses. He can embrace any faith, adopt any way of life and formulate his living according to whatever ideologies he likes. He may prepare his own code of conduct or accept one formulated by others. He has been bestowed with free will and can chalk out his own course of behaviour. In this latter aspect, he, unlike the other creatures, has been given freedom of thought, choice, and action.

Both these aspects distinctly co-exist in man’s life.

In the first he, like all other creatures, is a born Muslim, invariably obeys the injunctions of God, and is bound to remain so. As far as the second aspect is concerned, he is free to become or not to become a Muslim. Here he has been given the freedom of choice-and it is the way a person exercises this freedom, which divides mankind into two groups: believers and non-believers. An individual who chooses to acknowledge his creator, accepts Him as his real Master, honestly and scrupulously submits to His laws and injunctions and follows the code He has revealed unto man for his individual and social life, thereby becomes a perfect Muslim. He has, so to say, achieved completeness in his Islam by consciously deciding to obey God in the domain in which he was endowed with freedom and choice. Now his entire life has become one of submission to God and there is no conflict in his personality. He is a perfect Muslim and his Islam is complete-for this submission of his entire self to the will of Allah is Islam and nothing but Islam. He has now consciously submitted to Him whom he had already been unconsciously obeying. He has now willingly offered obedience to the Master whom he already owed obedience unintentionally. His knowledge is now real for he has acknowledged the Being who endowed him with the power to learn and to know. Now his reason and judgment are set on an even keel-for he has rightly decided to obey the Being who bestowed upon him the faculty of thinking and judging. His tongue also is truthful for it expresses with conviction its confession of the Lord who gave it the faculty speech. New the whole of this existence is an embodiment of, in all spheres of life, he voluntarily as well as involuntarily obeys the laws of the same One God with the whole universe for he worships Him whom the whole world is for him and he is for God.

THE NATURE OF KUFR

In contrast to the man described above, there is the man who, although a born Muslim and unconsciously

Remaining one throughout his life, does not exercise his faculties of reason, intellect, and intuition for recognizing his Lord and creator and misuses his freedom of choice by choosing to deny Him. Such a man becomes an unbeliever-in the language of Islam a kafir.

Kufr literally means ‘to cover’ or ‘to conceal’. The man who denies God is called kafir (concealer) because he conceals by his disbelief what is inherent in his nature and embalmed in his own soul-for, indeed, his nature is instinctively imbued with ‘Islam’. His whole body, every sinew and every fibre, functions in obedience to that instinct. Each and every particle of existence-living or lifeless-functions in accordance with ‘Islam’ and is fulfilling the duty that has been assigned to it. But the vision of this man has been blurred, his intellect has been befogged , and he is unable to see the manifest. His own nature has become concealed from his eyes and he thinks and acts in utter disregard of it. The reality become estranged form him and he gropes in the dark such is the nature of kufr.

Kufr is a form of ignorance, rather it is ignorance pure and simple. What ignorance can be greater than to be ignorant of God, the creator, the Lord of the universe? A man observes the vast panorama of nature, the superb mechanism that is ceaselessly working, the grand design that is manifest in every nook and corner of the creation-he observes this vast machine, but he does not know who is its maker and Director. He looks to his own body, the wonderful organism that works in the most superb way, and uses it to achieve his own ends but is unable to comprehend the force that brought it into existence, the engineer who designed and produced this machine, the creator who made the unique living being out of lifeless stuff: carbon, calcium, sodium, and the like. He witnesses a superb plan in the universe-but fails to see the planner behind it. he sees great beauty and harmony in its working-but not the creator of this all. He observes wonderful design in nature-but not the Designer! In the universe all around him he observes the choicest demonstrations of skill in science and wisdom, mathematics and engineering, design and purpose, but he blinds himself to the being Who brought all this vast incomprehensible universe into existence. How can a man, who has blinded himself to this great and significant reality, approach the true perspectives of knowledge? How can the vistas of truth and knowledge be opened to such a man? How can one who has made the wrong beginning reach the right destination? He will fail to find the clue to Reality. The Right path will remain concealed for him and whatever be his endeavors in sciences and arts, he will never be able to avail himself of the lights of truth and wisdom. He would be groping in the dark, and stumbling in the gloom of ignorance.

Not only that; kufr is also a tyranny, nay, the wars of tyrannies. And what is ‘tyranny’? It is an act of cruel and unjust use of any force or power. If you force a thing to act unjustly or to act against its true nature, its real will and its inherent attitude,-that is tyranny, root and branch.

We have seen that all that is in the universe is obedient to God the creator. to obey, to live in accordance with His will and His Law or (to put it more precisely) to be a Muslim is ingrained in their very nature. God has given manpower over these things, but it is incumbent in the very nature of these things that they should be used for the fulfillment of His will and not otherwise. But one who disobeys God and resorts to kufr is the person who perpetrates the greatest injustice, for he uses all these powers of body and mind to rebel against the course of nature and becomes an unwilling instrument in the drama of disobedience. He forces his head to bow down before deities other than God and cherishes in his heart the love, reverence, and fear of other powers in utter disregard to the instinctive urge of these organs. He uses his own powers and all those things upon which he has authority against the explicit of good and thus establishes a reign of tyranny. Can there be any greater injustice, tyranny, and cruelty than that exhibited by this man who exploits and misuses everything under the sun and unscrupulously forces them to a course which affronts nature and justice? Kufr is not mere tyranny; it is, to say the least, sheer rebellion, ingratitude, and infidelity. After all, what is the reality of man? What is his power and authority? Is he himself the creator of his mind, his heart, his soul, and other organs of his body-or have they been created by God? Has he himself created the universe and all that is within her-or has it been created by God? Who has harnessed all the powers and energies for the service of man-man or God? If everything has been created by God and God alone, then to whom do they belong? Who is their real owner? Who is their rightful sovereign? Verily, it is God and none else. And if God is the creator, the Master, and the sovereign, then who would be a greater rebel than the man who uses God’s creation against His injunctions-who makes his mind think against God, harbors in his heart thoughts against Him, and uses his various faculties against the sovereign’s will. If a servant betrays his master you denounce him as faithless. If an officer become disloyal to the state you dub him as traitor and renegade. If a person cheats his benefactor you have no hesitation in condemning him as ingrate. But what match can this betrayal, this ingratitude, and this rebellion have to the one which the disbeliever commits by his Kufr? After all, who is the real mainspring of all power and authority? Who gave man command over the resources? Who elevated people to positions of high authority and power? All that a man has and all that he uses for the benefit of others is a bestowal of God. The greatest obligation that man owes on this earth is to his parents. But who has implanted the love of children in the parents’ hearts? Who endowed the mother with the will and power to nurture, nourish, and feed her children? Who inspired the parents with the passion to spend everything in their possession for the well being of their children? A little reflection would reveal that God is the greatest benefactor of man. He is his creator, Lord, Nourisher, sustainer, as well as his real king and sovereigns. And this being the position of God vis-à-vis man, what can be greater betrayal, ingratitude, rebellion, and treason than Kufr, through which a man denies and disobeys his real Lord and sovereign?

Do not think that bay committing Kufr man does or can do any harm to God Almighty. No, not the least. An insignificant speck on the face of a tiny ball in this limitless universe that man is, what harm can he do to the Lord of the universe whose dominions are so infinitely vast that we have not yet been able to explore their boundaries even with the help of the most powerful telescope; Whose power is so great that myriad's of heavenly bodies, like the Earth, the Moon, the sun and the stars, are at His bidding, whirling link tiny balls; Whose wealth is so boundless that He is the sole Master of the whole universe; and who provides for all and needs none to provide for Him. Man’s revolt against Him can do Him no harm; on the other hand by his disobedience, man treads the path of utter ruin and disgrace.

The inevitable consequence of this revolt and denial of reality is a failure in the ultimate ideals of life. such a rebel will never find the thread of real knowledge and vision; for the knowledge that fails to reveal its own creator can reveal no truth. Such a man’s intellect and reason always run astray; for reason which errs in knowing its own creator cannot illumine the paths of life. Such a man will meet with failures in all the affairs of his life. His morality, his civic and social life, his struggle for livelihood and his family life, in short, his entire living, will be upset. He will spread confusion and disorder on the earth. He will without the least compunction, shed blood, violate other men’s rights, be cruel to them, and create disorder and destruction in the world. His perverted thoughts and ambitions, his blurred vision and disturbed scale of values, and his evil-spelling activities would make life bitter for him and for all around him. Such a man would destroy the calm and poise of life on earth. And in the life hereafter he would be held guilty for the crimes he committed upon his nature, his powers, and resources. Every organ of his body-his very brain, eyes, nose, hands, and feet-will complain against the injustice and cruelty he had done unto them. every tissue of his being will decry him before God Who, as the very fountain of justice, will award him the fullest punishment he deserves. This is the inglorious consequence of Kufr. It leads to the blind alley of utter failure, here and hereafter.

The Blessings of Islam

After surveying the evils and disadvantages of Kufr, let us now cast a glance over the blessings of Islam. You find in the world around you and in the small kingdom of your own self innumerable manifestations of God’s divine power. This grand universe, which ceaselessly works with matchless order and in accordance with an unalterable law, is in itself a witness to the fact that its Designer, Creator, and Governor is an Omnipotent, All-powerful Being with infinite, all-embracing, and limit-less power, knowledge, and resources, Whose wisdom is the most perfect, and Whom nothing in the universe dare disobey. It is in the very nature of man, as it is with every other thing in this universe, to obey Him. As a matter of fact, he is unconsciously obeying His Law day in and day out, because the moment he goes against this Law, he is exposed to death and destruction. This is the law of nature, our everyday observance.

Besides endowing man with the capacity to acquire knowledge, the faculty to think and ponder, and the sense of distinguishing right from wrong, God has granted him with a certain amount of freedom of will and action. In this freedom lies man’s real trial; his knowledge, his wisdom, his power of discrimination, and his freedom of will and action are all being tried and tested. In this trial and test man has not been obliged to adopt any particular course, for by compulsion the very object of the trial would have been defeated. Evidently if in an examination you are compelled to write a certain answer to a question, the examination will be of no use. Your merit can be properly judged only if you are allowed to answer the questions freely, according to your own knowledge and understanding. If your answer is correct you will succeed, and will get access to future progress; and if your answer is wrong, you will fail, and your failure will bar the way to further progress. Similar is the situation which man faces in the world. God has given him freedom of will and action so that he may remain free to choose whatever attitude in life he likes and considers proper for himself-Islam or Kufr. Now, on the one hand, there is a man who under-stands neither his own nature nor that of the universe. He errs in recognizing his real Master and in knowing His attributes, and misuses his freedom by pursuing the path of disobedience and revolt. such a man has failed in the trial of his knowledge, intelligence, and duty-consciousness. He has failed to come up to the standard and does not deserve a better a destiny than the one discussed above.

On the other hand, there is another man who emerges successful from this trial. By the correct use of his knowledge and intellect he recognizes his creator, reposes belief in Him, and, in spite of being under no compulsion to do so, chooses the path of obedience to Him. He does not err in distinguishing the right from the wrong and chooses to follow the right despite the fact that he had the power to lean towards evil. He understands his own nature, and realizes the law and realities of nature and, despite the power and freedom of adopting any course, adopts the way of obedience and loyalty to God the creator. He is successful in his trial because he has used his intellect and all other faculties properly. He uses his eyes to see the Reality, his ears to listen to the Truth, his mind to form right opinions and puts all his heart and soul in following the right way he has so chosen. He chooses Truth, sees the reality, and willingly and joyfully submits to his Lord and Master. He is intelligent, truthful, and dutiful, for he has chosen light over darkness, and after seeing the light of reality has responded to its call willingly and enthusiastically. Thus he has proved by his conduct that he is not only a seeker after Truth but is its knower and worshipper as well. Verily, he is on the Right path, and such a man is destined to succeed in this world and in the life to come.

Such a man will always choose the Right path in every field of knowledge and action. The man who knows God with all His attributes knows the beginning as well as the ultimate end of Reality. He can never be led astray, for his first step is on the right path, and he is sure of the direction and destination of his journey in life. In philosophy he will ponder over the secrets of the universe, and will try to fathom the mysteries of nature, but, unlike an unbelieving philosopher, he will not lose his way in the maze of doubt and skepticism. His path being illumined with Divine Vision, his every step would fall in right direction. In science, he will endeavor to know the laws of nature, uncover the hidden treasures of earth and direct all the hitherto unknown forces of mind and matter-all for the betterment of humanity. He will try his level best to explore all avenues of knowledge and power and to harness all that exists in earth and heavens in the interests of mankind. At every stage of his inquiry his God-consciousness will save him from making evil and destructive uses of science and scientific method. He will never conceive himself claiming to be a master of all these objects, boasting to be the conqueror of nature, arrogating to himself the godly and sovereign powers and nourishing the ambition of subverting the world, subduing the human race and establishing his supremacy over all and sundry by means fair and foul.

Such an attitude of revolt and defiance can never be entertained by a Muslim scientist-only a Kafir scientist can fall a prey to such illusions and by submitting to them expose the entire human race to dangers of total destruction and annihilation. A Muslim scientist, on the other hand, will behave in an altogether different way. The deeper his insight into the world of science, the stronger will be his faith in God. His head will bow down before Him in gratitude. His feelings will be that as his Master has blessed him with greater power and knowledge so he must exert himself for his own good and for the good of humanity. Instead of arrogance there will be humility. Instead of power-drunkenness there will be strong realization to serve humanity. His freedom will not be unbridled. He will be guided by the tenets of morality and Divine Revelation. Thus science would in his hands, instead of becoming an instrument of destruction, become an agency for human welfare and moral regeneration. And this is the way in which he will express his gratitude to his Master for the gifts and blessings He has bestowed upon man.

Similarly, in history, economics, politics, law, and other branches of arts and science, a Muslim will no-where lag behind a Kafir in the fields of inquiry and struggle, but their angles of view and consequently their modus operandi will be widely different. A Muslim will study every branch of knowledge in its right perspective, will strive for the right objective, and will arrive at right conclusion. In history he will draw correct lessons from the past experiences of man, and will find out true causes of the rise and fall of civilization. He will try to benefit from all that was good and right in the past and will scrupulously avoid all that had led to the decline and fall of nations. In politics his sole objective will be to strive for the establishment of a polity wherein peace, justice, fraternity, and goodness reign, where man is a brother of man and respects his humanity, where no form of exploitation or slavery is rampant, where rights of the individual are respectfully upheld, and where the powers of the state are considered as a sacred trust from God and are used for the common welfare of all. In the field of law, the endeavor of a Muslim will be to make it the true embodiment of justice and the real protector of the rights of all-particularly of the weak. He will see that everybody gets his due share and no injustice or oppression is inflicted upon anyone. He will respect the law, make others respect it, and will see that it is administered justly, fairly, and equitably.

The moral life of a Muslim will always be filled with godliness, piety, righteousness and truthfulness. He will live in the world with the belief that God alone is the master of all that whatever he and other men possess has been given by God, that the powers he wields are only a trust from God, that the freedom he has been endowed with is not to be used indiscriminately, and that it is in his own interest to use it in accordance with God’s Will. He will constantly keep in view that one day he will have to return to the Lord and submit an account of his entire life. The sense of accountability will always remain firmly implanted in his mind and he will never behave in a carefree and irresponsible way.

Think of the moral excellence of the man who lives with this mental attitude-his will be a life of purity and piety and love and altruism. He will be a blessing unto mankind. His thinking would not be polluted with evil thoughts and perverted ambitions. He will abstain from seeing evil, hearing evil, and doing evil. He will guard his tongue and will never utter a word of life. He will earn his living through just and fair means and will prefer hunger to a food acquired unfairly through exploitation or injustice. He will never be a party to oppression or violation of human life and honour, whatever be their form or colour. He will never yield to evil, however high the defiance may cost him. He will be an embodiment of goodness and nobility and will uphold right and truth even at the cost of his life. He will abhor all shades of injustice and will stand firm for truth, undaunted by the tempests of adversity. Such a man will be a power to be reckoned with. He is bound to succeed. Nothing on earth can deter him or impede his way.

He will be the most honored and the most respected one. No one can excel him in this respect. How can humiliation ever visit a person who is not prepared to bow his head or even spread his hand for any favor before anyone except God the Almighty, the Sovereign of the universe?

He will be most powerful and effective. No one can be more powerful than he-for he fears none but God and seeks blessings from none but Him. What power can make him deviate from the Right Path? What wealth can buy his faith? What force can mould his conscience? What power can coerce his behaviour?

He will be the most wealthy and rich. No one in the world can be richer or more independent than he-for he will live a life of austerity, satiety, and contentment. He will be neither sensualist, nor indulgent, nor greedy. He will be contented with whatever he earns fairly and honestly and even if heaps of ill-gotten wealth are put before him he will not even like to look at them, to say the least of availing them. He will have the peace and contentment of heart-and what can be a greater wealth than this?

He will be the most revered, popular, and the loved one. No one can be more lovable than he-for he lives a life of charity and benevolence. He will do justice to all and sundry, discharge his duties honestly, and work for the good of others sincerely. People's hearts would be naturally drawn towards him and they would like him, love him, and revere him.

He will be the most trusted and honored one. No one can be trustworthy than he-for he will not betray his trust, nor will he go astray from righteousness: he will be true to his word, and straightforward and honest in his dealings. He will be fair and just in all his affairs, for he is sure that God is ever- present, ever vigilant. Words fail to describe the credit and goodwill, which such a man commands. Can there be anyone who will not trust him?-such is the life and character of a Muslim.

If you understand the true character of a Muslim, you will be convinced that he cannot live in humiliation, abasement, or subjugation. He is bound to prevail and no power on earth can overwhelm him or subdue him. For Islam inoculates in him the qualities which cannot be overshadowed by any charm or illusion.

And after living a respectable and honorable life on this earth, he will return to his Creator Who will shower upon him the choicest of His blessings-for he discharged his duty ably, fulfilled his mission successfully, and emerged from the trial triumphantly. He is successful in life in this world and in the hereafter will live in eternal peace, joy, and bliss.

This is Islam, the natural religion of man, the religion, which is not associated with any person, people, period, or place. It is the way of nature, the religion of man. In every age, in ever country, and among every people, all God-knowing and truth-loving men have believed and lived this very religion. They were all Muslim, irrespective of the fact whether they called that way Islam or anything else. Whatever is name was, it signified Islam and nothing

Foreword

Assalam Aleykum Wa rehmatullah-e-Wabarkatuhu
May peace, mercy and blessings of Allah SWT be upon you.


I Shoaib Muhammad Khan would like to welcome you upon my page and would also like to express my profound pleasure upon seeing you here.

In the times that we are living in one may see a huge influx of information around them and to find out the right out of wrong, the truth out of falsehood, the light out of dark, is as hard as finding the needle out of hay.

Even when we look on the internet for the truth about Islamic concepts and values we find such a massive in-flow of information that what to take and what to leave is extremely a tough job and what many of us do is that they just leave the thought in their mind as it is. In other words, they just make their belief firm about something that they dont even know nothing about.

Therefore, I realised the need of a portal that propagate the real concepts of Islam under the light of authentic sources. The place where a non-muslim as well as a muslim can ask a question or make a point about Islamic believes. Where a person can learn about the similarities between Islam and Christianity. Where one can ask about the rights of woman in Islam, where a person can learn about the human rights in Islam.

And I came up with the idea of setting up my web blog to educate people about the true Islamic concepts straight out of the books written by eminent scholars under the light of Quran and Sunnah.

May Allah SWT bless you with the right information Inshallah.

Thanking You

Shoaib Khan