By Noaman Asar
All humans have a certain goal in sight. Some work towards it knowingly while others pursue it subconsciously. In Islam, the overarching goal defined by Allah is:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
And I (Allah) created not the jinns and the humans except they should worship me (alone)
(Al-Quran 51:56)
The Arabic word used for “worship” is ya’badoon (يعبدون ). The root word for it is aa-ba-da (ع ب د ) which can also be translated as “to enslave, enthrall, subjugate”.
This means that the purpose of life according to Islam is to submit oneself to please Allah (God).
Thus, as humans, each one of us irrespective of our gender, are in pursuit of pleasing Allah by submitting ourselves to Him.
As individuals, we can set different sub-goals for ourselves in this pursuit. Each one of us will be held accountable for it as an individual.
Women are as much responsible for pursuing their “goals in life” as men.
You might ask, when women are in pursuit of these goals what would/should the role of men be? In light of the Quran and Hadith, we can see that there are 5 scenarios to this questions.
Scenario 1: Unsuccessful women whose husband succeeded.
Quran (66:10) mentions ‘the wife of Nuh (Noah) and the wife of Lout (Lot)’. They rejected the doctrine of their husbands and did not pursue the goal of servitude towards Allah. Living with Prophets did not benefit them a bit as they did not have a goal in mind that fulfilled the greater objective of human existence.
Scenario 2: Successful women whose husbands failed.
Another situation mentioned in verse 11 of the same chapter is that of the wife of Pharaoh. She stood in front of the oppressive system of her husband. This made her the enemy of her husband and resulted in her martyrdom. Her patience and perseverance in front of the tyranny became an example for all humans.
Allah has mentioned her as the one who succeeded and as a result was awarded paradise.
Scenario 3: Successful woman who did not marry.
In verse 11, another scenario is that of Mary, mother of Jesus (عليه السلام) . At a very young age, she was devoted by her mother to pursue knowledge. At that time, she was the first woman to undergo this training. This knowledge empowered her to lead a life of piety.
As a result, Allah rewarded her with a child (Jesus)عليه السلام )( miraculously without any interaction with a man. Allah chose her for a special mission. She did not need a man to achieve this status. She was hurled with all kinds of baseless allegations but she persevered. She did not only stand against the propaganda but was also in the forefront of the struggle of Prophet Jesus. Her fortitude and persistence became an example for women of all epochs.
Scenario 4: Unsuccessful wives of unsuccessful husbands.
In Chapter 111 of the Quran, Allah provides another example of Abu Lahab’s wife. She supported her husband in all the oppression that her spouse was involved in. She agreed with the objectives of life that her husband pursued. Both created all kinds of hurdles in stopping the truth from prevailing. They failed and as a result both she and her husband became an example of failure for living times.
Scenario 5: Successful wives of successful husbands.
The Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in a hadith said that best of women are Marium binte Imran (Mary), Aasia wife of Pharaoh and Khadijah.
Khadijah was the wife of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) . She was a remarkably successful businessperson. She married the Prophet when she was forty and the Prophet was twenty-five. She was also the first person to accept Muhammad as the Prophet. She, along with the Prophet, stood against a tyrannical system. She provided emotional and material support to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The year she died is remembered as “the year of sorrow” in Islamic history.
There are a plethora of lessons from the lives of the six women mentioned above. Key points are highlighted underneath. They are:
- A woman cannot be forced to pursue goals by her husband or any other human. They are free to make a choice and it is this free will that they will be held accountable for on the day of judgement. E.g., wives of Noah (عليه السلام), Lot(عليه السلام) , and Pharaoh.
- A woman’s success is based on her own orientation and grit. Marriage to a pious person does not guarantee success. She will have to earn it on her own. E.g., Wives of Noah (عليه السلام) and Lot (عليه السلام) .
- Knowledge is a right of every woman. She cannot be kept away from it. Rather, her success depends on the knowledge she possesses. E.g., Mary – mother of Jesus (عليه السلام)
- Successful women should not support their husbands in their wrong doings. E.g., wife of Abu Lahab
- Successful women are initiative takers, and they take lead. E.g., Khadijah.
- Successful women are patient and persevere against oppression, opposition and propaganda.
The views expressed herein may not necessarily reflect the views of JI FAD and/or any of its affiliates
