|
|
|
|
|
|
Compiled by: Azeem Ayub |
|
|
Reflections | |
|
In the Name of Allah, |
Family Life in Islam
If we minutely observe our
universe, it becomes evident that the Almighty has created everything in
pairs. Both members of a pair complement one another and there exists a
tremendous amount of affinity between the two. The poise and balance
necessary to create harmony and concordance in this relationship are very
delicate, and a slight divergence can damage it beyond restoration. One of
the members plays an active and dominant role and the other a passive and
acquiescent one. In case, a piece of paper does not submit to the initiative
taken by the pen, no writing can come into existence. If the pen smoothly
slides across the sheet of paper, it can create a masterpiece, and if it
harshly scrapes on it, it will only tear it apart.
Man and woman, perhaps, are one
of the perfect examples of such ‘paired-creation’. When they interact with
one another, it is in their own well being that harmony and concordance
result. But then what should be the nature of this interaction? Islam has
always insisted that marriage is the only legitimate form of this
interaction so that the institution of family becomes the basic unit of a
society. The reason for this is that man is basically a weak and an insecure being. He has spiritual as well as material needs. Just as he needs to develop a strong relationship with the Almighty to fulfill his spiritual needs, he also needs to develop a strong relationship with his fellow human beings to fulfill his material needs. Thus a man and a woman must come together in a permanent bond of wedlock to create a family to fulfill these material needs which may be physical, emotional and psychological. A man and a woman, taken separately, are incomplete in their existence. Both need each other to fill the voids of their personalities. There are some responsibilities which only a man can fulfill and others which only a woman can. Furthermore, since these requirements are everlasting, any temporary relationship between a man and a woman can never be truly fruitful. The Qur’an thus says that marriage is a means of solace and comfort for both of them:
And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquility with them and He has planted love and kindness between you. (30:21)
Besides providing peace and
tranquility to the spouses, the role a family set-up plays in fulfilling the
needs of the individual born to a family is apparent to every keen eye.
It holds the parents responsible
for the proper upbringing of their children.
It urges the children to be very
kind and compassionate to their parents, especially in old age.
It says that if ever a divorce
is to end a family set-up, a certain prescribed procedure should be followed
in letter and spirit since this procedure ensures that the dissolution of
marriage passes through an interim phase in which the decision has ample
time to be reconsidered. It maintains that if a divorced woman intends to start a new family, her former husband or his relatives must in no way obstruct her.
Author: Shehzad Saleem
Topic URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=249
| |
|
In this Issue | ||
|
Reflections | ||
|
Read & Reflect
| ||
|
Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum: Interpreting the Qur'an | ||
|
* General Discussion Forum: Can we come to the Masjid? | ||
|
Pause & Ponder
*
Successful
Recent Additions
| ||
|
|
||
|
Univocity of the Holy Qur'an Author Imam Hamiduddin Farahi (Tr. by Tariq Haashmi)
The Holy Qur’ān is univocal and makes the intended meanings of its text absolutely clear. Every single verse gives a single definitive message. It is only the lack of research and study of a verse on the part of the interpreters that makes it subject to various interpretations. The commentators who have recorded multiple interpretations ascribed to the earlier authorities have in fact endeavored to record everything that has reached them from the preceding generations. They did not mean to say that the verse definitely allowed various interpretations. They have left upon us to choose from these various interpretations after careful analysis. It is, therefore, not allowable that we learn and commit to memory all that has been said in this regard treating the sound and the weak equally and let ourselves wander in the mazes of ignorance and doubt. Imām Razī has, in his commentary, recorded five significations of the word “fitnah” occurring in the verse 191 of Sūrah Baqarah.1 Obviously all of them could not have been intended by the author. I have, therefore, only mentioned what I have found right after due research. The great scholars of the past have always adopted this method. A variety of interpretations, in fact, leaves a serious student of the book of God wondering what to take as true and what to discard as spurious. Sometimes people do not even put the arguments in favor of such interpretations and only record sayings what they can get to. I believe that no greater form of injustice to the interpreters of the past and their interpretations than this can be imagined. I have not straightforwardly borrowed the meanings and applications of the verses from the commentaries of the scholars of the past. Rather I have pondered over the verses in the light of the context taking help from their parallels in the Holy Qur’ān. Thus after being clear on the meanings of the verses, I have looked for corroboration in earlier exegetical works like those of Tabarī and Rāzī. Sometimes I found exactly similar interpretation ascribed to the earlier scholars and sometimes my understanding happened to be quite near to what they said. Many times I have been forced to abandon my understanding and at some other difficult instances I had to keep the matter under consideration for a long time. However, such difficulties and problems I ascribe to lack of understanding and knowledge on my part, and my blind adherence to erroneous interpretations.
It may sound strange to hear that one gets confused on something clear like the Holy Qur’ān. However, given the multilayered darkness of heedlessness over the centuries polluting our minds, we may be able to see the reason of this confusion. Many clear facts which are never subject to doubt sometimes remain unnoticed if one is wrapped up in “intellectual darkness”. That God exists, that He is one and unique, that mind rules over body, that there is going to be a Judgement Day, are facts which may never be doubted by any rational being. Yet many doubt and even deny the existence of God and the coming of the Last Day let alone less conspicuous realities. The soul too, like the body suffers from certain ailments. Once it is afflicted, the most obvious of facts get blurred. Facts are addressed at and communicated to sound minds. An ailing mind cannot be expected to grasp them. That the sun gives light and that sugar is sweat are empirical facts acknowledged by all sound minds. But does a blind, a squint and a person suffering from high fever perceives these facts like a normal human being? The answer beyond any doubt is in the negative. The Almighty has, therefore, made it clear in the Holy Qur’ān that all men may not equally acknowledge the truth. While referring to the characteristics of the Holy Qur’ān the Almighty says:
هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ (٢:٢) [It is] guidance for the God-conscious. (2:2)
Read URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=717
|
||
|
|
Discussion Forum:
Interpreting the Qur'an
Tariq Hashmi (Moderator)
As in 1:7
has explained in Quran I don't know the reference but there has explained that
The Way of whom we have blessed are Prophets, Siddiqin, Martyerd in Allah's
way etc.
I don't
understand the question It looks that you've understood this Q now as you've given one correct example of "How Quran explains itself".
| |
|
General Discussion Forum: Can we come to the Masjid?
Many ladies ask in the community, and this happens every year in ramadan that whether they can come to the masjid during their periods.
I think with so much info. and media in today's age it is very wel known nowadays that they can indeed; to listen to the sermons ad even read Qura'n and duas. Most masjids have seating arrangements a bit away from the actual prayer area.
so do come in; even for Eid sermon. This will keep the opportunities open for your children as well.
Ibrahim (Moderator) Yes prophet (pbuh) has Surely asked women to Com to Join Eid Dua BUT During Periods Time ONE is NOT Pure So How one Can Come inside the Mosque Area???
Well there is Only ONE option left & that is If there is any Place Present OUTSIDE the Described or Declared Mosque then SUCH people can Stay here & Listen.
But here U r Absolutely RIGHT that they can indeed listen to the sermons & even read Qura'n and duas.
I hope this Helps
hkhan thnx ibrahim... this gives a scholarly support to my stance
another imp. thing
which we were discussing recently in a women's programme on local radio ramadan
is that many a times the fact of not being able to carry out acts of worship
like salah, fasting, visiting the kaaba etc during periods or puerperium (the
time periods after child birth) is put down to the state of impurity; which
obviously means physical impurity as it does not obviously mean spiritual
impurity.
sobi_05
hkhan, this thought
have crossed sometimes through my mind. Especially the Salah is a physical act
as well, i.e., bowing, prostrating, and than sitting in a specific position.
Only a woman can understand her limitations during these days. So i agree with
you. We should also see it as a relaxation from our loving Creator. On the other
hand, we should also understand that running blood invites germs and bectaria
and Allah loves cleanliness. Any kind of excretion from the body makes one
inadequate to stand before the lord. Urination, defecation, vomiting, bleeding
even its a drop from nose or tooth, or passing out gas, calls for the renewel of
ablution. Clean clothes, clean place, clean body....these are the etiquettes of
praying. Because bleeding and the unclean cloths (napkins) makes one unfit to
stand before Allah, woman cannot perform salah during these days. To my
understanding even a bleeding man cannot perform salah (correct me if im wrong).
Brother Ibrahim, could you please write some Quranic verse or Hadith supporting the fact that woman should not enter the mosque area when are menstrating?
hkhan
An e.g. of what
Ibrahim recommended could be what we are lucky to have in our local Masjid, the
mosque library to which doors open directly from the prayer hall and women
looking after younger children also use it during prayer times.
Besides
that the last couple of rows next to the back walls in the ladies prayer hall
are never used for prayers, hence the women not praying sit there to listen,
read and recite. So i guess its not difficult to allocate such areas for the purpose in all masjids.
Ibrahim (Moderator) Dear Sister, I Totally AGREE with You
quote:
Brother ibrahim, could you please write some quranic verse or Hadith supporting the fact that woman should not enter the mosque area when are menstrating?
Well Sister, we Derive This From the Same Aaya (about Wuzu & Ghusal 4:43) where It's Prohibited for a "Junubi" (State of impurity; May be Sexual & May be Physical b4 Bath) to Come in the Mosque Except one is JUST Passing thru it on the Road.
I hope this helps.
Further may be seen at: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=1664&lang=&forumid=26
| ||
|
|
Men are Superior to Women
Question asked by
Anonymous
Question
It is argued by some people that men are superior to women. They present the following verses in support of their view:
الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَبِمَا أَنفَقُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِم ا (٤:٣٤) Men are the guardians of women, because God has given the one more preference over the other, and because they support them. (4:34)
وَ لِلِّرجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَه (٢:٢٢٨)
And the husbands hold a degree of superiority over them. (2:228)
Answer: As per the Qur'ān (see, for example, 3:195 and 4:1), men and women as human beings are equal and deserve equal respect. However, they have been entrusted with different responsibilities in a family set-up which make them superior to one another in various respects. According to the Qur'ān (4:34), as far as a husband is concerned one sphere of his superiority is his status as the head of the family alluded to in 2:228 with the words 'husbands are one degree superior to their wives'. There are certain spheres in which women by nature – physical, physiological as well as psychological – are superior to men and much more suitable to do certain tasks. Thus 4:34 speaks of the relative superiority of a husband to his wife – that too in responsibility and status – in just one sphere and cannot be generalized to men and women.
Two reasons have been given in 4:34 for granting the husband this status: Firstly, because they are physically and temperamentally more suited to this task and secondly, because they have been entrusted with the responsibility of earning for the family. It also needs to be appreciated in this regard that Islam does not forbid women to earn a living. It has only relieved them of the responsibility of earning, which lies upon their husbands. It also needs to be understood that the verse does not say that the one among the husband or wife who supports the family should become the head; husbands, whether their wives earn or not, are liable for this responsibility. A woman may earn if she likes or if some need arises, but since she has not been entrusted with this duty she has not been given the governing position in the family.
Here it would be appropriate to analyze another concept which has also contributed to the notion that men are superior to women. As per a Hadīth, a woman is created from the rib of man referring to the fact that Eve was created from Adam's rib and thus was a secondary being. The text of the Hadīth is:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله استوصوا بالنساء فإن المرأة خلقت من ضلع وإن أعوج شيء في الضلع أعلاه فإن ذهبت تقيمه كسرته وإن تركته لم يزل أعوج فاستوصوا بالنساء (بخارى ، رقم: 3135)
Abū Hurayrah reports that Allah's Prophet said: "Treat women nicely, for a woman is created from a rib, and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper portion; so, if you should try to straighten it, it will break, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked. So treat women nicely." (Bukhārī, No: 3135)
It needs to be appreciated that according to the Qur'ān, Eve was not created from Adam's rib. The first verse of Sūrah Nisā explicitly states that the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) were created directly by the Almighty:
يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا (1:4)
O mankind! Fear your Lord, Who created you from a single person, created, of like species his mate, and from these two scattered countless men and women [in this world], and fear Allah through whom you seek mutual help and fear breaking blood relationships. Indeed God is watching over you. (4:1)
Some people translate this verse as: "It is He Who has created you from a single person (Adam) and then He created from her his wife (Eve)." They explain this verse by saying that Eve was created from the rib of Adam. This misleading translation has probably arisen because of a literal translation of the Arabic words: "وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا viz. and created from it [–the initial soul–] his wife." Actually, the word مِنْهَا (from the soul) does not imply that "Eve was made from Adam"; it rather implies that Eve was made from the same species as Adam. A similar verse points to this interpretation:
وَاللّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا (72:16) It is God who has made from your species your mates. (16:72)
A literal translation of the words جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا of the above quoted verse (which are similar to وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا) would mean "it is God Who has created your mates from you" implying that every wife is made from her husband as Eve was. This of course is incorrect; the word anfus (plural of nafs) in this verse means "genre", "species" and not "physical being". As far as the actual Hadīth quoted above is concerned, it needs to be appreciated that in Arabic the words "created from" do not necessarily refer to the substance of creation; they can also refer to the nature of something. For example the Qur'ān says: "Man has been created from hastiness" (21:37). This does not of course mean that man's substance is hastiness; it only refers to his nature. Secondly, if all the textual variants of the Hadīth are collected and analyzed, it becomes evident that the Prophet (sws) has compared the nature of a woman with a rib. The comparison subtly alludes to the fact that a woman's nature is very delicate and tender as well as a bit adamant. The Prophet (sws) has advised men to treat them tactfully keeping in view this nature. Instead of forcing them to accept a particular point of view, men should try to convince and persuade them.
regards
Shehzad Saleem
| |