INTRODUCTION

It has beenthroughAllah’s Mercies and Blessings that I have been able to complete thisbook,which I began in Sha’ban 1414 AH (February 1994). I am a Muslim, a factwhich I must make clear to the reader from the outset, for this is abookwith an objective, to clarify what is arguably the most frequentlydiscussedaspect of my faith: the position of women in Islam. In doing so, I wishto take this matter beyond the usual defense of Islam and seek apositiveunderstanding of why women are embracing Islam in increasing numbers. Iwill also examine the role of feminism in today’s world.For far toolong,Muslims have had to put up with the criticism, based on ignoance, thattheir faith is “irrational in the modem age”. Islam, and Muslim womeninparticular, continue to be subjected to ridicule and mockery throughoutthe Western world. In all of this the media play a key role inorchestratingmisinformation, slander and downright lie about Islam.Despite thealmostsuperhuman efforts to break the spirit of Islam in Muslims, this faithremains the fastest growing religion in the world. In Europe and NorthAmerica the progress of Islam is well documented in census reports.Moreover,it is reported that out of every ten “new” Muslims, seven are women.Speculationabounds as to why individuals – especially women – accept Islam whentheyhave been bombarded, courtesy of the Western media, with inaccurate anddemeaning “information” about the faith. The simple fact remains thatwhenthe light of truth shines into the soul, the mind and heart are openedand every aspect of the human being submits to the Creator of theUniverse.This transformation suppresses materialistic, worldly desires, andbringsabout serenity, contentment, and inner peace.A commonerroris the assumption that Islam is merely a “religion”, in the sense thatit defines belief in God, or prescribes certain acts of worship to beperformedor rules to be complied with. In fact, Islam is much more than a”religion”in this narrow sense. It is a Been, a complete way of lifewhichencompasses every aspect of human life, from the “religious” to thesocial,economical, medical and political.The core ofIslamis Tawhid No matter how uneducated, remote or isolated aMuslimmay be, Tawhid is the focus of his or her belief. This firmandunequivocal belief in the absolute uniqueness of Allah, the Lord andCreatorof all, is the very essence of Islam. Belief in Tawhid is to affirmthat there is only One Creator and Sustainer Who deserves to beworshippedand obeyed. Our belief is clear:Say: He isAllah,the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor isHebegotten; And there is none like unto Him. [al-Ikhlas112.1-4] Allah isHe,other than Whom there is no other god – Who knows (all things) bothsecretand open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.Allah isHe,other than Whom there is no other god the Sovereign, the Holy One, theSource of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserverof Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: GlorytoAllah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He isAllah,the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the MostBeautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, declares HisPraises and Glory, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. [al-Hashr59 22-24] Allah!Thereis no god but He the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumbercanseize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth.Whois there that can intercede in His presence except as He permits Heknowswhat (appears to His creatures as) Before or After or Behind them. Norshall they compass ought of His knowledge except as He wills. HisThroneextends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue inguardingand preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). [al-Baqarah2.255] Theindividual’svoluntary submission to Allah through sincere belief in Tawhid bringsemancipationfrom worldly, materialistic bonds, and raises the Muslim, the one whosubmitsto the will of Allah, to a higher level. This submission liberatesindividualsfrom all false worship, whether it be of the occult, of money, offortunetelling, of material gods, of “saints”, of those who pretentiouslyclaimto be intermediaries acting on behalf of God, of self conceit and ofarrogance.This submission also frees human beings from the burden of social andpeerpressure, as the Muslim submits to the will of Allah, and to nothingandno one else. It provides a person with positive identity and definitepositionin relation to the rest of creation and to other human beings.Moreover,it grants him or her direct access to Allah, the Creator of all.A Muslim whohasfreely accepted Islam thus submits to the will of Allah and obeys Hiscommandments.Human beings know about these commandments through Risalah(Prophethood):Allahhas sent His Guidance through chosen people whom we call Prophets orMessengers,who conveyed Allah’s message to their fellow humans. The chain of Risalahbegan with Adam and continued through numerous Prophets includingNoah,Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Jesus, culminating inthe Prophethood of Muhammad (may peace be upon all the Prophets andMessengersof Allah). Some Prophets were given books of guidance, such as theTawrat(Torah)of Moses, the Injeel(Gospel) of Jesus and the Qur’an brought byMuhammad.1 The Qur’an is the final book of guidance revealed by Allah tomankind,and it supersedes all previous scriptures which by admission of theiradherents,as is well known, have been altered and distorted over the centuries.TheQur’an is the only scripture that has remained in its original formsinceits revelation fourteen hundred years ago. The Holy Qur’an itselfstates:Alif,Lam,Mim.Allah! There is no god but He -the Living, the Self subsisting, Eternal.It is HeWhosent down to you (step by step) in truth, the Book, confirming whatwentbefore it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (ofJesus).Before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (ofjudgement between right and wrong). Then those who reject faith in theSigns of Allah will suffer the severest penalty, and Allah is ExaltedinMight, Lord of Retribution.FromAllah,verily nothing is hidden on earth or in the heavens. He it is Whoshapesyou in the wombs as He pleases. There is no god but He, the Exalted inMight, the Wise. [Al’Imran 3:1-6] The faith ofIslamas we know it today (for it must be borne in mind that all the Prophetstaught submission to the will of Allah, or Islam) is derived from theHolyQur’an and the teachings, examples and practices of Allah’s finalMessenger,Prophet Muhammad which collectively are known as his Sunnah. Everyminute detail of the Prophet’s lifestyle, conduct and statements werememorisedby his Companions, who put his example into practice and passed onreportsof what they had seen him do, or had heard from him, to subsequentgenerations.These reports or ahadith (singular: hadith) werelater subjectedto intense scrutiny by scholars who recorded them and classified themintodifferent levels of “soundness” or authenticity. The greatest recorderof ahadith was Imam al-Bukhari, who spent sixteen yearscompilingreports of the Prophet’s words and deeds in his famous collection of ahadith,Sahih al-Bukhari. His scrupulous attention to detail andauthenticityleave us in no doubt concerning the book he left us.It is thisstraightforwardpresentation, practical application, sincere reaching and equaltreatmentfor all in Islam that have attracted multitudes of people towards thehonestteachings of the word of Allah.The spread ofIslamin the Western world has been so rapid that he media has taken topublishingalarmist statistics and issuing “tenoint security plans” to safeguardindividuals!The media is at the orefront of creating Islamaphobic environment. Themedia is nrelenting in it’s efforts to misguide people about the truthof Islam, nd appears especially keen to convince the world at largethatIslam “oppresses” women. But they are failing spectacularly, because -as stated earlier- seven out of every ten Western converts to Islam arewomen. Within the last decade, an estimated ten thousand British womenhave accepted and are practicing Islam. Most of the new converts aremiddleclass, well-educated, and have professional backgrounds.Life inBritaintoday, as in most of the Western world, lacks cohesion, guidance andpurpose.”New” Muslims have found the truth and a perfect code of conduct inIslamthrough which they have improved their life in this world and havedefinitelysecured salvation in the life to come.In order tofullyappreciate the role Islam continues to play in liberating women fromculturaloppression which is perpetrated in the name of “freedom”, we need tolookat women’s status through the ages in various societies. I start withanoverview of the period prior to the advent of Islam. The second chapterpresents the sad and depressing picture of the plight of women who haveespoused to the liasse faire culture of the Western society.Anyonewith the slightest concern for humanity and the social welfare of humanbeings will be greatly perturbed by some of the calamities faced bywomenin this supposedly advanced society. I then turn to the teachings oftheQur’an and the Prophet on therole, position and integrity ofwomenin Islam.No book,whichdeals with the issue of women, can ignore the aspirations of thefeministmovement, so I have included a discussion of their theories. Thetheoriesof leading feminists, the views and debates raging within feminism andacademia have been reported. I have sought to examine their practicalapplicationin the light of Islamic teachings.I hope andpraythat by the time the readers complete the book, they will have gained adeeper insight into the position of women in Islam, the detrimentaleffecton the moral, social and personal status of the women in the West byadoptingand following a way of life suited to their personal desires andfinally,a clearer understanding of Islamic teachings on this issue.This book ismerelyan introduction to some of the major topics regarding women. Anyshortcomingsdetected herein are due entirely to my own weaknesses. I pray to Allahfor His forgiveness. However, I hope that after reading this workotherswill be inspired to join in this monumental work of researching andpresentingtrue Islamic teachings, and improve upon my efforts. It is my ardentdesirethat readers will find the warmth, sincerity and honesty of Islamicteachingsreflected in this book, and that this will encourage a deeperunderstandingof Islam, through which mankind’s sufferings and miseries can beelevated.IsmailAdam PatelLeicesterMuharram 1418AH MAY 1997 CEMay 1997