MISFORTUNE OF THE HUMAN FEMALE
Addressing the Annual TOLU-E-ISLAM Convention
in March 1966, I read a paper titled ‘Allah’s Will’. It met with
widespread appreciation. Here, I quote from the paper a fictional story
meant to illustrate my point about the misfortune of the human female:
‘Noor Khan’s wife had born four girls,
one after the other. Each female birth had enveloped the family in a
melancholic depression. After the birth of the forth girl, Noor Khan,
pressured by his parents and close relatives, had decided to take a second
wife. He postponed it only after the wife had woefully pleaded with him, but
had told her his firm intention of taking a second wife if she gives birth
to one more girl. Unfortunately, she did bear a girl for the fifth time in a
row. The wife was having fainting spells due to a sinking heart. The family
was annoyed with her. The husband refused even to see her. She used to cry
out alone! Female neighbors would visit and console Noor Khan’s wife
saying: ‘It is all Allah’s will. He decides who begets male offspring
or female. Crying won’t change anything. Nobody can alter what Allah has
pre-ordained. Be patient and learn to live with it. No divine action is
without goodness. He has every right to decide His creatures’ fate. King
Soleman once harbored some disapproving feelings about a divine
decision. He was punished to work in a bakery for 12 year years! So, don’t
complain! The Almighty applies His law almost inconsiderately!’
Later in the chapter we shall examine the
notion ’It is Allah who decides, of His own sweet will, who begets what
(boys or girls). First, however, let us
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Dejection over Female Births
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in Oriental societies (in particular among the
Muslims of the sub-continent of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), of despair
over the arrival of a female baby. The situation is quite common, by no
means restricted to the lower (poor & uneducated) strata of society. Even
the claims of broad-mindedness, on the part of the elite, belie
undercurrents of the same mood. One reason for this attitude is economic as
females are economically dependent on men in a male-dominated society.
Secondly, there is the fundamental reason of the female
The Female is Considered
Inferior
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the male. Let us examine the validity of this
particular notion.
The Hindu philosophy treats women like a
commodity which remains in
Women and Religion
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a man’s (her father husband and son) possession
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all her life. She is not allowed to own
anything. She gets whatever she does as charity, not as of right. As a wife,
she may have to take more husbands than one. The ‘Mahabhart’ records
Dropedy as having five husbands who lost her in a gambling bet!
According to ‘Prans’, Narpasi Kamya was wedded to seven men.
Another lady with the name of Warkashi was the shared wife of the ten
Parchita Brahmin brothers who were well-versed in religious
literature. Since the religious code was authored by Brahmins (the highest
caste), they enjoy special privileges under law. The holy book
‘Hatherved’ (and also ‘Ragved’) records:
‘A woman claimed as his by a Brahmin is his
property even if she has had ten non-Brahmin husbands. It is because
Brahmins are the rightful owner of women.
The Torah says: God created
Adam and woman (EVE) was created
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Woman in the Torah and Christianity
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out of his side (rib) to alleviate his boredom and
loneliness. Eve subsequently got deceived by the
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Devil and she tempted Adam who was eventually
expelled from Paradise. This story is the basis of the Christian view of
woman as the source of all evil. Every human child is born with the original
sin of Adam and Eve. The only way to salvation is the belief in Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross. The female, being the source of evil, is detestable
enough not to be touched. That forms the basis of Christian saints leading a
life of celibacy. So much so that early Christian history records a sect
called the Valesians who voluntarily castrated themselves to be close
to God. The Christian belief that the female cannot enter Paradise presented
the problem of Mary. It was resolved by saying that all females shall be
transformed into males in the Hereafter. St. Paul preached that the male
begot the female rather than the other way round; since the female was
created for the male’s sake, she must stay inferior to him in status.
Thinkers of the human race have not treated
women any better. Aristotle, the original thinker, preached that
women were inferior to men in
men’s 32! He said, ‘Suffice to say that Woman
reflects a flaw in Nature’s plan.’ Pluto used to say: “A good woman
is an impossibility. Every other woman is worse than the previous one”. In
the modern age, Rousseou, the initiator of concepts like human rights
and democracy, said, ‘Woman has been created solely for the purpose of
obeying & serving Man and bear his injustice’. Upto the 19th
Century, the Western researchers believed that ‘the very first animal to be
domesticated by Man was Woman.’ It seems only yesterday that Queen Victoria
of Britain, a woman herself indeed, commented angrily on the new movement
for the rights of women:
‘Her Majesty the Queen strongly desires to get
support and help, oral or written, of all intellectuals who can do something
to put an end to this mixture of feminine stupidity and madness. The problem
is too infuriating for Her Majesty to contain her anger. God has created men
and women differently. Therefore, women must stay within their limits.’
Sadly, the situation has not improved upto the
present day. H. L. Mencken writes: ‘The concept of love has been invented to
inculcate the false notion that one woman is different from another. This is
an illusion. All women are alike C. O. Skinner says: ‘The most
fantastic of human concepts is the idea that the female also contains some
good’.
At present, the United States represents the
apex of human civilization where women are supposed to have been
emancipated. It is saddening to note from a semi-official publication,
Dialogue (Number 4, volume 3, September 1970), that the research therein
tries to prove that women should not be considered equal to men.
The mistreatment of the human female at the
hands of the male of the species is matchless throughout the animal
kingdom. At the advent of Islam,
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The
Quran
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when
Christianity was the dominant philosophy, degradation
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of women had reached its peak.
Entered the Quran with a resounding
claim that the prevailing notions about women are fabrications of the male
mind. They have absolutely nothing to do with reality. Men and women are
equally human. “Your Preserver created you from one living being” --- (4/1).
The biological difference between male and female is of function not of
status. They have equal potential as human beings. Sura Ahzab says:
“Both men and women can:
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1.
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submit completely to the will of Allah,
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2.
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be members of the group which is convinced of the
validity of Allah’s laws to ensure universal peace,
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3.
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preserve and use their capabilities in the Divine
Cause,
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4.
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practically prove their commitment to Allah’s
program,
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5.
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be steadfast,
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Equality of Sexes
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6.
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improve themselves progressively working for Allah’s
plan,
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7.
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sacrifice for others,
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8.
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exercise self-control
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9.
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put their sexuality under Allah’s program,
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10.
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remember always Allah’s plan and laws,
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Allah promises for them
safety of protection and a great reward!
(33/35)
Thus covering each and every aspect of human
life, the Quran announces: “And whoever does good deeds --- male or
female --, and is convinced of the Divine Message, shall enter Paradise with
none of their deeds going waste!” --- (4/124). Regarding marital life, the
Quran treats them absolutely equally as far rights and
responsibilities are concerned (ولهن
مثل الذي عليهن بالمعروف). The only
exception is that, after a divorce or the death of a partner, the male may
remarry immediately while the female has to undergo a period of waiting. The
reason is very clearly biological --- pregnancy.
It is interesting to note the purpose of
marital union put forward by the
benevolence between you. In it there is truth
for those who care to ponder” – (30/21). Obviously, there can be no mutual
love and peace of mind if a marital union is based upon the notion of one
partner’s superiority and dominance over the other. As far as Quran
is concerned, EQUALITY is the rule regarding men and women.
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But later, as had happened with
religions before, Muslims abandoned
of the human species infiltrated and eventually
became part of the Muslim philosophy. The technique employed to achieve this
was, as I have previously mentioned, fabricated traditions of the Messenger
of Allah (Mohammed), the most prominent champion of equality of human
rights. For example, borrowing
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Fabricated Traditions
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from old Testament, Ibn Kathir wrote in
his
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commentary on the Quran:
‘True Tradition has it that woman is created
out of (man’s) rib. Since the top-most rib is the most curved, it can only
break if you try to straighten it. So, you can use it to your benefit only
with the curve there.’
The Authentic Collection By Bokhari
reports from Abu Huraira: ‘The Messenger of Allah said: “If the
children of Israel were not created, meat would never rot; if Eve was not
created no wife would betray her husband!” Another report in Bokhari
says: ‘The Messenger said, “After I am no more, no problem will be more
damaging to men than women!”’ Yet another report says: ‘The Messenger said,
“Three things are ominous – woman, home and horse”’ – (Bokhari; Book of
Marriage). The Book of Prophets in Bokhari reports the Messenger
as saying: ‘When I visited Paradise, I found the majority to have been the
poor; in Hell the majority were women.”
Such fabricated Tradition are also
to be found aplenty as far as marital life is concerned. They put a
husband as an absolute ruler over his wife. Such
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Men are QAWWAMOON Over Women
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fabrication was supported by certain Quranic
verses, suitably interpreted, of course. A well-known
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example is the famous verse from Sura Al-Nisa
(4/34) which is traditionally translated as: ‘Men are controllers of
women’.The Arabic term ‘Qawwamoon’ really means those who provide a
sustainable and suitable environment. The verse in question should,
therefore, be interpreted as: ‘As women have to spend a considerable amount
of their time and energy in bearing and rearing children, men should take on
the responsibility of providing the necessities of life’. It is simply
division of labor.
It may be interesting to see the
background which is traditionally reported for this particular verse. Under
the common practice of recording ‘the background of revelation’, it has been
reported that: ‘A woman complained to the Messenger that her husband had
slapped her. The Messenger had barely finished delivering his ruling of
retribution when this verse was revealed, forcing him to cancel his
decision!’ Another Tradition says:
The Messenger said, “Don’t hit your wives”.
Later, Omar came and said, “Your ruling has encouraged wives to be
aggressive to their husbands.” The Messenger permitted wife-beating which
resulted in widespread application. Several women came and complained to the
Messenger. He said, “It is not nice that you hit your wives.” He wanted to
get women the right of retribution but this verse was revealed upholding the
ruling that husbands may beat their wives up because they are their lords.
Ash’as reports: “I happened to visit
Omar on one occasion. The couple quarreled, by chance. Omar hit his wife.
Later, he said to me, “Ash’as, remember three points which I heard
from the Messenger and have remembered to this day. One, never ask a husband
why he hit his wife. Second, never forget to offer additional prayer (witr)
before going to bed at night”. The third point was forgotten by the
reporter.
Going a step further, another Tradition reports
the Messenger as saying: “I if could order prostration to anyone other than
Allah, I would have ordered wives to prostrate (themselves in submission) in
front of their husbands!”
Statements of a similar nature
have been attributed to Ali, the fourth
Sayings attributed to
Ali
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known book Nahaj-al-Belaagha. Ali is
reported to have said: ‘O people! Women have faulty beliefs and reason and
have less than full share. (Therefore) Keep away from women of loose
character, and be careful even of good women! Don’t carry out their
instructions even in fair matters so that they don’t expect you to comply in
unfair situations.’ Elsewhere, Ali is reported to have said, The female is
like a nice well-behaved scorpion – enjoyable to live with but stings
whenever she can! Another statement of his is: “Woman is all evil. A bigger
evil is that one cannot be without her!” Interestingly there can be found
Traditions of a contrasting nature. For example, it is reported that the
Messenger said, “Paradise lies under the feet of one’s mother.”
Such Traditions were fabricated in the
monarchical era (mainly the Abbasid period) of Muslim history. It was
the time when women were treated as a commodity. Ahmed Ameen, the
Egyptian, writes in Daha-el-Islam:
Baghdad had commerce of slaves (men and woman).
One particular market place was known as Share-Dar-alRafiq (the Slave
Market Street). Traders of slaves were known as nakkaas, a term
originally used for cattle traders. They worked under an offical inspector
known as Qayyam-ar-Rafiq. Caliph Mutawakkil’s harem had 4000
temporary concubines.
The Persians learnt the philosophy of mysticism
from Christians, passing it on to Muslim mystics, who in the manner of
Christian monks and Hindu jogis, adopted a life of celibacy because
the female was believed to be the source of all evil. Ali Hajveri (a
highly respected mystic, popularly known as Daata Ganj Baksh) writes:
‘The very first evil to befall Man in Paradise
originated from Woman. The very first evil to appear on Earth (the squabble
of Cain and Abel) occurred because of a woman. When Allah wanted to punish
the two angels Haroot and Maroot, that, too, was because of a
woman. Even today, all religious as well as worldly problems occur because
of women!’
It is no wonder, therefore, that the arrival of
a baby girl is not exactly exhilarating for the family, and she herself is
plagued by a permanent inferiority
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Civilized Societies of Today
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of being advanced in education and
civilization, the despicable situation of maltreatment of the female
continues. The age-old tradition of dowry in many Oriental societies is a
case in point. Furthermore, according to the prevalent, the so-called
Sharia Laws, the husband retains the right of divorcing the wife quite
easily at any time he deems convenient for himself. Contrarily, the wife has
to go through an excruciatingly humiliating legal process which they often
consider to be more painful than their unsuccessful married life! Even when
a woman succeeds in getting free from the shackles of such a marital
contract, the simple basic question of existence for the rest of their lives
stares her squarely and icily in the face. In addition to being financial,
the question is also of protection of honor. In most societies even today, a
man’s patronage is considered essential for a woman’s protection. Even when
a woman does manage to live without male protection, she is under constant
threat of ostracization if the evil elements of society spread rumors about
her morals. Kidnappings & rapes are common occurrences. The Quran
very eloquently referred to the ignorant Arab practice of burying alive
their infant baby girls by asking: “What will your reply when that child
will be asked on the Day of Judgment: ‘Why were you killed?’” (81/9).
Today’s girls may well ask that from Allah Himself! I have had several young
girls and women putting to me the unanswerable query: “Why did Allah made me
a female?” “What did my brother do to deserve the better life form of a
boy?” Trying to answer this query, the Hindu philosophy put the blame on
one’s previous sinful life. The Muslim theological answer is: ‘It is
entirely Allah’s own unquestionable will to make a person male or female or
bestow an honorific life or strip one of it’. The Hindu philosophy does not
blame Brahama (the Supreme God) whereas the Muslim philosophy does!
The Muslim ‘God’ appears to be unjust and unfair!
The religionists attempt to support
their stand with some examples from
Erroneous Examples from Nature
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question the choice of their sex or species,
etc. But such examples should not be applied to the human situation. No
animal is concerned with, or even conscience of, status, humiliation,
respect etc. Man is self-aware as well as sensitive. The Quran
declares Man (both men and women) to be respectable by birth
(17/70). A just God simply could not create the two sexes with different
status; He declares: “We are not unjust to Our people!” – (50/29). In
actuality, it is us humans who have created for ourselves unjust, unfair and
unequal societies. In a Quranic society, the female will not feel,
and will not be, inferior to the male. The biological difference between the
sexes is for performing various complimentary natural functions. This
difference does not affect their human status at all. Status in a Quranic
society shall be determined by the quality of one’s performance (46/19), man
or woman (3/194)! The natural biological difference should not be a source
of jealousy, or even envy (4/32-35). The Quran aims to put a
permanent end to partisan human societies, patriarchy or matriarchy, and
create a society on the basis of absolute equality of opportunities, rights,
responsibilities and merit of performance.
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Male and Female Offspring
Verses 49 & 50 of Sura 42 in this regard
uses the phrase (من
يشاء) and the term (قدير).
If (من
يشاء) is to be interpreted in the
traditional mode to mean ‘to whom He wants’ it should be in agreement with
the view of an absolutely equal status of the sexes. Taking the Quranic
position of equality of sexes, the phrase means ‘according to His plan (مشيئة),
i.e., natural laws of conception fertility, pregnancy and so on.
Infertility, for example, is mentioned in the case of Messenger Zakaria’s
wife who got treated and was cured before she gave birth to a boy (John) –
(21/90). Treatment of sterility is fairly common in today’s medically
advanced world.
Extensive medical research is being done in the
era of fetal sex. Sura Aal-e-Imran says: “He is the One who gives you
shape in wombs according to His plan” – (3/5). Scientists now know how the
sex of a baby is determined by Nature. Next, they are trying to discover
ways of controlling the process in a way which enables us to choose the sex
of a fetus. This ability of Man to discover Nature and use it to his
advantage was referred to by the Quran in (2/31). That is what is
meant by ‘angels bowing to Man (2/34), i. e., Man can harness the forces of
Nature because it is so permanent (30/30).
Thus, Man is gradually becoming
the master of his own destiny.
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