Myth 2: The Status of Woman
Another part of the same myth says that, according to the Torah, God put Adam and Eve up in the Garden of Eden and provided them with everything, but forbade them to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The woman was duped by the Snake (the Devil/Satan) into eating it and she, in tum, tricked her husband into doing the same. God responded to this sin committed by the woman by saying to her:
I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
Woman, the root of all evil
The woman was deceived by the devil and she deceived her man, This led to the conclusion that Woman is the root of all sins. Furthermore, it was said that every human child is bom with the burden of that original sin. In other words, Man (both men as well as women) is naturally a sinner and a wrongdoer. History testifies to how this myth has degraded human life and disgustingly debased women. Half of all humanity no longer remained funy human and the world became a forced imprisonment for mankind.
The Quran's version
The Quran negated this universal myth by asserting that it was a fabricated non-truth. It said that Woman is not the source of all sins nor did she dupe Man; they are both equally human, and by dint of that fact alone, equally worthy of respect. The two are mutual partners in life.
The Muslim contribution: Thus the Quran replaced fiction with fact. But soon the childish mind of man reverted to the myth. Subsequently, Muslims too, adopted the anti-Quranic view, i. e. Woman has a low intellect and an eternally crooked nature because of her origin (Adam's rib), and is created to be subservient to Man. This view was supported by fabricated reports in the Prophetic Tradition (Hadith). For example:
'He (Mohammed, pbuh) said, "If I could order prostration to someone other than God, I would have ordered wives to prostrate to their husbands. ",Or:
'Ash'as reports: "Once I stayed with ('Umar) Farooq, the Great. There happened some dispute between him and his wife and he hit her. Then he ('Umar) said to me, 'Ash'as! Remember three things which I took, and have memorized, from the Prophet, pbuh -one, a husband is not to be asked why he has hit his wife; two, don't go to bed without offering wilr [additional] prayer'; and three, the narrator forgot.'"
The Muslim contribution: Thus the Quran replaced fiction with fact. But soon the childish mind of man reverted to the myth. Subsequently, Muslims too, adopted the anti-Quranic view, i. e. Woman has a low intellect and an eternally crooked nature because of her origin (Adam's rib), and is created to be subservient to Man. This view was supported by fabricated reports in the Prophetic Tradition (Hadith). For example:
'He (Mohammed, pbuh) said, "If I could order prostration to someone other than God, I would have ordered wives to prostrate to their husbands. ",Or:
'Ash'as reports: "Once I stayed with ('Umar) Farooq, the Great. There happened some dispute between him and his wife and he hit her. Then he ('Umar) said to me, 'Ash'as! Remember three things which I took, and have memorized, from the Prophet, pbuh -one, a husband is not to be asked why he has hit his wife; two, don't go to bed without offering wilr [additional] prayer'; and three, the narrator forgot.'"
Elsewhere, it is reported that the Prophet said,
"During the night of Ascension I saw that women formed the majority of Hell people."
The book also states:
'When Cain slew Abel, the devil informed Eve and she began to scream and wail. Adam came along and asked Eve as 10 what had happened. Despite repeated queries by Adam, Eve did not reply and continued to weep and cry. Then Adam said to Eve, ''That's it, then. Go ahead if you want to cry. Your daughters are doomed to cry for ever." That is why Woman is destined to cry.' till
Fabricated Tradition was followed by some poets who portrayed Woman in a similar light. Even sages and saints did the same.
All this continues to this day in the name of religion and, in a11 probability, will go on. The irony is the kind of statements made about Paradise being 'under the mother's feet'. Well, a mother is a woman after all' But that, being logic, has no place in a myth. That is precisely why we have another myth which states: 'Religion needs no logic.'
"During the night of Ascension I saw that women formed the majority of Hell people."
The book also states:
'When Cain slew Abel, the devil informed Eve and she began to scream and wail. Adam came along and asked Eve as 10 what had happened. Despite repeated queries by Adam, Eve did not reply and continued to weep and cry. Then Adam said to Eve, ''That's it, then. Go ahead if you want to cry. Your daughters are doomed to cry for ever." That is why Woman is destined to cry.' till
Fabricated Tradition was followed by some poets who portrayed Woman in a similar light. Even sages and saints did the same.
All this continues to this day in the name of religion and, in a11 probability, will go on. The irony is the kind of statements made about Paradise being 'under the mother's feet'. Well, a mother is a woman after all' But that, being logic, has no place in a myth. That is precisely why we have another myth which states: 'Religion needs no logic.'
Discriminated at birth
Muslims have adopted the myth of the Original Sin with some differences. Infants born to the poor and the rich are not equal. The fact that a poor child is looked down upon throughout his life appears to be a punishment for the 'sin' of his 'low' birth while a rich child is rewarded with enonnous wealth just because of his 'high' birth. These mythical concepts degrade humanity even more than the one about the original sin. The practical fact that Muslims accord less respect and importance to women than men seems to be an echo of the myth of the original sin.
The Despicable World
Muslim religious literature contains fabricated Traditions like the one in which the Prophet is reported to have said:
'The world is a prison and the faithful are prisoners.
Nothing is more despicable for God's chosen people than this world.'
One finds it very strange that in order to get close to God one has to despise the world, a creation He is so proud of!
The Despicable World
Muslim religious literature contains fabricated Traditions like the one in which the Prophet is reported to have said:
'The world is a prison and the faithful are prisoners.
Nothing is more despicable for God's chosen people than this world.'
One finds it very strange that in order to get close to God one has to despise the world, a creation He is so proud of!
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