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The calibre and status of arab women in Muslim society
Dr. Asif Ali Rizvi*
Man is
the most conspicuous of all beings. The honour is awarded by
the creator of this world. “Taffakru” is a unique quality
and the cause of the supremacy of man.
the
positive thinking is the driving force which always provided
advancement in social life, evolution in civilization and
protection of status of adoration of the angels. In spite of
the importance of the qualities of meditation and Knowledge
the descendents of Adam & Eve could not maintain balance and
consequently some times a goat got the status of God and
even some times the denial of Allah mighty became his faith.
The
code of revealed teachings is called religion. According to
Encyclopedia, Britannica, “the study of religion involving
theological, historical, philosophical, literary,
theological, sociological and psychological approaches to
the subject, has been a matter of scholarly concern from the
time of the ancient Greeks until the present, though the
subject has been of increasing importance in the second half
of the 20th century”.
Abraham was the pioneer of religious guidance in the modern
history of mankind. He was the architect of “Bait-ullah” so
that people should be able to form real relation between
Lord & slave i.e. Allah and mankind. But with the passage of
time this teaching, guidance or spirit started to fade away
from social behaviour of society and consequently no real
follower of Ibrahim was there in any country or tribe in the
beginning of the 6th century.
The
Arabian peninsula is a place where “Baitullah” was built by
Hazrat Abraham and his great son Ismail. The place was for
worship of Allah Almighty.
holy
messengers descended from Isaac were deputed for guidance of
all inhabitants and citizens. But with the passage of time
all the teachings of the holy messengers were obliterated &
the religion of Abraham was subdued by polytheism.
Likewise the Persians were deviated from the teachings of
Zoaraster by the Yazdan & Ahrman. Christianity and
the Judaism were also in a pitiable condition.
both revealed
religions were deviated from their basic ideas & faith.
In
short all the spiritual centers of humanity including Bait-ul-Muqadus
& Bait-Ullah were converted to the centers of illiteracy,
cruelty and sins. They had lost their role of guidance &
teaching. Consequently mankind was in search of revealed
guidance for peace, knowledge & civilization. Mankind was
waiting for right path which could provide justice,
protection, equity, knowledge and wisdom.
The
women always got trouble & un pleasant circumstances.
According to Mosu-Libyan the women had no right of
inheritance in ancient Greece. Any husband had right to
murder his wife if a disabled baby was delivered by her. In
sparta a woman
who was not able to deliver brave soldiers was usually
killed. According to Italian proverb a horse needs a whip as
a woman requires violence or punishment.
women had no
life protection in Roman society and un limited right of the
men over the women was a settled matter. The same miserable
conditions prevailed in the peninsula of Arabia. The Arabs
married their stepmothers. A woman had no rights in property
of her father, husband and son.
These
circumstances demanded basic and deep rooted revolt by a
unique leader. The emergence of Islam & the teachings of
last revealed guidance by the last messenger of Allah
mighty, Muhammad Bin Abdullah (p.u.), was the only solution
of the miserable conditions of the then body
socio-political, economic & religious circumstances.
Muhammad (PBUH) started his mission from Mecca and after
only thirteen years he succeeded to form State of Medina.
Within ten years it was progressive, civilized and liberal
state. It was more democratic, constitutional, liberal &
enlightened welfare state than and other states of the world
not only in the past but also in the present.
This
is a short survey of painful conditions of human society.
But due to the religious teachings of Islam & revealed
guidance the humanity started to get real gentleness,
purity, Knowledge, tolerance and wisdom. The present
assignment cannot permit to highlight all aspects of
evolution of human civilization. So the present study is
brief glimpse only about the enhancement of the women’s
status, caliber and position in Arab–Muslim society.
Islamic tteachings of equity, Justice, honour and respect
for every class of the society became the cause of the dawn
of a unique and bright civilization. It is a very bright
chapter of the history of mankind. It is a legacy which has
ever lasting glory without discrimination of caste, creed,
and colour.
The
boundary of Medina state was confined only to the limits of
Arabian Peninsula in the lifetime of Muhammad (P.U). During
the regime of pious caliphs the conquests started.
Under
the Abbasids conquests were rounded off with the capture of
Mediterranean Islands such as the Baleries and Sicily. But
most importantly Muslum culture was gradually taking shape
increasing the spread of Islam and the population, left free
to retain their faith, gradually adhered to the new
religion-the religion of the ruling class and of the new
society. The most important aspect of this state was that
only ninety years were spent to construct such a historic,
capacious and civilized state. This miracle took place
because of Islamic values, traditions & teachings.
The
surprising aspect was not only its roomy and capacious
boundaries but also it civilized social structure, sense of
responsibility and fruitful fiscal policy.
Women
were the most depressed class of the society every where in
known history of mankind. The pre-Islamic Arabs like the
ancient Hebrews were accustomed to marrying many wives. Thus
under the Republic, the home-life was patriarchal the buying
and selling of the slaves was strictly forbidden.
in fact human
chattel hood was denounced in the strongest terms. Only
persons made captives in lawful warfare were permitted to be
held in “bond” until ransomed, and the bondsmen & bondswomen
were regarded as members of the family.
In the
reigns of the Ummayads & the Abbasides the women were
perfectly free. The system of seclusion in vogue in many
Muslim & third wound countries did not come into practice
until long after. Among the Muslims the women moved freely
in public, attended the sermons of the caliphs, the
lectures delivered by Ali, Ibn-e-Abbas and others. Fathers
were still proud to assume surnames after their accomplished
and beautiful daughters and brothers and lovers still rushed
to battle acclaiming the names of their sisters and
lady-loves. The high-bred Arab maiden could still hold
converse with men without embarrassment and in absolute
unconsciousness of evil.
She
entertained her guests without shyness, and as she knew her
own worth she was respected by all around her.
Under
the early Abbasids the position of women was in no way
different from the one under the Ommeyads. In fact, the
system of absolute seclusion and segregation of the sexes
does not seem to have become general until the time of Kadir
Billah who did more to stop the progress of the Muslim world
than any other sovereign. In the time of Mansur we hear of
two royal princesses (his cosuins) going to the Byzantine
war clad in mail, in performance of a vow taken during the
struggle with Merwan. During Rashid’s time Arab maidens went
to fight on horseback and commanded troops. The mother of
Muktadir herself presided at the High court of Appeal,
listened to appeals, gave audience to dignitaries of foreign
envoys. Reunions and conversations at the residence of
cultured women of rank and position did not cease until the
time of Mutawwakil, Under Rashid and Mamun ladies were
holding their own against men in culture and were taking
part in poetical recitations, and enlivening society by
their grace and accomplishments. The empress Zubaida was a
gifted woman and an cocomplished poetess. She frequently
sent poetical epistles to Rashid and the letter she
addressed to Mamun after the death of her son Amin displays
high talent and feeling. Obadiah who lived in the reign of
Mamun and Mutasim, is described by the author of the Kitab
ul- Afghani as woman of great beauty, virtue and talent.
She played exquisitely on the instrument from which she
derived her title and also composed.
Fazal
the poetess flourished under Mutawwakil, in whose palace she
appears to have lived for a while. After her enfranchisement
by Mutawwakil she married and lived in Baghdad. Her poetry
is considered equal in merit to that of the formost poets of
the time.
The
Shaikha Suhde who flourished, in the sixth century of the
Hegira lectured in Baghdad on history and the belles letter,
and was renowned for the excellence of her handwriting. One
of the most famous lady-jurists was Zainab Ummuul Muwayyied,
who lived about the beginning of the twelfth century of the
Christian era. She had received from some of the prominent
doctors of the age diplomats of competency and was licensed
to teach law.
In the
time of Saladin flourished Takieh, daughter of abdul Faraj,
who lectured on the traditions, she also was a poetess of
eminencae.
The
pages of Ammr Osama give a very vivid picture of the high
position occupied by women among the Arabs. In the midst of
the great turmoil of the eleventh century when the social
and political fabric of Western Asia was almost in a state
of dissolution, women was still the object of chivalrous
adoration, and of delicate care and attention. Marriage was
regarded as solemn act, the domestic hearth a sanctuary, and
the birth of children, especially of sons, a blessing from
heaven. To the mother belonged the training of her sons and
daughters, the sons we brought up by her until they passed
into the hands of tutors.
the daughters
were trained to be virtuous, pure-souled women future
mothers of men.
References
1. Al-Quran.
2. Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. 15. London Edition.
3. M. Iqbal, Shikwa Jawab E–Shikwa, Islamabad, 2000.
4. Encyclopedia of Religion & Ethics, Vol. 3.
5. Thomas Arnold (Ed(, Lgacy of Islam. London 1931.
6. Evan Donzel, B. Llewis & Ch. Pelate, the
Encyclopedia of Islam (new Addition) Nether Land, 1978.
7. Ameer Ali, A
short History of Saracens, London, 1955.
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