WOMEN AND ISLAM
LETTER BY SHAYKH
YUSUF DA COSTA
Assalamu Alaykum
I have written so many letters on our women folk and sometimes I receive
pro-male emails from persons who believe all kinds of strange things about the
genders. I have said on numerous occasions and I want to say again, if we know
the standing of women in the “eyes” of our Lord, we will kiss their feet every
day. We have been made to believe by male scholars that women are the “weaker”
sex or the “other gender” or even, I suppose, the “disposable” gender. If one
examines the history of Islam and the role of women in different disciplines of
knowledge, we would talk otherwise. Again, if we examine the history of Islam,
especially the initial period, we will see the role of women in teaching the
transmissions of Prophetic Traditions, the keep of the first Mushaf (complete
collection of scripts making up the Quran), and in major intellectual
developments. The many women of Madinah especially, were great scholars and
could pass religious decisions on the level of what we call mufti’s. in fact
many of them were the shining lights of Islam during these initial periods.
Later Islam was infiltrated by discourses declaring women “inferior” and the
“other”, so that today, they are considered like that. I read the other day in
a book by a very prominent author that because Sayidatuna Hawa (r.a.) (Lady
Eve) was created after Nabi Adam (a.s.), women are inferior to men. I could not
believe this bit of inanity and I had to read it a number of times to ensure
that my eyes were not playing the fool with me. In another book, also by a
prominent Muslim scholar, he declared that what the wife earns are to be put
into the household, it was not hers. Many people don’t believe that Islam
cannot be distorted. Well … I have come across so many distortions of Islam on
women. We have no shame! We even use a word inferior with regard to the
creation of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty created an “inferior” being?! My
word, there is no shame!
Perhaps one might think that I go to the other extreme with regard to my view
on women, but it is not so. I am just stating the position as it is. Of course,
I have a deep respect for them as I have a deep respect for all of my Lord’s
creations. But my regard for them has also to do with other matters. I
sometimes wish that I could have been granted the same level of function that
women have been granted.
I find it very difficult to consider any being in which Allah Almighty creates
the next generation of those beings, as being inferior in any way. I cannot see
how a creation that was specially prepared to house the next generation, can
have any physical or emotional inferiority. This does not make sense. Because
when I look at my Lord’s workings, I only see perfection. And when we place the
male and female genders side-by-side, in terms of which rulings do we judge
superiority or inferiority with regard to the two of them? The body of the
woman, supposedly less strong than the body of the man, has been specially
created and forged to perform important functions with regard to the new
generations. The woman’s body is so structured to allow for the growth within
it of the new human being. The softness and tenderness of women have to do with
this. Allah Almighty has also given them certain special characteristics to
enable them to suckle the new human being and to provide that being with the
love, kindness and mercy for the realization of the full potential of the
personality of that being. We do not understand this although we pretend we do.
We do not understand the link between the nature of the female body and the
nature of her offspring. Allah has placed a special link between mother and
child; a link that has to do with the physical and emotional growth of that
child and the development of that child’s personality. Those who regard women
as inferior, have no sense.
Other than what I have mentioned, women perform a major function in God’s
creation; a function so delicate that only they could have been able to carry
out that function. This function is to receive the souls from its heavenly
domain to the earthly domain of the womb. We must understand the heavenly
processes that come into operation when Allah Almighty instructs the angel to
take the soul from its heavenly domain to its earthly domain of the womb. We do
not understand these processes, neither do we know much about them. The little
that we do know just has to do with the fact that the soul is transferred from
one domain to the other domain, and that women play a major role in this
because they are the receivers of that soul. I would like to know whether there
is a heavenly function that can be compared to this; the creative process and
the transfer of souls to the earthly domain. All of these are of our Lord’s
workings and all of these have to do with the expression of the Beautiful Names
of our Lord. It is these Beautiful Names that come into operation in the
creative process in the womb and the transference of souls.
Why is it that we refuse to see the very unique graces that Allah Almighty has
granted women? What is our problem? Are we not happy with this? And so, we
declare women “inferior”, or “other”, or “disposable”, or “without soul”? What
is our problem? We are Muslims. We must have a deep respect for all of our
Lord’s Creation whether animate or inanimate, and we must submit to our Lord’s
decision with regard to genders. The creation of women has nothing to do with
what is superior or inferior in the same way as the creation of men.
I have had occasion to look at little human beings after they have come out of
the womb. When I think back, I can only say: “Subhan Allah”! Absolute Glory to
my Lord. The creation of Allah Almighty, whatever that might be, is a major
display of His Glory, is a major display of His Infinite Greatness, and is a
major display of His Workings. And we, very minute particles in the creation,
want to pass judgement on the nature of the creation of human beings? We should
hang our heads in shame and ask our Lord to open our hearts to His Truth and to
place in those hearts a deep respect for that creation. We ask Him for that,
Amin.
NB: Perhaps now you would understand, if you are husbands, why I want each one
of you to show considerable respect to your wives who, through the functions
granted to them, have made you fathers. Be careful of how you treat them. Just
be very careful.
Yours in Islam.
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa
(26TH MAY 2011)
