Archive for category: Ethics

The second question is thus: Some of the religious expressions raise doubt in regard of common identity of the woman and man, like the phrase saying that the women having defective intellect and shortage in faith… etc.

Studying every and each one of these samples is quite out of scope of this research and discussion, but I can give some criteria and rules through which we can judge and issue decision in regard of them “specimen”.

A) Some of these traditions have not been properly interpreted, but by mediation and taking good care a clear meaning can be given to them. If it is stated in a hadith that the women having deficiency in reason, this will not be an informing of a creative and inherent thing in women, but rather taking into consideration acquired and experimental reason, in which social, educational and political conditions have full interference. This should never be taken to indicate inherent inability of women, but would be like saying that the villagers have a lower culture. And this, if supposed to be true, never means inherent ignorance of the villagers, but rather they can, through bringing about the necessary grounds, be equal and even higher than the townsmen, and men of knowledge and culture.

It is natural that if a woman is detained inside the house, and refused the qualifications of honour and knowledge, she would never be able to have, like any other individual attending the events, full knowledge of the incidents and proceedings and possess social understanding. No difference here is found in this regard between woman and man as the same thing would be true in regard of men when they are kept inside the house. Hence the following is said in a hadith:

“Whoever forsaking merchandise, he will verily lose two­thirds of his mind.”1

In this manner, the meaning of the hadith of shortage of faith “of women” will be clear. Because what is intended of faith being not a heartfelt and doctrinal state, but rather assignment and precept being meant to which be referred with the term Deen in most of the narrations. That is the assignment “takleef” of women being less than that one imposed upon men, especially in time of menstruation, whereat God has exempted them of some of the ritual duties and impositions.

The hadith of deficiency of faith has been stated in most of the reliable sources and references with the term deficiency of religion, and only in one version was referred to with the expression shortage of faith “iman”.2 Therefore it never implies any slander or deficiency for women. And if what is meant by deficiency the inward defect, then why have the fuqaha said: “It is recommendable for every woman to sit on prayer rug at times of prayers citing some words in remembering Allah.”3

Through abstruseness and pondering over contents of traditions, with comparing and measuring them with other narrations, some of difficulties and objections would be warded off and evaded. But of course this mediation and abstruseness should be accompanied with equity, abstinence from pre­arbitration and evacuating the mind of the current culture.

B) Some of these traditions can never be ascribed to the religious leaders “Imams”, but rather have been fabricated under the influence of irreligious cultures and multifarious stimulants.

As an example for this, the following traditions are quoted from the Prophet (S): “Burial of daughters “alive” is verily a dignity,”4 and “The grave of the bridegroom is goodness.”5 That is despite their being contrary to the Qur’anic verses vilifying the pre­Islamic “jahili” habits and customs,6 with the traditionists confirming their being composed.

When the following hadith was reported by Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: “Inauspiciousness lies in three things: means of transport, a wife and a house.” ‘A’ishah said: “The Prophet quoted this saying as a speech of the people of pre­Islamic era “jahiliyyah”, and its narrator has not quoted the first part of the Prophet’s speech.”7

There are so many alike samples in the texts of narrations and traditions.

Undoubtedly, it should be noted that it is not right to consider every hadith not agreeing with our taste and view to be fabricated and falsified but we should have full knowledge of criteria of assessment of chain of transmission “sanad”, and apply them properly.

C) Some of the traditions and narrations are applicable to special provisions, in a way that they can never be generalised. In other words, the purport of the hadith is regarding the conditions and circumstances of that time, not intended to expose the sought situation, like what is reported between the lines of traditions on preventing the learning from writings of women.8

Nowadays no religious expert is found holding the belief that it is not necessary for the woman to learn writing and reading. In the past too, some scholars and thinkers were of this belief. Further a large number of women related “in kinship” to religious scholars, were virtuous and intellectuals. The example for this can be seen in the wife and daughter of ash-Shahid al-Awwal,9 and Aminah Beigum daughter of al-Majlisi the 1st,10 and others.

Seemingly, taking into consideration these principles and rules for evaluating and comprehending so many of narrations concerning the woman would be so helpful and useful.

• 1. Wasa’il Ash-Shi’ah, vol. XII, p. 8, hadith, no, 20.
• 2. Masaadir Nahj Al-Balagha Wa Asaaneeduha, vol. II, p. 86.
• 3. Tahreer Al-Wasslah, vol. I, p. 24, question 11.
• 4. Silsilat Al-Ahaadeeth Az-Za’ifah Wal-Mawzu’ah, p. p. 220-221.
• 5. Tahreer Al-Mar’ah Fi Asr Ar-Risaalah, vol. I, p. 13.
• 6. As in the verses 58& 59 of surat An-Nahl: ” and when is anounced uto (any) one of them a daughter, black becometh his face and he is filled with wrath. He hideth hismself from the people, of the evil for the tidings given to him ( he pondereth whether) he shall keep her with disgrace or bury her ( alive) in the dust ? Behold, (how) evil it is what they decide,…”.
• 7. Al-Ijaabah Li Irad Ma Istadrakathu ‘Ala As-Sahaabah, p. p. 114-117.
• 8. Al-Islam Wa Mar’ah, pp. 28-29 and 51-52.
• 9. Bihaar Al-Anwaar, vol. 103, pp. 55 & 261; Kanz Al-Ummal. vol. XVI, p. 379.
• 10. Mu’jam Rijaal Al-hadith, vol. XXIII, pp. 179 & 196.

[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” ]Woman: AUTHOR(S): Mahdi Mahrizi TRANSLATOR(S): Hasan M. Najafi[/box]

All Muslims, shi’ah and sunni, boast of their history due to having virtuous and chaste women, enumerating for them distinguished characteristics from which many men are deprived.

Among these great notable ladies we can refer to: Khadijah, Fatimah (A), Umm Salamah, Zaynab, Hamidah “wife of al-Imam as-Sadiq (A), Sawsan “mother of al-Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (A), Hakeemah “daughter of al-Imam al-Jawad (A) and Umm Ahmad “wife of al-Imam al-Kadhim (A), and others.

Fathoming and examining the biography of women will show them to be among perfection ­seekers, and each having a scholastic and spiritual position in relation to the religious leaders. Rather some of them were known to have the position of succeeding an Infallible Imam and being a spiritual trustee, depository and executor of him.1

The question arises here being: Does the woman have any difference in essence and nature with the man, and is her human cause and background like that of the man or that the difference being not in essence and nature, but they differ in the dimension of human perfections affected by outer circumstances.

If the first case be correct, the presence of women of virtue and maturity and superior to many men, would be somehow impossible in essence and unaccepted. Then how can be there many individuals in whose essence a radical change happened, while no special and unusual provisions being under consideration for them.

And when accepting the second case, that is to consider the women’s defect being a transient and ephemeral phenomenon imposed on them by the social circumstances, again this question will still be raised: Are the imposed provisions admitted by religion and religious leaders? Or that they were concerned for removing that defect, intending to take away those inconvenient conditions?

If the first supposition be admitted, then existence of virtuous and prominent women will be incongruous and reversed to purpose and objective of religion. As a result of all this, it is proper to say that no difference is there whatsoever between women and men, in respect of essence of humanity and leaven of development and maturity: And those partial differences were only caused and created by inhuman conditions, with which religion is not content, the evidence for which can be the presence of outstanding women in history of Islam and Muslims, with emphatic recommendations to maturity and perfection.

In short, we can say that according to the description and portrait of the character of woman given by the Qur’an, “Prophetic” Sunnah and inner belief of Muslims, there is no difference whatsoever in the nature and composition of these two species. Besides, the ability to attain maturity and perfection seeking is the same for both of them “men and women”, as they both can reach the sublime ideal and human positions, and each one of them is never a parasite upon the other.

al-Allamah At-Tabataba’i has an elegant comment in this regard, in which he says:

Evidences and experience necessitate that the man and woman, being two individuals of one and the same essential species, which is the human being. As all the marks and signs witnessed in category of men are witnessed also in the category of women, without a bit difference, and emergence of traces of any species undoubtedly obligates realisation of its subject. No one can deny the fact that the category differs greatly and slightly in some of the common traces, but this can never cause the annulment of existence of species in every individual. Thus it becomes clear that the specific extrapolations and maturities available for one species can be found in the other species, of which the moral maturities attained by faith, worships and seeking God’s pleasure. So the best and most comprehensive words expressing this meaning can be the following Qur’anic verse:

“… I will not suffer the work of any of you that worketh to be lost, be he male or female, the one of you being from the other.” (Qur’an, 3:195). 2

For completing this view, I should give answers to a pair of important questions, since otherwise all my discussion will lead to no conclusion and will be incomplete.

The first question is: If we admit that female and male enjoy one and the same essence and nature, with realising their being not one entity, i.e. neither a woman is a man nor a man is a woman. Then where lies the field of difference between these two beings?

The second question is: Some of religious expressions like deficiency of woman’s intellect, and lack of faith, contradict such view and weaken it. But if we intend to defend this view “that the woman differs from the man with ‘aql and deen”, we should give evidences that it can give reply to such faults. Hence, in conclusion of this chapter, I will make a condensed investigation about these two questions.

• 1. Zan Wa Payam-awari, pp. 145-238.
• 2. Al-Mizaan, vol. IV, p. 89.

Woman: AUTHOR(S): Mahdi Mahrizi      TRANSLATOR(S): Hasan M. Najafi

The Qur’an has introduced only one way toward felicity of man, and invited and asked all children of Adam, men and women, to follow and adopt that way.

“Enjoined I not on you O children of Adam! that ye should worship not Satan? for he is your open enemy. And ye should worship “only” Me, “and” this is the “only” Right way?” (Qur’an, 36:60, 61).

Throughout the five daily “obligatory” prayers, every follower of Islam implores God five times, day and night, to guide him toward the straight path, which is way of guidance.

Enemy of Woman & Man on Course to Perfection

Do the woman and man have enemies on the path to happiness? Is their enemy a common one? Is his enmity to each of them of the same degree? These are requests to which answers should be given within the last question. Some of feeble and ignorant thoughts indicate that in view of religion, the Satan contracts enmity with the man while proposing friendship with women, and Adam was entrapped for the first time by Satan, through his wife.

The holy Qur’an regards this idea to be incorrect. Besides, the creation verses indicate that Satan has whispered and prompted to Adam and Eve to err and they both went astray. But then they both confessed before their Lord that they have wronged themselves.

In other verses the Qur’an considers the Satan as the enemy of man, not the enemy of men.

“… Verily Satan unto man is an open enemy!” (Qur’an, 12:5).

The Almighty Allah has also made a covenant with all children of Adam charging them to keep themselves far from Satan, as stated in surat Yaseen:

“Enjoined I not on you O children of Adam! that ye should worship not Satan?” (Qur’an, 36:60).

To sum up the discussion, it can be said that the holy Qur’an never maintains any difference between personality of woman and that of the man, but rather it looks at them both equally as a pure human entity, preparing for both of them the ground of development and progress. The only difference lies in the fact that the Qur’an considers the woman and man as complementary to each other in human life.

“… they are an apparel for you and ye are apparel for them;…” (Qur’an, 2:187).

In his exposition of this verse, al-Allamah At-Tabataba’i writes:

By apparel “libas” the commonly known meaning is indicated, that is whatever man covers his body with. These two sentences are metaphorically used, as each woman and each man can curb the other from following evil ways and being a joint property, and every one of them is raiment for the other, covering his/her defects and screening his/her private parts.6

The Prophetic Sunnah

Through and between the traditions, an eloquent statement is quoted that manifests the views of our religion leaders “Imams” the character of the woman, to some of which I refer herewith:

Mates of Men “shaqaayiq”

It is reported from the Messenger of Allah “peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny” that he said: “The women are verily the mates “shaqaayiq” of the men.”7

The same hadith is quoted with other versions like: “They are verily equals of men.” and “The women are mates of men.” 8

In regard of the meaning of the word Shaqaayiq, lexicographers write:

The woman are verily mates “shaqaayiq” of the men, meaning that they are like and equal to them in morals and behaviour and nature, in a way that it can be said the women have not been separated from the men. 9 The root of the term shaqeeq gives the meaning of full brother “from the same father and mother”.

Woman: AUTHOR(S): Mahdi Mahrizi      TRANSLATOR(S): Hasan M. Najafi

Is there any difference in the objective of creation of woman and man? Has the Qur’an stated any distinction between women and men in this respect? The answers for these questions are definitely in negative, as the Qur’an mentions the goal of creation to be servitude and devotion, no difference is there in this regard between the woman and man. Also no separation is seen between the two in regard of the end of invitation “da’wah” of the messengers, which is life and living.

“I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.” (Qur’an, 51:56).

“O ye who believe! respond ye to His Apostle “Muhammad” when He calleth you to that which giveth you life…” (Qur’an, 8:24).

Woman: AUTHOR(S): Mahdi Mahrizi      TRANSLATOR(S): Hasan M. Najafi