In The Name Of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful
THE HUMMAN DIMENSIONS OF
THE FAREWELL SPEECH OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) (3)
6. WOMEN'S RIGHTS 7. THE SACRED MONTHS
In the Name of Allah: No Assistance except from Him. Our praise to Allah: No Gratitude except for Him. Glories to You my Lord: You Created me and I am in full obedience to Your Command. I hold my covenant to You by whatever is in my power. I bear witness that there is no Deity except Allah. I send my prayers and greetings to the best among all creatures Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Messenger of peace who received the last message of the heavens to guide the worlds and delivered Allah's Integrated Legislation and Wisdom in a perfect manner.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, I greet you by the greeting of Islam: Asslamu Alikum Wa Rahmetu Allah Wa Barakath:
Today Inshaa Allah, I will talk about some more of the recommendations stated in the last advice of the Prophet (PBUH):
6. THE SIXTH TOPIC IN THE LIST OF THIS LAST ADVICE DEALT WITH WOMEN'S RIGHTS:
That is the issue that needs clarification for the current Muslims as well as all mankind living on Earth.
The cultural inheritance of the majority of Muslims is burdened by many traditions far away from the commands and regulations of the Divine Messages of Allah. On the other side, those who talk about civilization under several religions left their desires to lead them to deep, low and sometimes ugly attitudes towards women.
Before Islam, the Arabs in their age of ignorance never appreciated or even considered any weight to the existence of women. Sometimes they considered women as an unavoidable evil. The majority of their communities buried female children alive to keep themselves out of trouble or shame as they believed.
Islam came to erase this ideology and cut it from its roots. The last Message to humanity made it clear that:
- Women are the integral part of men.
- Women and men are equal in the fulfillment of the commandments of: Faith, Ibadat and Behavior.
- Women and men are equal in the reward or punishment: equivalent to their deeds and efforts for the cause of Allah.
- Any person is lying if he/she presumes that the males have preference and the females deserve the back seats.
The Message of Islam rejected what was spread among Arab's communities condescending to women. Since its first emergence, Islam established communities on new and fair ground rules among men as well as women.
But, the reality of many of the Arab communities after all these rules, overturned the spirit of all Islamic legislation. The same as they leaned towards living in separate groups, acting in partisanship, disputes, and bloodshed, they also leaned towards limiting the role of women to serve their desires for food and sex. The majority of Arab communities denied womens' interactions in the fields of knowledge, cultural or professional education and even worship or reaching out for the Cause of Allah. They denied women the core of the attitude of the Muslim Ummah as stated in Sura # 3 Al- Imran, Verse # 104, where Allah Says:
"Let there arise out of you a Band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity."
There is no doubt that the responsibility of women towards building-up the family is serious and takes the first priority. Also, there is no doubt that the whole community is obligated to preserve the chastity and honor of its members and forbid any violations.
The rational Ummah is capable of the correct coordination of all these objectives; so, they will neither foolishly accuse women nor leave them free to commit grave sins or violations. That Ummah is keen to respect males jealousy on the family-females without ignoring women's rights Ordained by Allah.
A man may make a mistake and his community warns or reminds him to correct his wrongdoing.
A woman may make a mistake and Islamic rules don't leave her on the wrong track, but ordain the responsibility of correcting her behavior to her husband. That responsibility does not mean that the husband will seize the opportunity to become an oppressor but to correct any twisted behavior or wifely disobedience so that tranquility will spread over the corners of the family house.
Listen to the Prophet (PBUH) teaching humanity how to deal with women: When he said:
"O'You Men! Protect yourself against the Displeasure of Allah and Carry Out His Injunctions about women; you have got them unto you as a Sacred Trust from Allah, and He Has Made them lawful for you by His Word. You have got your rights over your wives and they have theirs over you. Your rights over them are that they should observe chastity and avoid immorality. If, however, they go astray, you may keep them off and you are allowed to punish them without causing injury, but if they repent you may forgive them. Then their rights over you are that you should feed them and clothe them with fairness. And advise men to treat the women folk fairly for they have been given in your charge."
Marriage contract is not an en-slavery agreement. It is neither a bondage to a woman's body nor a transient entertainment open widely to accumulate four wives ignoring justice and necessities. Marriage is much higher and more pure than all this nonsense. Islamic Legislation never revealed that if a wife commits a sin, then her husband should punish her by committing a similar sin in return. The sad situation is that the majority of Muslim traditions are far from the teachings of their religion. Their traditions are not honorable enough to match Islam.
We are neither giving excuses to the evils of the currently called civilized countries, nor saying that their violations are minors. But the Commandments of Allah Are greater and much better than the lusts or whims of people of the East or West.
I hope and pray that all of us will review our attitudes and follow the righteous traditions of Islam and the recommendations of the Prophet (PBUH).
Ask Allah forgiveness and be sure that He, Almighty Will Respond and Reward you.
Praise be to Allah:
"Who Forgiveth Sin, Accepteth Repentance, Is Severe in Punishment, and Is all-Bountiful. There is no god But He: to Him Is the Final Goal."(40-3)
I ask Allah to shower His Peace and Prayers on Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his companions.
Dear Muslims:
7. THE SEVENTH TOPIC GIVEN AS ADVICE IN THE FAREWELL SPEECH OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) TALKS ABOUT THE SACRED MONTHS:
In other Khutbas, I explained in detail the wisdom of these sacred Months. As a reminder for myself and for you, I say:
All the nations on earth need certain places and periods of time in which they can enjoy peace and tranquility. In these spans of time and place, they can reevaluate their status as a nation and as a part of the humans' community on Earth. They need some time-out of the continuous struggle among others to restrict the activities of the bloodthirsty members of their community and to plan how to deal with their counter parts of the evil members of other nations. Every nation with all their ties and kinds of dealings with others, need to feel that all humans are safe and secured against violations on their materialistic as well as moral rights. They need to be sure at least at some times and in certain places that they will not get hurt or become exposed by a friend or foe. That commitment may be a start for peace and tranquility spread over all time and places among mankind.
Allah Threw the inspiration into the hearts of Prophets Abraham and Muhammad (PBU them) to make the cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia as two sacred and safe places. As far as time is concerned, Allah Assigned Four Months along the whole year as an obligatory time to stop disputes and avoid all kinds of attacks and war among all human beings.
If you examine some of the rational ideas of humans belonging to any religion along their history, you will find huge efforts dedicated to develop ideas following the same general lines of: time and places of peace that is like:
- Some countries tried and succeeded to make themselves neutral with no ties to external fronts or parties.
- Some regions on earth are kept neutral against using or building atomic weapons.
- Some efforts are spent to spread peace and forbid man-made evils, allover the Globe.
But, the evildoers never stopped plans and implementation of violence as far as they could reach. In the years of ignorance, before Islam, some tyrant Arabs tried to cancel the secrecy of one of the sacred months. They were eager to fight in that Month. They declared: That sacred Month is replaced by another month. They opened the way for any tyrant to postpone or exchange any of these sacred months according to their desires in fight. A non-consistent sacred months made these tyrant capable of transgression whenever they felt it was convenient for them to seize the opportunity and surprise others who respected these sacred months and enjoyed its time of peace.
We Muslims are eager to see peace spreading over each spot on the earth and beyond. We would like to feel tranquility filling the ages of humans. But how can we reach that?
We are giving the example to all Mankind: In every Salat we repeat from the bottom of our hearts:
"Peace be on us and on all the righteous obedient people"
At the end of every Salat we turn right and left to spread peace around us.
But, in spite of all that we are not safe or secured against the traps of the tyrants and violators. We Muslims were obligated to indulge into wars that we hate and never planned for any contribution in its horrible expenses and consequences.
We, Muslims are still at the same position to that day! What are we supposed to do?
Our Prophet (PBUH) called upon all people to reinstate and respect the secrecy of the assigned four months along the year. He warned every one not to oppress him/herself or to become a violator. These months are assigned as a dose of one third of the year along its span so that when people enjoy the peace in these doses, they would think of avoiding fight all year long.
We Muslims reinstate the call of the Prophet (PBUH), but we refuse to commit ourselves without mutual commitments from the other sides. Our religion says that we have to defend ourselves against violators at any time of the year in any place whatever sacred it is.
We send our call to all humanity, Arabs or non-Arabs, Muslims or nonbelievers to integrally respect these sacred Months, so that humanity would breath in peace.
In that concern, the Prophet (PBUH) had said in his Farewell speech:
"O'you people! The postponement of the sacred month is an addition of the days of disbelief. Those who choose disbelief stay in the wrong path; they make it sacred in one year and non-sacred in another, in order to make up the number of sacred months Fixed by Allah, so that they make non-sacred what Allah Has Made sacred."
These postponement of one month to another according to their desires was consistently implemented until the postponement fell into its correctly ordained sacred months. So, the Prophet (PBUH) reminded them in the same speech by saying:
"And time revolves as it has been shaped since the day heavens and earth were Created by Allah. The Number of Months with Allah is twelve, four are sacred- three consecutive months: ZulQaidah, ZulHijja, Muharram, and Rajab between Jumada and Shaban."
Then the Prophet (PBUH) concluded this topic of his advice by these words of wisdom:
"I offer you the regulation of the last and most valuable message to mankind. Don't oppress yourselves and don't transgress on others. Don't turn back to the behavior of the nonbelievers, after I leave you, don't allow killing yourselves and preserve the blood of mankind."
According to these measures of the Prophet (PBUH):
How many, these days, do you think have turned back to the behavior of the nonbelievers?
I hope and pray that all of us will be among those who listen to the farewell advice of the Prophet (PBUH) and obey:
I will pray and ask Allah, Please say Amen
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