THE STATUS OF WOMAN IN ISLAM.

All praises are due to Allah, Who said in His book thus: {وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّى يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَنْ دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُوا} (البقرة : 217) “Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can “ We praise Him, we seek His help, we repent unto Him and seek His forgiveness. We also seek refuge in Him from the evil of our souls and deeds. Whoever Allah guides there is none who can mislead him, and whoever he misleads, there will be no guide for him. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone without partner, and that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is His servant and Messenger. O Allah bestow your salutation, peace and blessings upon him Your servant and messenger, our master Muhammad (PBUH), his families, and his entire companions. After that, O servants of Allah! Fear Allah, a servant gains the protection of Allah through the fear of Allah, and protection is only attained through obedience. Only the pious ones who fears Allah in the secret and in the open attain it. Allah says: { أَلاَ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ, الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ} (يونس : 62- 63). “Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve, those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil” (10:62-63) Be informed that the movement for women liberation is a secular movement which rose from Egypt at the beginning. From where it spread to other Islamic countries, it calls to freedom for women against Islamic cultures and judgements such as Hijab, restricting divorce, preventing polygamy, calling for equality in inheritance and complete imitation of the western women in all matters. It thus spread its campaign through women associations and unions in Arab and Islamic countries. Islamic Differences between the sexes as doorway for enemy’s attack. The enemies of Islam were able to target their arrow at Islam through the differences established by Islam between the two sexes. They create doubts on Islam in the minds of Muslims, which results to a situation where a Muslim may think Islam did wrong women with regards to these differences. Rather, the issue is based on justice, and in consideration of surrounding condition. It is neither reduction of women’s dignity nor in violation of her rights. In reality, those were mere doubtful fabrications of the enemies around these differences. One of these suspicions is the issue of inheritance: Allah says: {يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي أَوْلاَدِكُمْ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ اْلأُنْثَيَيْنِ} (النساء 11) Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females” (4:11) They ask: “Why is the share of the female not the same as that of male?” “Why is there no equality?” Scholars of Islam responded thus to their questions: “In our religion- Islam, woman is taken care of by the father, the husband, the brother, and she is not to spend of her wealth even if she is only a coin rich” For example: If a brother and sister inherit three million naira, the brother takes two million and the sister takes one million. By the sharia law, the brother is suppose to maintain and takes care of her sister until she gets marry (since the parent are dead). Whereas she will not spend of the one million she inherited. The brother also will spend on his own nuclear family if he has one, but if he is has none, then he will bear the financial responsibility of his marriage and the purchases of furnishings and fittings. Therefore, the financial duties required of the male are greatly more than what is requested from the female. In the issue of divorce: “Why is the power of divorce in the hand of men and not women in Islam?” the scholars of Islam have responded to this question from two angles: materially and physically. Materially, in Islam, if a man utters the word- divorce, what are the consequential responsibilities or liabilities? The following economic burdens fall on him: 1- Completion of payment of the unpaid part or whole of the mahr (dowry) 2- Bearing the financial burden of food, drink and shelter for the wife during the iddah period (3 months) 3- Bearing the maintenance and support need of the children until they come of age. 4- Bearing his personal financial needs as well. 5- Bearing the burden if he wishes to take another wife including the mahr and so on. Thus, the economic burden will push him to ponder a thousand times before uttering the word- divorce, and when he utters it, it will be in full recognition of the unbearable hell life will become, and in that case he will have to endure it only to achieve the break-up of this relationship. Physically by nature, women are highly sensitive, greatly emotional and easily affected. These qualities make her fits to the need of the child, which requires a spontaneous response that does not require any thought, a complete compliance. Being an easily affected person, if the power of divorce is made her right, then at any instance of misunderstanding, trouble, or any other issue, she quickly divorce the husband because she is exempted from any financial burden and because the issue tallies with her agitated emotion. In the reality of the happenings around us, in the event where the woman ordinarily feels some tightness or narrowness she says: “Please divorce me” How then if she has the authority to divorce? The families would have been destroyed in an inestimable rate or manner. Finally on the issue of the witness: Allah says: {وَاسْتَشْهِدُوا شَهِيدَيْنِ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌ وَامْرَأَتَانِ مِمَّنْ تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ الشُّهَدَاءِ أَنْ تَضِلَّ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَاهُمَا الْأُخْرَى}(البقرة : 282) { and get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her.} (2: 282) Why is the testimony of one man is equal to that of two women? The scholars replied thus: “Witness is either specifically for women or for the Huduud- (bounds of acceptable behaviour and the punishments for serious crimes.) For example, if it involves issues that are peculiar to women to establish breastfeeding, to proof previous marriage or virginity, or to proof the sex, these are matters that are connected with women, therefore the testimony of a woman is sufficient. A man married a woman at the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and the woman stood up and said: "I breast-fed you two together” (The man) went to the Prophet (PBUH) to inform him of the matter. He said: (How then when they have spoken?) (Bukhari & Muslim) meaning: the separation between you and her is inevitable with the testimony of one woman. However, concerning Al-Huduud, due to the nature of woman regarding, high emotionality and easily affected and over powered by her feeling, when she sees a crime being committed for instance she could close hers eyes, or be scared away or be covered. Therefore, in completion of the process of investigation of the matter, Islam draws in another person to second her so as to remind her of what transpired while the crime was been committed which are obscured to her. Allah said the truth thus: أَنْ تَضِلَّ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَاهُمَا الْأُخْرَى}(البقرة : 282) }so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her.} (2: 282) The matter involves justice, consideration of condition, completion of investigational processes, and it is never a case of humiliation or debasement as broadcast by the enemies of Allah. The following are imperative for Muslim women in our contemporary world: She should be aware of the plots against her. The enemies of Allah are aware that the issue of the women is the issue of the family and society, and to corrupt her is to destroy the family and the society. The Muslim women must also be cautious of the advocates of freedom who request her to free herself from good morality. And know that Islam honours in women, her chastity, her bashfulness, her dignity in her womanhood, and if any of these is touched, a woman crumbles and remain valueless. She must also be cautious of those who call to removal of hijab so as to be accessible to everyone. Everyone enjoys her and turns out to be a mere commodity in the hands of the merchants- slave traders who traffic her for sale. May Allah benefit me and you with the Holy Qur'aan, and the guidance of the leader of the apostles (PBUH), Having said my message, I seek Allah’s forgiveness for me and you and all Muslims, from all sins, engage in seeking forgiveness from Him, He is All-forgiving, Most- merciful. The Second Sermon All praises are due to Allah the Lord of the universe. I testify there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, He has no partner, the true God, the manifest. And testify that prophet Muhammad is His servant and messenger, leader of the righteous and the seal of all messengers. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his families, and all his companions and those who follow them in righteousness till the day of recompense. Thereafter, O Servants of Allah, fear Allah as it should be, and strive in obedience to Him and in seeking His pleasure. Dear Muslims, know that there is no evil or disease in this world and the hereafter except that the cause is sins. It caused the exit of Adam out of paradise, and the removal of Satan out of heaven, it caused the drowning of the people of Nuuh, and the empowering of the sterile wind on the people of ‘Aad. It also sent a single mighty Blast on the people of Thamud, it prompted the lifting and upturning of the villages of homosexual community of Lut, and Allah sent to the people of Shu'ayb a heavily laden cloud of chastisement. The cause of calamities and tribulations are all sins, sins never befall a community except that it destroys it, it never enters the hearts except that it blinds it or does it enter the bodies except that it tortures it, or does it befalls a nation except that it humiliates it and corrupts the souls. And the Sins brings doom removes graces and legitimize punishment. Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him said: (No scourge descends except by sin, and it cannot be lifted except with repentance). {وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ}(الشورى:30). Whatever misfortune happens to you, is because on the things your hands have wrought, and for many (of them) He grants forgiveness. (42: 30) {ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَى قَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ}(الأنفال:53). "Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls” (8:53) Ahmad related from Thaobaan (RA): “A man is forbidden provision out of the sins he committed” (Al-nasaa'i, Ibn majah, Ibn hibbaan and classed as Saheeh by Al-haakim ) Among the evil effect of sins, it prevent rainfall, it causes the imposition of tyrant rulers, In the Sunan Ibn-maajah narrated from Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: (A community will not reduce weight and measure except that they are afflicted with famine for years, shortage of provision and transgression of tyrant rulers, and if they fail to pay the zakat on their wealth they will be denied rain from the heavens, if not for the cattles it would not have rained) narrated by Al-haakim who said: it is Saheeh hadeeth'. O Allah grant honour to Islam and Muslims, and humiliate idolatry and idolaters, protect the possession of religion, humiliate the enemies of the religion. O Allah grant us security in our country- Nigeria, make this country safe, secured, generous, comfortable, and all other Muslim countries. O Allah, grant victory to your religion and your book and your Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and your righteous servants. Oh God, make our leaders merciful to us, and guide them to the truth, O Lord of the universe.