THE WOMAN: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE.

All praises are due to Allah, much and blessed in the manner pleasing and loving to our Lord. To Him be thanks that fill the heavens and the Earth. We praise Him for the blessing of Islam, faith and the Qur’an. We thank Him for having guided us to Islam and making us among the best community for humanity. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone without partner, and that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is His servant and Messenger. May the salutation, peace and blessings of God be upon him, his families, his companions and those who follow them in righteousness. After that, O people! Fear Allah in the best manner and revere Him. Allah says: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْماً لاَ يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِ شَيْئاً إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ}(لقمان: 33) “O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah.” (31:33) Complementarity of male and female in marriage. Dear brothers in Islam! Allah, the lord of might- exalted be He, says: {وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ َلآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ}(الروم : 21). {And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.} (30: 21). As women need men, so do men need women, Allah has placed in their cohabitation, an adequately sufficient psychological, mental and physical tranquility, as a natural requirement and a means of populating the world. The night and day as a form for this complementarity: It is appropriate for us to know that the way Allah classified time into two types in the form of night and day, so also has He categorized the human race into two types in the form of male and female. God mentioned the day and night and male and female in two successive verses in order to teach us about the nature of their variation in type and functions. Allah says concerning the difference in their type: {وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى , وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى, وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالأُنْثَى , إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى} (الليل : 1 – 4) By the Night as it conceals (the light), By the Day as it appears in glory, By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female, Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse. (92: 1-4) In the functional difference, the night is for tranquility, rest and cover while the day is for toil, work and effort. God has created man for this effort and toiling; thus when a man returns to his house he requires calmness after weariness, he needs rest after been fatigued, and he wants serenity after active efforts. Therefore, a righteous woman is the one who is adequately prepared for all these. True is the word of Allah where He said: {هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنّ} (البقرة : 187) They are your garments and ye are their garments (2: 189) Each of them serves as a cover for the other. Be aware that the perfection of a woman is in her womanhood and motherhood, equally the perfection of a man is in his manhood, solidity and endurance. For this reason, the Prophet (PBUH) cursed those women who gave up their femininity to imitate the men in speech, action, and movement, he also cursed those men who abandon their masculinity to imitate the women in speech, action, and movement. (The Prophet (PBUH) cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men) narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawood. And the Almighty said: {وَلاَ تَتَمَنَّوْا مَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ}(النساء : 32) “And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others.” (4:32) The women told the Prophet: “had it been we were men, we would have strive the way they strive, and we would go to battle the way they go, and the prophet (PBUH) showed them a way which has benefits for the family and the society. The prophet (PBUH) said (verily obedience to the husband and recognition of his right is equal to all that but only a few of you does that) (Al-bazzaar) It is equally inappropriate for a Muslim to utter the ignorant submission that alleges that Hawaa was the cause of Adam’s exit from paradise. An ardent peruser of the holy qur’an will discover that the sin was committed collectively as well as the repentance from the sin. {وَقَاسَمَهُمَا إِنِّي لَكُمَا لَمِنَ النَّاصِحِينَ , فَدَلاَّهُمَا بِغُرُورٍ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا الشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ وَنَادَاهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَنْ تِلْكُمَا الشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُلْ لَكُمَا إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ , قَالاَ رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ}(الأعراف21 – 23) And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere adviser. So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?" They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost." (7:21-23) We could also find in the Qur’an a verse where Allah directs the sin to Adam alone: Allah, the exalted said: {وَعَصَى آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَى} (طه:121). “thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and allow himself to be seduced.” (20:121) HONOUR TO WOMEN Dear Muslims! It is pertinent for every Muslim, male or female, to know that women have never and will never realize their dignity or honour except in Islam. Islam reinstated her humanity, and her honour in many areas. Firstly in the sameness of origin: Allah the exalted said: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ}(الحجرات : 13). O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). (49:13) {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء}(النساء : 1). O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women” (4:1) Secondly in the sameness in action and reward: {فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ}(آل عمران : 195). And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: "Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of another” (3:195) Also, eligibility in power of disposition and possession. { لِلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ مِمَّا اكْتَسَبُوا وَلِلنِّسَاءِ نَصِيبٌ مِمَّا اكْتَسَبْنَ وَاسْأَلُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا} (النساء : 32) To men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah hath full knowledge of all things.” (4:32) The practice in Islam is not as it’s been done by those who are not of any religion, who mandate their wives who are gainfully empowered to contribute from her earnings, hinging on the reason that he- the husband, permitted her to work in the first place. This practice is alien to Islam. Islam also caters for the women in all her three statuses as daughter, wife and mother: As a female child, Allah named her a divine gift from Himself, He also mentions her before the male child, as a safeguard or concern for matters concerning her. {لِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ يَهَبُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ إِنَاثًا وَيَهَبُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ الذُّكُورَ (الشورى : 49) . “To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; He creates what he wills. He gives to whom He wills female [children], and He gives to whom He wills males.” (42:49) We should also know that care of the girl child is a doorway to paradise. The messenger of Allah says: (Whoever Allah gives a girl child and do not injure her, or insult her, and he never imposes his son over her, he shall enter paradise with her) (Ahmad, Abu Dawud) He also said: (Whoever maintains and supports two female children until they reach the age of puberty, he and I shall be in the paradise as this is) and he joined his index and mid-fingers together” (Muslim, Tirmidhi) Also is the maintaining of equality in the giving of gifts. The prophet (PBUH) said: (Maintain equality among your children in the giving of gifts, if I am to choose, I would have preferred the women) (narrated by Al-tabaraani). Islam protects the affairs of the women as wives, it never forbids her consent to marriage or otherwise, the prophet (PBUH) said: (You should not marry a widow or divorcee except she has been consulted for her authorization and you must not marry the Virgin lady until her permission is sought”, they said: O! Messenger of Allah, how is her permission?: he replied: “that she be silent” (Al-bukhari and Muslim) And when the girl pronounces her refusal, then the contract is void. (A woman came to the Prophet (PBUH) saying: “O Messenger of Allah, my father wants to marry me to my nephew so as to raise his lowness (and he is lower than her in status) thus the Prophet (PBUH) ruled in her favour, and she said: “I accept what my father did, but I wanted to enlighten women that parents have no influence in this matter.” (Ahmad and Abu Dawud) Islam recommends proper care for the wives: (The most complete in faith and character among the believers, and the best of you is the best among you to their wives) narrated by Al-tirmidhi, ' For the mothers, their rights is placed ahead that of the fathers. The prophet said to the one who asked him about the most deserving of his goodness: “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, and then your father” Also, paradise lies at the feet of the righteous woman, (a man came to the Prophet asking him about the deeds that could earn him paradise, he said: “Do you have a mother? He said: “Yes”, he said: be with her, the paradise lies with her…) Narrated by Al-tabaraani '. May God bless you all and myself with the Holy Qur'aan, and benefit us all from the lessons there in. Having said all you heard, I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you all, Muslims, 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. O ye Muslims, this religion of Islam which Allah has guided us to its way is a great gift and grace. We could not have been guided if Allah had not guided us to it. Islam is a religion of goodness, Justice, mercy, love, harmony and peace, hold firmly unto it, and be cautions of the plots of your enemies- enemies of our religion, in their attempts to stray your away from it and their effort to defame the religion in your sight. Allah informs us in His book- the holy qur’an, that they struggle very hard to take us away from our religion, Allah says: { وَلا يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّى يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَنْ دِينِكُمْ إِنْ اسْتَطَاعُوا } (البقرة:217) {Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can.} (Al-baqarah: 217) They spend their utmost effort and capabilities in physical destructive wars sometimes, and in intellectual and moral wars at others, the realities Muslims experience today are enough witnesses. Beware, and stand by the bounds of Allah, and beseech Him for steadfastness and stability. 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.