The article below is an immensely well written article. Looks like the writer is an Iranian woman. However, whoever or whatever she is, I think she deserves full marks for a very well presented article.
Woman's Reflection on Leading Prayer: Yasmin Mogahed
'Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade Myself by trying to be something I'm not--and in all honesty--don't want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness.'
On March 18, 2005 Amina Wadud led the first female-led Jumuah (Friday) prayer. On that day women took a huge step towards being more like men. But, did we come closer to actualizing our God given liberation? I Don't think so.
What we so often forget is that God has honored the woman by giving her value in relation to God not in relation to men. But as western feminism erases God from the scene, there are no standard left but men. As a result the western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man-the standard.
When a man cut his hair short, she wanted to cut her hair short. When a man joined the army, she wanted to join the army. She wanted these things for no other reason than because the 'standard' had it. What she didn't recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness—not their sameness. And on March 18, Muslim women made the very same mistake.
For 1400 years there has been a consensus of the scholars that men are to lead prayer. As a Muslim woman, why does this matter? The one who leads prayer is not spiritually superior in any way. Something is not better just because a man does it. And leading prayer is not better, just because it's leading. Had it been the role of women or had it been more divine, why wouldn't the Prophet (SAW) have asked Ayesha (RA) or Khadija (RA), or Fatima (RA) -the greatest women of all time-to lead?
These women were promised heaven-and yet they never lead prayer.
But now for the first time in 1400 years, we look at a man leading prayer and we think, 'That's not fair.' We think so although God has given no special privilege to the one who leads. The imam is no higher in the eyes of God than the one who prays behind.
On the other hand, only a woman can be a mother. And God has given special privilege to a mother. The Prophet taught us that heaven lies at the feet of mothers. But no matter what a man does he can never be a mother. So why is that not unfair?
When asked who is most deserving of our kind treatment? The Prophet (SAW) replied 'your mother' three times before saying 'your father' only once.
Isn't that sexist? No matter what a man does he will never be able to have the status of a mother.
And yet even when God honors us with something uniquely feminine, we are too busy trying to find our worth in reference to men, to value it-or even notice. We too have accepted men as the standard; so anything uniquely feminine is, by definition, inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a mother-a degradation.
In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and self-less compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigns supreme.
As soon as we accept that everything a man has and does is better, all that follows is just a knee jerk reaction: if men have it-we want it too. If men pray in the front rows, we assume this is better, so we want to pray in the front rows too. If men lead prayer, we assume the imam is closer to God, so we want to lead prayer too. Somewhere along the line we've accepted the notion that having a position of worldly leadership is some indication of one's position with God.
A Muslim woman does not need to degrade herself in this way. She has God as a standard. She has God to give her value; she doesn't need a man.
In fact, in our crusade to follow men, we, as women, never even stopped to examine the possibility that what we have is better for us. In some cases we even gave up what was higher only to be like men.
Fifty years ago, society told us that men were superior because they left the home to work in factories. We were mothers. And yet, we were told that it was women's liberation to abandon the raising of another human being in order to work on a machine. We accepted that working in a factory was superior to raising the Foundation of society -just because a man did it.
Then after working, we were expected to be superhuman-the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker -and have the perfect career. And while there is nothing wrong, by definition, with a woman having a career, we soon came to realize what we had sacrificed by blindly mimicking men. We watched as our children became strangers and soon recognized the privilege we'd given up.
And so only now-given the choice-women in the West are choosing to stay home to raise their children.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, only 31 percent of mothers with babies, and 18 percent of mothers with two or more children, are working full-time. And of those working mothers, a survey conducted by Parenting Magazine in 2000, found that 93% of them say they would rather be home with their kids, but are compelled to work due to 'financial obligations'. These 'obligations' are imposed on women by the gender sameness of the modern West, and removed from women by the gender distinctiveness of Islam.
It took women in the West almost a century of experimentation to realize a privilege given to Muslim women 1400 years ago.
Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade myself by trying to be something I'm not--and in all honesty--don't want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness.
If given a choice between stoic justice and compassion, I choose compassion. And if given a choice between worldly leadership and heaven at my feet - I choose Heaven.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Death...
Yesterday afternoon I got an sms from a friend, the message read that her grand dad passed away...My reaction was of stunned disbelief.
I had spoken to her last week, she said he seemed to be getting better...than yesterday I get the Mayyit announcement.
Life is too short for the pity fights and arguments! Cherish every moment you have with your loved ones. Try to forgive and forget, moving past the hurt and hate!
May Allah (swt) favour him with a qabar as wide and as far as the naked eye can see, may He have pious and virtuous neighbours and may He favour him with the fragrance of Jannat-ul-Firdowse, Aameen. May Allah (swt) grant the same to every other Marhoomeen and the Mum'in of this Dunyah, Inshallah~Aameen.
I had spoken to her last week, she said he seemed to be getting better...than yesterday I get the Mayyit announcement.
Life is too short for the pity fights and arguments! Cherish every moment you have with your loved ones. Try to forgive and forget, moving past the hurt and hate!
May Allah (swt) favour him with a qabar as wide and as far as the naked eye can see, may He have pious and virtuous neighbours and may He favour him with the fragrance of Jannat-ul-Firdowse, Aameen. May Allah (swt) grant the same to every other Marhoomeen and the Mum'in of this Dunyah, Inshallah~Aameen.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Jummah Mubarak
This touches ones heart and this only confirms that Duaa is so powerful.A friend of mines always tells me ' Put your head on the mussallah, andsee what you cant get.'
ALLAH IS SO GREAT!!!
This story was written by a Muslim doctor who worked in Africa.One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but inspite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature babyand a crying two-year-old daughter.We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator.(We had no electricity to run an incubator.) We also had no specialfeeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were oftenchilly with treacherous draftsOne student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and thecotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up thefire and fill a hot water bottle.She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle,it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates.And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. It is no goodcrying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered nogood crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, andthere are no drugstores down forest pathways.'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can,and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts.'Your job is to keep the baby warm.
'The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with anyof the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave theyoungsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told themabout the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the babywarm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. Thebaby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of thetwo-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, prayed with the usualblunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, Allah,' she prayed,'send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, Allah, as the babywill be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by wayof a corollary, 'And while You are about it, would You please send adolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could Ihonestly say, 'Ameen?'
I just did not believe that Allah could do this.Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Holy Quraan says so. Butthere are limits, aren't there? The only way Allah could answer would befor a package to arrive from the homeland.I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I hadnever, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me aparcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses'training school, a message was sent that there was a car
at my frontdoor. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on theverandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking myeyes.I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. Wefolded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly.
Excitement was mounting.Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboardbox. >From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted cotton jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas-that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out -- yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle, I cried. I had no tasked Allah to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.The ten year old was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If Allah has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone!
She had never doubted.Looking up at me, she asked: 'Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Allah really loves her?'That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed Allah's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child- five months before -- in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.''Before they call for prayer, I will answer all prayers!'Allah wants us to ask of Him.and he will surely answer.Please share this amazing story with as many others as you can.
Our Allah really IS . . . AN AWESOME Allah!LESSONS TO BE LEARNED:Don't ever underestimate the POWER OF ALLAH-Allah can do anything Allah desires Kids are innocent and pure- Their duas[prayers] are easily and quickly answered by Allah The Dedication of this Muslim Doctor - spare time was devoted to Allah to bring others closer to Him- Lets also become invitees to ALLAH Don't forget others in need.
You may never know when you would be in need!Always contribute to good causes.you never know the little you give may save some ones life..or in which way it will benefit them.
ALLAH IS SO GREAT!!!
This story was written by a Muslim doctor who worked in Africa.One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but inspite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature babyand a crying two-year-old daughter.We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator.(We had no electricity to run an incubator.) We also had no specialfeeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were oftenchilly with treacherous draftsOne student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and thecotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up thefire and fill a hot water bottle.She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle,it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates.And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. It is no goodcrying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered nogood crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, andthere are no drugstores down forest pathways.'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can,and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts.'Your job is to keep the baby warm.
'The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with anyof the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave theyoungsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told themabout the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the babywarm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. Thebaby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of thetwo-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, prayed with the usualblunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, Allah,' she prayed,'send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, Allah, as the babywill be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by wayof a corollary, 'And while You are about it, would You please send adolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could Ihonestly say, 'Ameen?'
I just did not believe that Allah could do this.Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Holy Quraan says so. Butthere are limits, aren't there? The only way Allah could answer would befor a package to arrive from the homeland.I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I hadnever, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me aparcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses'training school, a message was sent that there was a car
at my frontdoor. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on theverandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking myeyes.I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. Wefolded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly.
Excitement was mounting.Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboardbox. >From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted cotton jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas-that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out -- yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle, I cried. I had no tasked Allah to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.The ten year old was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If Allah has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone!
She had never doubted.Looking up at me, she asked: 'Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Allah really loves her?'That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed Allah's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child- five months before -- in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.''Before they call for prayer, I will answer all prayers!'Allah wants us to ask of Him.and he will surely answer.Please share this amazing story with as many others as you can.
Our Allah really IS . . . AN AWESOME Allah!LESSONS TO BE LEARNED:Don't ever underestimate the POWER OF ALLAH-Allah can do anything Allah desires Kids are innocent and pure- Their duas[prayers] are easily and quickly answered by Allah The Dedication of this Muslim Doctor - spare time was devoted to Allah to bring others closer to Him- Lets also become invitees to ALLAH Don't forget others in need.
You may never know when you would be in need!Always contribute to good causes.you never know the little you give may save some ones life..or in which way it will benefit them.
Friday, July 04, 2008
As-Salaamu-Alaikum
JUMMAH MUBARAK to you & your family
Words of Wisdom from Hadrat ALI (Radiallahu Anhu):
The best speech is one that is short and reasonable. Speech is like a medicine, a small dose will cure but an excess will kill. Enlighten the heart with prayers.
May the Almighty bestow His choicest blessings on you today and always. May His Angels guide You every step you may take, taking away all burdens, only leaving goodness and lasting kindness in your path, Aameen
Kindly remember my family and I in your Dua’as, likewise we will do the same, Jazakallah
Jazakallah & Was-Salaam
Words of Wisdom from Hadrat ALI (Radiallahu Anhu):
The best speech is one that is short and reasonable. Speech is like a medicine, a small dose will cure but an excess will kill. Enlighten the heart with prayers.
May the Almighty bestow His choicest blessings on you today and always. May His Angels guide You every step you may take, taking away all burdens, only leaving goodness and lasting kindness in your path, Aameen
Kindly remember my family and I in your Dua’as, likewise we will do the same, Jazakallah
Jazakallah & Was-Salaam
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