Muslim Woman

As long as Islam retained its pristine form, i.e., a system of life based on divine values, the system functioned in the manner mentioned above. There was rule of human thought within the framework of divine values. Afterwards when the Muslims lost the thread of reality, Islam was degraded to a religion. The substance of Deen gave way to token beliefs and lifeless rituals. The ummah was shackled by tradition. At this juncture two things happened:

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One of the marvels of the Quran is its style. When dealing with a
subject, whether facts about the universe or the deep mysteries of the
human brain, the language is simple, clear, eloquent, and highly
focused. As a result of this highly focused way of expression, this
comprehensive revealed book of nature and complete code of conduct is
so small that if it is printed in fine English type, it will not spread
over more than a few pages.

Here is an example of this highly focused way of expression: Messenger
Mohammad peace be upon him had been preaching the Quranic way of living
to the people of Mecca for quite some time, and they had been
vehemently opposing it. Finally one day the Messenger peace be upon him
told them that instead of having lengthy discussions he wanted to have
a very brief word with them. The Meccans did not mind listening to a
few words. When the Messenger peace be upon him found them willing, he
told them the word is very important and worthy of their full
attention, but if it is inconvenient for everyone to pause, then one or
two people at a time can stop and listen. When the people became
psychologically attentive he told them that all he had to say was, Be
in the habit of reflecting. (34:46)

In these few words the Quran has brought to light many hidden facts of
human life. The real significance and true import of these thought
provoking words can only be appreciated by those people (nations) who
are aware of the power and scope of human intellect and imagination.
Suffice it to say that the Quran constantly exhorts Muslims to reason,
think, reflect, and deliberate. It goes so far as to say, the people
who do not use these faculties are not human beings. They are living
their lives on the animal level, even worse than that. These are the
cursed people. (7:179)

People with superficial knowledge usually reject the validity of the
theory of evolution on the grounds that human beings did not evolve
into a higher species. They ignore the fact that evolution no longer
takes place in bodies or forms. The evolution of life into human form
is the beginning of intellectual evolution and this evolution is still
taking place. Consider from an intellectual point of view that the cave
dwellers of hundreds of thousands of years ago and the moon conquering
humans of today belong to the same species. When it comes to
intelligence, today's humans are definitely different than the cave
dwellers of long ago.

The purpose of divine revelation is to activate and polish the human
intellect and increase its field of activity. The Quran constantly
appeals to reason and experiment. It says, "These people do not ponder
and reflect on the Quran. It seems as if their minds have locked
themselves up from the inside so that nothing can get into them."
(47:24). According to the Quran, those people who readily believe in
anything without first questioning or thinking over it are not
Momineen. While describing the traits of the Momineen Allah Almighty
says, these are the people who do not accept without scrutiny and
deliberation. (25:73) They accept His signs on the basis of knowledge
and insight. As far as the vastness of the field of human thought and
reflection is concerned, the Quran says; Allah Almighty brings forward
the clues and hints in such a fashion thereby enabling you to reflect
on this life and the hereafter." (2:219)

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The concept of Jihad in Islam has been grossly
misunderstood, rather distorted. In the West, where it has
been presented as barbarism, as aggressive use of brute
force. The term militant Islam, which has been in vogue in
the world Press recently, is a follow-up of this very
approach to the fundamental concept of Islam and a
continuation of the old Jihad phobia of the non Muslims.
Jihad means striving utmost to achieve an objective. The
primary objective before the Muslims is establishment of a
social order based on the Quranic fundamental principles.
All efforts to that end fall with in the meaning of Jihad.
Armed fight against formidable resistance by self-seeking
people, which is called Qatal is also Jihad and has been
allowed by the Quran. Otherwise, Islam is a Deen of peace
and safety.

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Many Muslims especially of influence in society think that
the idea of unity of humankind is an unrealistic goal and
therefore, should be abandoned. According to them, this may
be a romantic or an exotic idea but it is an unattainable
goal. They think that Muslims waste their time in talking
about the unity of humankind when they themselves are badly
divided. They catalog a long list of such divisions from
Muslim history. Wars fought and continue to be fought
amongst themselves and millions of Muslims killed by
Muslims are given as proofs from past and present history
to support their claim that Muslim unity is not possible,
let alone the unity of humankind. How can then one talk
about Muslim unity when their past history has been so
divisive, they are quick to remind everyone. These are
mostly the feelings of the secular liberal or progressive
minded Muslims. This feeling gives them intellectual
satisfaction and a sense of psychological security. The
conservative minded Muslims are no different. In fact, they
put a religious and a sacred twist to the differences among
Muslims. From every religious pulpit they announce that the
differences and divisions among Muslims are the blessings
of Allah Almighty. Remember, the Quran does not support
this chapter 3 verse 103.

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However, the Muslim criteria of fixing the status of a woman, or man, are neither these social laws nor this moral code. For the Muslims, there is only one standard under the sky, and that is the book of God, which they profess to believe in. What status does the Quran endows for woman. The details are lengthy, but their gist reminds me of a joke which Allama Iqbal used to relate. He would say, If I were not a Muslim, and I had studied the Quran like an ordinary student, then I would have concluded that this book was written by a woman, who was taking revenge on man, for the usurped rights of her community. If one studies the religions and cultures of the world, it leaves no doubt in one's mind that a woman has been pushed to extreme degradation. On the other hand, in the Quranic study it appears as if she has been favored very much. For a start, the Quran has rejected the common belief that God created men (Adam) first and then woman (Eve) was created out of his rib. By now, you must have understood that according to the Quran, this very concept that human beings were created by a special couple called Adam and Eve, is wrong. The Quran, in effect, presents Adam as the representative of mankind or humanity. 

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