The woman had a prominent and important role during the course of a divine summons and the movements of the prophets and messengers (pbuth). The woman took part in the intellectual and political struggle and suffered from torture, murder, emigration, persecution, oppression, and mental and political terrorism. She made public her view freely and joined the divine mission in spite of her loss of authority and property.
For instance, Mary, the mother of Jesus (PBUH) who was praised by the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH) too. In many verses, the Qur’an has lauded this lady and offered her as an example to men and women to follow her behaviour and the righteousness of her thinking and character.
Whoever studies the history of women finds that the divine message addresses both the man and the woman. In other words, the divine message does not make any distinction between them because of their gender.
When we study some historical examples of the life of women in the course of the divine message, we will understand the important and active position which women occupied during the lives of the prophets and their messages.
Thus, the value of women, their intellectual and political participation, and their lawful and human rights appear in Islamic society. We can understand this important and active participation of women when we read the story of the struggle of the father of the prophets, Abraham (PBUH), against his people in Babylon, in the land of Iraq, and his struggle against Nimrud.
That struggle ended for Abraham (PBUH) when he was saved from the fire through a divine miracle that exceeded all the imaginations of material intellect. So, he immigrated to Syria. Sarah, his wife, was the first woman to believe him and to accompany him during his immigration to Syria.
Then they immigrated to Egypt. Then they returned to Syria to live there. Abraham (PBUH) started the most important period in the history of humans. Meanwhile, his wife, Sarah, supported him and stood beside him throughout his struggle, suffering, and emigration.
The Qur’an talks about the story of this emigration and family life. It also talks about the role of Hajar (Hagar), the second wife of Abraham (PBUH), and her participation in creating the brightest period in history at Mecca in Saudi Arabia. That was when Abraham (PBUH) brought her from Egypt.
The story of Hajar is one of the most famous of all stories in history. Thus, she became very famous in history when she took care of her son, Prophet Ismael (PBUH), in a barren valley near the Sacred House.
Then Ismael (PBUH) became the grandfather of the greatest Prophet in the history of mankind, Muhammad (PBUH). The Qur’an has recorded these events when it says:
“Our Lord! I have settled part of my descendants in a barren valley, by your sacred House, our Lord, that they may maintain the prayer. So make the hearts of a part of the people fond of them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks” (Abraham, 14:37)
Moreover, the Qur’an talks about the mother of Moses (PBUH) when Allah inspired her to save Moses (PBUH) from Pharaoh. The Qur’an notes that Allah honoured her when he returned Moses to her to raise for the wife of Pharaoh.
Later, Moses saved his people from oppression and destroyed the greatest tyrant in the history of mankind. The Qur’an has mentioned this woman as a basic axle in creating these events.
Then the Qur’an talks about Pharaoh’s wife, Asiya, and the Holy Mary the mother of Jesus (PBUH). The Qur’an has shown them as an example to generations to follow them. In this connection the Qur’an says:
Allah draws an [other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said,” My Lord! Build me a home near you in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot — And Mary, daughter of Imran, who guarded the chastity of her womb, so We breathed into it of Our spirit. She confirmed the words of her Lord and His Books, and she was one of the obedient. (Tahrim 66:11-12)
Let us read these two verses and consider carefully their wonderful intellectual meanings and talk about the character of the woman with honour and respect which no material civilization grants her.
The Qur’an has offered the righteous woman as a practical example to men and women to follow her. This has been mentioned in the verse: “Allah draws an [other] example for those who have faith” The phrase “Allah draws an [other] example.” and the phrase ” for those who have faith” explain clearly for us a unique concept in the world of thought and civilization concerning the righteous woman.
The Qur’an has offered them as an ideal example to both men and women to follow them in thought and socio-political attitude. It has shown two examples of the high character of the believing woman and her position in Islamic thought.
It has shown Pharaoh’s wife, the Queen of Egypt, the Lady of the crown, the palace, power, policy, and the great state at that time. However, she challenged the authorities. The Qur’an has also shown Mary, the daughter of Imran, who challenged the haughtiness and plot of the children of Israel.
As the woman played an important role during the lives of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them), she played the same role during the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his mission. This unique ideological role was played by Khadija bint Khwaylid (PBUH). It is worth mentioning, Khadija (PBUH) belonged to the tribe of Quraish.
She was the Lady of the society and had a remarkable position at Holy Mecca. She had wealth, trade, and position. She was the first woman to believe in Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) message.
Accordingly, she believed in his prophethood and spent her money to support him. For him, she suffered all persecutions throughout the ten years of her holy life to be on his side. She endured all the sufferings of the siege that lasted for three years.
Thus, she has become among the greatest women in the history of Islam. For this reason, Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) called the year when she died the Year of Sadness. Muslims magnify this Lady very much. They follow her behaviour and noble attitude.
In a conversation with his wife `A’isha concerning Khadija’s character, the Prophet said: “Allah has not recompensed me with better than her. She was the mother of the family and a housewife.
She believed me when the people accused me of lying. She supported me with her money when the people deprived me (of that). She bore me a son when I was deprived (of that) from other than her.” [1]
Again he talked about her, saying: “Indeed, I love those who love her.” [2]
Then the Prophet (PBUH) talked about his daughter Fatima, the chaste: “Fatima is part of me. Whoever hurts her hurts me.” [3]
One day he was asked: “Which of your family is the most lovable to you?” “Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad,” he said. [4]
From these texts, we understand the position and character of the woman during the lifetime of the Prophet (pbuh). This attitude of the Prophet represents the best evaluation and respect for the position of the woman in Islam.
Through this brief Qur’anic and historical explanation, we understand that the woman looked after the great prophets and supported them. This was embodied during the lifetimes of Abraham, Moses, Ismael, Jesus and Muhammad (pbuth) who were the greatest of all the prophets and messengers and the leaders of thought, righteousness, and divine civilization on earth.
The Qur’an has recorded the role of the woman during the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH) and his mission. It has also mentioned that the women took part in emigration with the Prophet and struggled before him.
In this connection, the Qur’an has mentioned both men and women when it talks about emigration, pledge of allegiance, mission, good reward, the relationship between men and women, etc. There are hundreds of verses in the Qur’an about these matters. The following are some of them:
“But the faithful, men and women, are comrades of one another: they bid what is right and forbid what is wrong” (Tawbah 9:71)
“My Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and whoever enters my house in faith, and the faithful men and women, and do not increase the wrongdoers in anything except ruin” Holy Qur’an (Noah 71:28)
“The day you will see the faithful, men and women, with their light moving swiftly before them and on their right,…” Holy Qur’an (Hadid 57:12)
In these verses, the Qur’an raises the woman to the highest position and treats her as it treats the man. In the concept of the Islamic message, the man and the woman support each other to communicate the thought.
They both reform society and remove corruption and crime. They both convey the message of good and peace and righteousness throughout the earth.
In the second verse, Prophet Noah (PBUH) asked his Lord to forgive both believing men and women. Through the meaning of this prayer, the principles of honour, love, and respect for the woman spread. That is because the supplication for a certain person has all these meanings.
The Qur’an pictures believing men and women will be in a halo of light on the day when they meet their Lord to receive their reward according to their good deeds.
Thus, we understand that the Qur’an has granted the righteous woman love and support. Besides, it has summoned (people) to ask their Lord to forgive the believing woman and bless her.
Moreover, it has surrounded the believing woman with a halo of light. Such as Asiya (Pharaoh’s wife), Mary (the mother of Jesus), Khadija (the wife of Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]), and Fatima (the daughter of Muhammad [pbuh]).
Apart from this, we understand the high character of women and respect towards her when we know that the first martyr in Islam was Sumayya, the mother of the great companion `Ammar Ibn Yasir. She was killed by Abu Sufyan, the leader of the polytheists.
Thus, Sumayya sacrificed her life for the principles of the Islamic message. That was when the confrontation took place between the terrorists and tyrants, and Muhammad (PBUH) and the deprived and slaves who followed the message of Islam to give them their rights and to save them from ignorance and exploitation.
A number of the deprived women hurried to believe in the Prophet (PBUH) at the beginning of his mission. They endured pain, torture, and persecution. So, they immigrated to Habasha and Medina. They supported Allah and His Apostle (PBUH) strongly.
The character of the righteous women clearly appears when we look at the view that surrounds the martyrs whom the Qur’an has mentioned:
“And the earth will glow with the light of her Lord, and the Book will be set up, and the prophets and the martyrs will be brought, and judgment will be made between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.” Holy Qur’an (Zumar 39:69)
The Muslim woman has not discovered her true position in Islam yet and the Muslim man has not known the true position of the woman in Islam yet. So the relationship between them has become disordered and it will not become ordered until they both follow the principles of the Qur’an and recognize the rights of each other. If the woman who follows the material civilization knows her position and respect in Islam, she will embrace it.
