ETERNAL
VALUES OF ISLAM FOR ALL HUMANITY
Justice,
Equality, Wisdom, Compassion
Dr. Noorjehan Safia Niaz
The larger Muslim society
would have been a lot better if Muslim women had read, translated and
interpreted the word of God. Very cunningly, Muslim men [and the rest as well] have
kept to themselves the right and the privilege to educate themselves, especially
education pertaining to religion. Muslim men know that knowledge is indeed
power and if Muslim women learn to read and understand what is written, they
will take for themselves what benefits them just the way men have done so far.
Very deviously Muslim women
have been told to read the Quran in a language which they don’t understand. You
see, reading the Quran in Arabic is sawaab
! Not just reading and understanding of the Quran but even its translations
and interpretations have remained in the male domain. So dear women, they say, if
you know how to read then please read the Quran in an alien language. If you
are lucky and understand the alien language then please don’t interpret. And if
you are reading a translation don’t interpret that translation and don’t
analyse the credentials and motives of the translator. And if you have managed
to read, understand, translate and interpret, then please keep your mouth shut
as religion is the territory of the so-called alims and scholars and experts. You as a woman have no business to
enter that territory. Thus continues the male hegemony over religion-based-knowledge
which has destroyed the lives of many Muslim women across the world. Men are
the readers, translators, interpreters and givers of this knowledge and women
continue to merely receive it without questioning.
But times are changing
for better. Many recent women readers of the Quran have managed to come out
with their own translations and interpretations which question the tradition,
male-centric and patriarchal understanding. They have also gone beyond the
written word to extract the eternal values of Islam which put not just women
and men on par but also puts all humanity equal to each other as one creation.
To me and to many like
me, these eternal values of Islam which are conveyed to the humanity through
the Quranic verses, gives the courage to fight for justice within and outside
the Muslim community. Those eternal values are remembered best through the
acronym, JEWC. That is how I choose to remember them. J for justice, E for equality, W for wisdom and C for compassion. For
any Muslim to proclaim himself or herself as a Muslim, he or she must believe and
abide by these principles.
Let us read some of the
Quranic verses which exhort us to treat women and men equally and to be just
and compassionate in relationships.
1. Women
and men are created from one source and hence by default they are equal. The
very essence of their existence is mutual dependence as they come together in
this world from one single source [4:1 O people, be aware of your Lord who has created you from
one person and He created from it its mate and sent forth from both many men
and women; and be aware of God whom you ask about, and the relatives. God is
watcher over you]
2. When it comes to equality before God,
women and men are equal. In all aspects which include surrendering to God,
being truthful, being patient, being humble and charitable, following religious
rituals, women are equal to men. There are no exemptions to woman just because
she is a woman and there is no special treatment to man just because he is a
man. [33:35 - Surely, the peacefully surrendering men,
and the peacefully surrendering women, the acknowledging men, and the acknowledging
women, the obedient men, and the obedient women, the truthful men, and the
truthful women, the patient men, and the patient women, the humble men, and the
humble women, the charitable men, and the charitable women, the fasting men,
and the fasting women, the men who guard their private parts, and the women who
similarly guard, and the men who commemorate God frequently, and the commemorating
women; God has prepared for them a forgiveness and a great recompense.]
3. Women and men are owners of what they earn or gain. Some men
gain more than women and some women gain more than men. Sometimes men gain more than women and
sometimes it is the reverse. God favours equally. [4:32 - Do not
envy what God has favored some of you over others. For the men is a portion of
what they gained, and for the women is a portion of what they gained. Ask God from
His favor, God is knowledgeable over all things.]
4.
The purpose of marriage
is tranquillity and peace in relationship. Spouses must love, respect and care
for each other and be content and happy in each other’s company. That is the essence
of spousal relationship in Islam, which exhorts us in the end to think and
reflect on what should one be aspiring for. [30:21 - Among His signs is that He
created for you spouses from among yourselves, in order to have tranquillity
and contentment with each other. He places in your heart love and care towards
your spouses. In this, there are signs for people who think.]
5.
Women and men are
made for each other, to shield and guard each other. There is mutuality of
support, care and protection. Linked to the above verse it conveys that women
and men are there for each other, to lead a life of peace and harmony. [2:187
- They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them…]
There
are of course many more Quranic verses, written in different contexts, which
again and again harp on the same values and principles which bring people
together and which define relationships based on mutual respect and support. It
is time that these timeless eternal values are brought to the forefront of any
debate concerning Muslim women.
