THE MUSLIM WOMAN & HER LORD

THE MUSLIM WOMAN & HER LORD

(Taken from the Ideal Muslimah - Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi)

She Worships Allah (The One & Only God)
It is no surprise that the true Muslim woman enthusiastically worships her Lord, because she knows that she is obliged to observe all the commandments that Allah (The One God) has enjoined upon every Muslim, male or female. So she carries out her Islamic duties properly, without making excuses or compromises, or being negligent.

She Regularly Prays Five Times a Day
She offers each of the five daily prayers at its appointed time, and does not let domestic chores or her duties as a wife and mother prevent her from doing so.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): 'What deed is most beloved by Allah?' He said, 'To offer each prayer as soon as it is due.' I asked him, 'Then what?' He said, 'Treating one's parents with mercy and respect.' I asked him, 'Then what?' He said, 'Jihad (fighting) for the sake of Allah.'"

She Prays Sunnah (Voluntarily) Prayers
There is no clearer indication of the great status attained by the believer who draws closer to Allah (The One God) by performing Sunnah (Voluntarily) deeds than the Hadith Qudsi where Allah (The One God) says:

"My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I will love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it."

She Performs Her Prayers Properly
The true Muslim tries hard to perform her prayers properly, with deep concentration and precision of physical movements. She thinks about the meaning of the Ayah (passages of Quran) she is reciting, and the words of praise and glorification that she is uttering. Her soul is flooded with fear of Allah (The One & Only God), and with gratitude to Him and sincere worship of Him.

She Pays Zakah on Her Wealth
Zakah is a clearly-defined financial obligation and act of worship which Allah (The One God) has enjoined upon every Muslim, man or women, who owns the minimum amount (Nisab) or more.

The Muslim woman knows that everything belongs to Allah (The One God), and wealth is held by her as a trust. This trust must be discharged, moreover, as instructed by God, as that portion of her wealth legally belongs to other people and must be given to them. If she refuses and hoard this wealth, it is considered impure and unclean.

The word in Arabic implies "purification" and it is understood to mean that a person "purifies" his holdings of wealth from greed and stinginess.

She Fasts During the Day & Prays at Night in Ramadan
The wise Muslim woman must strike a balance, during this all-too-short blessed month, between her domestic duties and the opportunity this month brings to draw closer to Allah (The One God) through worship and good deeds. She should not let her household chores distract her from performing the obligatory prayers at the appointed times, or from reading Holy Quran or praying Nafl prayers. Nor should she let traditional late-night family gatherings keep her from praying Qiyam al-Layl, and making Du'a'. She knows the great reward and abundant forgiveness that Allah (The One God) has prepared for those who stay up to pray during the night in Ramadan:

"Whoever spends the night in prayer during Ramadan out of faith and hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven." Sahih Bukhari and Muslim

She Observes Sunnah (Voluntarily) Fasts
The true Muslim woman also observes Sunnah (Voluntarily) fasts at times other than Ramadan, if it is not too difficult for her to do so. So she fasts the day of 'Arafat, and 'Ashura', and the ninth day of Muharram, because fasting on these days and others is one of the righteous deeds that may expiate sins.

She Goes on Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah (The One & Only God)
The true Muslim woman intends to go on Hajj to the House of Allah when she is able to do so and it is easy for her to travel. It will also be the equivalent of jihad for men, as the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) described it in a Hadith narrated by 'A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her):

"I [Ayshah] said: 'O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), can we (women) not go out on military expeditions and fight in jihad with you (men)?' He said, 'You (women) have the best of jihad, and the best of it is Hajj, a blessed Hajj.'" Ayshah said, "I should never stop going for Hajj after I heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." Fath al-Bari, 4/72

She is Obedient to the Commands of Allah (The One & Only God)
The true Muslim woman does not forget that she is duty bound to perform all the religious duties that Allah (The One God) has commanded her to do. In this regard her situation is the same as that of a man, and there is no difference between them except in a few regulations which apply exclusively to either men or women. Other than that, women and men are equally responsible before Allah (The One & Only God).

She Always Bears in Mind the Words of Allah (The One God)
(It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger, to have any option about their decision: if anyone disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.) [Quran 33:36]

She Accepts the Will & Decree of Allah (The One & Only God)
The Muslim woman who is obedient to the command of her Lord naturally accepts His will and decree, because this is one of the greatest signs of faith, obedience, Taqwa and righteousness in a person. So the Muslim woman who is guided by the teachings of Islam always accepts whatever befalls her in life, whether it is good or bad, because this attitude of acceptance is good for her in all cases, as the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) explained:

"How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are all good. If he (or she)  experiences ease, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If he (or she) experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perseverance, and that is also good for him."

She Turns to Allah (The One God) in Repentance
The Muslim woman may find herself becoming neglectful and slipping from the Straight Path, so she may fall short in her practice of Islam in a way that does not befit the believing woman. But she will soon notice her error, seek forgiveness for her mistakes or shortcomings, and return to the protection of Allah (The One God).

She Understands the True Meaning of Being a Servant of Allah (The One & Only God)
The true Muslim woman has the firm belief that she has been created to serve an important purpose in life, which Allah (The One God) has defined in the Holy Quran:

(I have only created jinns and men, that they may serve Me.) [Quran 51:56]

She is Distinguished by Her Islamic Character & True Religion
No doubt the true Muslim woman is distinguished by her Islamic character, and she is proud of the high status which Islam gave her at a very early stage, before women in other nations attained anything like it. Fifteen centuries ago, Islam proclaimed the full rights of women for the first time in history, and Muslim women enjoyed human rights centuries before the world had ever heard of human rights organizations or witnessed any "Declaration of Human Rights."

She Reads Holy Quran Often
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The likeness of a believer who reads the Quran is like a citron, whose smell is pleasant and whose taste is pleasant; the likeness of a believer who does not read the Quran is like a date, which has no smell, but its taste is sweet; the likeness of the hypocrite who reads the Quran is like a fragrant flower which has a pleasant smell but whose taste is bitter; and the likeness of a hypocrite who does not read the Quran is like a colocynth (bitter-apple), which has no smell and its taste is bitter."

"Read the Quran, for it will come forward on the Day of Resurrection to intercede for its readers." Sahih Muslim