Commentary/Fuzail Jafferey
Women, mosques and the mullahs
Thank God the recent controversy
about the status of Muslim
women did not start either from the precincts of the Supreme Court
or from the platform of any political party. But for this fact,
Muslims in general, by now, would have taken to the
streets to settle scores as it happened in the Shah Bano case
a few years ago.
The controversy, which originated from Kerala, has all
the potential of spreading to other parts of the country once
the holy month is over. The Maulanas and their followers, most
of whom are totally ignorant of the finer points of Islamic law,
have already started flexing their muscles to take on P K K
Ahmedkutty, the Imam of the Palayam mosque in Kerala.
What sin has Imam Ahmedkutty committed? Why are 286 Muslim
organisations in Thiruvananthapuram district actively supporting
the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham in its bitter fight against Imam Ahmedkutty
who is widely known and respected for his progressive outlook
and religious erudition?
The SYS and its supporters are enraged because, for the first time
in the history of Indian Muslims, an Imam has allowed women to
pray in the mosque along with their menfolk. According to the
Imam, this arrangement is
not restricted to the month of
Ramzan. Henceforth, he says Muslim women can pray in the mosque
five times a day like their male counterparts.
While Muslim
women are flocking to the Palayam mosque in large numbers these
days, the SYS-led Muslim organisations are busy organising demonstrations
against the Imam. They term Ahmedkutty's revolutionary
step as un-Islamic.
They contend that never before in the sub-continent have Muslim women
been allowed to enter the mosques to say their prayers.
How can the Imam then reverse the situation?
Ahmedkutty's answer is simple and clear:
'No holy book prohibits women from praying in the mosque
The right of women cannot be denied merely because this practice
has not been prevalent.'
The Imam is right. Islam, as a universal religion, believes in
and passionately advocates gender equality in all spheres
of life. The believers as well as all others who are acquainted
with the Quranic verses know very well that on one occasion
some women asked the Prophet why God's words
were always addressed to men and whether they were not worthy
of being addressed directly. The Prophet, who did not answer
the question instantly, shortly thereafter, was favoured with
the following revelation from the Almighty Allah.
Men and women who have surrendered,
believing men and believing women,
Obedient and truthful men and women,
Enduring and humble men and women,
Men and women who fast and guard their chastity
For them -- God has prepared forgiveness and rich recompenses
(Quran 33:35)
This makes very clear that men and women under Islam have equal
rights. Theological convention and obscurantist tradition cannot
snatch away the rights which God and his Prophet have bestowed
upon women. In another verse men and women are described as each
other's garments implying that neither is inferior in status and
dignity to the other.
Prophet Muhammad always encouraged
women to take active part in all fields including the wars that
he fought against those who wanted to destroy the divine religion.
In all Islamic countries women are free to go out in the public
for performance of daily chores. The only restriction is that
they should cover themselves in such a manner that the sensuous parts
of their bodies are not exposed.
As far as the specific problem of women entering the mosques to
say their prayers is concerned, God and His Prophet have never
stopped them from doing so. Al-Bukhari, which is considered to
be the most authentic compilation of the Hdith (the Prophet's sayings)
informs us that during the Prophet's lifetime, it was quite
common for many women to attend night prayers in the mosque.
Many of them carried their babies with them.
The Prophet always showed special consideration for such
women and treated them with utmost kindness.
Al-Bukhari has also reported the Prophet having said that: 'Sometimes
I stand up for prayer, my intention being to make it a long one.
Then I hear a baby crying. So I cut short the prayer, not wanting
to make things difficult for the child's mother.'
In recent times, Naila Minai, a noted Turkish scholar, has come
out with an extensive and graphic description of the status of
women throughout the history of Islam.
In her remarkable book, Women in Islam,
she points out that while the Prophet chose the most learned and respected
person to lead the prayers in his absence, a few learned women
were also appointed as 'Islams' to lead when women congregated
for prayer.
In one case, Umma Waragah, a great woman scholar of the Quran,
was asked to to act as the Imam for both
the men and women of her large household. According to Naila
Minai, since, it was not specified if women could act as Imams
and lead the prayers on a regular basis, the precedent of Umma Waragah
was not carried forward by later generations.
However, there is no Islamic injunction against women believers
who want to pray inside mosques. The discrimination that Muslim
women have been forced to face for centuries is partially due
to male chauvinism and partially because most women
are totally oblivious of their legal and Islamic rights.
Now when P K K Ahmedkutty has taken a bold stand by allowing
women to attend prayers in the mosque all right thinking people
including the enlightened Ulema should rise to the occasion and
ensure justice for women in this regard. Delivering long lectures
and writing treatises on 'the equality of gender in Islam,' but
deviating from the golden principles in practice, amounts to deliberate
distortion of the true sprit of Islam.
Should we hope that our
Ulema will realise their Islamic obligations and help Muslim women
achieve the status and dignity given to them by Allah and His
Prophet?
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