Spiritual Equality of Men and Women
Ayah quoted above states the view of Islam
in relation to the equality of men and women. The Ayah refers to the fact that men and women
enjoy an equal status in the domains of spirituality, morality and seeking
of religious stature. The apparent
differences in disposition and bodily makeup of the two genders is only for
sociological reasons. Whereas, in reality, when it comes to virtuous deeds,
charitable works, and working for the cause of Islam, there is absolutely no
difference in the status of two genders. The field is wide open for both
genders to outdo each other in these arenas. No efforts of anyone shall be lost,
whether male or female. This is evident from the fact that due to their
spirituality, morality and purity, many great and exalted women – for example,
Maryam (RAA), Khadijah (RAA), `Aisha (RAA) and Fatimah (RAA) – will outdo,
surpass and be elevated much higher above the ranks of a great number of men in the Hereafter.
A Glimpse of Siddiqeen’s Character
The remaining Ayahs of the passage portray the personality
traits of the siddiqeen:
“…those who have left their homes
or been driven out or suffered harm in My cause and killed and were killed.
Surely I will blot out from them their iniquities and admit them into gardens
with rivers flowing beneath; a reward from the presence of Allah and with Him
is the best of rewards.”
[al-Qur’an
3:195]
The above Ayah mentions hijrah which is usually understood in a limited
sense of migration. However, it may be taken here in its widest sense. The
literal meaning of hijrah is: “to part”, “to leave”, and “to abandon”. This abandoning
admits of various stages and levels during the course of a person’s life. The Prophet
(SAW) was questioned: “Which hijrah is the greatest?” To this he (SAW) replied,
“That you abandon all that is disliked by your Lord”. This defines the first stage of hijrah; that of abandoning all haram (unlawful) practices.
The final stage is the one mentioned in
the passage under discussion: to leave one’s homeland where it becomes
impossible to adhere to one’s religion and migrate elsewhere for the sake of Islam.
Hence, siddiqeen are people who give up all actions disliked by their Lord (SWT);
they even part from their families if they insist on disobeying Allah (SWT)
and, in the final analysis, if it is so required, they leave their homelands
and migrate to another place to uphold their faith and to act on Islamic
injunctions in their totality.
The next portion of the Ayah refers to those who were “driven out.”
One may object to this assertion and instead say that the Makkans did not ask
the Muslims to leave Makkah. In fact they wanted to keep them there. However,
the fact of matter was that the persecution meted out to the Muslims had become
so severe that it became impossible for them to stay in Makkah. Hence, the
Muslims were forced to leave their houses in Makkah and migrate elsewhere to
freely practice their faith in peace and security. The severity and extent of
the persecution dished out to Muslims is mentioned in the next portion as “suffered harm in My cause”. The physical
torture of Bilal (RAA) and Khabbaab (RAA) and the murders of Sumiyyah (RAA) and
Yasir (RAA) are only few examples of oppression and tyranny suffered by the Muslims
at the hands of the pagan Makkans. One may ask: what was the crime of these
individuals? It was nothing more than that they renounced the pagan ideology
and practices of their godless society and proclaimed their belief in the Unity
of God (SWT) and divine messenger-ship of Muhammad (SAW).
Thus far the conditions mentioned were
those of Makkan life. Now the Ayah mentions the struggle experienced in the life of Madinah as:
“killed and were killed.” In Makkah, the Muslims were commanded to refrain from
retaliation, however, this restriction was lifted in Madinah and they took to
the battle field. In this endeavor they fought, killed, and were killed
themselves. The martyrdom on the battle field for the sake of Truth, justice
and peace is the highest good, the epitome of virtuous conduct in Islam. Hence,
the siddiqeen are not just the people of spiritual pursuits alone; rather, they
fully partake of the struggles and hardships of life, without seeking escape to
jungles and mountains. They are so dynamic and full of religious conviction
that they do not hesitate to move forward in the battlefield and lay down their
lives for the cause of their faith.
For this service and loyalty, they are promised by their Lord (SWT): “Surely I will blot out from them their iniquities”; that is, all mistakes and sins (major and minor) committed by them will be washed away in return for their struggle for Islam and hardships suffered in this cause. More than this, they will be admitted “into gardens with rivers flowing beneath; a special reward from Allah”. The mention of “special reward from Allah” is of particular importance. These rewards shall be bestowed upon them from special treasures of Allah (SWT) possessed only by Him. The final words of the passage, “with Him is the best of rewards”, should be heeded. Our whole life is defined by struggles and hardships. We struggle, toil and labor for the sake of our children, our careers, for other worldly benefits, but none of these objects of fancy provide us any certainty of due payback. Often all such worldly efforts fail and in the end we are left with nothing but sorrow and loss. However, every deed, every investment and every moment spent for the sake of Allah (SWT), for His cause, for His deen is saved and earns blissful eternal life for the rewards of such endeavors are everlasting. Consequently, only Allah (SWT) has the Power and the Authority to fully recompense all our deeds in due proportion.
For this service and loyalty, they are promised by their Lord (SWT): “Surely I will blot out from them their iniquities”; that is, all mistakes and sins (major and minor) committed by them will be washed away in return for their struggle for Islam and hardships suffered in this cause. More than this, they will be admitted “into gardens with rivers flowing beneath; a special reward from Allah”. The mention of “special reward from Allah” is of particular importance. These rewards shall be bestowed upon them from special treasures of Allah (SWT) possessed only by Him. The final words of the passage, “with Him is the best of rewards”, should be heeded. Our whole life is defined by struggles and hardships. We struggle, toil and labor for the sake of our children, our careers, for other worldly benefits, but none of these objects of fancy provide us any certainty of due payback. Often all such worldly efforts fail and in the end we are left with nothing but sorrow and loss. However, every deed, every investment and every moment spent for the sake of Allah (SWT), for His cause, for His deen is saved and earns blissful eternal life for the rewards of such endeavors are everlasting. Consequently, only Allah (SWT) has the Power and the Authority to fully recompense all our deeds in due proportion.
The End
