MUSJIDUL HAQ

Download PDF: [S] The Reward for Muslim Women

Once Sayyidah Asma binte Yazeed – may Allah be pleased with her – approached the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and said, “O Prophet of Allah, I have approached you on behalf of many females and we have the following query: Allah Almighty has certainly sent you as the Prophet to both men and women. Therefore, as females, we have also brought faith in you. And we have also taken allegiance that we will follow and obey you. Our issue is that the females have been commanded to stay in their houses and also remain indoors. At the same time, we also serve our husbands. We carry the children and perform other duties as well. We also protect the property and the house of our husbands. Our husbands on the other hand achieve great reward by taking part in a Janazah and also in Jihad. We would like to know whether we will also share or not share in the reward of this?”

When the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him –heard this question, he turned to his blessed Ashaab and remarked, “Look at the beautiful question which this female has asked pertaining to religion.”  He then declared, “O Asma! You should listen carefully and also go and inform the other females as well. (Inform them) that if they serve their husbands and make them happy, andif they are obedient to them, then they will also receive the same reward as their male counterparts (for these actions).”

When Hadrat Sayyidah Asma – may Allah be pleased with him – heard these words, she returned happily to the other females to inform them about these words. She also read the Takbeer on her return.

We also learn from this incident that if a female is unaware of certain issues pertaining to religion, then she should make the effort of asking an Islamic scholar whether this is a male or female scholar.

In Surah Al Ambiyah (21), verse 7, the Holy Qur’an declares:

وَمَاۤ اَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَکَ اِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوۡحِیۡۤ اِلَیۡہِمْ فَسْـَٔلُوۡۤا اَہۡلَ الذِّکْرِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۷﴾

“And We did not send (Prophets) before you except men, to whom We sent divine revelations – therefore, O people, ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.”

This was also the habit of our pious predecessors that they never waited to inquire about anything. If there was any issue in which they doubted they immediately sought guidance in this regard. In other words, they were constantly remembering the Hereafter. The above incident also gives us a clear indication in this regard. These were people that continuously sought ways of gaining a lofty status in the Hereafter.

At the same time, such is the Prophetic mercy of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – that he made the reward of both males and females equal in this regard. However, one of the conditions was that the female had to make sure that she properly fulfilled all her rightful duties as the wife, the mother, the sister, etc.

Our sisters of today also should bear these important points in mind. They should endeavour to fulfil their rights as wives and make sure that the system at home is according to the desired system of Islam. We can see that by doing this, she will also share in the reward of her male counterpart. In Sha Allah.

In this manner, the condition within the Muslim home would also improve and society as a whole will also become better. There is no doubt that when there is internal strife within the household environment, then people become stressed and true Islamic zeal seizes to exist.

It is also sad to see that there are certain Muslim females who leave this responsibility to outsiders and decide to do other things instead. They consider this as a status symbol and consider doing “ordinary” work as something which is below their stature. But we find that most couples who live in this fashion are mostly living in stress.

Important points should also be borne from the above mentioned incident. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – did not advise these females that they needed to be like the men and that they also had to leave their homes if they wished to earn this type of reward. He never mentioned anything of this nature.

At the same, Hadrat Sayyidah Asma – may Allah be pleased with her – did not complain about the fact that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – advised them to remain in their homes. She understood that this was the place for the wives of the Muslims and all other females of that blessed era also understood this fact.

Therefore, those “modern” females who have this impression that since they are left in their houses they are been oppressed should certainly rethink their opinion. Everyone should bear in mind that no matter how much of freedom they think they deserve, at the end of the day, everyone has to face Allah Almighty.

At the end of this advice, Hadrat Sayyidah Asma – may Allah be pleased with her – is reported to have read the Takbeer. This proves that reading the Takbeer is also the practise of our blessed pious predecessors. However, at the same time, when females read the Takbeer, it should be in a manner which is not heard by the males. The reason is that the females have been commanded to lower their voices. Bear in mind that the voice of a Muslim female is also a part of her privacy.

We make Du’a that our Muslim sisters can bear this important advice in mind in their daily environment. Ameen.