Written by Mohsin Reza, MD PhD | | |
Women can perform different roles in an Islamic society. Many of these roles may not be mandatory according to the teachings of Islam, but can be performed based on the talent, faith and sense of responsibility. Overall life with its various activities is much easier now as compared to that of the time of Prophet Muhammad (s). Women in the time of advent of Islam were under severe pressure due to paganic thinking prevalent at that time and with Islam as a new system presenting them their dynamic role. Added to it was the oppression, migration, battles and other hardships endured by the Muslims at that time. These harsh conditions can never be compared to any other period in Islamic history after the Prophet (s). Under such circumstances, Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) performed several individual and communal roles. She was a role model daughter, wife, mother, teacher, mentor, social worker, helper and supporter of needy, house-master, worshipper in nights, an active promoter of Islamic modest dress and modest values for women, a financial manager, a mujahida, and a true follower of Islam. All these roles point to her multidimensional personality and such par excellence performance could only be possible with her strong and intimate bond with God and His Prophet. I conclude that Muslim women in today's world can benefit a lot in their performance of different roles in a Muslim society as well as in their personal lives, if they set the illuminating and magnificent personality of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) as their ideal.
Introduction
Women can play many roles in a society. In an Islamic Society, women can fulfill several individual and collective responsibilities in different spheres and under different conditions. However, many of these roles and responsibilities are not set mandatory by the teachings of Islam and these often reflect personal effort, attributes and talent on the part of a woman. Setting this as a prelude, one can investigate and analyze different roles played by Muslim women during various periods of history after the advent of Islam. Today's modern technology with all its sophisticated tools available for the acquisition of knowledge, making the life easier and high speed communication cannot be compared with the life and times of Prophet of Islam (a) and those who lived with him at that time with harsh physical and socio-political environment in Arabia. One can easily appreciate that performing various intellectual pursuits such as seeking knowledge, imparting education and training, communication, even living a normal life was in no way comparable with today. Added to this was the time of conflict prevalent in the Arabia due to the advent of Islam with wars and social upheaval resulting from the opposition of the mushrikin, the Jews and the opponents of Islam. In such a society, where women were considered lower than males or rather even not considered as human and with the beginning of Islam as a new socio-religico-political order or rather as a new overall system struggling to give back to women, their divinely ordained status of womanhood and their rights, Muslim women in that time were additionally over burdened and over
whelmed by the old pagan (jahiliyyah) thinking prevalent among the minds. They were, at that time under enormous additional confrontation and psychological pressure to perform their model Islamic role. The hostile environment then, with all its aggressiveness is in no way comparable to any other time in the history after sadr-e Islam. Thus, women who really stood for the Islamic values and performed their role and responsibilities in the time of beginning of Islam or sadr-e-Islam, can be considered as the role model for the women that came later, even today. This is not an assumption; rather, it is based on observation of the historic phenomenon of Islam in the society of Arabia with all the opposition, aggression, oppression, misery, migration and battles that resulted in the time of Prophet of Islam (s). The Muslims, in particular women, were under a lot of physical, mental and psychological pressure.
At this point, let us briefly overview the difference between male and female from various aspects in the light of modern medical research. Females are physically weaker and more vulnerable to physical, mental, psychological and emotional stress than males. Females suffer additional pain, distress and long duration of physical hardship due to their role as mother. Females are more emotionally bound to their offspring and their loved ones then their male counterparts. All these facts and several other similar findings put females in a special position with regards to performance of their roles in a society, both individually and collectively.
With this introduction, I would like to now talk about the role played by Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) during her life in the Arabian society and the harsh times of sadr-e Islam. One can then compare her role with other Muslim women of her time and appreciate the excellences of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa). Traditions from the Prophet of Islam (s) and verses of the Holy Quran are sufficient as proof to the par excellence personality of Hazrat Zahra (sa). However, I will not bring forth these as a support for my argument. Rather, let us imagine for a while the real life of Hazrat Fatima (sa) with the conditions of the personalities whom she was related to by family, conditions of the followers of Islam she was religico-socially associated with and the condition of the hostile environment she was in due to her being a Muslim, then analyze and envisage and appreciate, that how difficult it is for us living under modern times, to even imagine different roles that she performed during her relatively short life.
Individual Role and responsibilities
Her role and responsibilities due to her family ties
Her role as a daughter can be seen in her fulfillment of duties towards her father in different and very harsh times. The incidence of kuffar (infidels) throwing filth on Prophet (s) in the house of God and her bravely coming and removing it in the midst of enemies is an example. The respect Prophet (s) showed towards her by giving her his own seat is another poof of Hazrat Fatimah Zahra (sa) as a role model for daughters. Her role as a wife can be seen in her excellent management of home and support for her husband, Imam Ali (as), who more than any other companion of Prophet (s) was involved in the defense of Islam and Muslims and was away from the house during battles and other missions he was sent by the Prophet (s). She was a close and sincere friend to her husband and a partner in performing her duties not only towards him but also towards needy Muslims. Incidence of her and Imam Ali (a) sleeping hungry while feeding a Muslim passenger is an example. Her role as a mother can be seen in the light of her
upbringing of her children, Imam Hassan and Hussain (as) and Hazrat Zainab (sa). These children were brought up in such a manner by her that reflected high level moral, intellectual and spiritual indoctrination. Lives of these personalities and their brilliant and par excellence role in the most adverse moments of the history of Islam is a litmus proof to the best upbringing they received from their mother. Truly, Hazrat Fatima (sa) was a great mentor of her children.
Her role as a teacher and mentor
Her role as a very talented teacher can be seen in her training of Imam Hassan and Hussain (as) and Hazrat Zeinab (sa). Lives of these great personalities need no words of introduction. The incidence of Imam Hassan and Hussain (as) teaching wudhu (minor ablution) to an elderly companion of Prophet (s) in manner that didn’t hurt his self-respect highlights many aspects of her mastery of teaching not only Islamic fiqh and upbringing but also as an expert of practical ethics. One can imagine high level of depth, observation, and behavioral indoctrination she imparted to her children in the area of ethical conduct.
Her role as master of her maid-servant, Fizzah
Her role as master to the maid-servant bestowed to her by Prophet of Islam (s) is yet another example of her multidimensional role she played as an active and compassionate Muslim woman. Not going into details, we cannot find a single instance in the history of Islam, whereby a house master would take turns every other day with her maid-servant in house hold work. So one day Hazrat Fatima (sa) will do the household work while her maid servant Fizzah would take rest !. This unique routine is in the midst of hardships in the life of Muslims in Medina where in ten years, when Prophet (s) was present in 27 battles and Imam Ali (as) was present in many more, being away from house. How could a house master allow this alternate day house chores under such dynamically adverse life style of her husband and father except that she had a strong sense of human values and human rights to its utmost level.
Collective or Communal Responsibilities
Her role and responsibilities due to her affiliation towards the members of society she lived in
One can easily appreciate from the historical records as to how she performed different duties towards the members of the society she was living in at that time. She was seen giving away her own marriage dress, jewelry, food and other material possessions to the needy Muslims whenever required. Not only towards Muslims but she also performed her similar role as a helper and supporter, whenever required towards the followers of other religions. She fulfilled her social responsibilities to the utmost level of self-sacrifice, and not seeking any thanks or returns only as a duty toward God and His religion. These social duties and responsibilities were fulfilled by her in such a manner that her own life and of her immediate family members were risked due to lack of food and other necessities. Can we find in history a woman who would give away her and her children's food for three days to needy only for the sake of love of God ? This highly unique style of fulfilling social responsibilities was not limited to giving away in the way of God, even when she would pray whole night to God the well-being of others, she would give preference to the members of the Muslim society over her own family members. Such high level of uniformity in thinking and action and sense of responsibility is unfounded in Muslim history.
Her role as a voluntary social worker
Her role as a voluntary social worker in the way of Islam can seen her helping the Muslim army, performing role as a nurse, consoling the families that had lost their dear ones, helping needy and orphans irrespective of her own needs and difficult situation. The door of her house was always open towards any one seeking remedy of his or her needs.
Her role as a manager for the distribution of wealth obtained from Fadak and other properties gifted to her by the Prophet of Islam
Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) performed role of a distribution manager for the wealth obtained from the land of Fadak and other properties gifted to her by the Prophet (s). This wealth was distributed by her according to the principles taught to her by the Prophet (s) to needy Muslims and families of the orphans and widows who were martyred in the battles. Her role is yet another bright aspect of her personality as a manager of revenues and its distribution to the needy according the principles of Islam.
Her role in preservation of modesty and promotion of modest Islamic dress, Hijab
Hazrat Zahra (sa) on several occasions performed her role to emphasize women's modesty and her preservation of Islamic modest dress, the Hijab. History has recorded instances of her peculiar behavior and sayings emphasizing the necessity of modesty and modest dress for Muslim women. The point worth pondering here is that women can perform their social activities and play their role actively in society while behaving modestly towards na mahrum (males towards which contact is forbidden) and keeping Islamic dress code. Personality of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) is certainly a model in this regard.
There several other roles performed by this noble personality that are beyond the time and space allotted for this presentation.
A thought provoking question
Before I conclude my talk, let us ask a question to ourselves: How could Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) have performed all these different multidimensional roles often at the same time during her life, that are recorded in history books? Moreover, certainly, these roles and responsibilities are just a glimpse of her multidimensional life. Her whole life was certainly not encaged in the history books. How a Muslim woman in that society under harsh desert of Arabia could perform so many different tasks during her lifetime with apparently the conditions of a lot of stress, psychological pressure, mental and physical hardships? How was it all possible? How was it possible for her to endure all the hostilities, may it be from enemies within and without, harsh environmental conditions, lack of necessities of life, wars, social isolation, physical migration and other unforeseen hardships? The only answer that I can think of is her strong relationship with God, and his Prophet (s), Her total submission to, and merger in Islam and its divine values, her intimate and strong relationship with God and her nearness to Him. This particular relationship of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) with God is partly reflected in her Dua al-Noor and her elegant sayings on various Islamic topics recorded in history books and instances and special circumstances of her ibadat recorded in history.
Her relationship with Her father, the Prophet of Islam was not merely a physical and emotional relationship of father and daughter, rather it was a strong spiritual relationship. Father was as a divinely ordained prophet and recognition of his being divine Prophet by her was the strongest bond between her and her Father.
Conclusion
The multidimensional personality of Hazrat Fatima (sa) is an illuminated example for today Muslim women living in not only in an Islamic Society. A woman can be at the same time a good mother, daughter, wife, teacher and mentor of her children, a voluntary social worker, a distributor of wealth and property among destitute and needy of the society, a compassionate house master, a model of self-sacrifice to give away any possession in the way of God, a promoter of Islamic modest dress and modesty for women, a mujahida in the time of war and supporter of Muslim army, an 'abida (worshipper) praying to God in night and much more. Setting Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) as a role model, a woman can perform all these roles under different circumstances, whether the society is at peace or at war, whether there is economic or material hardship or whether members of society are hostile or whether support from creatures is lost, and when the only hope is with God the Almighty. Life of Hazrat Fatima (sa) is certainly a bright guiding star under all circumstances for a Muslim woman.
