There is no doubt whatsoever that this essay is going to provoke both positive and negative responses from readers. But our purpose in writing it is to provoke enlightened responses from our intelligent readers — responses that would dispel complacency over (what this writer perceives as) unfortunate instances of misguided tradition. Let us at the outset remind the Muslim reader of the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah Most High be upon him) concerning the Day of Judgment

“Narrated Anas ibn Malik: (more…)

If God is a man, that’s bad news for women – because masculinity would then be divine – and hence only the male would have been created in the divine image. This explains why the feminist revolution has redefined God as being both male and female. Islam declares that Allah Most High created both the male and the female but is neither male nor female. In addition, He never appeared in the person of anyone, male or female. And so neither at point of creation, nor at any time thereafter, has the male ever defined the female in Islam. Islam is thus unique in offering to women the opportunity to pray to a God who is not a man.

Nor has Islam ever discriminated between the male and the female in an unjust way. A woman complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that divine revelation in the Qur’an was addressing men only. What about women? she asked. In response, revelation came down in the Qur’an that addressed both men and women in such constant repetition that the matter was conclusively settled that Allah Most High does not discriminate in matters concerning gender in any unjust way. Indeed the blessed Prophet declared that all of mankind (male and female) would stand before Allah on the Last Day “as equal in His sight as are the teeth of a comb.”

Nevertheless Islam does employ a philosophy of gender that reinforces the functional differences of the male and the female in society, and that is the focus of our essay. The Qur’an teaches analogically that as day and night are functionally different yet interdependent, so too are the male and female. The ominous warning is that if this were ever to be changed, if the ‘night’ were to attempt to become ‘day’ and the sacred order of gender were to be overturned, as in the modern feminist revolution, then the anarchy and disintegration of society that would ensue would be equivalent of cosmic mayhem. The process of unraveling of social order has already commenced. The police service knows this quite well. But so many who have eyes yet cannot see, and cannot connect ‘cause’ and ‘effect’.  (more…)

The secular feminist revolution rose upon the world from the West with an essentially godless agenda to liberate women from the “shackles” of the ages by totally transforming her status, role and function in society. In so doing it has turned the previous religious and sacred order upside-down in such a way that the sun now appears to be rising from the west.

Secularism led to materialism which in turn denied woman any reality beyond her material reality. Consequently the young beautiful woman became the goddess of the age. But she was a goddess who was shamelessly exploited in advertising to sell everything. She became a thing enjoyed, exploited, abused, degraded and discarded when her physical beauty and sex appeal began to wane. Then a host of schoolgirls would rush in to replace her. Even the national calypsonian gave his view on the subject quite some time ago when he sang of the prostitute, “… and if you catch them broken (i.e., in financial difficulty), you can get them all for nothing.”

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prophesied the deception that would enslave women. He said, “women would be dressed and yet be naked”, thus anticipating an age of increasing feminine nudity that would be integrally linked to the feminist revolution. Carnival bandleaders in Trinidad are now complaining that they cannot use enough cloth to make creative designs since women increasingly demand the skimpiest of costumes. The ‘naked’ woman’s body was used to usher a sexual revolution that would culminate, according to the Prophet, with “the majority of children being born out of wedlock” and “people having sexual intercourse in public like donkeys.” When we see sex publicly simulated in Trinidad carnival we know that the feminist revolution will soon climax with woman being transformed into a donkey. Despite this colossal failure, the modern godless world has insisted on opening a ‘gender’ battlefield in quest of ‘equality’ while waging war on Islam. The latest target is the innocent Hijab that is maliciously attacked because it obstructs the way for the Muslim woman to be absorbed into the godless melting pot.  (more…)

The Qur’an likened the creation of the male and the female to that of the ‘night’ and the ‘day’, implying that they complement each other “… like twin-halves of a whole.” But they are also functionally different; hence a successful and harmonious male-female relationship requires that the ‘day’ (i.e. the male) must function as ‘day’ and not try to become ‘night’, and similarly the ‘night’ (i.e., woman) must function as ‘night’ (which covers and conceals) and not try to become ‘day’. Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) ordered, “. . when a girl reaches the age of puberty nothing must be seen of her body except this and this (he pointed to the face and hands).” And so Muslim women have always covered themselves in Hijab—concealing arms, legs, bellies, head, hair, etc., in loose-fitting clothing.

Since women have a basic function of bearing and rearing children it was necessary that they be freed of an obligation to earn their livelihood. Thus the Qur’an obliged men to maintain, as well as to guard and protect them, and, in turn, obliged a woman to be obedient to her husband or guardian. Men and women ought to marry in Allah’s blessed name, and live in accordance with His guidance. Then, says the Qur’an, “… Allah places love and kindness betwix their hearts” in consequence of which they experience Sukun, i.e., peace, contentment and tranquility.

But Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) warned that among the signs of the Last Day was Dajjal the False Messiah or Anti-Christ. “… The last people to follow him would be women”, and his spell over women would be such that “… a man would have to return to his home and tie down (i.e., coercively restrain) his wife, sister and daughter to protect them from being seduced by Dajjal.” This prophecy indicated that women would be deceived and swept off their feet by something that would turn their world upside down. It would appear to be positive, whereas the reality would be destructive. Indeed, it would be in consequence of Dajjal’s attack that the ‘night’ would attempt to become ‘day’.  (more…)

THE QUR’AN AND THE RULE OF THE (MALE) IMAM

The Qur’an has delivered a stern warning concerning the choice of a ruler: “One day We shall call together all human beings with their Imam (i.e., ruler). . . “ (Qur’an, al-Isra, 17:71). The word Imam, when used in the Qur’an as well as in everyday language, refers to the ruler who rules, governs or leads. The Qur’an also uses the word Imam to mean a way or a book which leads or guides. However, in the context of the Last Day and of divine judgment over all of mankind, it would be irresponsible for anyone to exclude the meaning of the ruler who rules, governs or leads for the word Imam in the above verse of the Qur’an. Justice (as well as elementary common sense) demands that a leader or ruler (who was misguided or rightly-guided) should be brought along with his people when they are to be judged by Allah Most High.

Allah Most High Himself chose an Imam for mankind when He declared to Abraham (peace be upon him): “I hereby appoint you as the Imam (leader) of mankind” (Qur’an, al-Baqarah, 2:124). When Abraham responded by querying whether Imams would also be divinely-appointed from within his progeny, Allah Most High confirmed such while dismissing the possibility that His covenant could ever include those (as in modern-day Israel) who are wicked in conduct (Qur’an, al-Baqarah, 2:124). Allah Most High then proceeded to appoint Imams, in the form of Prophets, from Abraham’s progeny. Among them were Isaac and his seed in Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon and Jesus, and Ishmael and his seed in Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah Most High be upon them all).  (more…)

Even as we remember Malcolm X forty years later, we ought also to remember and honor his beloved wife, Dr. Betty Shabbazz. I met her twice.  The second time was when she was lying in her coffin beside Malcolm’s grave, and her six daughters had honored me by asking me to recite from the Qur’an and to offer a prayer over her body before it was lowered into her husband’s grave.

I remember myself shaking like a leaf as I stood beside Malcolm’s grave for the first time, and as I watched his beloved wife rejoining him after surviving such awesomely difficult trials in life.
The dominant characteristic of her life, after Malcolm’s death, was her fierce loyalty and unflinching devotion to her husband’s memory, and to his mission in life. And this brings me to my first meeting with her that is the subject of this essay.

It was 22nd September 1996, just eight months before her death, and I was escorted to the back of a large hall in midtown Manhattan to be introduced to her.  She did not smile to greet me. There was something distant and lonesome about her, as though she belonged to a far away place and another time – not the kind of woman who would put you at ease in her presence. But I could almost feel her quiet strength and power as she waited with infinite patience for the time to come when she would go back home to her beloved.  (more…)