What Is The Role Of The Muslim Woman In Carrying The Islamic Message?

In Principle, the Sharia'a duties are for both men and women alike, and there is no difference between them in terms of duties, except where the Sharia'a texts have listed these differences. Whenever the phrase of "Ya Ayyuhal Latheena Aamanou" i.e "O you who believe" is mentioned, this refers to males and females alike, hence there is no need for the Phrase "O you female believers". The principle in the Arabic language is that whenever the address is to the male, this means that it also includes the female; whereas whenever the address is to the female, this does not include the male as well, but rather confined to the female. Therefore, phrases found in the Holy Qur'an such as: T.M.Q. "O you who believe...", "O you people...." , "And do not kill the soul...." , "And who would say something better than he who calls to Allah, performs the good deed..." , And obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those in authority amongst you...", "And establish prayer and
perform Zakat...", or phrases from the Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) such as: "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim...", "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say something good or keep silent.", "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.", "Spread the Salam amongst yourselves.." etc.., all these phrases have come in Arabic in the masculine form, but they also include the feminine form as well, and there is a general agreement about this. There are certain rules specific to men, where conjunctions have been mentioned that they do not include women, and also rules specific to women, where conjunctions have been mentioned to indicate that they do not include men. Men are protectors and maintainers of women. Men pay the dowry and the alimony, and they hold the tie of divorce. Men do not have to wait a period of time (Iddat) after death or divorce, while women do. The "Awrah" of the woman is different to that of the man. The testimony of the woman is different to that of a man. the woman would have to stop praying and fasting, while the man would not. A man's share of inheritance is different to that of a woman etc... We go back to the question, which is the role of the Muslim woman in carrying the Da'awa of Islam. Truly the carrying of the Da'awa is not just the one single action in order for us to search for one single Sharia'a rule for it, nor is it one single matter (Mas'alah), but rather a large group of actions, hence the carrying of the Da'awa has many Sharia'a rules attached to it, and we are about to mention some of these Inshallah. 1- the Iman (belief) and the adherence to Halal and Haram are obligatory upon women as they are obligatory upon men. 2- Seeking knowledge about the Shari'a rules related to the woman's actions is an obligation upon her, and for the man it is an obligation upon him in relation to his actions. 3- Enjoining Ma'aruf and forbidding Munkar is a duty upon woman as it is a duty upon men, each according to their own capabilities. 4- Bringing the rulers to account is part of the enjoinment of Ma'aruf and the forbidding of the Munkar. It is compulsory upon men and women alike. 5- The teaching of the rules of Islam to the Muslims, and the struggle against the concepts of Kufr (disbelief) and misguidance are obligatory actions upon men and women alike. 6- Working towards the establishment of the Islamic state and the return of the Khilafa to the rule by what Allah has revealed, these are actions which must be undertaken by men and women alike. 7- The establishment of a group or a party which works towards the return of the Khilafa, which enjoins Ma'aruf and forbids Munkar and to participate in the activities of such a group would be a duty of sufficiency (Fardhu Kifaya) upon men and women alike. We have gathered that all these matters listed above have been listed in Sharia'a texts which include both men and women in their address. In addition to these general rules in which men and women are equally obligated, we have found within these general matters a host of cases which would be specific to men, to the exclusion of women. some of these cases are: 1- It is forbidden for a woman to leave her home without the permission of her guardian, whether the guardian happened to be the father, the brother, the husband or the uncle, etc.. This would restrict her activity and her mobility. 2- A woman is forbidden from going to private places where strange men are present, if she is not accompanied by a husband or a "Mahram" (unmarriageable relative). This would also restrict her activity and her mobility. 3- If a woman joins a party, and the party leader ordered her to perform an action, and her guardian ordered her to perform another action, she must in this case obey the order of her guardian, as long as he does not order her to perform an action that is decisively sinful, or known to him to be sinful. More generally, we know that the obedience of the Amir is obligatory within the boundaries of his Imara (leadership), whether he happened to be an army chief, or a ruler, or Amir of a journey or a party leader. We know as well that the obedience of the father and the obedience of the husband is obligatory, all this in other than any disobedience to Allah (SWT), hence if the obedience of the father or the husband were to clash with the obedience of the Amir, which one should the woman prioritise? In such case she should obey her father or her husband, because the Sharia'a texts have explicitly been firm about this matter, i.e. this obedience more than the obedience of the Amir. The most important issue when carrying the Islamic Da'awa would be to abide by its rules. The adherence of the person, man or woman, to the rules of Islam would be in itself a Da'awa to Islam. When the woman's dress is according to the Sharia'a, and when her behaviour within her family, her friends and her relatives, and when her moral conduct is islamic, and when she scorns the foreign customs and foreign aspects and when she prides herself amongst her acquaintances with Islam, the Islamic thoughts and the Islamic rules, when these qualities become embodied in her personality and reflected in her actions, she would become a Da'awa carrier. The righteous example would therefore be the first basis in the Da'awa especially for the Muslim woman. May Allah's Peace and Mercy be upon our master Mohammed, his family and Sahaba.