alionce: July 2008

When we observe revelation, we shall find that a part of the revelation was preserved word for word under the title of the Qur'an. All other revelation was embodied either in the Prophet's sayings or in his practices which were carefully preserved by the Companions as the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad may the peace and blessings of God be upon him. We Muslims cannot question the importance Sunnah and its relevance to modern world as well. Even though man is given agl, fit rah and senses and he is empowered with many abilities which helps to develop human civilization with the sophisticated technology, still there will be lot of question he cannot answer himself such as about creation and the creator. No devout Muslim would ever dare to go against the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah, but it is regrettable to note that some of the liberal elite tend to raise the slogan that the Book of God (i.e. the Qur'an) is enough and that there is no need at all for the Sunnah of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him. Slogans like this are raised mainly by people who want to get rid of the Islamic Law (Arabic: Shari'ah) completely. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, himself was well-aware that such ill-natured opinions would arise and hence gave a clear warning of this as reported by Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'di Karib, one of his Companions: "I have indeed been given the Qur'an and something similar to it besides it. Yet, the time will come when a man leaning on his couch will say, 'Follow the Qur'an only; what you find in it as halal, take it as halal, and what you find in it as haram, take it as haraam.' But truly, what the Messenger of God has forbidden is like what God has forbidden." (Reported by Abu Dawud and Darimi.)
The teaching of Mohamed (pbh) has never been wrong until today and it will not be wrong even in the future. Islam is a universal religion which means it is complete and preserved and it addresses the entire humanity. It is meant for man and Jinni. Thus it does not have any discrepancies and never contradict with fit rah, natural laws, scientific laws, values and moralities. Hence it does not make any sense if we say that Islam was revealed for that society only to them 1400 years ago. Even today, the primary source of Islam, the Quran is revealing scientific facts proving still it is relevant and will be relevant in the future as well. The Quran, the biggest miracle is complete and comprehensive and is suitable for all the time. Allah is the protector of the Quran and He promised to preserve it. As He is the creator, He knows the needs of the people and places and future of man on earth and hereafter. Needless to say he declares that Islam is the best religion as He knows what will happen in the future. Even today The Quran and Sunnah can be used to solve the various problems that are faced by modern society as it helps people to restore justice and remove oppression on people. Furthermore, the teaching of Quran and Sunnah and their guidelines and principles on social, economical, political, cultural, religious and scientific methods are so powerful as up to this time no theory or scholar find any mistakes in them.
Most westerners believes that Islam is an obstacle for development and that is the reason why Muslims are under developed and it is true that Muslim nations are among the poor and under developed countries. But the fact is that Muslims are under developed or poor because Muslims are not following their religion not because they are following Islam. It was clearly seen that when Muslims followed the Islam well, they are the super powers like USA today, even after Mohamed (pbh) especially during the times of Khaleefa Harun Rasheed.It was time the westerners describe as their dark ages. Islam is the religion which highly emphasize on gaining knowledge which is the key to success. In fact the Quran starts with the command“iqra”(read).
The question of religion and modernity is one of those subjects which do not concern the Muslims alone. Many liberal minded people in the world have renounced religion, because they are under the impression that religion and modern life are incompatible. They think that inertia, monotony and the maintenance of status quo are the characteristics of religion.
Of all the religions Islam alone is more concerned with all the aspects of human life. Its teachings are not confined to acts of worship and prayer and to a set of moral counsels. As Islam has dealt with men's relations with God, it has also given the broad lines of men's relations with each other. It has, in various forms, dealt with individual rights and obligations, too. That is why the question whether its teachings are applicable or not to the ever-changing circumstances is more valid in the case of Islam than in that of others. Incidentally, many non-Muslim intellectuals and writers have studied the social and civil laws of Islam and have commended them as a body of progressive laws. They have paid rich tributes to Islam, as a living and everlasting religion, and have recognized the applicability of its laws to all times and circumstances. The well-known liberal minded English writer, Bernard Shaw has said: I have studied him, the wonderful man, and, in my opinion, far from being anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the leadership of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness".
Islam is a religion from Allah and as a creator Allah knows what will work and what will not work in human society. In other words, Allah knows what is good for the society and what is bad for the society. Most westerners believe that Islamic hudhud or shari’ah is against humanity. They say that the punishments for various sins in Islam are against humankind such are punishment for theft and unlawful sexual intercourse. But the truth is, that is the way we can maintain justice in the society. Death penalty in Islam is also highly criticized by the westerners. But there are other non Muslims countries which impose death penalties such as Singapore for dealing in illegal drugs which is not the case in Islam. The situation is much worse in that so called western countries such as USA where there are much severe punishments to prisoners which are against humanity, and some are even punished till they die.
Another area where the feminists criticize Islam is women rights in Islam. In those days before Islam, women were treated like slaves or property. Their personal consent concerning anything related to their well-being was considered unimportant, to such a degree that they were never even treated as a party to a marriage contract.

Women were used for one purpose, and then discarded. They had no independence, could own no property and were not allowed to inherit. In times of war, women were treated as part of the prize. Simply put, their condition was unspeakable.
In addition, the birth of a daughter in a family was not an occasion for rejoicing, but was regarded with humiliation. The practice of killing female children was uncontrolled.
The most basic right of a woman in Islam is the knowledge and recognition that she never has to ask or demand or fight for her rights which are guaranteed to her by Allah (SWT) Himself. Islam considers a woman to be equal to a man as a human being and as his partner in this life. Women have been created with a soul of the same nature as man’s. In Islamic law, a woman is an independent, unique individual in her own right. She has the same responsibilities towards herself, towards Allah (SWT) and towards other human beings as the male, and will be punished or rewarded in the Hereafter without discrimination towards her female gender.
A Muslim woman is not permitted to change her family name to her husband’s name upon marriage. She is always known by her father’s name, as a mark of her own identity. In choosing a marriage partner, her consent to accept or reject any prospective suitor for marriage must be respected. A Muslim woman has the right to seek divorce, if necessary within the laws of Islam.
Muslim women are not forbidden from going out in the community, working, or visiting relatives and female friends, if there is no objection from their guardian/husband and they are covered and behave and speak according to Islamic guidelines and, if necessary, escorted by their Mahram (a close male relative). However, a woman’s home should be the main base that she works from.
A woman in Islam has the right to knowledge and education. Allah (SWT) encourages women to read and keep up the learning process. He also bestows His mercy upon all who seek knowledge, and gives them high status: In reality, and in Islam, the rights and responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of man, but they are not necessarily identical with them. Equality and sameness are two very different things. I think you’ll agree that, for one thing, women and men are physically very different from one another, although they are equal to each other in other important ways.

In the West, women may be doing the same job that men do, but their wages are often less. The rights of Western women in modern times were not created voluntarily, or out of kindness to the female. The modern Western woman reached her present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual consent of Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various circumstances aided her. Shortage of manpower during wars, pressure of economic needs and requirement of industry forced women to leave their homes to work, struggling for their livelihood, to appear equal to men. Whether all women are sincerely pleased with these circumstances, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the results, is a different matter. But the fact remains that whatever rights modern Western women have, they fall short of those of her Muslim counterpart! Islam has given woman what duties her female nature. It gives her full security and protects her against becoming what Western modern women themselves complain against: a "mere sex object." An Islamic dress also liberates the Muslim woman, and she is then automatically respected for her mind instead of her body. Simply put, she retains her dignity! It is like saying: I am a respectful woman. I am not for every man to look at, touch, or speak to. I am protected, exactly like a precious white pearl which, if touched by everyone, will become black and dirty.

A woman’s modest dress protects society from adultery and other forms of illegal sexual relations that lead to the breakup of families and corruption of society.
Sometimes the pre-Islamic Arabs counted a widow to be a part of her deceased husband's property and appropriated her accordingly. If the deceased had a son from another wife, he could throw a piece of cloth on the widow as a mark of acquiring her. Then he could dispose her at his will and pleasure. He had the option of either marrying her himself, or giving her in marriage to someone else and taking her dower. This custom, which was not peculiar to the Arabs, was abolished by the Qur'an. The Islamic law of inheritance is free from all the short-comings and defects of the past. The only thing, which is objectionable in the eyes of the upholders of equality between man and woman, is that the share of woman is half that of man. According to the Islamic law, a son receives twice as much as a daughter, a brother twice as much as a sister and a husband twice as much as a wife. The case of father and mother is the only exception.
If a deceased has children and his parents are also alive, each of his parents will get one-sixth of the property left by him. It is because of woman's special position with regard to dower, maintenance, military service and some of the criminal laws, that her share has been fixed at half that of man.
For reasons mentioned earlier, Islam considers dower and maintenance essential and effective in the consolidation of a marriage. They ensure domestic harmony and coherence. The abolition of them is likely to shake the family structure and to push woman to prostitution. The dower and maintenance being compulsory, naturally woman's financial commitments have been reduced and man's burden has proportionately increased. To compensate man for his extra burden, his share in inheritance has been fixed at twice that of woman. It is dower and maintenance which have reduced woman's share. Islam has taken into consideration many aspects, some of them natural and others psychological. It has considered woman's special needs, arising out of her procreative function. Man naturally has no such needs. Besides, on the one hand, woman's earning capacity is less than that of man and, on the other, her consumption of wealth is more. In addition, there are several other finer aspects of their respective mental make-up. For example, man always wants to spend for the sake of the woman of his choice. Other psychological and social aspects, which help in the consolidation of the domestic relations, have also been considered. Taking all these points into consideration, Islam has made dower and maintenance obligatory. Thus, it is not simply a financial question, so that it may be said that there is no need of reducing woman's share at one place and compensating her at another.
Therefore, it is obvious that Islam is the only perfect religion which is universal, comprehensive and complete. Guidance and principles of Islam is relevant for all the times. Islam emphasizes on knowledge and the more research we make on various issues the more we understand the Islam and its completeness and comprehensiveness. Modernity and Islam is clearly compatible and Islam does not discourage the development of science and use of technology but rather it encourage more than what other religions do. Hence following Islam well is the key route to success of Muslims