Term paper
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ReadingsandLecture-201812181.zipLecture Power Point_Week 2_Women in Islam.pptx
Women around the Prophets and Women around the Prophet Muhammad
Hawa (Eve)
Hajjar (Hagar)
Maryam (Mary the Mother of Jesus)
Khadijah
Aishah
Hafsah
Fatima
Islamic scriptures, history, and traditions are filled with women who play very important parts in the development of Islam, Islamic thought, and leadership of Muslims, both men and women.
These women can be viewed in two groups:
Women around the Prophets, and
Women around the Prophet Muhammad
Listen to this Recording!!!
Women around the Prophets: Hawa
Hawa or Eve is known to many as the first female figure of human existence in the Abrahamic religions. Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Hawa is the wife of Adam. Hawa’s story in the Islamic tradition is somewhat similar to the Judeo-Christian or Hebrew Bible narrative; however, there are some major differences that end up causing a major difference in the way women are viewed in Islam vs. the way women have been viewed historically in Judaism and Christianity.
The connection between Adam, Hawa, and the forbidden fruit??
In the Quran, two things are unique to the Adam, Hawa, and forbidden fruit story which make it distinct from the story found in the Hebrew Bible.
First, Hawa does not tempt Adam to eat from the forbidden fruit. Satan temps both of them and both of them eat from the fruit. Both have sinned. Adam receives more direct blame in the Quranic verses.
Second, God forgives both Adam and Eve. This means that there is no original sin in the Islamic tradition. Both are tempted by Satan, both eat from the forbidden fruit, both sinned, both are forgiven.
What does this say about the nature of women in Islamic tradition?
Can Muslims in a patriarchal society make the claim that women are the cause of evil in society?
Can Muslims in a patriarchal society blame Hawa or Eve as the temptress?
Does Eve take the responsibility for man’s fall on earth?
If there is no original sin concept in Islam, do Muslims think that humans need to be saved? Muslims believe that all humans are created with the primordial instinct or disposition to worship the creator, not born in original sin.
The answer to all of the above questions is no.
However,
Even though the Quranic message is liberating to Muslim women in terms of bearing the responsibility of original sin, it is still the case that historically the narrative of women being the temptress or the responsible party, did find its way into Islamic historical traditions. Stowasser, makes the point that the authenticity of these traditions are not solid and that they seeped into Islamic teaching from the teachings that surrounded the Muslims in the lands they conquered.
Modern scholars of Islam, and in particular feminist writers, make it a point to highlight that the Quran never blames Hawa for the eating of the fruit. Thus, Hawa in Islam becomes a positive symbol in Islamic feminism rather than a negative one.
Make sure to pay close attention to the readings in the Stowasser text.
Women around the Prophets: Hajjar
Hajjar or Hagar is another woman in the Islamic tradition that is spoken of in extremely high regard and is a model of piety and strength for all Muslims around the world. After reading the passages from the stories of the prophet or the hadith literature and the section from Stowasser, you should be able to think of Hajjar as:
A heroin
A pious and strong woman
A woman who questions male authority (Abraham). What question did she ask Abraham when he brought her to the desert and what does that say about her devotion?
Wife of Abraham and not simply a slave to Sarah .
Because of Hajjar, Muslims around the world emulate her during the annual Haj Pilgrimage to Mecca. As she ran between the two hills of Safa and Marwah, Muslims do that even today. Without running between the two hills of Safa and Marwah, a person’s hajj is not complete.
The annual Islamic Pilgrimage, the Hajj and Hajjar (Hagar)
Click on the two links below.
The first link is a modern scholar of Islam, Dr. Jamal Badawi, speaking on the importance of Hajj and how Muslims emulate Hagar and other female Muslim characters from Islamic history. It is important to note that this talk is meant for Muslims; however, by listening to it you will get an understanding of the significance of Hajjar (Hagar) to modern Muslims.
In this link, press “Control” and click to watch youtube.
The second link is a video of the modern day emulation of Hagar during the sa’ee or walking between Safa and Marwa during the annual pilgrimage. As you can imagine, there are many modern additions to this ritual which include an airconditioned building, marble floors, electric conveyor belt or moving floor, and an ornate building that covers the actual path Hagar took thousands of years ago, as claimed by Islamic tradition.
Emulating Hagar during the annual Hajj pilgrimage today
In this link, press “Control” and click to watch youtube.
Women around the Prophets: Maryam, the Mother of Jesus
Maryam is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran.
Jesus is almost always referred to in the Quran as, Isa ibn Maryam, or Jesus the son of Mary.
She is celebrated as pure and righteous.
Many Islamic scholars have called her a Prophetess or a female prophet. Although not all agree that she was a prophetess, they cannot deny that she has many attributes that a prophet has. She is mentioned in the Quran, an angel speaks to her, she has a message to share, and she delivers a miracle, a virgin birth. She also has other miracles happen to her which are mentioned in the Quran as well.
An entire chapter in the Quran is named after her.
Women around the Prophet Muhammad
There are multiple women in the Islamic tradition that have become very prominent and important. Many of these women play important roles in delivering the message of the Quran. As they are active in the life of the Prophet Muhammad, these women become central to the verses in the Quran, that is the contextual reasons of revelation or asbab al-nuzul.
Many of these women were wives of the Prophet Muhammad. Polygyny is part of the life of the Prophet Muhammad because that was the norm of the society in which he lived and in which the revelation of Islam took place. Polygyny is not unique to Islam. It has been a reality of human societies in many places and religions.
During the time of the Prophet Muhammad there was no limit on the number of wives a man could have. Islam is known to have limited the number of wives to four and promoted the ideal number of wives to only one. That is, Islam allowed polygyny but promoted or pointed ideally to monogamy. The support for monogamy comes from the Quranic verses.
Polygyny had its important contribution to a society, particularly a tribal society. Polygyny could protect women when their husbands died in battle and when women became old and needed the support of a younger or more able husband.
The Prophet Muhammad and polygyny
An important point to keep in mind is that although the Quran limits the number of wives to four and points to monogamy, the Prophet Muhammad had more than four wives at one time. He had a special exemption to this rule. However, this exemption worked to protect his wives. Almost all of his wives had been widowed and if he were to leave them, they would have no place to go and get protection in a tribal society. As wives of the prophet, they received special status and protection.
These women played important parts in the development of Islam. We will discuss three of these women. Make sure to read about them in the Stowasser text.
Wives of the Prophet Muhammad: khadijah
Khadijah: First wife of Muhammad.
She was 15 years older than him. She was 40 and he was 25 when they married.
She is the only one with whom the Prophet Muhammad had children with.
She was the first Muslim. A great source of strength and comfort for the Prophet.
She was not only the first to believe in him but also the one who supported his cause financially and through her prestige.
She was a wealthy business woman who proposed to Muhammad.
He received his first revelation when he was married to her.
Muhammad was monogamous with Khadijah throughout his marriage to her.
Wives of the Prophet Muhammad: Aishah
Aishah: Most beloved wife of the Prophet Muhammad after Khadijah.
There is a controversy surrounding Aishah’s age. Some believe she was 9 years old when she married Muhammad, other scholars say she was in her mid teens. In either case, the argument is made that historically, being married very young was not unusual. As a matter of fact, Aishah was betrothed to someone else before she married the Prophet Muhammad.
She is the authority of thousands of hadith.
The prophet told his companions to consult Aishah.
She was extremely intelligent and astute.
The controversy of the slander and the verses that were revealed in the Quran take place because of the struggles she went through. See the Stowasser text.
Wives of the Prophet Muhammad: Hafsah
Hafsah, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad who was entrusted with the Quran after his passing.
Hafsah was known as the keeper of the written Quranic codex. This is of tremendous importance. In a time where written copies of sacred texts were extremely valuable, what does it mean that a woman was a keeper of the only written copy which was sacred or known to Muslims as the word of God?
The Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad: Fatima
Prophet Muhammad had Four daughters, Fatima, was the one who shared the most in characteristics with her father. She is known as the Pure one and she is also one of the most beloved female companion and family members of the Prophet. She is beloved by both Sunnis and Shiites. She is the only one of his daughters whose blood line of the Prophet Muhammad is delievered. She had two sons, Al-Hasan and Al-Hussein. She plays a very prominent role in Shiite Islam.
2018
Voice Recorder
Recording_Week 2_Women around the Prophets
Hagar Story/Haggar and Ishmael_Stories of the Prophets.pdf
