Islam: beacon of Peace and Justice

This article is about the Equal Rights provided to women by Islam. If the reader disbelieves with the author than he/she may ask any question before continuing to talk ill about Islam. The Rights to Females have been first granted by Islam than any other religion of this world.

Islam is the last religion of this world which was preached by the last Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the time which is marked as the ‘Dark Era’ of our history. A time when the people were burying their new born daughters and the whole world was groping in darkness.

In the present times Islam has been propagated as the religion which is behind the terrorist activities in the present world. It is as common thought process which is being followed by the present world unlike to the people of the ‘Dark Era’ which was the reason to ignorance. Most of the world is still ignorant about the real Islam which is a rightful philosophy about justice, peace and rights of the people.

Islam is the religion which has been worst affected since the day one and till date. If the world reads about Islam, it will be shocked that Islam has been mutilated, marred and blemished widely. But it is the Tragedy of Karbala which is a certificate to the world that Islam is a religion which is peace loving and advocates universal brotherhood, rights for deprived, voice for the downtrodden, etc.

It is also commonly misinterpreted that in Islam the females are deprived of their rights to live happily. But it is not true. To understand this aspect we have to under what is Almighty saying about His most beloved creation i.e. man and woman.

The population of the world can be divided into two major segments — male and female. Male and female are not only different in the constitutional aspect but are also by virtue in relation to their nature and temperamental inclination. Though the difference are like the poles of the magnet still the Creator of the universe has bestowed the elements like attraction, love, adoration and mercy among the both which keep them inclined to one another. These elements implanted in them since birth are must for the smooth and hassle free progress of the universe and existence of humanity.

The Holy Quran indoctrinates ‘Oh mankind I have originated you from male and female and bifurcated into families for your recognition. But among you only incorruptible are loved and respected by Me (Allah). The male and female are the custodians of the mankind. Perspicacity of the Holy Quran in lieu of the abovementioned translation proves the dignity of the woman on the whole and thus not in any way valuing her to be a disrespected or a degraded creature. This becomes the reason for further authentication that Islam not only considers woman beacon of adoration but also the prime source of pollination of the human-race. In the present scenario the western world is voicing for the equality of women, commenting women to be the part of the fast progressing world but it is mere slogan befooling the one most important segment of the world’s population, which both the segments are understanding loud and clear.

Let us view the religious status of women before the advent of Islam in regard to the religions of world in the yesteryears, in accordance to respect and honour which should have been rendered to this bigger half of the world population. Was there any reality or only camouflage situation.

To understand the religious status of woman we have to understand the religions prior to Islam. Before the commencement of Islam, Christianity and Judaism were highly practiced in the world. According to Judaism theology was a subject only for the male. According to the RABBIS the woman can never be the part of any religious preaching or learning, even restraining woman to get any religious book.

In Christianity woman was not allowed to even touch Holy Bible and also restrained from entry into the Church considering woman an unwanted thing for the religious rituals. A woman who has become a NUN was allowed to enter the Church for the menial job.

Therefore, major religions never liberalized woman in consideration to the religious rituals. Woman if found corrupt was liable for punishment on the hand of the religious heads but her good conduct never permitted her entrance to the religious places.

It is better to understand from the words of some known people of the world here to make others understand as to what Islam has nurtured for females. According to Prof. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, “It is the democratic spirit of Islam that emancipated women from the bondage of man. Sir Charles Edward Archibald Hamilton says, “Islam teaches the inherent sinlessness of man. It teaches that man and woman have come from the same essence, posses the same soul and have equipped with equal capabilities of intellectual, spiritual and moral attainments”. The Arabs had a very strong tradition that one who can smite with the spear and can wield the sword would inherit. But Islam came as the defender of the weaker sex and entitled women to share the inheritance of their parents. It gave women, centuries ago right of owing property, yet was to only 12 centuries later, in 1881, that England, supposed to be the cradle of democracy adopted this institution of Islam and the act was called “The Married Woman Act”, but centuries earlier, the prophet of Islam had proclaimed that “Woman are twin halves of men. The rights of women are scared. See that women maintained rights granted to them”. Thus according to Prof. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was the First person in the history to give women property rights.

Pierre Crabites an American Judge proclaimed Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) ‘The Greatest Champion of Women’s Rights’. According to his words, “Mohammad was probably the greatest champion of women’s rights the world has ever seen. Islam conferred upon the Muslim wife property rights and judicial status exactly the same as that of her husband. She is free to dispose off and manage her financial assets as she pleases, without let or hindrance from her husband”.

Dr. Annie Besant also advocated the personality of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as the soul crusader of women’s rights in the world. She said, “When we see thousands of miserable women who crowd the streets of western towns during the night, we must surely feel that it does not lie in the western mouths to reproach Islam for its polygamy. It is better for a woman, happier for a woman, more respectable for a women, to live in Islamic polygamy, united with one man only, with the legitimate child in her arms surrounded with respect that to be seduced, cast out into the streets perhaps with an illegitimate child outside the pale of law — unsheltered and uncared for, to become a victim of any passerby, night after night rendered incapable of motherhood, despised by all”.

Betram Thomas while preaching the quality of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as champion of Women’s Rights said, “He was the uplifter of Widows”. “He never ceased to champion the causes of women against the ill-treatment of his contemporaries. He condemned the practice of inheriting the widow with the rest of an estate as though she were a chattel. She must not be a despised creature to be ashamed of and to be ill-treated by anymore, but a person to love, cherish and respect; at her feet lay the gates of paradise,” were the words of Betram Thomas praising the Prophet of Islam.

Islam has been the religion of justice for all irrespective of colour, caste, creed, sex, etc. As per Islam there is no discrimination among its followers. All are equal in the eyes of the Almighty. The followers of Islam have been wrongly quoted by the negative propaganda of the world but there have been many renowned personalities of the world who have read about Islam and were convinced to quote the positive angles of Islam in their articles, books, etc.

Sir George Bernard Shaw is the wittiest writer of the world in the 21 century.  According to him Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is the ‘Soul of Humanity’. He said, “He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teaching and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come. He was born in Arabia in the year 570 C.E. Started His mission of preaching the religion of Truth, Islam (submission to One God) at the age of forty and departed from this world at the age of sixty-three. During this short period of 23 years of His Prophethood, He changed the complete Arabian Peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence”.

Nightingale of India-Sarojini Naidu, Freedom Activist and Poetess has mentioned Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as Preacher of Brotherhood. Sarojini Naidu speaking about this aspect of Islam says, “It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for in the mosque, when the minaret is sounded and the worshipers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and the king kneel side by side and proclaim, God is great”. The great poetess of India continues, “I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes a man instinctively a brother. When you meet an Egyptian, an Algerian and Indian and a Turk in London, it matters not that Egypt is the motherland of one and India is the motherland of another”.

Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje a Dutch Scholar said about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), “The league of nations founded by Prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity of human brotherhood on such Universal foundations as to show candle to other nations. The fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done the realization of the idea of the League of Nations”.

Our Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi’s commenting on the universal brotherhood preached by Prophet of Islam said, “Someone has said that Europeans in South Africa dread the advent of Islam that civilized Spain. Islam, that took the torch of light to Morocco and preached to the world the Gospel of Brotherhood. The Europeans of South Africa dread the advent of Islam, as they may claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it. If brotherhood is a sin, if it is equality of the coloured races that they dread, then their dread is well founded”.

       If one dares to disapprove to the Apostle of God, they may because it is their personal liking and understanding but how would they disagree with the few above mentioned important personalities of this world who were unlike of their own kind!