Muslim Womens Role in Community Development

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

To Allah belongs all honor and His Messengers and the believers

Islam is a religion and a way of life based on the commandments of Allah contained in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammed SAWS)

RasulAllah SAWS) said …. I have left you with 2 things after which you will never go astray , as long as you adhere to them . The book of Allah and my sunnah and they shall never part until they attend my Basin of Al Kawthur

Every muslim is under the obligation to fashion his entire life in accordance with the dictates of the Quran and Sunnah

One of the characteristic marks of this faith is the  fact that it is essentially a unity.  It is at once worship and work , religious laws and exhortation .

RasulAllah SAWS) said …. Whoever  among you sees a stranger let him make provisions for him .also words of the Prophet (PBUH):

"Protect yourselfs from the Fire even if it is with half a date"

"O `A'ishah, protect yourself from the Fire, even if it is only with half a date, for it can benefit

a hungry person as much as one who has enough to eat."

2;177. It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and gives the Zakat, and who fullfil their covenant when they make it, and who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqun (pious ]

So there can be no separation from faith and action

Allah SWT has created everything on this earth to assist us humans to become believers to worship Him and establish His Rule on earth

This is our aim in life so this is why we must attain unity .One united block following Quran and Sunnah .

RasulAllah SAWS) said .. the likeness of the believers in their mutual love and mercy and relationship is that of one body , when one member is afflicted , all the rest of the body  joins with it to suffer feverish sleeplessness .

Also he said “ One believer strengthens another as one building strengthens another “

Allah states if we are not united there will be much corruption on earth . So we are His emissaries [ Khalifah ] on earth  , its our duty to set things right .

2;30. And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You." He (Allah) said: "I know that which you do not know."

To refrain from expenditure is destruction to our ummah …2;195. And spend in the Cause of Allah  and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in the Cause of Allah), and do good. Truly, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers). The destruction of society is the discrimination and the oppression that comes in the train of the absence of free expenditure in alms , together with the accompanying discord and hatreds , debility and weakness .

So back to our role as muslim women working for Islam in the community Allah has made it easy but He SWT  warns us

18;46. Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds (five compulsory prayers, deeds of Allah's obedience, good and nice talk, remembrance of Allah with glorification, praises and thanks, etc.), that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope.

Islam prescribes the claim of the poor upon the wealth of the rich, according to their needs and according to the best interest of society , so social life may be balanced and productive .

.Islam is the only way of life that provides social justice and the world is in great need for the solution that has been afforded to us from Allah SWT .

The Islamic life view consists of mercy ,justice,  love , help , support and mutual responsibility among  Muslims in particular , and among all humans beings in general .It is apparent that then that Islam is the eternal  dream of humanity incorporated in a living reality upon earth .

76;7. They (are those who) fulfill (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil will be wide-spreading…  8. And they give food, inspite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (poor), the orphan, and the captive, … 9. (Saying): "We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you….10. "Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible (from extreme dislikeness to it)."…11. So Allah saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them Nadratan (a light of beauty) and joy….12. And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient.

2; 4. And who believe in (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell, etc.). 5. They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful.

Islam insists strongly that dignity and honor are the rights of man regardless if  he is a muslim or not  and we as muslims need to search for and implement justice on earth , So we have a mutual responsibility everyone of us to work singularly or collectively for the betterment of the ummah .

16;97. Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).

Reference … Social Justice in Islam by Sayyid Qutb RA)

Alhumdu lillah Rabil Alaimeen

Examples of the sacrifice of the Sahabah RAH ) women

The wives of the Prophet (PBUH) and the women of the salaf set the highest example of generous

giving, and their deeds are recorded by history in letters of light.

In his biography of `A'ishah given in Siyar a`lam al-nubala', al-Dhahabi states that she gave

seventy thousand dirhams in charity, at the time when she was putting patches on her shield.

Mu`awiyah sent her a hundred thousand dirhams, and she gave it all away in charity before

evening fell. Her servant said to her, "Why did you not buy a dirham's worth of meat with it?" She

said, "Why did you not tell me to do so?"

Her sister Asma' was no less generous. `Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RAA) said: "I never saw two

women more generous than `A'ishah and Asma', but their ways of being generous were different.

`A'ishah would accumulate things and then share them out, whilst Asma' would never keep

anything until the next day."

The Prophet's wife Zaynab bint Jahsh used to work with her own hands and give in charity

from her earnings. She was the most generous of the Prophet's wives in giving freely and

doing good deeds. According to a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim from `A'ishah (May Allah

be pleased with her), the Prophet (PBUH) told his wives about Zaynab: "The first of you to

join me (after death) will be the one who has the longest hand." `A'ishah said: "They began

to measure their hands against one another to see who had the longest hand, but it was not the length of the hands but how much the hands worked to please Allah  and Zaynab was the first to join him as she used to work with her hands

and give charity from her earnings."

Among the women to whose generosity history bears witness is Sakinah bint al-Husayn who would

give generously of whatever she had. If she had no money, she would take off her own jewellery

and give it to those who were destitute.

`Atikah bint Yazid ibn Mu`awiyah gave up all of her money to the poor members of Abu Sufyan's

family.

Umm al-Banin, the sister of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz, was a marvellous example of generous

giving. She said, "Everyone has a passion, and my passion is giving." She used to free slaves every

week, and equip horsemen to fight for the sake of Allah (SWT). She would say, "Uff to stinginess!

If it were a shirt I would not wear it, and if it were a road I would not follow it."125

Zubaydah, the wife of the khalifah Harun al-Rashid, had a channel dug to being water from springs

and rain-pools to Makkah, to provide fresh water for the inhabitants of the city and for the pilgrims.

This was named `Ayn Zubaydah (the spring of Zubaydah), and was known as one of the wonders

of the world at that time. When her treasurer objected to the high cost of this project, she told

him: "Do it, even if every single blow of the axe costs a dinar."

Reference The Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi

please remember my dear sisters that this subject is extensive we could write on it for years but we need to be doing work now even if it is a little regulary . may Allah unite us on Al Birr ameen