The True Identity of Women (Part 6)
Women in Islam and Islamic Civilization The capacity and capability of women for achieving high spiritual positions
In such a world the Holy Prophet (PBUH) raised a daughter who improved so much that the Messenger of God (PBUH) would kiss her hand. Kissing the hand of Fatima Zahra (S.A) must never be interpreted as a sign of the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) fatherly love for her. It is absolutely wrong to think that he would kiss her hand simply because she was his daughter and he loved her. Why would such a great character - whose sense of justice and wisdom originated from divine revelations and divine inspiration - bow down and kiss the hand of his daughter? Because of fatherly love? No, the reason was something else.
The Holy Prophet's (PBUH) decision to kiss the hand of Fatima Zahra (S.A) shows that his young daughter, who was only 18-25 years old when she passed away, was at the peak of human spirituality and that she was an extraordinary person. This is the Islamic view of women. This is what you should go after, both in cultural, social and intellectual issues, which is a responsibility of the ladies who are members of the socio-cultural Council for Women, and in education, which is what you scholarly ladies are after.
Islam has offered the highest position to women and has required them to move towards this position, having prepared the way through the value system and the rules. Western culture and the ideology that forms its foundation cannot separate the character of women from passions, carnal desires and frivolous entertainments even if they manage to offer the same position to women. Of course, materialistic views lack the horizons that are inherent in spiritual views. On the contrary, western culture and ideology base their judgment about communities and beliefs on the inseparability of women's character from carnal desires, human passions and frivolous entertainments.
Confronting wrong and misguided views of women
Contrary to what has always existed in royal systems, which consider women from a completely different perspective, Islam offers dignity to women. When providing examples of believers, the Holy Qur’an mentions the names of two women. "And God sets forth, as an example to those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh." [The Holy Qur’an, 66: 11] And the second example is "Mary the daughter of Imran" [The Holy Qur’an, 66: 12]. The Holy Qur’an mentions the names of two women as examples of those who believe. Similarly, the examples of those who disbelieve are also two women: "Allah sets forth, for an example to the unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut." [The Holy Qur’an, 66: 10] That is to say, the Holy Qur’an mentions the names of women not only as role models for women but also as role models for the entire society. Allah the Exalted could have mentioned the name of a man, but mentioning the names of two women is an effort to counter the wrong and misguided view of women.
By Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
Source: Mahjubah Magezine
Other links:
The True Identity of Women (Part 1)
The True Identity of Women (Part 2)
