Class Notes Of Ideal Muslimah- Umm Yusif

Ideal Muslimah

Lecture #1

(From the book Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi)

Chapter 1: The Muslim Woman and Her Rabb

The Believing Woman is Alert

1.   A Muslimah has to strive towards the right path and to do good deeds - acts of worship and other acts - by whatever means she can, putting all her trust in Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), submitting to His will, and believing that she is always in need of Allah's (subhanahu wa ta'ala) help and support.

2.   We learn from the story of when the Prophet Ibrahim (alaihi as-salam) left Hajar and her son in the desert where there was no one, no food or water, the lesson of tawakkul (reliance on Allah).

"And put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed." [Al-Ma'idah (5), Ayah 23]

Lessons of Tawakkul:
a. Hijrah of the Prophet
b. Birds
c. Maryam

3.   Story of the Grandmother of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz

4.   The three levels of faith
a. Islam
b. Iman
c. Ihsan

Ideal Muslimah

Lecture #7

(From the book Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi)

Chapter 1: The Muslim Woman and Her Rabb (cont.)

1. She wears correct hijab (cont.) p. 30

Safiyyah bint Shaybah said:

"When we were with `A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her), we mentioned the women of Quraysh and their virtues. `A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said, `The women of Quraysh are good, but by Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) I have never seen any better or more strict in their adherence to the Book of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) than the women of the Ansar. When Surat al-Nur was revealed - ( . . . that they should draw their veils over their bosoms . . .) – their menfolk went to them and recited to them the words that Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) had revealed. Each man recited it to his wife, his daughter, his sister and other female relatives. Every woman among them got up, took her wrapper, and wrapped herself up in it out of faith and belief in what Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) had revealed. They appeared behind the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), wrapped up, as if there were crows on their heads." [See Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih Bukhari, 8/489, 490, Kitab al-tafsir, bab walyadribna bi khumurihinna 'ala juyubihinna.]

2.   She avoids mixing freely with men

The true Muslim woman avoids mixing with men as much as possible; she does not pursue it or encourage it. Thus she follows the example of Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), the Prophet's wives, the women of the salaf (the Sahabah and Tabi`in), and those who followed their way sincerely.

3.   She does not shake hands with a non-mahram man  

Bukhari reports that `A'ishah (radi Allahu anha) said: "When the believing women made hijrah to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), he would examine and test them, in accordance with the ayah: (`O you who believe! When there come to you believing women refugees, examine [and test] them'. . .) (Qur'an 60:10) Whoever accepted these conditions required of the believing women has thereby accepted their bay`ah. When the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) accepted their words, he told them (the women), `You may go now, for I have accepted your bay`ah.' By Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), the Prophet's hand never touched the hand of a woman; he accepted their bay`ah by words only. By Allah, he never put any conditions on women other than those that Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) commanded him, and when he had confirmed the bay`ah he would say `I have accepted you bay`ah by your words.'"

4.   She does not travel except with a mahram

One of the rulings of Islam concerning women is that a woman should not travel without a mahram, because travel is full of dangers and hardships and it is not right for a woman to face all this alone, without a mahram to protect her and take care of her.

Abū Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allāh (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) said, "It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allāh and the Last Day to travel the distance of a day and night, if she does not have a Mahram with her." (Bukhaaree 1088)

5.   She accepts the will and decree of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala)

The Muslim woman who is obedient to the command of her Lord naturally accepts His will and decree, because this is one of the greatest signs of faith, obedience, taqwa and righteousness in a person. So the Muslim woman who is guided by the teachings of Islam always accepts whatever befalls her in life, whether it is good or bad, because this attitude of acceptance is good for her in all cases, as the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) explained:

"How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are all good. If he experiences ease, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perseverance, and that is also good for him." [Muslim]  

Levels of Patience
a. Recounting a difficult trial during the life of Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr

Ideal Muslimah

Lecture #11

(From the book Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi)

Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek refuge with Him, and seek His Forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our souls, and the mistakes in our actions. Whoever Allah Guides, there is none who can misguide him, and whoever Allah misguides, there is none who can guide him. And I testify that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his servant and Messenger.   

Chapter 1: The Muslim Woman and Her Rabb (cont.)

1.   She works to support the religion of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) p. 39

— An-Nahdiyah & her daughter  were of tribe of Abd-dar. They were owned by woman who tortured & abused the mother/daughter pair for accepting Islam

• One day, mistress came by with a lot of flour.  She told them, “Knead all this flour together & bake it into bread.” She used her slaves for her bakery business. This owner would use her slaves for work, & during their off-hours, she would torture them. She swore by the idols, “I will never free the both of you.”
• Abu Bakr came by & told her, “Free them, let them go.”
• The owner said, “You ask me to free them? You’re the one who ruined them. You turned them into these Believers. You want them to be free, you free them.”
• Abu Bakr asked, “How much do they cost?”
• She set a high price. Abu Bakr said, “Fine, I’ll buy them both.” He didn’t even negotiate the price
• After Abu Bakr bought & freed the slaves, they were surrounded by bags & bags of flour that they had to bake into bread. Abu Bakr told them, “Go and return this flour to the former owner.”
• Instead of returning the flour, the mother & daughter asked Abu Bakr, “Is it okay if we finish the job that we had taken? We appreciate that you purchased us our freedom, but we were in the middle of a task. We want to finish the job we had started & then we’ll go on our way.”
• Abu Bakr said, “You’re free now, you can do whatever you like. You don’t need my permission.”
• Both An-Nahdiyah & her daughter stayed there until they finished baking the bread & gave it their former owner

Lubaynah

Lubaynah was a slave girl of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Before Umar's conversion to Islam his harsh treatment of his convert slaves was well known. Zaneerah was her companion in slavery.

Lubaynah accepted Islam, and Umar who had not accepted Islam by that time would beat her mercilessly until he was tired. He would then say,

"I have not stopped out of pity, but because I am tired!"

Lubaynah held on strongly to her belief and said after her severe beating,

"If this does not persuade you, Allah shall revenge me!".

He asked her to renounce Islam, but she stuck to her faith. When Abu Bakr came to know of her sad state, he paid for her, and set her free.

Zaneerah al-Rumiya

— A slave woman named Zannirah belonged to someone of Banu Makhzum (same family as Abu Jahl)

• Abu Jahl asked her owner to hand her over to him; he deprived Zannirah of sleep, food, & water. He also tortured her mercilessly, to the point that she lost her eyesight
• Once she went blind, Abu Jahl taunted Zunairah, “Woman, do you know why you can’t see anymore? You lost your eyesight because Al-lat and Al-Uzza (the idols that Quraysh worshiped) have taken them, because you have disbelieved in them and abandoned the religion of our forefathers.”
• Zannirah, devastated that she didn’t have the ability to counter him, simply said, “This is what my Lord has decided for me, this is why I have lost my eyesight. My Raab can return my eyesight to me. Who do you think you are?”
• The following day, when Abu Jahl came back to torture her some more, Zannirah was looking directly at him – her eyesight was restored to her
• Abu Bark spoke to her owner, purchased Zannirah & set her free

Ideal Muslimah

Lecture # 18

(From the book Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi)

Chapter 2: The Muslim Woman and Her Own Self

2 - HER MIND

What the Muslim woman needs to know p. 66

The first thing that the Muslim woman needs to know is how to read the Qur'an properly (with tajwid), and to understand its meaning. Then she should learn something of the sciences of hadith, the sirah of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), and the history of the women of the Sahabah and Tabi`in, who are prominent figures in Islam. She should acquire as much knowledge of fiqh as she needs to ensure that her worship and daily dealings are correct, and she should ensure that she has a sound grasp of the basic principles of her religion.

Muslim women's achievements in the field of knowledge

The Mother of the Believers, `A'ishah (radi Allahu anha), was a primary source of hadith and knowledge of the sunnah, and was the first faqihah in Islam.

Another of these prominent female scholars was Fatimah, the daughter of the author of Tuhfat alfuqaha', `Ala' al-Din al-Samarqandi (d. 539 AH). She was a faqihah and scholar in her own right: she had learned fiqh from her father and had memorized his book al-Tuhfah.

And many more …..

Ideal Muslimah

Lecture # 20

(From the book Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi)

Chapter 2: The Muslim Woman and Her Own Self

She never stops reading and studying (p. 69)

The Muslim woman who understands that seeking knowledge is a duty required of her by her faith can never stop nourishing her mind with knowledge, no matter how busy she may be with housework or taking care of her children. She sets aside a time daily, even if it is a short period of time, to increase her knowledge.

She performs acts of worship regularly and purifies her soul

She prays with calmness of heart and clearness of mind, so that her soul may be

refreshed by the meaning of the words of Qur'an, dhikr and tasbih that she is mentioning. Then she sits alone for a little while, praising and glorifying Allah, and reciting some ayat from His Book, and meditating upon the beautiful meanings of the words she is reciting. She checks her attitude and behaviour every now and then, correcting herself if she has done anything wrong or fallen short in some

way.  

She keeps company with righteous people and joins religious gatherings

And keep your soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening,

seeking His Face; and let not your eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds.) (Qur'an 18: 28)

She frequently repeats du`a's and supplications described in Hadith

http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_supplication_and_its_manners.pdf