Heart” by Yasmin Mogahed

BY SAMYAMogahed

BY SAMYA

5 years ago

A number of initiatives have been launched in the last few years to engage Muslim women in public
discussions of issues related to Islam in general. In her post “Reviving the Spirit Without Recognizing Half
The Audience?“, Sumaya, a guest contributor to MMW, suggested a list of women who should be invited
on such events. One of them is Yasmin Mogahed (who has since spoken at the same conference that
Sumaya covered), an internationally-renowned writer and speaker who launched her book, Reclaim Your
Heart, in 2012.

In her book, Mogahed shares her thoughts on liberating the soul from all materialistic attachments, and
on how to enable greater connection with God, as He is the only source of strength and inspiration for us
as human beings. She talks about human relationships, love, dreams and life challenges, relationship
with God, women’s status, and the state of the Muslim world at large.

Using examples from the Quran and Hadith, Mogahed presents the spiritual journey people go through,
with all its success and downturns, in order to reach their goals. Mogahed says that people usually attach
themselves to materialistic objects in their lives, forgetting about God, and the life hereafter. She
suggests mainly that we, as human beings, should “free our hearts from this slavery.” This book will
teach readers how to live in this life without allowing life to own them. In this sense, the book looks like
a primer on how to protect their most prized possession – the heart.

Towards the end of the book, Mogahed discusses in details the status of women in Islam. She talks about
empowerment of women, arguing that mainstream Western feminists erased God from the scene. The
result, according to Mogahed, is that they were left with no other standard, except for men. She writes:

“What (women) did not recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness –
not in their sameness. When we accept men as the standard, suddenly anything uniquely feminine
becomes by definition inferior.”

In her book, Mogahed clearly stands against the concept of feminism. She says “Western feminism
erases God from the scene, and in that case, there is no standard left, except men.” She suggests that
instead of following the ideas presented by feminism, which according to her, consider men the
standard, a woman should discover her distinctiveness given to her by God. In Mogahed’s argument, a
woman should be looking for privileges given to her and not to men.

The problem I have with Mogahed’s point of view about feminism is that it is looked at from a narrow
angle. Feminism is not just about cutting hair short or joining the army like a man, which are examples
given by Mogahed. There is much more to it. There are certain social and political roles a woman should
be considered to play. There are also workplace, reproductive and electoral rights that feminists are
fighting for. I think the chapter about women should have been tackled in a different way, in a way that
does not look at men as the only standard, but also at other standards within society that could treat
women unfairly. I would grab the opportunity here to use a quote from my colleague, Syma, who
explained beautifully the definition of feminism in relation to Islam in the post titled “Responding to the
Goatmilk Debates on Islam and Feminism: Part Two.”

“Feminism is simple: the belief that all people, regardless of gender, are and should be equal in the eyes
of society and God. The rest becomes technicalities and matters of form that are not quite as important
as the belief in egalitarianism…. Feminism feels totally compatible with Islam because its primary aim is
to ensure that everyone remains equal, not just in God’s eyes, but society’s eyes as well.”

Mogahed also talks about the objectification of women, and how it is becoming the norm in public
discourse. Society, according to Mogahed, has set standards of beauty for women. In that sense, many
women became slaves to these standards in order to look beautiful in the eyes of men. What they have
to know is that it is important to free themselves from such attachments, “because their bodies and their
souls were created for something higher.”

The above disagreements aside, I find Mogahed’s book highly inspiring for a number of reasons. First,
she uses a very simple language that is easy to understand and follow. It makes the idea of thinking
about the content of her book more simplified and more applicable in real life. Second, towards the end
of the book, Mogahed uses real life examples and stories to express her thoughts on any given idea.
Those examples derive either from her own life or from the times of Prophet Mohammed, peace be
upon him. For example, when she talks about men and how some of them treat women in our time, she
invokes the example of harassment in Egypt. Mogahed gives the example of a young Egyptian woman in
a taxi, who fought with the driver over money. Since there are no fixed rates for taxi trips, the driver got
angry after the woman did not give him the money he requested. So, he grabbed the girl by the
shoulder, and started shaking her. When the girl insulted the man as a result of that, he simply punched
her face. What disturbed Mogahed the most is the fact that there was a group of men standing by, and
none of them moved an inch to help the poor lady.
She also tells the story of the Prophet and how he kissed the grandsons of a villager on their foreheads.
The villager said “I have ten children, I have never kissed any of them!” The Prophet looked at him and
said “He who does not have mercy for others will not have others show mercy for him.” Mogahed’s use
of examples such as this renders the book ideas more relevant to our living experience, and would most
probably be easier to follow and practice.

Using examples from the Prophet’s days and from our present time makes it smoother for the reader to
understand that there are certain things in life that never change, whatever the time is. These two
examples, for instance, call for mercy on women and children. It is something the Prophet used to do,
and people these days should be doing. Defining such actions as part of the Prophet’s Sunna makes it
motivating for people to believe in and apply in their daily routines.

For some readers, some parts of Mogahed’s book may seem somewhat repetitive, such as her
discussions of attachment to God vs. attachment to the materialistic life. However, I believe such a
repetition can have positive impact on readers, serving to reinforce ideas in readers’ heads as they go
through the book chapters. In addition, frequent references to the same ideas often enrich the
discussion, especially when we realize that those ideas are approached from multiple perspectives.

Despite the abovementioned weaknesses when it comes to feminism and gender issues, I would
recommend this book to people searching for a greater peace of soul and mind, fewer disappointments,
and an enduring sense of achievement. This book could truly be a source of inspiration for people who
are feeling ambivalent about different choices in their life. It is also a good starter for those keen on
seeing life from different perspectives, and harnessing lessons from Quran and Hadith to improve their
living experience.

Book Review of Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer

Book: Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer

Author: Sheikh Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi

Review by: Miss Faatimah Dulull

Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer by Sheikh Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi is a treatise on the concept and
manners of du’a (invocation). The aim of the author is to arouse the heart and soul of readers. The book
has a special importance to the author as it was written in a period when the author was experiencing
inner turmoil.

In the introduction of the book, the author states:

“It was at a time when I myself was turning to Allah, making du’a constantly and earnestly for a miracle
to occur to save me from the situation that I was in. And it was while I was writing the final pages of this
book, sitting in front of computer, that a phone call from an absolutely unexpected source came,
informing me that, indeed a miracle had occurred; and for Allah all matters are easy, for He only has to
say, ‘Kun’ and it is!”

The solidity of a book is known through the credibility of its author. Sheikh Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi is a
prolific Muslim scholar in the English-speaking world. He is well-known proponent of Qur’an and Sunnah
as understood by the pious predecessors. The reliability of this book is unquestionable as the author has
confined himself to quoting verses of the Qur’an and hadith related to du’a, and the statements of
scholars with brief explanations. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah is the scholar who is mostly quoted in this
book. To preserve the authenticity of Islam, the author warns readers against some fabricated hadith.

In addition its authenticity, Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer is a comprehensivebook on the topic of
invocation. Previously there have been some works on the subject of du’a in English language but they
were not that intensive. In this book, Sheikh Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi has given a thorough explanation
on the basics related to du’a, its types, its excellence and benefits, pre-conditions, etiquettes,
recommended times, factors that aid a person’s du’a being answered, the wisdom behind a delayed
response, permissible acts of du’a, tawassul, du’a and its relationship with destiny, innovations in du’a,
some weak hadith regarding du’a and some other various topics. Moreover, both in terms of form and
content, the author has excelled. The author uses a simple and concise language to explain his points.
Readers are not expected to have a previous background on the topic.
Personally, I find Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer relevant to all Productive Muslims regardless of their
age, gender, ethnicity, or background. Since du’a is closely related to a Muslim’s creed and monotheism
and it is the essence of the noblest form ofworship, it is crucial for Muslims to know its status and basics.
Moreover, in an era where some people are in utter confusion by invoking the dead at their graves, it is
imperative to know the rulings governing du’a. This book helps us, His creation, to connect to Him, our
Creator as “the worshipper turns to his Lord at his time of need, after all types of aid has been cut off,
and all other sources have been despaired of. He turns to his Lord to obtain from Him contentment,
peace and serenity, and he finds Beneficence which will never be found from other sources.”
Furthermore, with the hustle and bustle that Muslims face in their daily life, this book is a powerful tool
that can guide to enhance one’s productivity through spiritual means.

I would recommend all Muslims to read Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi’s Du’a: The Weaponof the Believer. It is
a book that is worth having on the bookshelves of all households. A true Productive Muslim knows that
everything, including productivity, can only happen by the Will of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and that
we should ask Him for what we want and need.