The Mosque, Women, and God

The Roles of Women in the Mosque

Muslim College, 20-22 Creffield Road, Ealing

The faithful men and the faithful women are protecting friends of each other. They enjoin what is good and
prohibit what is evil and establish prayer and give the Zakat and obey God and His messenger. They are
those on whom God has mercy. God is Mighty, Wise. (Surah 9:71 - at-Tawbah)

I am a bit amused at how the title for this meeting turned out in the end. You see, where I come from,
mosque place of encounter for Muslims - men, women, children involved in different activities: studying,
praying, teaching, social and welfare projects, interfaith activities. I'm relived to see that "Roles of Women"
in the subtitle is in the plural, not, as every so often, in the singular, "Role of Women", as if there were one
role at best: pray and go home. In fact, there are as many different roles for men and women as there are men
and women.

Then there is "the mosque": not every mosque is the same. I have travelled in various parts of the Muslim
world and seen very different examples: for mosque architecture as far as they are purpose-built; various
ingenious ways to convert buildings into mosques: mosques that aren't built up at all - that are just an open
space in the field set aside for the farmers to pray. After all, the English word mosque comes from the word
masjid, literally a place of prostration, and the Prophet said in this context, "The whole earth is a mosque,"
private or public. The other Arabic word for mosque, jami', is literally a place of assembly, and again I have
seen very different examples for community life in and around mosques and, besides, did some studies in
history including scholars' biographies and the interaction of scholars through the ages. In the Prophet's time
and for many centuries later, a mosque was not only place of prayer but for social, intellectual, and spiritual
exchange - so one could almost talk about "The Role of the Mosque in the Life of Muslim Men and Women".

But I assume that the title, as it now stands, meets most Muslims and non-Muslims where they are: under the
influence of widespread stereotypes. And unfortunately, these stereotypes come about not only through
unfriendly mass media focussing on the inequality of men and women in the community but originate from
social development in parts of the Muslim world (including Muslims in Europe). Gender role expectations in
the family and in society that depend on a given socio-economic situation were often internalized and came
to be felt as "part of Islam" and taken for granted.

Thus, I remember being under the impression of these stereotypes myself when I was 15 or 16 and my had
the idea to study Islamic theology and law: I thought that perhaps it might never have happened before that a
woman studied these subjects - but I was confident enough to take the risk of being the first one.

Well, as we all know now, of course I was not. There have been Muslim women scholars at all times in our
history. However, the fact is that nearly all of my teachers were men; I didn't care but rather enjoyed the
encouragement that I experienced from their side even when my questions and ideas were "out of the box" as
they often are. But the experience did away with only part of the impressions left by the stereotypes: I
practically "grew up" without a contemporary female Muslim role model. Only later on when I, encouraged
by my teachers and challenged by the emergence of Christian feminist theology, studied more history, I
discovered my spiritual sisters and grandmothers as well as various ways Muslim women in the past made
use of their potential in communities and society.

Generally, this is my approach:

* I puzzle together information from various sources to get at the wider picture before I come to preliminary
conclusions.
* In the text, I read in between the lines and from unusual angles: What exactly does the text say (especially
in the Qur'an where every little word matters)? What does the text not say and why could that be the case?
Why are exactly these words chosen?
* With regard to the subject we are discussing here, I never focus on "women" exclusively (in contrast to the
common "feminist" approach) but look at the general social and spiritual context.
From this perspective, if you look at familiar stories referred to or outlined in the Qur'an and traditions
beyond the different commentaries, language and history studies, trying to visualize the men and women in
their real life situation, you will soon find the actions of the protagonists mentioned there and often pointed
out as role models hardly ever fit in with traditional role expectation - and this applies not only to gender
roles.

Qur'an

Abraham challenges his father and goes on a search of his own. Now the argument that his father was a
polytheist has a point; nevertheless becoming witnesses for God's unity and developing the "attitude of
Abraham that is pointed out to us for orientation needs a similar personal search, otherwise we would just be
reproducing what we have absorbed in the course of being brought up in a Muslim family.

Surah 66:11-12 (at-Tahrim) points out two women, Pharoah's wife, traditionally called Assiyah, and Mary
(Maryam) as "examples for those who have faith" (for both men and women, as the grammar indicates; if it
were for women only the form would be different). Both show remarkable confidence and courage: Assiyah
by persuading her tyrant husband to let her bring up baby Moses (Musa); Mary confronting her clan with
baby Jesus ('Isa) whom she then brings up without a father.

The queen of Shebah, traditionally called Bilqis, is described, in Surah 27:20-44 (an-Naml), as a wise ruler:
instead of following her ambitious advisors' suggestions, she pursues peaceful diplomacy that opens the way
for insight and guidance: she surrenders "with Solomon" to the Lord of the worlds (not "to Solomon and the
Lord of the worlds"!).

Solomon is another example that goes contrary to generation roles by turning out to be wiser than his father
and suggesting a better solution to a legal case.

And there are many other men and women in the Qur'an, mentioned with or without a name but giving
similar food for thought.

The Prophet's companions and contemporaries

Mentioned alongside Mary as one of the leading women of the Garden is Khadîjah bint Khuwailid, the
first Muslim and one of the the Prophet's greatest spiritual, emotional and material supporters. She was an
accomplished business woman who, after the death of two earlier husbands, had succeeded in continuing
their business for the benefit of her children, and to be respected in a role most unusual in pre-Islamic
society. I think you are all familiar with the story how she employed and then married young Muhammad.
But let us have a look at some "our of the box" questions about the context. How did she manage to become
the business woman she was, at a time when many newborn girls were buried alive? Why did she not travel
to Syria herself - were business trips abroad impossible or unacceptable for a woman, or were her children
too young for her to get away? What were her arrangements with him about how to continue business after
their marriage? Keeping in mind both their personalities and later Islamic property rules, they cannot have
been far away from continuing the existing partnership, but how did she then cope with that and their
children? Some of the answers can be found by drawing conclusions from various traditions. There we learn
a more interesting details about her personality and what she shared with the Prophet besides business and
family commitments. Khadijah was committed to the cause of the poor: she had contributed to projects like
sponsoring and running a hospital during the plague epidemics; Muhammad was involved in the Hilf al-
Fudul movement to stand up for the rights of the underprivileged. And finally: from the way she recognized
the importance of his message and supported him after his deeply unsettling first experience of revelation,
her own spiritual maturity becomes obvious.

Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr, was one of the very early Muslims and interested in the Prophet's
message since her childhood to the extent that she learned all the revealed texts by heart. People whose
imagination runs wild discussing her age at marriage forget both this and the fact that she was engaged to a
young man beforehand whose parents later objected, saying to her father Abu Bakr, "If we would permit our
son to marry your daughter, she would certainly divert him from our religion and persuade him to join your
religion!", and cancelling the engagement. She married the Prophet after the hijra. As a response to an evil
case of slander against her, the Qur'an severely criticizes slander, backbiting, gossip, and exaggerated
suspicion. She never had any children, but not many people bother to wonder about details of her everyday
life until, after the death of the Prophet, she emerges as one of the most important scholars and teachers of
her community and a recognized authority for traditions as well as for issues of law and theology. In fact,
books on the history of Islamic law mention her as one of the first muftis.

Another well-known scholar and teacher among the Mothers of the Faithful was Umm Salamah whom we
owe her the most detailed reports on how the Muslims were granted protection by the local Christian
emperor of Abyssinia. The young family then returned to Makkah, only to find that the persecution
continued. Having decided to emigrate to Madinah, Umm Salamah was captured by her clan and separated
from her husband and child; she had to overcome a lot of trouble before the boy was returned to her and she
was free to join her husband and the other Muslims in Madinah. When Abu Salamah died from his wounds
after a war, the Prophet received her and her four children into his family. She accompanied him on several
expeditions. With her presence of mind and her wise counsel she played a decisive role when the peace treaty
of Hudaibiya was made. Later on, her daughter Zaynab became one of the best scholars of her time.

These are just three examples from the Prophet's own household. I could continue with many more but I
assume that you are familiar enough with them.

Now all these examples are nearly exactly the opposite of the socially convenient "religious" woman who
uncritically conforms to a role that is expected of her in today's Muslim community. I sometimes wonder
how many parents would actually appreciate their daughters following such role models literally. However,
they must have deeply influenced women at the time of the Prophet and later in Muslim history.

Hadîth and other contemporary traditions (history)

Besides the members of the Prophet's household, both hadîth literature and history collections mention quite
a number of women who were involved in all kinds of activities like agriculture, home industry and crafts, or
simply in "buying and selling goods"; there were midwives, perfume makers, marriage brokers and many
other professions. Thus, for example, we hear about

Zaynab bint Abi Mu'awiya who "used to provide for (her husband) Abdullah (b. Mas'ûd) and the orphans
who were in her care;" by, making and selling handicrafts - obviously successfully because she asked the
Prophet at some point if she was permitted to give zakat to her husband; or of

Shifâ' who taught reading and writing and whom the Caliph 'Umar employed as a market inspector, i.e. she
had to enforce the rules concerning measures, weights and business transactions in the market of Madinah.

On the whole, it becomes evident that all these women had a formative role in the history of the young
Muslim community. They not only made an active contribution for the cause of Islam but also gave an
example for the women and girls of later generations all the way to our own time and age. A few examples
from later histrory:

The Prophet's granddaughter Zaynab who was a scholar and teacher alongside her brothers Hasan and
Husayn and a recognized authority on religious questions; After the battle of Karbalah, she saved her nephew
Ali Zainul-Abidîn's life with her courageous intervention.

Nafisa, (b. 762 C.A.) was familiar with the Qur'an and its commentaries and had a profound knowledge of
Islamic law. She taught in public lectures and classes in Cairo. Ash-Shâfi'i to whom one of the Sunni schools
of law is traced back was among her regular audience, discussing various theological and legal issues with
her and sharing part of her spiritual life.

Râbi'ah al-Adawîya (b. ca. 717 C.A.) the mystic, a student of al-Hasan al-Basri's, was the first to teach pure
love for God for His sake rather than for the sake of His gifts. She had several male and female students and
among her companions there were scholars and mystics like Sufyan ath-Thawri. Some of her prayers and
poems are still available today.

Let us briefly look at how teaching and research was done in those days.

In pre-industrial age, children usually learned their profession from their parents or relatives, normally boys
from their fathers and girls from their mothers. But not necessarily: Ijlîya bint al-Ijlî al-Asturlâbi, an
astrolab builder, had learned her father's trade and took over his business; obviously successful, she was
employed at the court of Saif ad-Dawla (in Northern Syria, 944 - 967 C.E.).

Higher religious and scientific studies generally were more a matter of interest and opportunities. Mosques
were not only places of prayer but important centres of teaching religious and general knowledge and for
intellectual and spiritual exchange. Teachers used to offer lectures and classes there - unless they offered
them in their homes. In the Classical Age, the more important mosques developed into academies and
universities, and hospitals had an important role in training doctors and nurses. We hear of cooperation
between a male and a female doctor in a highly gender-segregated society: a doctor married a doctor, then
they shared their work: the female doctor treated the female patients while her husband treated the male
ones.

From contemporary accounts, we get a rather clear idea of intellectual activities, interaction and cooperation.
Women scholars and teachers were highly respected. One example is Shuhda (d 1178 C.A.), nicknamed al-
Kâtiba (the Writer), because of her brilliant mastery of calligraphy; she taught male and female students at
Baghdad university in various branches of theology. A younger contemporary was Zaynab bint Abil-Qasim
Abdurrahman ash-Shari who studied with the commentator of the Qur'an as-Zamakhshari; among her
students there were some who became famous later on, like Ibn Khallikan, who wrote her biography.
Karîma al-Marwazîya (d. 1070 C.A.) was known as the best contemporary expert for the hadith collection
by al-Bukhari. Zaynab bint Ahmad (d. 1322 n.C.) who was fortunate enough to be able to travel in order to
complete her studies, taught in Egypt and Medina, and the students came from far away to attend her
lectures. If travelling in search of knowledge proved difficult for women - after all, contemporary criminals
were not only interested in a woman's purse but also in herself for the slave market - they often overcame
this obstacle by accompanying male family members or by meeting scholars from all over the world during
the pilgrimage to Mecca. The world traveller Ibn Battuta mentions among the women with whom he studied
in Damascus, Jerusalem and Baghdad one Zaynab (d. 1339 C.A.) who had acquired "a camel load of
certificates". In Andalusia and some other places, women scholars opened salons for the cultivation of
sciences and literature. Quite a number of women were experts for law. According to at-Tabari, women can
be judges in all cases; Abu Hanifa allegedly demanded that there should be women judges in every city "in
order that women's rights can be guaranteed". Even where women as rulers or judges were under debate,
women were accepted as muftis.

In later centuries, the harem system limited especially upper class women's access to the public sphere. But
nevertheless we repeatedly come across women who made profitable use of the rights guaranteed in Islamic
law by managing and investing their property, either directly or though their agents. Many ladies became
famous for sponsoring and managing awqâf, endowments for needy relatives or philanthropic endowments
like hospitals, colleges, sufi convents, libraries, mosques, or orphan's projects, but also roads, bazaars and
rest houses that paid the way for the former.

Some of today's stereotypes result from those later arrangements and create barriers that we put up in our
minds as Muslims. I would like to suggest three points to overcome them in order to achieve a healthy
personal and community development.

Education

According to a statement by the Prophet, "acquiring knowledge is a religious obligation for every Muslim,
man and woman." Correspondingly, it is the obligation of the community to provide it. Now knowledge is
not just information, and not just about rules and principles but also about context and scope. If we think of
sharî'ah as a road, rules and regulations would be the guard rails that keep us from ending up in the ditch. But
for a motorway it also needs different lanes for people with different speed, and, most important, also a
direction in which to move on the Straight Path. It is even more important for orientation to find role models.
In today's Muslim world, female role models are often not known, or they idealized beyond recognition like,
in some cases, Mary or Fatima. But alas! Male role models are known by name but often enough presented
as a knight on a horse or camel or as a ruler on a throne like Salahuddin - rather fitting right in with images
of fire and sword. Neither gives us an idea of what we can possibly learn from a historical person that would
be relevant for us, and the result is quite some insecurity among young men and women looking for
orientation. It is our obligation to provide suitable materials that present our values in a meaningful way, as
well as to be live role models (now that is not a role that you can take on deliberately like a job commitment
and then relax, let's say by 5:30 p.m., but it is done by working on one's own character sincerely and to be
honest about the mistakes we all make as human beings). In this context, we must also remember there is no
such thing as one role for men or women but as many possible roles as there are men and women. Among
scholars' roles is teaching, both verbally and in writing - the Prophet said, "The ink of the scholars is more
sacred than the blood of the martyrs" - and as living examples. Scholars were described as "heirs of the
prophets" - and where would we be if prophets hadn't been teachers and models?

Organization

I'm not good at making suggestions in this field, coming from an atmosphere of personal initiative, so my
suggestions come only in very general terms. They are based on the Prophet's statement, "If you see
something wrong, then remove it with your hands; if you are unable to do that, then with your tongue; if you
are unable to do that, then reject it in your heart." Staying away from a mosque or community where the
situation is not the way it should be may save a lot of pain but doesn't help. We should rather get involved in
various ways (with hands or tongue or heart) or build up an alternative to give an example. In this context, it
is important that we pool our resources, including the results of different approaches by various scholars,
utilizing the creative dynamics of men and women from various schools of thought. Diversity is described in
the Qur'an as part of creation and a sign of Creator.

Humankind, We have created you from male and female and made you into peoples and tribes that you may
recognize (and learn from) each other. The most honourable of you before God is the most conscientious one
of you. God is knowing, aware. (Surah 49:13 al-Hujurat)

Presentation

Again, it is necessary to present materials about our historical examples including individual role models and
to illustrate positive possibilities in a way that is relevant today. It is equally important to show our sharing
process in public in an age where visual impressions and experiences matter so much. For example, much of
the information that I mentioned so far, facts and figures and other information, as well as what you are
going to say next, will be forgotten unless our audience already has some knowledge of it or is able to look it
up. But the way we discuss and cooperate on this panel will leave a lasting impression that helps the
memory.

We need committed men and women who support each other in fulfilling these responsibilities to study and
teach and to be active in the public sphere and to work together towards a dignified and healthy Muslim
community that is able to make a contribution to beneficial human development in the world.