Allah has promised to believers, men and women, Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide, and delightful dwelling places in Gardens of Eternity. And the pleasure of Allah is the greatest of all. That is the supreme triumph.
(Chapter 9, verse 72)
In Chapter 9 verse 72 of the Holy Qur’an, Allah explains that both women and men have equal spiritual status. The first time these words were heard was 1500 years ago in Arabia where women were second class citizens. Now, suddenly, eternal paradise was promised to women, as equals to men. And who brought this message to the world? It was the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) the liberator of women.
What does this mean for us today?
For ladies, instead of buying the bread and milk on the shopping list, they may decide to buy the pair of shoes they had had their eye on in the shop window.
Secondary school students may enjoy a certain subject that they wish to choose for their GCSE’s.
Younger Nasirat may enjoy spending time with their friends, enjoying their childhood before they take on the big responsibilities of adulthood.
We thank Allah for the little things in our lives, which are normal for us to experience and enjoy. But not all women had these opportunities. Because before the time of the Holy Prophet (sa) a woman’s life was not a life you would want to live. Imagine it like this:
Ladies would not have been able to buy those shoes because their husband would have used their money.
Students would not have been able to go to school as an education was not something to be ‘wasted’ on girls. They would have been treated as a slave as this was seen as their job.
Nasirat may not be alive to enjoy any kind of childhood because some Arabs killed baby girls.
This was until Allah sent the Holy Prophet (saw) to reverse these harmful and unfair customs and grant women respect. But with rights and freedoms also comes responsibilities. The Liberator of women, our beloved Prophet (saw) wanted us to be righteous, so that we can earn the paradise promised to us.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated at the National Ijtema in 2009:
“The Holy Prophet (saw) gave a most beautiful explanation of the status of women. He said that the world is a provision for this life , that is, the world is a means for this life; and there is no better provision in the world, than a virtuous woman”.
By Mariam Orchard
