CREATING AND HONOURING MAN
It was a decision of Allah to create a creature that could inhabit this universe and His choice fell on man. It is also in accordance with His Divine Wisdom that the matter from which man was created was the earth. He originated his creation from clay and then moulded him on this beautiful shape that he has now. When he has become completely perfect in that shape, He breathed life into him through His Spirit (Angel Jibril -Gabriel) and He made him become man in the best form; provided him with the ability to hear, see, move and speak. Then his Lord made him live in Paradise, taught him all that he needed to know, made lawful for him all that was in Paradise and forbade him from a single tree – as a test for him.
Allah wanted to show man’s position and standing; so, He commanded His Angels to prostrate for him. All of the Angels prostrated but Satan arrogantly and obstinately refused to prostrate. So, Allah became angry with him for his disobedience and expelled him from His Mercy because of his arrogance. Satan asked Allah to extend his life and give him respite till the Day of Resurrection. So, Allah extended his life till the Day of Resurrection.
Satan became envious of Adam because of the preference he and his children were given over him. He swore by His Lord that he would mislead all the children of Adam, that he would come to them from their front and rear, and from their left and from their right except the sincere, pious and truthful slaves of Allah among them, for such Allah has protected against the evil plans of Satan. Allah warned Adam of the evil plan of Satan, but Satan tempted Adam and his wife Hawwa in order to get them out of Paradise and to uncover for them that which was hidden from them of their private parts. He swore by Allah to them that he was a sincere well-wisher for them and that Allah had not forbidden them from that tree save they should become angels or become of the immortals.
Having been influenced by the deception of Satan, Adam and Hawwa ate of the forbidden tree and the first punishment that afflicted them for their disobedience of Allah’s command was that, which that was hidden from them of their private parts became exposed and Allah reminded them of His warning about the tricks of Satan.
Adam then sought for the forgiveness of his Lord. So, Allah forgave Him, accepted his repentance, chose him and guided him. He then ordered him to descend from the Paradise where he was living, to the earth wherein there was his abode and his enjoyment for a time. He also told him that it was from earth that he was created, that on it he would live and die and that it is from it that he would be resurrected.
Adam and his wife Hawwa then descended to the earth and their children procreated and they all used to worship Allah, because their father Adam was a Prophet. Allah tells us this story in the glorious Qur’an where He says,
“And surely, we created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape, then We told the angels, ‘Prostrate to Adam’, and they prostrated except Iblees (Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrate. (Allah) said, ‘What prevented you (O Iblees) that you did not prostrate when I commanded you?’ Iblees said, ‘I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire and You created him from clay.’ Allah said, ‘(O Iblees) get down from this (Paradise),
it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced.’ (Iblees) said, ‘Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up.’ Allah said, ‘You are of those allowed respite…’” (Suratul A’raf 7:11-25)
Consider the greatness of Allah’s work in man. He created him in the best form, clothed him with traits of honour like intellect, knowledge, eloquence, art of speaking, beautiful figure, moderate body, ability to acquire knowledge through analogical deduction and thinking and ability to acquire noble characteristics like, righteousness, acts of obedience and submission to Allah. Far is his condition while he was just a drop of sperm kept in the womb of his mother from his creation while the Angel will enter upon him in the Paradise. “So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators.” (Al-Mu’minoon 23:14)
This world is a village and man is its inhabitant. All is preoccupied because of him and all is made to work for his interests. All other creatures are made to serve him and provide for his needs. The angels are charged to protect him during day and night. Those of them who are charged with provision of rain and plants strive to provide him with his sustenance; orbits are made to surrender to him and revolve in his services; the sun, moon and stars are all subjected to move in line with his time reckoning and for the betterment of his food arrangement. The aerial world with its winds, clouds, birds and all that it contains is also subjected to him. So is the lower world with all its seas and rivers, its trees and fruits, its plants and animals and all that is in it. Allah says,
“Allah is he Who has created the heavens and the earth and sends down water (rain) from the sky, and thereby brought forth fruits as provisions for you; and he has made the ship to be of service to you, that may sail through the sea by His Command; and He has made rivers also to be of service to you. And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and the day, to be of service to you. And He gave you all that you asked for, and if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to reckon them. Verily, man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer, a disbeliever.” (Ibrahim 14:32-34)
To complete His honour on man, He created for him all that he needs in his worldly life and all that he needs that can make him attain the highest positions in the Hereafter. He as such, revealed to him His Books and sent to him His Messengers explaining to him the Law of Allah and calling him unto it.
Then Allah created for him from his own self – meaning from Adam himself – a wife, so that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her, in response to his natural needs, be it psychological, intellectual and physical. He then found with her comfort, tranquillity and stability and both of them found in their togetherness peace, contentedness, love and mercy; because of their physical, psychological and nervous composition, both of them are made to respond to the desires of each other and both are made to be in harmony in the process of producing new generations. The souls of both are enriched with these feelings and their relationship is filled with comfort for the soul and nerves, peace for the body and mind, stability for the life and subsistence, familiarity for souls and conscience and a tranquillity for the man and woman on an equal basis.
Allah then chose the believers among mankind and made them his friends. He made them obey Him and work for Him according to his Laws in order to make them qualify to live in His Paradise. He chose among them Prophets, Messengers, saints and martyrs and blessed then in this world with the best favour that human souls can enjoy: worshipping Allah, obeying Him and supplicating to him. He also distinguished them with great favours – that others cannot get – among which are: peace, tranquillity and happiness, and greater than all this is the fact that they know the truth that was brought by the Messengers and believe in it. Allah then keeps for them – in the Hereafter – the everlasting bliss and great success that befit His generosity, glory be to Him. He will also reward their belief in Him and their sincerity to Him and will give them more out of His Bounty.
The position of woman:
In Islam, the woman is accorded a high position which she was not accorded in any of the previous religions and which no nation will accord her but Islam. This is because, the honour that Islam conferred on mankind is shared by both man and woman on equal basis. Mankind is equal before rules of Allah in this world as they will be equal as regards His reward and recompense on the Last Day. Allah says,
“And indeed, we have honoured the children of Adam.”
He also says,
“There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related.” (An-Nisaa 4: 7)
“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable.” (Al-Baqarah 2: 228)
“The believers, men and women are auliya (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another.” (At-Tawbah 9:71)
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them a wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say; ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.’ (Al-Israa 17: 23-24)
“So, their Lord accepted their supplication (saying); ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.’ (Al-Imran 3:195)
“Whoever works righteousness – whether male or female – while he or she is a true believer (of Islamic monotheism) verily, to him we will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and we shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do.’ (An-Nahl 16: 97)
‘And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a true believer (in the Oneness of Allah), such will enter paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a speck on the back of a date-stone, will be done to them.’ (An-Nisaa 4: 124)
This honour that the woman enjoys in Islam has no equal in any other religion, creed or law. Roman civilization had had it established that woman should be a slave and a subordinate of man and that she should absolutely has no rights at all. There was even a great conference in Rome where affairs of the woman were discussed. The conclusion reached at the conference was that, the woman was a lifeless being and as such could not have share in the life of the hereafter and that she was impure.
In Athens, woman used to be regarded as a scrap. She would be sold and bought like any other commodity and she was being regarded an abomination of Satan’s handiwork.
According to the ancient Indian statutes, the plague, death, hell, poison of serpents and fire are all better than woman. Her right to live used to end with the death of her husband – who was regarded as her master. When she saw the corpse of her husband being burnt, she must throw herself into it and if she did not, she would be accursed.
As for Judaism, the following judgement was passed on her in the Old Testament.
“I moved around with my heart in order to know, search and look for wisdom and intelligence, and in other to know that evil is ignorance and that stupidity is madness. And I found that worse than death is woman who is a snare and her heart is like a shoelace and her hands are shackles.” (Sifrul Jami’ah 7:25-26. It is known that the Old Testament is hallowed and believed in by both the Christians and the Jews. Note: The two verses were translated directly from Arabic version quoted by the author because the translator could not find them in the Biblical version available to him nor could he find the name of the book in English. =Translator)
Such was the condition of woman in the ancient times. As for medieval and contemporary times, the following events explain that.
The Danish writer, Wieth Kordsten explained the position of the Catholic Church as regards woman when he said, “During the medieval times, the concern that was had for European woman was very limited and this is in conformity with the view of the Catholic creed that used to regard woman as a second-class human being.”
In France, a conference was held in the year 586 A.D. where the issue of woman was discussed as to whether she should be regarded as a human being or not. At the end of the discussion, the discussants concluded that she was a human being but that she was created for the service of man.
In French law, article 217 says; “The married woman- even if her marriage is based on separation between her right of ownership and that of her husband should not give anyone ownership of anything of her property with or without compensation except with the participation of her husband in the transaction or his written consent to that.”
In England, Henry the VIII prohibited the English woman from reading the Holy Book, until 1850, women were not considered citizens of England and up till 1882, they had no personal rights. (Silsilatu muqaaranatil adyaan – Dr. Ahmad Shalaby 3/210-213)
As for the condition of woman in contemporary Europe, America and other industrial nations, she is regarded as a common creature that should be utilized for commercial purposes, for she is a part of commercial advertisement. This has even reached a situation where she is stripped naked in order to advertise commodities on her body. Her body and honour have become desecrated based on regulations laid down by men in order to make her an object of enjoyment everywhere.
The contemporary woman is an abject of care and attention as long as she is able to give out her wealth, intelligence and body. But when she becomes old and loses her means of giving, the society individually and collectively abandons her and she lives lonely in her house or in the sanatorium.
Compare the above – although they cannot be equal – with what the Noble Qur’an says,
“The believers’ men and women are friends of one another.” (At-Tawbah 9: 71)
“And they (woman) have rights (over their husbands) similar (to those of their husbands) over them.” (Al-Baqarah 2: 229)
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them your mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.’ (Al-Israa 17: 23-24)
While Allah honours woman, He makes it clear to all mankind that He created her to be mother, wife, daughter and sister; and ordained for these roles, special regulations that are peculiar to her.
By Dr. Muhammad bin Abdullah As-Suhaym
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