How can Felicity be Obtained by Man & Woman?
The Qur’an has introduced only one way toward felicity of man, and invited and asked all children of Adam, men and women, to follow and adopt that way.
“Enjoined I not on you O children of Adam! that ye should worship not Satan? for he is your open enemy. And ye should worship “only” Me, “and” this is the “only” Right way?” (Qur’an, 36:60, 61).
Throughout the five daily “obligatory” prayers, every follower of Islam implores God five times, day and night, to guide him toward the straight path, which is way of guidance.
Enemy of Woman & Man on Course to Perfection
Do the woman and man have enemies on the path to happiness? Is their enemy a common one? Is his enmity to each of them of the same degree? These are requests to which answers should be given within the last question. Some of feeble and ignorant thoughts indicate that in view of religion, the Satan contracts enmity with the man while proposing friendship with women, and Adam was entrapped for the first time by Satan, through his wife.
The holy Qur’an regards this idea to be incorrect. Besides, the creation verses indicate that Satan has whispered and prompted to Adam and Eve to err and they both went astray. But then they both confessed before their Lord that they have wronged themselves.
In other verses the Qur’an considers the Satan as the enemy of man, not the enemy of men.
“… Verily Satan unto man is an open enemy!” (Qur’an, 12:5).
The Almighty Allah has also made a covenant with all children of Adam charging them to keep themselves far from Satan, as stated in surat Yaseen:
“Enjoined I not on you O children of Adam! that ye should worship not Satan?” (Qur’an, 36:60).
To sum up the discussion, it can be said that the holy Qur’an never maintains any difference between personality of woman and that of the man, but rather it looks at them both equally as a pure human entity, preparing for both of them the ground of development and progress. The only difference lies in the fact that the Qur’an considers the woman and man as complementary to each other in human life.
“… they are an apparel for you and ye are apparel for them;…” (Qur’an, 2:187).
In his exposition of this verse, al-Allamah At-Tabataba’i writes:
By apparel “libas” the commonly known meaning is indicated, that is whatever man covers his body with. These two sentences are metaphorically used, as each woman and each man can curb the other from following evil ways and being a joint property, and every one of them is raiment for the other, covering his/her defects and screening his/her private parts.6
The Prophetic Sunnah
Through and between the traditions, an eloquent statement is quoted that manifests the views of our religion leaders “Imams” the character of the woman, to some of which I refer herewith:
Mates of Men “shaqaayiq”
It is reported from the Messenger of Allah “peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny” that he said: “The women are verily the mates “shaqaayiq” of the men.”7
The same hadith is quoted with other versions like: “They are verily equals of men.” and “The women are mates of men.” 8
In regard of the meaning of the word Shaqaayiq, lexicographers write:
The woman are verily mates “shaqaayiq” of the men, meaning that they are like and equal to them in morals and behaviour and nature, in a way that it can be said the women have not been separated from the men. 9 The root of the term shaqeeq gives the meaning of full brother “from the same father and mother”.
Woman: AUTHOR(S): Mahdi Mahrizi TRANSLATOR(S): Hasan M. Najafi