The War Against Muslim Women
By Abdullah Hakim Quick | 2026-01-15T12:46:21.337394+00:00 | Topic: Iman
The War Against Muslim Women - by Abdullah Hakim Quick
Opening and Greeting
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praises are due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And surely the best reward is for those who have taqwa. And surely there is no animosity except for the oppressor. And I bear witness that Allah is one and has no partners. That Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, is his servant and his last messenger. And may Allah always and constantly send peace and blessings to Muhammad and to his family and his companions. And all those who call to his way and establish his sunnah to the day of judgement.
The Story of Abu Darda: A Warning from History
As to what follows, when the armies of Islam had conquered the Mediterranean islands, it was a great day of cheer. The Muslims were joyous. Allah had given them victory in a place that they never thought that they would reach. And as the armies moved around in happiness, they found one of the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Abu Dardaradiallahu anhu. They found him bitterly crying. And they came to him and they said, Ya Abu Darda, why are you crying? Allah has given us victory. Allah has opened up these lands. And he answered them, these people have disobeyed Allah. And he has given us authority over them. And I fear the day would come when we would disobey Allah and he would give them authority over us. Sadaqta ya Abu Darda radiallahu anhu. This day has surely arrived.
The Current State of the Ummah
O you who believe, Muslims are at the crossroads. And in few times in history have there been such contradictions in front of us. Such a vast ummah. So much potential. So many young, prepared, strong men. Intelligent, strong women. But yet such defeat on the ground. Confusion, humiliation. And although the ummah is rising, for many people who don't necessarily have that full perspective, to realize that we are coming up. We're coming out of a low point in our cycle. For many people it's hard to deal with this contradiction. And so we need to have an honest analysis. And we need to speak to each other in sincerity.
Speaking as Brothers and Sisters
And so I want to speak to you tonight not as a great scholar of Islam. Not as a movement leader. Not as a mufti. But as a brother. Who has been in the field for 20 years. And has seen, lived with the problems of the Muslims. And looking at history. And seeing the condition Muslims are in today. I seek refuge in the words of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. When he tells us:
"O you who believe, have the consciousness of Allah. And speak a straightforward word. He would repair your deeds. And forgive you of your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has surely gained a mighty triumph.
The Need for Honest Self-Assessment
And so I speak to you tonight not just from the mind, but from the heart. And we need to speak to each other as brothers and sisters. As people in the same family. And to speak about our Islam from the ground up. And not necessarily from the high echelons. From the ivory towers. And then we look down on the people. Because the Muslim masses, the majority of the Muslims are looking for a savior. And there's a strange phenomenon that is going on today. That in some cases, we find Muslims victorious on the ground. We see Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala opening up victories for them in these times. But the question is now, and all of us may have to face this. What is after the victory? After the enemy has been defeated. And we have to deal with ourself. Then the real war has begun.
The Internal Battle Within the Muslim Community
And so despite the fact that the western press and the history books have targeted Muslims as the new enemy and are trying to make a clash with us in a clash of civilizations. Despite the fact that they have focused on Muslim women as one of the groups and have attacked the wearing of the hijab. Despite this fact, I believe strongly that we have to look inside of ourselves. Allah tells us:
Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change that which is in themselves.
And so we reflect tonight as we have in the last few days. And the theme that we are constantly hearing, change ourself. What we are constantly hearing, that Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala has told us:
Every soul look to what it has put forward for tomorrow and fear Allah. Surely Allah is well aware of all that you do. And be not as those who forgot Allah and so He made them forget themselves. Surely they are the disobedient ones.
Forgetting Our Responsibility
They forgot Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah gave them victory. Allah gave them authority over the weak in their own families, in their own community. And they forgot their responsibility. And so the victory although it
was sweet could actually turn bitter. And so we need to look at some of our internal practices. And I want tonight to open up one of the veils. And to go behind the veil of our homes. Into our private life. Into the very relationship between the men and the women of Islam. Because the home is the base of Islam. And if we do not have strong homes that support the masjid, the central part of our community. Then we have no future. If the home is not strong, the children won't be strong. If the children are not strong, we don't have leadership for the future. And so we need to be honest with ourselves. And open with ourselves. We forgot Allah.
The Denial of Education to Women
I was traveling in one of the Muslim countries. I won't say which one it is. And I was traveling with brothers and we came by some madrasas. Madadas Islamia. So alhamdulillah, the young people are learning to read the Quran, they are learning tafsir, they are learning hadith. Who is studying in these schools? And they said, the boys. And I said, is there a school for the girls? They said, no, no, no brother Abdullah. The more knowledge they get, is the more problem you have. That's what they said to me. I said, wait a minute. What religion is this? What are you talking about?
When what I understood is that when Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala says:
"(Quran, multiple verses)"
He is talking to male and female. He is not only talking to males. So any ayah, any hadith which is directed to the believers as a jama'ah is directed to male and female. And when the Prophet peace be upon him has told us:
(Sunan Ibn Majah 224)
That seeking knowledge is farid. It is compulsory on all Muslims. Then that includes females. What religion is this?
Women Scholars in Islamic History
I recall the fact that Aisharadiallahu anha reported a number of hadith. And that if we look into our Islamic traditions and we go to the books of hadith, then after a short time you will come to her name as one of the reporters. The second most hadith, 2210 hadith reported by a woman. And she also became one of the leading scholars at the time. Even great sahaba would come to her for information and analysis.
I also recalled that according to Ash-Shalabi, Nafisa, a descendant of Aliradiallahu anha, was such a great authority of traditions, that Imam Ash-Shafi'i learned from her in Al-Fustat, at the height of his fame. And that Karima bint Ahmed Al-Marwazi, was a transmitter and interpreter for Sahih Al-Bukhari. One of her pupils, a person who learned from her, was Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, rahimahullah.
I also recalled that Ibn Asakir, a famous hadith transmitter, had over 80 women, 8-0, amongst his highest regarded scholars. And that Imam Suyuti, and that many of the great imam of Islam, would put women in their
silsila, in their chain of knowledge, as a person who they would refer to, for those who were above them, in knowledge of hadith, or knowledge of tafsir. And that Fatima and Malik Ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy on them both, was a famous student of Al-Muwatta. And you can go on and on, and list the women who have made valuable contributions, to Islamic education.
Islam Empowers People
Islam empowers people. It empowered the first generation. It empowered the second generation. It empowered the third generation. It empowered the great scholars of Islam. How now, could we be disempowering people, in the name of Islam? We forgot Allah.
The Falsehood of Domestic Violence
In one Muslim country, and I am reporting to you directly from the community, that I was involved in before, the testimony from the women of this nation, and I won't say which nation, so one is against the other, but in this live true report, the women said, we were taught, that you cannot enter paradise, unless you get a beating by your husband. You can't enter paradise. Which religion is this? What sunnah are you talking about? When the Prophet peace be upon him, it is recorded, never struck any of his wives. You want to do sunnah? Like you do sunnah rakats? You want to be sunnah like you tie your imamah? The Prophet peace be upon him never struck any of his wives. That's a sunnah. But yet, we find something else.
Women as Blood Relations of Men
The Prophet peace be upon him also said:
(Sunan Abu Dawud 236, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 113)
That women, are the blood relations of the men. The shaqiqah. This is not just somebody who has a relation, but a close relation. So how could you be humiliating, and beating, and striking somebody who is a close relation of you? How can it be done? How in the name of Islam, could a woman be struck by a man who claims he fears Allah? Viciously struck. And yes, there is. There is no doubt about it in Surah An-Nisa, as we know. There is a verse, number 34, that allows permission for a light tap, to be given to a woman who is disobedient. After counseling her, warning her, leaving the bed, calling in counselors on both sides, then a light tap is allowed. But how many, how many men, in their rage, can actually give a woman a light tap?
Confronting Reality
I want to deal with reality now, brothers. And I'm talking to myself. How many can actually give a light tap? Like a handkerchief or a miswak. Most of the brothers, they get angry, they're coming in like Mike Tyson. This is far from Islam. And Allah tells us, never forget:
The Prayer of the Oppressed
And I fear, one saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And I wonder could the enemies of Allah, swine eaters, defeat Muslims, who had died? What is happening to them? What is behind them? What dua is against them? The Prophet peace be upon him said:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 2448, Sahih Muslim 19)
Beware of the dua, of the prayer of the oppressed person. There is no barrier in between that dua and Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. And so if that woman is humiliated, if that woman is down on the ground, and she is crying to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, and she raises her hand, she turns to Allah in dua, against you or me, we're in trouble. We're in trouble. We forgot Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.
Problems Behind the Veil
After years of being imam in Canada, in a community very similar to this in Australia, we found that there were serious problems. And when we opened up the veil, and looked behind the veil, behind the thob, the jalabiya, behind the abaya, behind the kufi, the khimar, we found something else going on inside of the houses. And we forgot Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. And there are some cases, where we had what can be called today in our community, al-muallaqah. The one, the woman who is hanging, hanging in between marriage and in between divorce.
The Problem of Al-Muallaqah (The Suspended Woman)
And there were cases happening over and over again, where the brother leaves the house, he might abuse his wife, he doesn't pay the rent, he doesn't do the nafaqah, he's not paying anything, and then he says, I won't take care of her, but I won't divorce her. And she will stay in that condition until yawmul qiyamah. Where did you get this from? I found out, and I say this to myself, I say it with all sincerity, because we have to speak qawlan sadeeda. The yahood, the orthodox yahood, we're the locks, they have a practice in their teachings, that no separation can come about in any way, unless the man himself, pronounces divorce. No matter what he does, no matter what happens, he must pronounce it. And somehow, even though we have been oppressed by them, this thinking has drifted into our minds. Because some men think that the only way the marriage will be separated, is if they themselves say it.
Islamic Solutions: Khula and Faskh
But the Prophet peace be upon him has established a khula, and there is a way for the woman to pay back the dowry and to come out of it, there is also a faskh, there is a cancellation, where the imam can step in, and when oppression is done, when abuse is done, he stays away for a period of time, different sayings of the imam, whether it be four months or six months or one year, he stays away, he is in neen, he can't fulfill his sexual duty,
The Misuse of Talaq
And then this thing of talaq, they use talaq, and this talaq comes out of the mouth like water, they get angry then talaq, talaq, anything talaq, it keeps pouring out the mouth, when the Prophet peace be upon him whenever this talaq is coming up, he becomes angry, it's ignorance, you call it a number of times, it's jahiliya, you're in a state of ignorance if you're using this, it is a serious statement, if you say it jokingly, it's serious, if you say it's serious, it's serious, but yet, it's used for a type of blackmail, to be put over the heads of people, to keep them in fear.
Umar's Recognition of Women's Rights
(Sahih al-Bukhari 4895, Sahih Muslim 1479)
Umar reports, by Allah, we were in ignorance, and we did not give women any rights, until Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala revealed what He revealed, and divided up for them what He divided up.
Islam as Liberation for Women
Our original sources of Islam, our original revelation, was liberation of all people. And in the case of women, no ideology, no political movement, no army, no civilization, no culture, has ever given women rights on the ground like Islam gave. Women were being buried alive, young girls were being killed in infancy. There was no rights. Women were chattel in all societies, including European society. They were slaves. They could be bought and sold. They had no rights, they could be killed. And then when Islam came, it gave them equal rights under the law.
Women Have Souls
It also showed clearly, that a woman has a soul. Now this might sound strange. Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala tells us:
Every soul will be held responsible for its deeds. Now that might sound strange. Why are we saying women have a soul? We understand that, but the Christian church, in the 20th century, was asked, Do women have souls? And many of the priests and ministers said, No, they're soulless creatures. Up until the 20th century.
Property Rights for Women
Islam also gave property rights to women. That she can have her own property. That the mahr, this dowry, which is supposed to be an amount of wealth, that has some meaning to it, not necessarily something just symbolic, not a trifling thing, not a bribe for the father, but something which is of meaning. That is the property of the woman. And Islam established these property rights. And so, up until today, she has the right to her own property. And she has the right for her own bank account. She doesn't have to put her money in her husband's account. Does it sound strange, brothers? Oh no, they marry her, they say, Oh darling, we're in love. Put your money in my account. Uh-uh. She has the right for her own account. Some people didn't know that. She has her own property. That's her property. She's supposed to have power and the ability to do things on her own.
Economic Independence
When it happens, la samaha Allah, and there is a separation, this property that she has gives her independence. Economic independence. So she's not totally dependent on a man. This is what Islam gave long before women's liberation movement. It also said, she doesn't have to take the name of her husband. She keeps her own family name. She has her own father and her own mother. Now yes, we are in western countries and sometimes this laqab or whatever it is, or for the name of the tribe or the qabilah, the people take it. But the reality is, the constant stress in this is on independence. That these are two individuals who are married together, zawjain.
The Concept of Zawjain (Two Companions)
When zawj is being used, it is a companion. It's not just husband and wife, like they say in English. Husband and wife. Like slave, master and slave. It is zawjain. Two companions who compliment each other. Whose qualities should not be struggling and fighting against each other, but should be complimenting each other. We forgot Allah.
Suppression in the Name of Islam
Even in the Islamic movement, a phenomena has happened where many of the brothers feel that the more they're committed to Islam, is the more they should suppress their wife. Lock her up, shut her up. Don't have her involved. Hide her away. Crush her intellect. And they think that this is Islamic. And I'm not talking about the separation. Which is a natural thing in Islam. But Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala gave the rights of education to the women. We didn't give it to them.
The Role of Women in African American Communities
And even what has happened in America, that there are in the case of some African Americans, and it happens to other people too who are entering into Islam, where the woman during the period of slavery was the building block. She was the center of the whole family. Most of the people in the slavery and apartheid periods didn't even know their father. Because the slavery was killing the men. Imprisoning the men. Making them drink alcohol. Destroying them. But yet the person accepts Islam and then tries to belittle women. Tries to put them down. When it was a woman who taught him almost everything he knew. Until he left the house to go to school. And even then, he had to fall back on his mother. Not only for his emotional needs, but sometimes for his
physical needs, his financial needs, all of his needs, his protection. Because in many cases she was the man and the woman of the house. So how now can we enter Islam and you put her down? This is not what Islam is saying to us. That is not the early generation.
Liberation from Slavery to Humans
It is liberation, it is freedom from slavery to human beings. To the slavery to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. And if we become a servant and a slave of Allah, then nobody and nothing should put us down. And the Prophet peace be upon him said very clear:
(Musnad Ahmad 1095)
No obedience to the creation. When the creation disobeys Allah. There is no obedience.
Separation Versus Apartheid
And so, we have to reanalyze the concept of separation. I want to speak straight forward to you. Because I feel in my heart that you have the opportunity in sha Allah to take Islam to all parts of this island. To take Islam all around Southeast Asia. To be a beacon of strength for the whole of Southeast Asia. You have this potential in sha Allah. But what has happened to us in some cases we have created second class citizens. And if separation means that in one side you have first class treatment and on the other side of the veil it's second class treatment. Then that is what we call in South Africa apartheid. It is apartheid. It is not the Islamic concept of separation. Where the men and women equally listen to the words of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. Where they learn Islam equally in different areas. That is the Islamic concept.
Unequal Treatment in Islamic Events
In many cases we have conferences. I've experienced conferences. On the brother's side they're talking about fiqh. Aqidah. Tafsir. Nahu and saraf. They're going deep into Islamic history. On the sister's side how do you cook Islamic cooking? Or they say what are the rights of men and the obligation of women. Not the rights of women. What are the obligations? In some Muslim countries we come into the masjid and on the men's side the rug is clean it is nice. On the women's side the fleas are jumping all over the place and the roof is falling in. And one of the things when I was traveling in Morocco that I love so much about the masjid that the women's section had the same wudu area and the same rugs as the men's section. And they can enjoy the salat. It didn't have to be even in the same area. But they could enjoy the salat. They could make wudu. They had their entrance. They could pray to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala if they were outside with their family.
Separation Should Not Be Marginalization
And so separation should not be marginalization. There's a difference between the two. And so we need to be honest with ourselves and to look into this dilemma that we are in. This crisis. It is a challenge. Look at it in a positive way. Because we can change the society. If a woman is educated then the whole family is educated.
You educate the man. You educate the individual. You educate the mother and you're educating the children. But if the mother is afraid of the masjid if she feels negative about Islam then how can the children love Islam? If the Prophet peace be upon him has given certain rights to women how can we take it away? And so we need to look at this in a serious way.
Practical Solutions and Recommendations
Number one we all need to increase our taqwa. Especially the brothers. And I say this with all sincerity because we have a big task on our shoulders. We have a mighty task. And the sahaba were mujahideen in the daytime and they were abad. They were praying to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala in the night. They feared nobody and nothing. And they would speak out when you had to speak out. And if it was time to go forward and the enemy was there ten times their size then they would look at each other they would turn around and look at each other. And in the battle of Mu'tah when they were facing the enemy and the huge Roman army and the great sahaba Ja'far ibn Abi Talib radiallahu anhu and many of them they look and they said, did we come here to live or did we come here to meet Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala? Why did we come to this place? To hold on to the dunya?
Empowering Women Strengthens the Community
So we have a mighty task upon our backs. And if the sisters are empowered to take this message and to stand in back of the men and to hold the rope of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala then inshallah we can have that type of structure that will not be quaking when it's under pressure. Although when the ego and the nafs gets involved when tribalism comes in when organizational fanaticism comes in and so you see people fighting against each other and you will see in some of the Muslim countries where the men are the most intolerant to the women see how they act with themselves.
The Connection Between Intolerance and Ego
You see how they act with themselves. You mark my words in some of the Muslim countries where the men are the most intolerant to women don't even want to see them. Then watch how they deal with each other. They can't agree on anything. Their ego comes in in a minute and when another man opposes them they try to kill him. Why are they like that? They need some water to put out their fire. In many cases the presence of a woman her opinion in matters the thought of the families when we are making our decisions for the communities it waters down the flame. It waters the flames down.
Learning from Native American Wisdom
When the natives in America would build settlements and would make a decision in their shura they would say what would happen three generations from now? They didn't plan just for now. What will happen three generations from now if we build a house on the right side of the stream? Because they were thinking about their families. They were thinking about the future. They were thinking about their nation. Not just their ego and their movement and their reputation. So we need to fear Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.
Focus on Character (Akhlaq)
Secondly we need to focus more on character. On akhlaq. We are focused heavily on ibadah. On how to make the salah. How to fast in Ramadan. The Prophet peace be upon him has told us:
(Al-Muwatta 1614)
That he said I have been sent in order to complete the best part of character. That's why I've been sent. It's the character. And so we need to focus more on character, on akhlaq when we are dealing with the sunnah.
Interpersonal Relationships
Also interpersonal relationships. How did the Prophet peace be upon him deal with other people? How was the Muslim committed but yet he was humble. He was strong against the disbelievers. Humble to the believers. Easy to forgive. Easy to forgive. Wanting unity. Wanting peace inside of himself. Will reach out to other people. That's our character. Forgive other Muslims. Close our ranks. Make unity whenever we can. The enemies of Allah peace be upon him are marching on us. And they are planning day and night. And so we need to focus more on interpersonal relationships. How the Prophet peace be upon him dealt with his family. How Muslims deal with each other.
Redefining Concepts of Manhood and Womanhood
Number three. A change in concepts of manhood and womanhood. What is manhood in Islam? What is womanhood in Islam? There is a concept. There is a wrong concept we have about leadership. This idea of an Amir. What does Amir mean? What does the President mean? If you become the Rais. Or you are Mudir. Or you are the Amir. You are the Imam. What is the concept of leadership in Islam?
Hierarchy Versus Cooperation
In many cases, we have a problem. Because it's a concept of hierarchy. And so you have hierarchy versus cooperation. In the concept of hierarchy, the leader is above everybody else. He has privileges. He looks down and gives orders. And the more names that you get and titles that you get, is the more worth you think you have. The more money that you think you deserve. This is a concept of hierarchy. And it influences not only our organizations, but it also influences our families. On the other side is cooperation. It is complementing. The Muslims complement each other.
The Humility of the Prophet
And it is said that the Prophet peace be upon him was a humble person. And when the people used to hear about his reputation, and they would come to Medina, they would be trembling. They would be afraid. They were afraid to leave him. On one occasion, the person came in and looked at the circle. And he said, which one of you is Rasul peace be upon him? Which one of you? Like he couldn't see, he was not on a throne. He was not
special. He would come in the room and the people would stand up. And he would say, sit down. And he would shake their hand sitting down.
Modern Leaders Versus the Prophet's Example
What do our leaders do today in the Muslim world? He wants to travel from his office to another building. Two days before. Because he wants to go from one office to another office. And he flies by. Or he comes inside the masjid. He wants to make Jumu'ah so everybody can see that he is making Salah and they won't overthrow him. And so they kick people out of the way. Let them pray. This is not Rasul peace be upon him. A humble person. But when the revelation came, when it was time for the command, all eyes were upon him. People wanted to do everything that he was doing. Even how he moved his hand, how he wore his clothes, how he ate his food. They wanted to do everything like him. They loved him that much.
True Leadership is Responsibility
So cooperation, the leader is the most responsible person. That's what the leader really is. He is the one who should be thinking at night about the Jama'at when everybody is sleeping. He goes in the front lines. Rasul peace be upon him, many of the battles. Hudaybiyyah especially. We see when the Muslims were attacked, they were surprised. And the battle was hot. Muslims were dying. And the Sahaba would say, when the battle got hot, we could see their eyes, we could smell them. We took refuge in Rasulullah peace be upon him. We took refuge in him. In the heat of the battle, he was there. Not way in the back somewhere, but he was there suffering as his followers suffered. This is true leadership.
Applying Leadership Concepts to the Home
And so hierarchy on one side and cooperation on the other side. How does this affect our homes? This is a key problem. And if we can overcome this concept and implement this concept, I believe a lot of the problems that we have in our families would be solved. Right at the end of the tunnel. It's cooperation. So the Amir of the house, the man is the leader of the house. And he is the Amir. But what does the Amir mean? He's not supposed to be a dictator. He takes shura with his family. And if his wife is correct, then he says, Alhamdulillah, you're correct. But in some cases that doesn't happen. Everything he says, he says, I told you. He calls home and he says, I want roti. No rice. Boom. She doesn't have any flour to cook the roti, man. And so the rice is cooking and he comes in, You disobeyed me. Is that disobedience to the Amir? She had to make a decision. But it goes that far. It goes that far. Never forget.
The Example of Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio
And one of the great scholars in West Africa, Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio, He said to the women of Hausa land, and this is unprecedented what he did. He was faqih in the Maliki fiqh. He was hafidh of the Quran. He was a master of tafsir. A master of hadith. Did dawah for 30 years in the field. He had 1000 students by the time the 30 years was over. Whenever he traveled from one place to another, 1000 students traveled with him. The king
became jealous of him and called him to the court and aimed the gun at him, his courtier. Aimed the gun and it backfired and killed the courtier. The Sheikh Rahimahullah receded. He receded. And he made hijrah. Just like the Prophet peace be upon him. Then he took bayah. The Prophet peace be upon him came to him in a dream and gave him the sword of truth and told him take it forward. And then they opened up 250,000 square kilometers and they ruled with sharia for over 100 years to the coming of the British. 250,000 square kilometers. This is fiqh in action. This is a scholar who now his students became the governors of the areas. And he wrote to them in classical Arabic language.
Sheikh Uthman's Revolutionary Stance on Women's Education
What did he say to the women? He told them if your husband will not educate you, Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala said you're supposed to be educated, you disobey him. I will have a circle every day after Asr. If they don't educate you in the home, you come out. Why do you say this Ibn Fudi?
There is no obedience to the creation when that creation disobeys Allah. And it's happening to us.
A Real-Life Example of Imbalance
We have a case of a brother and I'm talking reality now. We want to feel good, I'm a little light sometimes because this is really a sad story, the whole thing. This was happening really. One brother, he accepted Islam and then he got married to the sister. He was a good brother, you know, a very hands-on type of brother. She was a college student. And so she began to study Hadith, memorize the Quran. And then whenever they got into an argument, she brought the Hadith. She brought Dalil. She gave him the Dalil. And so finally he said, your husband don't study anymore. I prohibit you from studying. And he ran in the room and tried to study the Hadith. That's not the way, brother. That's not the way, man. Because if she knows the Hadith, that's going to save you from the fire. She's going to save you from the fire.
The Role of Women in Supporting Men
So cooperation, cooperation, if we see the qualities of a woman, the qualities of the man. And I say this also to the sisters as well. Because it's not just the problem with the brothers. It can be the problem with the woman as well in the home. Her husband makes a mistake. He loses his job. He's in a weak condition. And how does she deal with him then? Does she support him? In some cases she looks at him and says, you little boy. Look at you. You can't earn money. You're a shame and disgrace to manhood. How does he feel? She makes him feel so low. She knows his secrets, right?
The Example of Khadijah
What did Khadijahradiyallahu anha do? When the Prophet peace be upon him came back from the mountain and he was trembling. This thing had come to him and said, iqra, iqra. He didn't know what it was. A power
beyond human imagination. He was trembling and shaking. She covered him up. She didn't belittle him. She trusted in him. And she used her wisdom. Went to her cousin Waraka. And so she strengthened Islam. She was the first to believe. This is what we know of Muslim women. But not to put the man down. Not to find his weaknesses and constantly be on his back talking against him and putting him down. And then expecting him to treat you right. It's not gonna work like that. It has to be cooperation.
The Islamic Family as a Team
The two sides cooperate with each other. They have strength. Like a football team. One is in the middle. The big guys. The other ones run on the side. Throw the ball. Everybody cooperates. That is the Islamic family. And if we could understand that then the whole, all the concepts and problems we have. Who's the leader of the house? Who will make the decision? Who will get this in inheritance? All of these things come clear when we see that Allah has given us if he has given a man an advantage it's not because he's a higher human being. It's because he's gonna have more responsibility. And he will be answerable on the day of resurrection.
Establishing Support Institutions
Another suggestion is that we develop special institutions. And support mechanisms. For the protection, education and empowerment of Muslim women and also anybody who has serious problems in our community. And I want to give you this concept and also pledge myself inshallah in the future it needs to be to come and deal with workshops in this area. Right? That we need a new institution that happens. And this developed in Canada and now it's spreading all over America now. It's a social service organization.
The Reality of Community Problems
Because what I found after years of being imam five years of the biggest mosque in Toronto most of the problems that were coming were not problems in fiqh. It was not aqeedah problems. They weren't asking me these questions. They had economic problems psychological problems social problems all kinds of things they would come with. And so I needed to have somebody with me. I wasn't qualified. I wasn't prepared to do this. And what happens in many communities and I can see it happening here there's a few sincere individuals they start handling social problems and suddenly the whole world is on their back and they get burnt out. Because there's only so much you can take as an individual. And the emotion that will come into you from dealing with social problems we need training. And so we established this center.
Establishing a Hotline and Support Center
We established a hotline. A telephone line that people could call when they were in crisis. And after two years we were receiving 5000 phone calls per year. And registering it. And we opened up the office like a doctor's office. The Imams cooperate with the doctors with the lawyers with the social workers with the psychiatrists. And we make a list we have a database of all of the Muslim professionals in our area. So if a person has a drug related problem then we find the Muslims who have been involved in detox. If a person has a psychological
problem then phone a Muslim psychiatrist. If a person has an economic problem we have a brother who's working in the government we have another one who's an accountant. The person has a legal problem. There are Muslim lawyers. You have a list, you have a data bank of information.
Crisis Management and Professional Support
And so when the hotline when you answer the phone the person is trained to deal with crisis. It's a crisis. People are calling in. You're trained to deal with the crisis. And then you either put them on to somebody else or you bring them into the office and the social worker works along with the Imam. And so Sharia is the limits, it sets the limits. We don't go outside of the limits of Islam but also we benefit from the best professionalism that is in our community. And so we handle counseling we handled family problems, youth problems housing, marriage abuse problems. So many problems of abuse behind the veil.
Comprehensive Community Services
We also gave people referrals. We referred to immigration problems housing, social assistance legal problems shelters, food banks employment centers health Muslim community resources. We got the green book we had set up all the resources in the community. Also education. We had classes for deaf Muslims hearing impaired. Because you may have some hearing impaired Muslims. And what we developed and this is another level which I make as a suggestion when we had a speaker come we would have a signer standing right here. And the deaf Muslims would sit there near the signer he would listen and he would do the signs. So they would get the lecture also. And there are many hearing impaired Muslims that need to hear the word of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.
Additional Programs and Services
Also guidance counselors education Islamic heritage dawah classes training and development burial services also community development. Our community is in crisis or in the midst of a society in crisis. So we need to have discussions and programs along with our fiqh and our aqeedah anti-violence health anti-racism dawah youth employment consultation recreation youth development camps develop out of this workshops training programs for the youth. And so we developed this institution to empower the community.
Empowering Women with Skills and Education
And sisters need to be empowered. Not only just reading the books but sisters need to have skills. And when we are involved in education we naturally continue to practice our Islam. We wear our clothing we are modest male and female and if we have to sacrifice our Islam then we are not going to be involved. But if we can go out and get the education then we need it for our community. Sisters need to be empowered with skills education also even physical training. The sisters need physical training as well.
The Reality of Violence Against Muslim Women
Now that might sound strange to you but you know what happened to us in Toronto? We had a rapist and he only raped Muslim women. Auzu billah min al shaytan al rajim. A devil out of hell. Only followed the women with scarf. Okay? So then we trained the sisters. So the sisters started to take what they call wendo a soft form of self-defense wendo and so when she finished the course she broke a board and it said Zainab broke this board on April 22, 2001 and she went home and put it over her bed and the next time her husband was about to hit her he looked at the board and he said and mashallah tabarakallah mashallah and then he remembered the ayah:
And their affairs are handled in mutual consultation and so it empowered the sisters alhamdulillah they caught the rapist they got him threw him in jail but the sisters realized then they were empowered and they needed this it's part of the Islamic personality.
The Growing Threat Against Muslim Women
They are attacking people with hijab in other countries I don't know if it's happening yet I don't believe it's happening yet but in France and in Quebec in Canada and other parts you can be attacked on the street if you are wearing the scarf and so it is happening in western countries and it will eventually come forward the stronger the Muslim world gets and the weaker the western world gets and so we need to be empowered we need to fear Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala and we need to close our ranks.
Final Reminder and Call to Action
And I leave you I say this to myself with all sincerity:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 2448, Sahih Muslim 19)
Fear the dua or the call of the oppressed there is no barrier in between that and Allah and I ask the sisters to forgive us forgive us we don't know what we are doing I ask the brothers if you are on the right path alhamdulillah if you have made a mistake we need to make tawba and we need to ask Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala to have mercy on us and to empower our families and to give us the strength to stand up to this tidal wave of kufr that is growing in the society today I leave you with these words and I ask Allah to forgive me and forgive you I leave you with these words and I ask Allah to forgive me and forgive you and peace be upon you