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| Women's Participation in
Politics
Islamic history is filled with women who undertook various forms of political activism. Unfortunately, much of this history has been ignored. Social responsibility in Islam is derived
from the Quranic verse which states: This verse shows that women and men are to
work together in the religious realm (the reference to prayer), in the
social realm (rendering purifying dues, presumably to help the needy), and
in the political and educational realm (the reference to heeding God and
His apostle -- one must understand what God commands and have a voice in
society to heed God’s teachings). The references in the verse to the
activities required, e.g. enjoining the right, prayer, etc. show that both
women and men are to take an active role in society rather than merely a
passive one. Political involvement is a means to fulfill one’s obligations to society. Involvement in the political system can take many forms, from voting in elections, to holding a position as a legislator or a judge, to being a head of state. Islamic history provides precedents for each of these roles for women.
The first martyr in Islam was a woman, Sumaya
zawjat Yasir. Sumaya was tortured and killed in the early
period of Islam because of her belief in Prophet Muhammad and the message
he brought of one God. Asma bint Umais
was a woman who traveled by sea and immigrated to Abyssinia when the
Muslims were being persecuted in Mecca. Abu Musa narrated the
following: Asma visited Hafsa, the Prophet’s wife. During her visit Umar
ibn al-Khattab arrived and upon seeing Asma he inquired who she was.
Hafsa told him Asma’s name whereupon Umar asked if she was the
Abyssinian sea traveler and Asma replied that she was. Umar then
said "We did hijra before you, so we are closer to the Prophet
(PBUH)." Later, the Prophet arrived and Asma related to him
what Umar said. The Prophet said to her "Nobody is closer to me
than you. Umar and his companions have one hijra, but for you,
people of the sea, you have two." Asma later said that others
who had emigrated by sea would ask her about this event.
Umm Salama, one of the Prophet’s wives, was instrumental in advising the Prophet during the crisis at Hudaybiya in 628 A.D. (6 A.H.). Her advice prevented disunity among the Muslims after the Treaty of Hudaybiya and her opinion prevailed over that of many men, including Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umm Salama was also an inquisitive student of Islam. She asked the Prophet why only men were mentioned in the Quran and in response God revealed the following verse: "Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered themselves unto God, and all believing men and believing women, and all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in adversity, and all men and women who humble themselves before God, and all men and women who give in charity, and all self-denying men and self-denying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for all of them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward." (Quran 33:35).
Umm Hani bint Abi Talib offered refuge to two non-Muslim men who sought protection after the opening of Mecca. After she offered them refuge she went to the Prophet and told him what she had done. He said to her, "We offer refuge to whomever you offered and we guarantee the safety to whom you guaranteed safety." Thus, in essence, Umm Hani bint Abi Talib performed a significant political function, one often reserved only for the ruler, when she granted political asylum to these men. M.H. Sherif, The Muslim Woman Between the Truth of Sharia and the Fallacy of Falsification, Dar al-Marifa al-Jamiyiya, 1987, p. 71-72. (citing Sirat Ibn Hisham, 4:39-40).
Aisha, a wife
of Prophet Muhammad, was also politically active. In the year 658 A.D. (36
A.H.) she played a major role in the armed resistance against Ali, the
fourth successor after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Aisha went to mosques and rallied people to take up arms against Ali. (Ibid). Aisha, the only woman on the battlefield, led thousands of men into the "Battle of the Camel." (Ibid). Aisha was clearly an influential leader as shown by the following statement made by Hasan the son of Ali after Aisha traveled to Basra with Talha and al-Zubayr, members of Ali’s opposition, to rally support. Hasan, in a speech made in Kufa, stated, "I swear by God, surely she is the wife of your Prophet, in this life and the hereafter. But it is a test from God to know whether you will obey Him or her." (Abdelhalim Abu Shaka, The Emancipation of
Woman at the Time of the Prophet, 1990, p. 151 (citing Bukhari). The Quran, sunnah, and Islamic history
provide ample evidence of women undertaking various forms of political
involvement from the bai’ah to fighting in battles to influencing
political decisions. Ignoring the contributions of Muslim women deprives
our Islamic heritage of valuable role models while continuing the
stagnation of Islamic thought. To exclude women from political involvement
simply because they are women is an act of tribalism based on gender. The
Prophet stated: "He is not of us who proclaims the cause of tribal
partisanship..." |