Does Islam command the Muslim women to wear a veil, and what are Islam's rulings on a woman's right to an education and career?

1.

	The attire that Islam imposes upon the Muslim women is that she appears in a decent and respectable mien in order to save her from any unpleasant  remarks or from being harassed by irresponsible youths or men. Thus the Muslim attire for women is to safeguard their honour and dignity and does not hinder their movement or activity. Islam does not command women to cover their faces with a viel or to wear gloves, and this custom belongs to certain communities for which Islam is in no way responsible.
	Conservative and decorous attire is not only a virtue of Islam, for it is also considered a virtue in Christianity. Christian nuns wear clothes that cover their hair and their body, leaving only their faces and hands uncovered, and the Gospel commands women to cover their hair while praying {First Epistle of Paul, the Apostle of the Corinthians, Chapter II}. Furthermore, when a woman, irrespective of her status, whether she be the wife of the Head of a Western state or a famous film star, is admitted into the presence of the Pope in the Vatican, she must cover her hair.
2.	Islam definitely does not deprive women of an education. On the contrary, it urges both men and women alike to seek knowledge and acquire learning. The Prophet said: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation imposed upon every man and woman”. The History of Islam records the achievements of many women who excelled in religious sciences, literature, and poetry. When the Prophet married Hafsa, who had just begun to study the rudiments of reading and writing, he entrusted Al-Shafaa; Al ‘Adawiyya to teach her to improve her handwriting and reading.
	‘Aisha, daughter of Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s wife, was far more learned than many of the Companions of the Prophet, who recommended that she should be consulted on religious matters, for she was very well versed in all branches of religion, in addition to her knowledge of literature and the principles of the lineage of the Arab tribes. Which was a recognized science in that era.
3.	Islam does not prevent any woman from working and having a career. She has the right to work provided that she needs to work and that she chooses the type of work which suits her experience, ability, and qualifications. There are no religious laws which prevent a woman from being educated or from working. During the lifetime of the Prophet many women were engaged in various activities such as assisting the troops during the battles and treating the wounded, in addition to carrying water and food to the men who were fighting.
4.	It is essential to differentiate between the laws of Islam, which safeguard and prtect the dignity and safety of women, and the pre-Islamic traditions and customs, which prevented women from being educated or taking part in any activities? Islam, which honours women and grant them their due, is concerned with the development of a waman’s character, since that enables her to be a more capable and efficient mother and wife who will accordingly be able to play her role in raising a strong generation capable of developing their society, thus increase the welfare of community.

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Are Muslim woman always dominated by men?

1. 
Islam granted the Muslim women total economic independence and gave her the right to manage her property, buy, sell, invest and donated money without her husband’s permission, provided that she had the legal capacity to do so. Neither her husband nor any male relative had the right to take a single penny of her money without her consent {In the sixties of the twentieth century, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, a man could sell his wife’s property without her consent or power of attorney.}.

2.

No man, not even a girl’s father, can force his daughter to marry a man against her will, and her consent to the marriage is essential. A young woman once went to the Prophet to complain that her father wanted to force her to marry her cousin (her father'’ nephew) whom she detested and that her father wanted to gain an elevated status for himself by that marriage. The Prophet summoned the girl'’ father and told the girl in her father’s presence that she was free to agree to the marriage or to refuse it. The girl agreed to the marriage of her own free will and said to the Prophet: “O Prophet of God! I now agree to what my father desires and I only wanted the girls and women to know that this is not a father’s right!” She meant that fathers do not have the right to force their daughters to marry against their will.

3.

A woman is a man’s partner in the family and in bringing up their children. No family can be happy and successful without the positive cooperation of both the husband and wife, without which life of the family would be unstable and the children would be the victims of these circumstances. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, declared that men and women must both share responsibility when he said: “You are all guardians and you are responsible for those whom you guard. A religious leader is responsible for his followers who adhere to his faith, and every man is responsible for his family, and every woman is responsible for her family.”

The fact that a woman is held responsible for her family refutes her being dominated by men, since responsibility implies freedom, which is incompatible with being dominated.

4.

No man has the right to deprive a woman from exercising her legitimate rights in life nor has he the right to prevent her from going to the mosque to pray. The Prophet said: “Do not prevent the women of God from praying in the mosques of God”.

If some Muslims do not abide by the Islamic rulings and laws concerning women that is due to their ignorance of the teachings of Islam and their misunderstanding of its just and humane principles.

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Does Islam encourage extremism and violence?

1.

	Islam is a Faith of mercy and tolerance that advocates justice and peace. Islam also preserves and safeguards man’s freedom, honour, and dignity. These are not slogans but are principles upon which Islam is founded. God Almighty sent His Prophet Muhammad:
	“As a mercy for all creatures”.
	Surah Al Anbiya" (The Prophets), The Holy Qur'an 21:107
	The Prophet Muhammad also said: “I have been sent to fulfil the perfection of high moral qualities”. Islam grants man the freedom of choice, even in matters of choosing to believe in God or refusing to do so: “Let him who will, believe, and let him who will, reject (it)”.
	Surah Al Kahf (The Cave), The Holy Qur'an 18:29
	The invitation to embrace Islam is based upon convincing people by preaching graciously to them and by amicable discussions and not by any form of force or compulsion. The Faith of Islam commands Muslims be just and liberal and prohibits injustice, tyranny, corruption and evil deeds, and advocates repelling evil with goodness:
	“Repel (Evil) with what is better”.
	Surah Fussilat (They are Explained in Detail), The Holy Qur'an 41:34
	When the Prophet Muhammad triumphed over the people of Makkah, he pardoned them, in spite of their previous injustice and persecution of him and his companions, saying: “You are all absolutely free”.
2.	There is a definite compatibility between the Faith of Islam and Peace. In Arabic, the two words “Islam” and “Salaam”, the latter being the Arabic word for peace, are derived from the same root. God Almighty describes himself in the Qur’an as “Peace”. The Muslim greeting is also a greeting of peace, which is a continual reminder that peace is one of Islam’s principal aims that should always be kept in mind. Every Muslim concludes his prayers five times a day with the greetings of peace to half the world on his right then repeats it to the other half of the world on his left.
3.	It is obvious from the aforementioned facts that Islam is a peace-loving Faith and accordingly, there is no possibility of its advocating violence, fantacism, bigotry, terrorism, or any form of assault on people or their property. Islamic rulings and principles aim at safeguarding the Human Rights, which include his right to life, family, beliefs, thought and property.
	The Faith of Islam prohibits any form of assault on others, so much so that Islam declares that attacking one individual of the human race is considered an attack on all mankind, and this is expressed in the following Qur’anic verse:
	“If anyone slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people; and if someone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people”.
	Surah Al Ma"idah (The Table Spread with Food), The Holy Qur'an 5:34
	Thus every individual represents humanity, and Islam’s concern for the safeguarding and preservation of humanity is manifested in every human being’s respect for other human beings by respecting their freedom, their dignity , and all their human rights. One of the sayings of the Prophet states that every Muslim is forbidden to shed the blood, steal the wealth, or disgrace the honour of any Muslim. Another saying of the Prophet states that whoever terrorizes a believer in God will not be delivered from the Terror of the Day of Judgment.
	The Faith of Islam also calls for peaceful coexistence among nations and commands Muslims to treat Non-Muslims justly and fairly as is stated in the following Qur’anic verse:
	“God forbids you not in regard to those who do not fight you for (your) Faith, nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them, for God loves those who are just”.
	Surah Al Mumtahanah (The Woman to be examined), The Holy Qur'an 60:8
4.	The responsibility of preserving the safety of the members of any community must be shared by everyone in the community. Shouldering the responsibility together is the only way to ensure security and stability in face of the danger of corruption and depravity. Another of the saying of the Prophet compares us all to a group of people who drew lots to see where they would be seated aboard a ship. The result was that some of them stayed on the deck while others went down inside the ship. When the people inside the ship wanted water to drink, they went upto the people on deck and told them that they could get water by making a hole in the bottom of the ship, which was their own part of the ship, and by so doing they would not harm the deck of the ship or the people on it. If the people on the deck had allowed them to do that, they would have all perished, but if they had prevented them, they would all have been delivered from drowning.

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A visit to ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-Aziz-- Islamic Stories

During the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), a woman traveled from Iraq to come and meet him. When she arrived at his house, she asked whether there was a guard to prevent people from going inside to meet him. She was told, "No, enter if you wish." The women entered the house and saw Fatimah (may Allah have mercy on her), the wife of ‘Umar.

Fatimah was sitting down at the time, spinning some cotton. The woman extended the greeting of salaam; Fatimah returned salaam to the woman. As soon as the woman sat down, she began to look around, and was surprised to find that there was nothing of value or of importance in the house. Without realising that she was speaking out loud, the woman said, "I came to build and furnish my house from this house, which I have found to be empty and barren." Fatimah said, "The emptiness and barrenness of this house allows for the construction and adornment of houses such as yours."

‘Umar entered the house, gave salaam, and then asked his wife about the women. He took out a bunch of grapes, chose the best ones, and gave them to his wife, so that she could then offer them to the visitor. He (‘Umar) then approached the woman and asked, "What do you need?"

The woman said, "I am a woman from the inhabitants of Iraq, and I have five daughters who cannot work and who have with them no material possessions. I came to you hoping that you might be willing to help them." Upon hearing this ‘Umar began to cry, he took out his inkstand and papers, and wrote a letter to the governor of Iraq.

‘Umar asked the woman for the name of her eldest daughter, and when she told him, he wrote down an amount that was to be given to her. Upon realising that, the woman praised Allah (the Exalted), ‘Umar then asked the woman the name of her second, third, fourth and fifth daughters. The woman told him their names and praised Allah (the Exalted). When she realised that he had given money to all of them, she became so happy that she made dua for him.

The woman left ‘Umar's house with the paper that she was give to deliver to the governor of Iraq, and after the long journey back to Iraq, she went to the governor to give him the piece of paper. When she gave the paper to the governor, he began to cry for a long time, and then he said, "May Allah have mercy on the writer of this letter." The woman said, "Has news come to you of his death?" the governor replied, "Yes." The woman screamed when she heard this, but the governor told her not to worry, and that he was going to give her the allotted portion to her in any case.

Moral

This story shows us the character and generosity of righteous leaders from the past, they lived simple lives and often you wouldn't have been able to tell who was the commoner and who was the ruler, they had genuine concern for the welfare of their people. 'Umar ibn Abdul Aziz was one of these rulers.

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Deceived By The Devil-- Islamic Stories

Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣree narrated that once there was a tree that was worshipped instead of Allah. So, one man decided to chop down that tree. He was going to chop down the tree out of anger for the sake of Allah. On the way to the tree he met the Shaytaan who was in the form of a man. Shaytaan asked him, "What do you plan on doing?" The man answered, "I am going to chop down that tree that is worshipped instead of Allah." The Shaytaan said, "If you do not worship it, why should it harm you if others do so?" The man replied, "I will chop it down." The Shaytaan then told him, "Would you like something better than that? do not cut it and you will get two dinars every morning under your pillow." The man asked, "From where will I get that?" Shaytaan said, "I will give it to you."

The man returned and the next morning he found two dinars under his pillow. The following morning he again found two dinars under his pillow. On the following morning he did not find anything. He got upset and went to chop down the tree. The Shaytaan again appeared to him in the shape of the same man.

Shaytaan asked him, "What do you want to do?" The man answered, "I am planning on cutting down that tree that is worshipped instead of Allah!" Shaytaan said, "You have lied. There is no way you will be able to do it." The man left to chop it down. The earth swallowed him until it almost killed him. Shaytaan asked, "Do you know who I am. I am the Shaytaan. I met you for the first time when you were angry for the sake of Allah and I had no power over you. I deceived you by two dinars and you stopped what you had intended to do [for the sake of Allah]. Now you have come because you are angry about the two dinars, and I have gotten mastery over you."

Moral

This story teaches us the value and great importance of having a correct intention within Islam, when a person has an intention to do something for the sake of Allah alone it will be something beneficial for him and a good deed in the sight of Allah. However when a persons intention becomes corrupted their cause and their deed becomes worthless in the sight of Allah and in fact can be something which takes them to the Hell-fire which is something mentioned in the following hadith: From Abu Hurayrah, who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘ Verily, the first to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who had died as a martyr. He will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I fought for Your Cause till I was martyred.’ Allah will say: `You have lied. You fought so that people might call you courageous; and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge and read the Qur’an will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur’an for Your sake.’ Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur’an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man whom Allah had made affluent and to whom Allah had given plenty of wealth, will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I did not neglect any of the ways You liked wealth to be spent liberally for Your sake’. Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You did it so that people might call you generous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.” And the wording, “So these are the first of Allaah’s creation the Fire will be kindled with on the Day of Resurrection“ Saheeh Muslim, 13/45/1905 And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah does not accept any deed except that which is done only for Him and to seek His Countenance.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 3140; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 52.

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