A Woman’s Reflections on the Eid Prayer September 21, 2009

Muslim women attend congregational prayers

For the past week, leading up to the blessed day of Eid-al-Fitr (the Festival of breaking the fast), a day of celebration for every Muslim, a group of dedicated women and men, used their time and access to technology to vigorously campaign for the attendance of South African Muslim Women to the Eid Prayers, through educating the general public of the myths and misconceptions surrounding their absence from the gathering. Needless to say, the campaign was met with staunch opposition from the Ulema (religious clergy) of South Africa, primarily those of Indian origin who were schooled in the Deobandi movement.

Today, the morning after Eid or the second day of Eid, depending on how you celebrate, has left me amazed, at the power of technology. I am receiving e-mails of the success of the campaign, congratulations and some hate-mail too. The word spread as far out as Mafikeng, where for the first time in the history of that town, women attended the Eid prayers.

Our campaign was inspired by a similar one carried out many years ago by veteran Muslim women activists, led by Farhana Ismail, who took to the streets, distributing thousands of pamphlets, similar to the one I posted previously. Friends and I had discussed launching a campaign for Eid-ul Adha (the festival of the sacrifice), but all thanks to a pro-active and very knowledgeable sister, Quraysha Yousuf, who is schooled in both the classical Islamic traditions as well as secular knowledge, we decided to use the last week of Ramadan to launch the campaign. Although I call it a campaign, it was not in any way coordinated as such. We relied on word-of-mouth, or rather, word-of-email, facebook and blogs.

On Eid, before the crack of dawn, my husband and I awoke together. He left the house to observe the Fajr (dawn) prayer at the masjid (mosque), whilst I said my prayer at home, having the power of choice to do so. We sometimes do the Fajr prayer together, but on Eid morning, I urged him to the masjid to participate in the congregation, not wanting him to miss out on the reward of doing so, on such a special day.  When he returned, together we readied ourselves for the Eid prayer, donning our best clothing, as is the custom of the Eid. Of course, I didn’t perfume or overly adorn myself, because we were going to pray. I would do so later, for the private family celebrations.

It was still dark outside, but the atmosphere of Eid and our shared preparation for the prayer gathering, lent our room a warm glow. In my heart, I was already saying the Takbir of Eid (litany of the greatness of God)

اللّهُ أكبر اللّهُ أكبر

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great, Allah is Great

اللّهُ أكبر

Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great

لا إلَهَ الا اللّه

La illaha il Allah
there is no God, but Allah

اللّهُ أكبر اللّهُ اكبر

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great, Allah is Great

و لِلّه الحمدَ

walilahil Hamd
to Him belongs all Praise

I opened our balcony door, and could already hear it over the loudspeaker from the Eid Musalla (open air field where the Eid prayers are said) in our neighbourhood, which unfortunately does not allow women to participate.

My husband and I would have to make the short drive to a near-by suburb which does facilitate women’s attendance. This prayer gathering is organized and co-ordinated by Masjid-ul-Islam (Mosque of Islam).  From my experience, this is one of the very few masaajid (mosques) in Johannesburg which affords women equal access, participation and respect as it does to men. Women are even routinely invited to give the pre-Jumu’ah (Friday prayer) talk, a practice authenticated by mainstream religious specialists in the world, from the West and East.

As we approached the field, I delighted in seeing so many men, women and children, dressed in their finest but modest attire, come out to thank Allah for the day He ordained as a celebration to us. (Muslims are crazy! We pray 5 times a day every day, but on our festive days, we pray 6 times!) As we made our way to the area laid out with mats for prayer, the men and women forked to the right and left, respectively, the children, some who were still wiping the sleep from their faces, could choose which parent they were most of fond of that morning.

Some congregations facilitate women behind the men; others separately but to the side, usually with a partition/screen in the middle, and yet others – in a totally separate area in space and distance. I am not averse to any of these settings, but prefer the first and second because they are in accordance with the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who never excluded women from the main congregation, not even with a curtain.

I have prayed in many masaajid around the world, most markedly are those which have no barriers between the men and women, the best example which is the third holy of holiest - Masjid- ul-Aqsa in Jerusalem. In Turkey at the famous SultanAhmet or Blue Mosque, women have the option of praying in the main prayer hall behind the men with no segregation except a thin rope, or they can opt to pray in the upstairs gallery, which overlooks the entire masjid. In the Ommayad masjid in Damascus, the same practice prevails. Even in Makkah, at the Haram (sanctuary), women have the option of praying in female-only screened-off areas, or family sections where the women line up behind the men.

At the gathering I attended, the fairer sex stand to the left of the men, completely separate but not severed from the congregation, whilst still adhering to the principles of Islamic modesty. This Eid the coordinators had appointed a woman to deliver a short lecture. Lucy-Bushill Matthews, a British con/revert to Islam of 20 years and author of the book, “A Converts Tale” inspired us for 15 minutes on the concept of “fitrah“, which in English can only best but not justly be defined as “a person’s natural inclination to God” or ” a person’s innate predisposition towards good.” It was as if Lucy had read my mind. I had been thinking throughout the past week about this idea of “fitrah“, in the face of all the discussion of women being the cause of a similar-sounding concept known as “fitnah” (evil/mischief/temptation) by men who oppose women’s presence in sacred spaces. I am very grateful to sister Lucy for reminding me about our inborn disposition for altruism, at a time when I was feeling particularly degraded as a women, by so-called religious men and their followers, who could not think of my gender as anything but a sex object not even worthy of entering Allah’s house.

After the talk, a man of African origin (I am not sure exactly which country) led us in the two ra’kat (units) of prayer, interspersed with the 12 takbeerat (proclamation of the greatness of Allah, signified by raising the hands to the ears/shoulders during prayer). Afterward, he gave the Eid Khutbah (sermon) in Arabic, which basically spoke about the significance of Eid, he then said a long and moving prayer, to which we all raised our hands in supplication to Allah. When he signalled that the proceedings were over, everyone stood up and began wishing each other “Eid Mubarak” (a blessed Eid). I love this part the most – when no matter who is sitting next to you, you embrace her with her sincerity, as your sister. After the men greet the men and the women the women, families proceeded to congratulate each other on having completed the month of fasting and the prayer of Eid. Husband and wives, fathers and daughters, uncles and nieces, and all the variations of these blood-relations share hugs, well-wishes and tears of joy.

As I greeted my husband and we exchanged prayers for each other, I thought to myself – we had both fasted, we had both stood for the long nightly prayers, we had both increased our adhkaar (remembrance of God), we had both read the Quran, we had both helped each other try to gain nearness to Allah, and so we both deserved to come out on Eid morning, and thank Allah for the day, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers, men and women, did a century and a half ago. I believe this right belongs to every person who observes Ramadan, not just the men. The women in most cases, deserve it more, for not only did they fulfil one of the pillars of Islam, they also prepared the futoor/suhoor (dawn/dusk meals) for their families and communities.

On our way home, I witnessed a marvellous sight. The Somali and Ethiopian Muslim communities had just completed their Eid prayers, and were leaving the area. Hundreds of women dressed in long, loose, brightly coloured clothing filled the streets. It was coolness to my eyes, and I was suddenly filled with hope.

May Allah preserve us to see another Ramadan and another Eid-al-Fitr, and may He give back to women their right of the Eid prayer that man has usurped (in some parts of South Africa at least).

The Forgotten Sunnah and Wajib of Eid September 14, 2009

Did you know?

Performing the Eid Salaah is Sunnah-al-Muakkadah for all Muslims, men and women

Did you know?

Listening to the khutba on the day of Eid is Wajib on all Muslim men and women.

Did you know?

Our Prophet (saw) especially encouraged all women, even menstruating women, to attend the Eid-Gah.

Narrated by Um Attiyah:

We used to be ordered to come out on the Day of ‘Id and even bring out the unmarried girls from their houses and menstruating women so that they might stand behind the men and say Takbir along with them and invoke Allah along with them and hope for the blessings of that day and for purification from sins.                                                                                (Bukhari)

Narrated by Aiyub

A woman asked the Prophet (saw), “Oh Allah’s apostle, if a woman has no jilbab (loose covering) is there any harm if she does not come out (on Eid day)? He (saw) said, “Her companion should clothe her with her jilbab.                                                 (Bukhari)

Hence, the Prophet (saw) did not allow for any excuses and all the women had to attend.

Did you know?

Ibn Abbas says the Prophet (saw) would take his wives and daughters to the two Eids.                                                                                                     (Ibn Majah and Al Baihaqi)

Did you know?

These are just three of the many ahadith found in the books of the authentic sayings of the Prophet (saw)?

Did you know?

It is claimed that women are not allowed to attend the Eid-gah and masaajid, for fear of “fitnah”. What about the “fitnah” everywhere else? Where is the logic in this – go everywhere else, but don’t come to the purest of places, to the house of Allah?

(Please turn over)

Did you know?

Masjid-al-Haram, Masjid-al-Nabawi and Masjid-al-Aqsa are all mosques. If you can’t go to a mosque in your own country, you can’t go to these mosques as well, because we cannot pick and choose when it suits us to follow the Prophet (saw). So why go to these blessed places at all?

Did you know?

The Prophet (saw) was so courteous and caring to the women that he would come to them after the Eid prayer and specifically address them. Today, in the feeble minds of our men, it’s a nuisance to have the women educated. They claim that if women come to the mosque, there will be “intermingling”. They cannot even wait a few minutes for the women to leave the masjid as the Prophet (saw) himself ordered the men of his time to do!

Did you know?

We listen to scholars who say it’s not permissible for women to pray in the masaajid and Eid-gahs, yet the great companion, father-in-law and Khalif of the Prophet (saw), Omar (ra) could not even stop his own wife from attending the mosque, even though he disliked it, simply because the Prophet (saw) explicitly forbade men preventing women from going to the masjid? (Muwatta Imam Malik). Who are these scholars then, to forbid what the Prophet (saw) and his companions (ra) did not?

Did you know?

Failure to obey the ahadith of the Prophet (saw), in which he orders all the women to come out to pray on Eid, which majority of the scholars agree is wajib (obligatory), runs you the risk of earning a sin for not obeying his command.

What excuse do we have for not attending the Eid prayers as women? What excuse do we have for preventing our women from attending as men?

Let us reclaim our spiritual heritage and expose our families to the enriching experience of the Eid prayer for the betterment of our present Ummah and future generations, Insha’Allah.

Thoughts on Women and the Eid Prayer. September 12, 2009

(this post was orginally published on ramadan.co.za)

I’ve been mulling over this topic since the beginning of Ramadan really, wondering how to broach it. For a few years now, (since I married and my husband educated me on the undeniable proofs) my attempts to get other women to attend the Eidgah have been just that – attempts. Feeble one’s.

I was thinking of putting together a compilation of the ahadith pointing to the wujood of attending Eid prayers, for men and women, but that’s been done before. There are even lists of these ahadith with counter arguments for each one. To avoid presenting a counter-counter argument, I really didn’t know where to start. Quraysha Yousuf, a scholar of Islam, journalist and friend of mine, has really made my task easier. She writes indisputably about the matter.

After so many years of studying Islam, I still find it difficult to challenge these misconceptions, because they have been so ingrained in the psychology of South African Indian women. Notice how specific the population group I am referring to is? That’s because, the world over, muslim and otherwise, the Eid fields and masaajid are open to women, save for some subcontinental communities, who have adopted a rather misogynist Islamic viewpoint. South African Indian Muslims have followed in the footsteps of their ancestors, and continue to perpetrate injustice to women with regards to sacred space, amongst other things.

Women are viewed as the ultimate symbol of temptation to those who espouse this ideology. Even the women themselves have grown up believing these things about themselves and their sisters. How sad, how despicable.

I’ve been speaking to women activists, trying to gather momentum, and understand why it’s so difficult to make men and women see the importance of this matter. From where I’m sitting, it seems like a simple issue of power politics. Most men are too happy with the status qou, and the authority it gives them, to change anything. The ruling clergy have been indoctrinated to view the feminine as innately evil, and the general public have been brought up to revere the clergy. Hence, this cycle of oppression! We do of course get the occasional, “women are pearls and diamonds and we must protect them, men are so weak that they will pounce any women who is outside her home” rhetoric. It’s amazing really, how seemingly educated people buy into this.

But, I digress. The main issue here, is that the blessed day of Eid is less than a week away, and like every other year, I see the women of our community hyped up and stressed out about the day of celebration, for all the wrong reasons. They are more worried about the food that needs to be prepared, the clothes that need to be bought and the people that need to be pleased. The blessed morning of Eid passes by without them even realizing the magnanimity of what they have just missed – the Eid prayer.

That prayer, which the Prophet (saw) commanded every women to be brought out for, regardless of her age or whether she is menstruating!

Men and women accept weak arguments of “intermingling of sexes”, “no observance of hijab”, “fitnah” as proof that the womenfolk should remain at home, stirring the milk and setting the table!

During the time of the Prophet (saw), there was not even a barrier between the men and women, the women simply lined up behind the men (as it still is in many countries today, like Palestine and Syria).

Lets get real people. Do you really believe that women will turn up in mini-skirts and tube-tops to eid salah? What’s so difficult about having a few abaayat on stand by in case some really eccentric women do! Do we really believe that men are so weak, that women are so tempting? That at a place of prayer, people are going to go around seducing others? Is Islam all about sexuality, because that is what these silly theories have reduced it to! What about spirituality and humanity? What about brotherhood and sisterhood?

It all smacks of hypocrisy. Why would the Prophet (saw) command and allow things if it were going to be prohibited later on? That is so illogical! People say, “we are not living in that golden era, times have changed, evil prevails”, but this is even more reason why we must frequent the masaajid, so we can remain strong, educated and united Muslims and Muslimahs!

Gasp all you like, but I maintain my theory, that it is because SA Indian women have been barred from the masaajid that there is so much fitnah. It is because they have been cut off from their spiritual heritage, that they are so disconnected. They don’t know what it is like to be a part of the ummah, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the stranger who is also a sister, to bow down as one huge corpus of men and women, before the Almighty.

It makes me really sad, that we fast the entire month, strive for excellence in behaviour and worship, but come the day of Eid, we miss out on one of the most significant aspects of our religion. Don’t let the fruits of your Ramadan go sour dear sisters, by staying at home, when you should be at the Eidgah. The proofs are there, the facilities* are there, the decision is yours!

*Facilities for women in the Johannesburg area – Bosmont, Brixton and Greenside. (please leave a comment if you know of others)

A sacred poem and fixing my image March 17, 2009

(pictures taken by a brother who attended the program)

 

This past sunday, I attended a program at the Turkish built and run masjid in Johannesburg. It is a mini work of art, complete with ablution fountain and Ottoman dome. The inside mirrors any masjid in Turkey, in its beauty and symmetry. On the occasion of the Maulood, Sheikh Fakhruddin Owaisi came to Johannesburg, to teach the Qasidah Burdah (song of the cloak), a sacred poem, written about 800 years ago, by Sheikh Busairi, an Egyptian of Moroccan origin. The reason the poem has achieved such fame and sanctity, is because the Prophet (saw) appeared in a dream of the author, asking to listen to the poem, which is a mini Seerah, and then added one line to it, himself.  

Being taught by Sheikh Uwaisi, who learnt the Qasidah from a direct line of transmission to the author himself, was spiritually uplifting. It lasted about 7 hours, but not once did boredom or tiredness cross my mind, as every word he uttered, I vigorously wrote down and devoured with my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the method of oral transmission, the traditional way of learning, since the time of the Prophet (saw), and having studied literary theory, participating in it practically was invaluable to me. At the end of the program, the Sheikh also gave Ijazah (permission) to everyone who attended, to teach the Qasidah to others, and bestowed on everyone the chain of transmission to the author, another traditional method of education, which also came as a lovely surprise. All in all, it was a most inspirational introduction to sufism for me. The Qasidah itself, I will blog about separately.

The only time I felt a little uncomfortable is when the Sheikh was negative towards Shi’is. Those boundaries don’t exist in my mind.

One thought that crossed my mind repeatedly throughout the class, was how welcomed, comfortable and at home I felt in the Turkish masjid, and the same, the previous night at the Iranian masjid, which also held a Maulood program in honor of the prophet (saw). The atmosphere was relaxed, yet spiritually charged at the same time. I thought repeatedly, about how, I have never set foot in my own neighborhood masaajid, in whose shade I grew up, how unwelcome I am there, and how I, as a women, am perceived to somehow sully the sacredness of the place. I found my heart bursting with appreciation to the Turks and Iranians, who have made it possible for me to mend the image of myself which my community had shattered, by relegating me to the home, and setting the masjid as off limits to my species. It also made me grateful to have lived abroad in the Middle East, where I could traipse in to any masjid, at any time, without anyone batting an eyelid.

Getting back into my groove February 21, 2009

I haven’t blogged in ages!!
So much has happened… We’ve officially left Dubai, and relocated back to South Africa…home sweet home! And yet there’s so much I already miss about Dubai… the safety, grocery shopping at midnight, the creek, coffee mornings, meeting someone new from somewhere exotic every day, my car, the anonymity, affordable and gorgeous hijab fashion, all food being halal, toilets equipped with sprays,and did I mention safety?

In between leaving Dubai and moving back to SA, hubby and I fulfilled one of our many dreams, Alhamdulillah.. we visited Iran. Two great weeks in one of the most enchanting, but misunderstood countries in the world has left me craving for more things Iranian! The food, architecture and most of all, the people, were so special and so inviting, that I really didn’t feel like leaving, until the Tehran pollution caught my throat that is.

We were invited into many a home, and also experienced Iranian national day, when millions of people take to the streets in Tehran, to support the Islamic revolution and the Islamic republic. The president, Mahmoud Ahmedinajad addressed the nation, and leaders from Islamic Jihad and Hamas also gave speeches. It was all in all a very exhilarating day, the crown throbbing with a fervent love for Islam. I promise more stories of Iran to follow soon, Insha-allah!

Now that I’m back, there is so much to do, so much to get involved in. In that way, its great to home, to be part of a wider, more active community, with the freedom to contribute socially, politically and economically! Elections are coming up soon, and it will my first time to cast a ballot, I am very excited!

Pray that all goes well for hubby and I, in our endeavours. Here are some pictures from the Iran trip, but I must add that none do justice to the true splendour of the country.

Why don’t they tell you about me? January 25, 2009

They will tell you about the sister who reverted, she was a party girl, but now leads a life of quiet submission, layered in veils.
Or the woman who believes in her right to homosexuality.
They will tell you about meek women from remote villages, swathed in black, oppressed, beaten, raped, stoned.
Or the woman who felt she could lead the prayer.
They will tell you about the woman who escaped a forced marriage.
Or the Ph.D. professor, who shuns the hijab.
They will tell you about exotic princesses and aristocrats, with everything that money can buy, except freedom,
or the woman who was a suicide bomber.

Why don’t they tell you about these women -
The woman who grew up like any young girl, filled with ambitions of a career, and dreams of love.
The woman who is studying for that career.
The woman who not only chose her husband, got to know him before she married him, but is also deeply in love with him.
The woman who practices hijab by choice, and by doing so, feels a deep inner satisfaction.
The woman who loves shopping, for everything, from shoes to the perfect shade of foundation.
The woman who has a travel bug and wants to visit the jungles of South America.
The woman who is an avid reader, and enjoys seventeenth century English classics.
The woman who admires Oprah.
The woman who is fascinated with Plato, Aristotle, Freud and Marx.
The woman who is a daddy’s girl, through and through.
The woman who says no, when she feels like it.
The woman who enjoys sleeping in (everyday).
The woman who experiments in the kitchen, with thai and italian.
The woman who watches National Geographic.
The woman who believes in family planning.
The woman who votes in her country’s elections.
The woman who buys fashion magazines.
The woman who works because she feels like it.
The woman who follows world politics.
The woman who expects her husband to make the bed.
The woman who wants to contribute meaningfully to her community.
The woman who worries about her figure.
The woman who swims, in pools and oceans.
The woman who is a backpacker.
The woman who believes anything is possible for women.
The woman who is Muslim, and is all of these things, at the same time.

The woman who is me.

(This little ensemble is due to stereotypes of Muslim women in the media. I am not saying those women in the first part don’t exist, or are not important, because each and every one of them are.)

Another childhood stolen. January 10, 2009

For me, this is the single most horrifying picture to come out of Gaza.

I don’t know what to do, besides attending a few protests and volunteering to pack aid headed to Gaza, I am glued to Al Jazeera, facebook and my google reader for gruesome updates on this tragedy.

This is no war, as the U.S senator whose name escapes me now, said, “the palestinians have so no army, no naval, no airforce, no way of defending themselves.” This is genocide, massacre, slaughter, murder.

Silence For Gaza December 30, 2008

I feel a deep emptiness inside me.
Just returned from Silence for Gaza, a silent protest, the aim of which to show Arab leaders the stupidity and dire consequences of their silence.
I come home and read in the paper, that the ruler has cancelled all new year celebrations because we shouldn’t celebrate while Ghazans die. Dear Shaikh : with your oil wealth, you alone can obliterate Israel. Cancelling your new years party is laughable. Why don’t you allow residents to protest instead? Why don’t you put pressure on your fellow Arab shuyookh, to join forces and save Palestine? Why?

It struck me today, while I was at the Mall buying groceries, how life goes on, if you’re not in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and other war torn nations, life goes on, people die, people are slaughtered, and life goes on….

The return of the Jedi December 24, 2008

I haven’t blogged in ages!

In between trying to secure an Iranian visa, ending up in Malaysia for Eid and having my in laws over, there just wasn’t any time! Now that everything has quietened down, I feel a little depressed, to be all alone again, the whirlwind week with my sister in laws here was so much fun, I got to catch up on some much needed girl time! I won’t be lonely for long though, as my parents arrive on Saturday. We’re on a mission though, to pack up my apartment, as hubby and I are soon leaving this desert land. Where to? Not exactly sure.

Eid in Malaysia was a little sad, things really quieten down, everyone leaves the cities to be with their families back in the villages, after all, that is what Eid is all about – being with the family. Eid al Adha, marks the sacrifice that the Prophet Ebrahim (as) was willing to make in his devotion to Allah. It is a time for Muslims to question their own dedication, identify their “Ismail” and decide whether or not they are willing to sacrifice it. I was sad to hear and observe how the ritual of the sacrifice has become a blood thirsty game.

Malaysia on the whole was fabulous! The beauty of the landscape and the warmth of the people know no bounds. Here are some snippets

Click Click Click November 11, 2008

Deeply saddened by the death of Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba. I still cant do the Xhosa “click”, but her famous song is a favourite…

Rest in Peace.