can muslims choose a woman to rule over them

8/14/2019 Can Muslims Choose a Woman to Rule Over Them

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Can Muslims choose a Woman to

Rule over Them?

Women in Islam

Written by Imran N. Hosein

THE QURAN AND THE RULE OF THE (MALE) IMAM

The Quran has delivered a stern warning concerning the choice of a

ruler: One day We shall call together all human beings with their

Imam (i.e., ruler). . . (Quran, al-Isra, 17:71). The word Imam, when

used in the Quran as well as in everyday language, refers to the rulerwho rules, governs or leads. The Quran also uses the word Imam to

mean a way or a book which leads or guides. However, in the context

of the Last Day and of divine judgment over all of mankind, it would be

irresponsible for anyone to exclude the meaning of the ruler who rules,

governs or leads for the word Imam in the above verse of the Quran.

Justice (as well as elementary common sense) demands that a leader

or ruler (who was misguided or rightly-guided) should be brought along

with his people when they are to be judged by Allah Most High.

Allah Most High Himself chose an Imam for mankind when He declared

to Abraham (peace be upon him): I hereby appoint you as the Imam

(leader) of mankind (Quran, al-Baqarah, 2:124). When Abraham

responded by querying whether Imams would also be divinely-

appointed from within his progeny, Allah Most High confirmed such

while dismissing the possibility that His covenant could ever include

those (as in modern-day Israel) who are wicked in conduct (Quran, al-

Baqarah, 2:124). Allah Most High then proceeded to appoint Imams, in

the form of Prophets, from Abrahams progeny. Among them were

Isaac and his seed in Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon andJesus, and Ishmael and his seed in Muhammad (peace and blessings of

Allah Most High be upon them all).

Finally, there is a prayer recorded in the Quran itself in which the

believing men pray to Allah Most High as follows: Our Lord! Grant

unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes and

grant that we may be Imams (i.e., leaders and rulers) over the
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righteous (Quran, al-Furqan, 25:74). In every instance in which the

Quran has used the term Imam to mean ruler who rules, governs

or leads, that Imam has always been male and never female.

Three times in history Allah Most High chose someone as His

Messenger/Prophet and then ordained that that Prophet shouldestablish a state and then rule over that state. David and Solomon

ruled over the Holy State of Israel, while Muhammad (peace and

blessings of Allah Most High be upon them all) eventually ruled over a

state from the city of Madina. In all three instances these divinely-

appointed rulers were male and never female.

The Quran went on to declare that it was not only those Prophets

(David, Solomon and Muhammad peace be upon them all) who ruled

over the state who were men but rather, that all the

Prophets/Messengers of Allah Most High (124,000 in all) were all,

without exception, men: Nor did We send before thee (as Messengers)

any but men whom We did inspire (men who lived amongst people) in

human habitations (Quran, Yusuf, 12:109; al-Nahl 16:43; al-Anbiyah,

21:7).

There is a very clear implication in the divine choice of men, 124,000

times in all, and never even once a woman, as divinely-appointed

Prophets and Messengers. This implication is further confirmed in the

divine choice of the masculine gender (and not feminine) for pronouns

that refer to Him, even though He, Allah, is neither male nor female.

The names of angels are all masculine, even though they are neithermale nor female. The Quran has denounced those who gave feminine

names to the angels: Those who believe not in the Hereafter name

the angels with female names (Quran, al-Najm, 53:27). Finally, the

Quran recognized that women have rights similar to those exercised

against them in an equitable manner, but went on to declare that

men have a status or degree above them (i.e., above women)

(Quran, al-Baqarah, 2:228) and, in this connection, it further declared

that men are guardians over women with responsibility to not only

maintain but, also, to guard and protect them, thus making it

obligatory for women to obey their male guardians (Quran, al-Nisa,4:34).

SOLOMON AND THE RULE OF A WOMAN

The divine guidance on this matter was made even more explicit when

the Quran narrated at length the event in which Solomon (peace be

upon him) learnt to his surprise about a female ruler over the land of


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Saba (Biblical Sheba), and that the people of Saba also worshiped the

sun. Here is the narration:

And he (Solomon) searched among the birds and said: How is it that I

do not see the hoopee; is he (really) absent? Unless he provides me

with a proper excuse (for his absence) I shall inflict on him severepunishment, or even slay him. (Readers should note that Solomon was

taught the language of the birds and could thus converse with them.)

But he (the bird) was not long in coming, and he said: I have

discovered something of which you have no knowledge. I have come

to you from (the land of) Saba with sure (and certain) information. Lo! I

found a woman ruling over them, and she has an (abundance) of all

things, and she (also) has a mighty throne. (But) I found her and her

people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan made their

conduct (i.e., worshipping the sun and choosing a woman to rule over

them) to appear to them to be fair and proper, and thereby obstructedthem from the way (of Truth), so that they do not go on the right

(path): They do not worship Allah Who brings forth the hidden in the

heavens and the earth, and knows what you conceal and what you

make public. Allah; there is no God save Him, the Lord of the

tremendous Throne.

(Solomon) said: We shall see whether you speak the truth (concerning

the rule of a woman over Saba, and their worship of the sun) or

whether you are a liar. Go with this my letter and deliver it to them;

then turn away and see with what (answer) they respond.

(The Queen of Saba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains!

Lo! A noble letter has been delivered to me. Lo! it is from Solomon,

and lo! it says: In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful; Do

not attempt to resist me! Rather, come to me in (a state of)

submission (to my authority)! She said: O chieftains! Advise me in this

matter. I do not decide on matters until you are present with me (to

advise me). They said: We are lords of might and lords of great

prowess (and hence capable of resisting Solomon), but it is for you to

take a decision (on the matter); so consider what you will command.

She said: Lo! When Kings enter a township, they ruin it and reduce thehonorable to a state of shame. That is how they act. Lo! I am going to

send a present unto them, and to see with what (answer) the

messengers return.

But when (the Queens envoy) came to Solomon (with expensive gifts),

he said: What! Do you seek to further your cause (in the matter

between us) with this wealth? That which Allah has given me is better


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than that which He gave you. Nay it is you (and not I) who exult in your

gift. Return unto them (i.e., return to the Queen and take these gifts

back with you). We verily shall come unto them with armed forces that

they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from that (land) with

shame, and they will be abased.

(Quran, al-Naml, 37:20-37)

There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to even suggest that

(Biblical) Sheba had committed, or was preparing to commit,

aggression against Solomons Holy State of Israel, or had acted in any

other way that could possibly have created a legal or even moral

justification for war (causus bellum). Yet Solomon promptly wrote to

the Queen with strict orders that she must not resist him but must

come to him forthwith in a state of submission to him.

There were many lands not under Solomons control where people

worshiped other than the One God. There is no evidence whatsoever

that he acted in a similar way with the rulers of such territories. One

also does not respond with war to a people who worship other than

Allah. There is no wisdom at all in such conduct. Rather the divine

guidance requires that people be invited to the truth with wisdom and

with a graceful exhortation.

Nor did the Queen of Sheba dismiss Solomons letter with disrespect

and arrogance. Rather she praised it as noble and sought to appease

him with gifts. Yet he firmly rejected her very friendly response and

delivered his declaration of war instead. He even went on to spell outthe fearsome consequences of such war for Sheba. The very clear

implication of this event has unfortunately been obscured by the

growth of fairy tales. In fact, Solomon acted as he did because divine

guidance did not for one moment tolerate the rule of a woman over

society or the state. There is no other possible explanation for

Solomons extraordinary conduct.

Those who, despite the divine guidance clearly represented in the

above, choose a woman as their leader/ruler, would find themselves

raised on the Last Day with their female leader, as they wait forjudgment before the One God! They would be horrified to learn that in

choosing a woman to rule over them, they committed the great sin of

excluding Allah Most High from their decision in the matter: And be

not like those who forget Allah (by excluding Him from their affairs);

and He made them (pay the price of) forgetting their own selves (i.e.,

their own human status). Such are a people (whose conduct is) very

sinful (Quran al-Hashr, 59:18-20).


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The above verse of the Quran (with our commentary in brackets) has

delivered the mother of all warnings to those who forget their Lord-God

by excluding Him from their decision in respect, for example, of

matters such as the rule of a woman. They are a misguided people

whose misguidance would eventually take them into the hellfire.

Modern Judeo-Christian Western civilization was the first to adopt

todays godless secularism which has excluded Allah Most High as

supreme over everything. Political secularism declared the separation

of politics from religion and in the process, dethroned Allah Most High

as Sovereign. It replaced His Sovereignty with the sovereignty of the

state, parliament and constitution. Having adopted secularism, the

godless West then proceeded to export that secularism to the rest of

the world (including Trinidad and Tobago).

It is blasphemous and hypocritical for a constitution that recognizes

the supremacy of God to then proceed to proclaim: This

Constitution is the supreme law of Trinidad and Tobago, and any other

law that is inconsistent with this Constitution (and such obviously

includes Gods law) is void to the extent of its inconsistency. Those

who excluded Allah Most High as Sovereign and instead, accepted the

sovereignty of the state and constitution, have a terrible surprise

awaiting them on the Last Day. The Quran declared that Allah Most

High would hold the whole world in His hands (as Mahalia Jackson once

sang) and would then ask: Who possesses sovereignty today? The

Quran then responded with: It is Allah, the One, the Irresistible (who

is Sovereign) (Quran, al-Ghafir, 40:16).

And so, Islam has rejected such secularism and has insisted on

recognition of Allahs Sovereignty and Supreme Authority over the

state and hence over the choice of leader/ruler of the state. Anyone

who instead recognizes the sovereignty of the modern secular state,

and dies with such in his record, would die with the biggest of all sins

(Shirk) hanging around his neck - a sin that Allah has warned He would

not forgive. Such a person would enter forthwith into the hellfire.

What should a believer in the One God do? The answer is we arepermitted to reside in a secular state and while residing in that state,

may support all that is good and oppose all that is evil. We must

refrain, to the best of our ability, from all conduct that would bring

Shirk upon ourselves. Prophet Muhammad acted in that way for 53

years of his life while he lived in pagan Makkah (prior to his flight to

Madina). Prophet Joseph acted in that way even while serving in

Egypts pagan government and Jesus, the Messiah, did the same while


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living under Roman rule in the Holy Land (peace and blessings of Allah

Most High be upon them all).

Why, we may ask ourselves, did Allah Most High choose only men as

His Prophets and Messengers? And why did Prophet Muhammad ordain

two animals be sacrificed as thanksgiving for the birth of a baby boy,while only one was to be slaughtered for the birth of a baby girl. Also,

why did the Prophet order men occupy the front rows of the Masjid,

while women were to occupy the back rows of the Masjid behind the

men, hence making it impossible for a woman to ever lead the men in

prayer?

Let us first dismiss the notion that men are intellectually, morally or

spiritually superior to women. Prophet Muhammad dismissed such

falsehood with his declaration that mankind would be raised on the

Last Day for judgment as equal before Allah as are the teeth of a

comb. Indeed he recognized the status of mother to be thrice

superior to that of father, and declared that paradise lies beneath

your mothers feet.

Rather, the implication is clearly recorded in the declaration of Prophet

Muhammad himself (peace and blessings of Allah Most High be upon

him) when he learnt that the Persian people had chosen their

Emperors as their new ruler. He declared: No people would ever be

successful who choose a woman to rule over them (Bukhari, Nisai,

Tirmidhi and Ahmad).

It can also be discerned in the conduct of the companions of the

Prophet and their successors for as long as the Muslim world remained

free from the control of todays essentially godless Judeo-Christian

European civilization. The ruler who ruled over the world of Islam, who

was known as Amir al-Muminin, Khalifa or Imam, was always male and

never female. Nor did Holy Israel ever have a woman as a ruler. It is

only in the modern age and as a direct result of western pollution of

Islamic civilization that the aberration of a womans rule over the

political order has occurred in a few parts of the Muslim world.

It is important for us to note that the divine guidance has never

wavered on the subject of the rule of the male in order to make

allowance for any special circumstances that would permit the rule of a

woman. Yet some scholars of Islam, particularly in the modern age in

which a Euro-feminist revolution is sweeping the world, have found it

expedient to argue that exceptional circumstances can permit the rule

of a woman. What such scholars have unwittingly done is to open the


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way for the permanent rule of women over an upside-down world

symbolized by the sun rising from the West.

The protagonists of this possibility cling hard to the example of Aisha

(may Allah be pleased with her) who, they claim, either led, or joined

with others in leading some men in battle against Ali (may Allah bepleased with him) in the Battle of the Camel. She was pursuing justice,

or she was led to believe that she was acting justly in the wake of

Uthmans assassination, while Ali, in his wisdom, recognized that

justice could not be enforced in a security vacuum. Hence he needed

to first restore security to the society and stability to the state before

he could enforce justice. It was this difference of views on the matter

which led to rebellion against Alis authority.

But the consensus of opinion all through the ages is that Ali was the

last of the four rightly-guided Khulafa (or Imams) who ruled over the

Muslims after the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of

Allah Most High be upon him). It was therefore Aishas duty to submit

to Alis authority. Her conduct in this matter does not establish a

precedent that ought to be emulated.

can muslims choose a woman to rule over them

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