ISLAM & THE MUSLIMS
Blessing or Burden?
YOU be the Judge

By LTC Daniel Marvin USASF (ret)

Chapter Four – Women

In the beginning of this chapter Muhammad discusses women, orphans and slaves and the reader is to understand that the orphans and slaves are also women.
Muhammad tells it this way: “O men! fear your Lord, who hath created you of one man (nafs, soul), and of him created his wife, and from these twain hath spread abroad so many men and WOMEN. And fear ye God, in whose name ye ask mutual favors , - and reverence the wombs that bore you. Verily is God watching over you!
“And give to the orphans their property; substitute not worthless things of your own for their valuable ones, and devour not their property after adding it to your own; for this is a great crime.
“And if ye are apprehensive that ye shall not deal fairly with orphans, then, of other women who seem good in your eyes, marry but two, or three, or four; and if ye still fear that ye shall not act equitably, then one only; or the slaves whom ye have acquired: this will make justice on your part easier. Give women their dowry freely; but if of themselves they give up aught therof to you, then enjoy it as convenient, and profitable.
“And entrust not to the incapable the substance which God hath placed with you for their support; but maintain them therewith, and clothe them, and speak to them with kindly speech.”
Muhammad goes on, later in the chapter, to establish guidelines: “If any of your women be guilty of whoredom, then bring four witnesses against them from among yourselves; and if they bear witness to the fact, shut them up within their houses till death release them, or God make some way for them.” In his explanatory notes, J. M. Rodwell tells us that “Women found guilty of adultery and fornication were punished at the first rise of Islam, by being literally immured [imprisoned]. But this was exchanged, in the case of a maiden, for one year’s banishment and 100 stripes [with a whip]; and in the case of a married woman, for stoning.”
In part of his instructions on who men were not to marry, Muhammad, told the Muslim men, “Forbidden to you also are married women, except those who are in your hands as slaves : This is the law of God for you.” Muhammad goes on to give the wealthy men leeway , even his permission to disobey the very law he has quoted, saying, “And it is allowed you, beside this, to seek out wives by means of your wealth, with modest conduct, and without fornication. And give those with whom ye have cohabitated their dowry. This is the law. But it shall be no crime in you to make agreements over and above the law.” Then as if to warn them they are being watched by the supreme power, he says, “Verily, God is knowing, Wise!
I would like to, at this point, reiterate, because of comments I have received about this series on the Muslim religion to date, without reservation or equivocation that my intent in this series is to acquaint the reader with the basic doctrine of ISLAM as set forth by Muhammad himself. This series will hopefully help you develop a knowledge and understanding sufficient for you to judge for yourself if the religion of ISLAM has a doctrinal base of grace, peace, self denial and humility or if it should be viewed with suspicion as a religious system with a doctrine intolerant of other religions, particularly that of all Jews and Christians.

As we get deeper into the KORAN, I believe it will be beneficial to all concerned if I also refer in these columns to A Manual of Hadith so that the reader may more readily understand the true meaning of Muhammad’s KORAN. While visiting the Ideal Book Shoppe in Cazenovia I noticed Maulana Muhammad Ali’s book A Manual of Hadith, skimmed through it and knew right away it would prove helpful to me in writing about ISLAM.
I have, from the beginning, not wanted to present any opinions of my own nor of any other non-Muslim in this series. The intent must continue to be to present to the reader the truth of what ISLAM represents.
Muhammad Ali is of the ISLAM faith and he wrote the book, as he states in the Preface, “to fulfil, primarily, the need of English converts to Islam, but it is really,” in his words, “a work the need of which is felt throughout the English-speaking Muslim World. It is a faithful picture of the culture of Islam at its source, free from foreign influence and independent of later growth.” Most important to this writer is what Muhammad Ali followed that with, writing, “It shows what the prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, said and did, and what lives his companions led. This is technically known as the Sunnah (lit., a manner of acting or a mode of life) of the Holy Prophet, and is popularly known as the Hadith (lit., a saying) being a record of what he said, did or approved.”
In Part Eleven we will get deeper into what Muhammad prophesied about women.
You be the judge of it all.

Edited by Jeanne Calabretta ©LTC Daniel Marvin (USASF Ret’d)