[IslamCity] Fwd: GETTING READY FOR COLLEGE / HEROIC DEEDS OF MUSLIM WOMEN

[Abdul Wahid Osman Belal]

Mahboob Shariff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
From: "Mahboob Shariff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: "Mahboob Shariff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Subject: GETTING READY FOR COLLEGE / HEROIC DEEDS OF MUSLIM WOMENDate: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 17:57:34 +0400



Getting Ready for College:Muslims, You’ll Need More than a Backpack
Parents with high school aged children are constantly thinking ahead, because they know that very soon their son or daughter will be entering college inshaAllaah. Muslim high schools all over the nation are doing college preparatory courses that emphasize skills such as study, research, writing, and critical thinking, and it is not uncommon to find a student studying from an SAT preparatory book or taking the PSAT several times, all of this in the hopes of being adequately prepared for college. If a field study were done on the readiness of young Muslim high school students, one would likely find them to be ready for college, perhaps even more so than their non-Muslim counterparts, and the academic success of many Muslims in college speaks for itself. Each year American colleges and universities are admitting and graduating thousands of Muslims, many who are entering respected professions such as computer science,
 engineering, law, and medicine. The success rate of Muslims in these fields is something to be proud of, and for parents with high school aged children, it gives them real incentive to keep doing what they are doing in preparing their children for college. However, there is one college prep course that parents often forget to enroll their children in, and that is Islamic studies.
No, this Islamic studies course is not the one our children registered for and attends every weekend, nor is it the course a student takes while attending an Islamic school. And no, it does not even include the lectures and study circles a child may attend regularly. This is because this Islamic studies course is more intimate and intricate than one for which one can register their child and help her with her homework. This course has a host of subtopics, the most essential of which are the verbal and nonverbal lessons we give children about Islam everyday. If a field study were done on this aspect of parents’ “Islamic Studies,” the results may be disheartening for Muslims who care greatly for their souls and the souls of their children.
As a writer and educator who spends lots of time with young Muslims who are or plan to be in college, I can attest to the small place Islam has in the lives of many youth. Although there are those parents who try as best they can to call their children to Islam and pray to Allah about them often, there are still many others who make it very clear to their high school aged son or daughter that: Your readiness for and success in college is measured by your transcript. As a result, these students may feel content in missing prayers and making them up at the end of the day, because “I had a major exam to study for,” or “Had I left class to pray, I would’ve missed something very important”-that is, if they pray at all. Many of the students who do pray put so little importance on this pillar of Islam that they rarely have any concentration or sincere remembrance of Allah at all. And it is extremely difficult to find a Muslim
 college student who prays voluntary prayers at all, so it is nearly inconceivable that there is one who prays Tahajjud in the last third of the night. The most common excuse is course overload and need for sleep, but in this society it is the college student who is most likely to be up very late at night, if she is not up all night, preparing for that “killer exam.” Chances are, any student who stays or gets up late at night to study takes a study break at some point, whether to snack, “take a breath,” or catch a quick glance at what is on television. Why couldn’t that fifteen or thirty minute break been spent in prayer? After all, prayer, which involves a peaceful connection with one’s Lord, is the single act most likely to allow us to calm, clear our head, and “take a breath.” Even if a sister finds herself unable to pray due to menses, can’t she take time to supplicate to her Lord, not only for that A on the exam but for the protection of her soul?
Any person who is either in or has been in college knows that Islam usually takes a backseat-yes, even for those students who are always present at, or even organizing, MSA events. The college courses bombard the college students brains, and rightfully so, but these courses do not have to take control of the Muslim student. In order for a Muslim to survive (spiritually, that is) in college, he must stay connected with his Lord. Although the workload in college is admittedly overbearing most times, it is simply not an option for a Muslim to put Islam on the backburner. In fact, this is a time where Islam has to take the front seat, especially since most, if not all, of the college courses are training Muslim students’ brain to either hate or be ashamed of their religion.
One observation I have made of Muslim students who have completed a college degree program is that if they have not abandoned Islam altogether, they are, at the very least, apologetic about Islam-and this observation includes what I saw in myself upon completing college. If a reader is unsure of this observation, try this: in the next gathering you attend, bring up any of the following topics to a group of college students, and see what happens: men/women’s role in Islam, polygamy, marriage, jihad, the best place for a woman is at home, obeying the husband, or hijrah (migration to the land of the Muslims). What you will hear will likely fall into two categories: either an outright rejection of that part of Islam altogether or a Western-influenced response that results in the undermining of its honorable place in Islam (in the case of women, you’ll likely hear feminist responses to a discussion on men or marital
 issues).
The benefits of a young Muslim man or woman equipped with a college degree are numerous. If a young man or woman is studying a necessary field like medicine or education, he or she is undoubtedly fulfilling one of the collective obligations of the ummah, for which we should be thankful to Allah. However, as we prepare the young Muslims for college so that they can enter honorable careers as these, we cannot ignore their needs in other areas, particularly Islam. It is not enough for us to enroll our child in weekend school or relax because they study Islam at the local Muslim school. We have to actively implement our own Islamic studies courses in our homes, and of course, this goes beyond merely reading about and discussing Islamic issues. Our character, behavior, and values must be centered around Islam. And whenever we get a free moment with our children, let us not marvel at how great it would be to attend such and
 such university or how wonderful it would be if our child could get a 4.0. Rather, let us marvel at how great it would be if we are admitted to Paradise when we die. And when we get back to those college prep courses, let us make sure that, as we prepare our children for college, we are equipping them with more than ideas and hopes from books promising academic success and serve no real purpose for a Muslim in college than to be put at the bottom of a backpack.
Heroic Deeds of Muslim Womenby: Syed Sulaiman Nadwi
The history of Islam abounds in scores of such gallant actions on the part of Muslim women, but, unfortunately, they are not commonly known. 
Prior to Islam, the Arab women used to accompany men to the battlefield. With their children, they remained behind the fighting lines and looked after the wounded soldiers, attended the horses, comforted their valiant husbands, roused their spirit by narrating the thrilling achievements of their ancestors, disarmed the dead soldiers of the enemy, rallied the panic-stricken fugitives, and guarded the prisoners. 
The famous poet of Arabia, 'Umar Bin Kulthum, recites in pride: 
"Behind our ranks are beautiful and whitefaced women; we are always afraid lest they should be insulted, and the enemy take possession of them. These women have taken oaths from their husbands to show gallantry in the field of battle. They accompany us, so that they may take possession of, and arrest, enemies' horses and armaments. These are the ladies of the family of Jashm b. Bakr, who not only possess beauty, but also have traditions both of family and religion. They look after our horses and they say, 'If you cannot protect us from the enemy you are not our husbands'." 
Islam also maintained this tradition. Women always followed men in the Jihad. In the battle of Uhud, according to Bukhari, 'Ayesha (may God be pleased with her) carried a leather bag full of water to quench the thirst of wounded soldiers. She was helped in the task by Umm Salim and Umm Salit. 
The traditionist Abu Nayeem relates that in the battle of Khaibar, half a dozen women of Medina followed the marching army. The Prophet did not know of this and, when he was informed, he angrily asked them why they had come at all. They reverently answered that they had medicines with them, that they would nurse and dress the wounded, take out arrows from the bodies of the soldiers, and arrange for their rations. The Prophet allowed them to accompany the army, and, when Khaibar was conquered, he gave a share of the war booty to these women also. [1] 
In a number of battles, Umm Salim and a few other ladies of the Ansar rendered similar service.[2] Rabi, daughter of Muaz, along with other women, performed the duty of carrying the martyrs and the wounded from the battlefield of Uhud to Medina.[3] Umm Raqida had a pavilion for the wounded, where she washed and dressed their wounds.[4] 
Umm Zaid, Ashjiya, and five other ladies helped the Muslims during the battle of Khaibar, by working at spinning wheels. They picked up arrows from the field, and offered grain flour (Sattu) to the soldiers. [5] Umm Attiya cooked for the Companions in seven battles. [6] 
Tabari writes of one occasion when the corpses of the Muslim soldiers lay in great numbers in the van. The group of men appointed for burying the martyrs commissioned women to look after the wounded. In the battles of Aghwath and Armath, fought in connection with that of Qadisiya, women and children dug graves. [7] 
The battle of Qadisiya is described thus by a woman w o was present: "When the battle was over, we (women) rushed forward daringly to the battlefield with rods in our hands and picked up the wounded Muslim soldiers." [8] 
The above incidents, however, not only testify to the religious zeal, national enthusiasm, and heroism of Muslim women, but also detail the various duties they were called upon to perform from time to time. They did not shirk the humble and unpleasant chores: the digging of graves and the procurement of rations for the army. Not only did the women nurse the wounded in the rear, they also brought in the casualties from the battlefield. Not content with urging men to take a firm stand, sometimes, they actually helped them by joining in the battle. In short, no task was too difficult or too unpleasant for them to attempt. 
If you examine the battles of the early period of Islamic history, you will find women engaged in these duties in the rear. The last mentioned services rendered by Muslim women require, however, some elaboration, and we will go into detail to show how nobly the weaker sex among the Muslims discharged this task. 
The mother of Anas b. Malik (the Prophet's servant), Umm Salim, usually accompanied the Prophet to the field. When Taleeb b. 'Umair adopted Islam and informed his mother of this, she said, "You have sided with the man who deserved the most. Would that I had the strength and the ability of man, I would protect him and fight for him."[10] 
In the battle of the Ditch, the Prophet and his Companions were fighting against the Jews, when Banu Quraiza advanced to the place where Muslim women and children had entrenched themselves. There were no soldiers to protect these women against Banu Quraiza. Meanwhile, a Jew chanced to appear near them. It was feared that the Jew might betray them to Banu Quraiza who would then attack at the earliest opportunity. Safia, the aunt of the Prophet, and the mother of Zubair, asked Hassan b. Thabit to kill the Jew. Seeing his hesitation, Safia herself climbed down with a pole of the pavilion in her hand and killed the Jew with it. This was the first heroic action, says the historian Ibn Athir, done by a, Muslim woman. [11] 
Footnotes:
[1] Abu Dawud, Fath-e-Khaibar. [2] Abu Dawud, Vol. 1, p. 252 [3] Bukhari, Kitab-ut-Tib.[4] Abu Dawud, Vol. I p. 270. [5] Sahih Muslim, Vol. 11, p. 105 (Egypt) [6] Tabari Vol VI, p. 2317 (European Edn.). [7] Tabari, Vol. V, p. 2363. [8] Ibid. [9] Usud-ul-Chabs, Vol. V. p. 591. [10] Isti'ab Taleeb, b.'Umair. [11] Usud-ul-Ghabn, description of Safia, Vol. V. p. 591 
ABDUL WAHID OSMAN BELAL
		Do you Yahoo!? 
Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.


***************************************************************************
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} 
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
 
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] 

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." 
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. 

If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". 








Yahoo! Groups Sponsor


  ADVERTISEMENT 












Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ 
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.