Islam for Women

Salaam,
my readers who keep coming back here!

After reading the book I should give some kind of final recommendation from my side.

It is marvelous reading, skillfully written bringing Islamic history close to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. I appreciate the amount the time and research the author has invested in it.

Only if there were not the one thing I have been writing in my previous posts and am quite unhappy with.

After having some serious concern about Lady Aisha’s age at her marriage since it is not known, all speculation is based on Hadith only, I think that the positive aspect of information and positive image it gives about Islam weighs more and therefore I recommend it for interested readers.

But readers should always keep in mind that it is a fiction novel after all and not everything what the vivid imagination of Mr. Pasha (which I envy – to be honest) brought to life here is necessary word by word true.

I could not find any historical errors since for most of the events exist surviving documents around which the author has woven this historical novel.

Ramadan Greetings to all!

About two months ago I was asked to review a book of which I was quite curious about. Renowned Hollywood screenwriter Kamran Pasha has written a novel about the birth of Islam titled

Mother of the Believers

Now that I had the chance actually to start reading it I finally realized what had bothered me all the time.

It is the Title of the Book!

I just finished the fist chapter but as a reader I take the opportunity to make this my opinion clear before actually reading it. Two things bother me after the author’s note. First is the title and secondly that he chooses to use the most controversial age (according to some hadiths) of Lady Aisha at her marriage – six years old when engaged, married at nine.

I am afraid he is ignorant of the newer historical research. From different other accounts we can reconstruct Aisha’s age to late teens or perhaps early twenties compared to the ages of Prophet’s older daughters and other Hadith’s and surviving documents.

I cannot help but thinking that Mr. Pasha is not doing a favor for Islam especially while he knows the controversy around this subject and that it is used widely against Islam as anyone surfing the internet about critical articles about Islam must have noticed. Perhaps through controversy about this he hopes to gain exposure.. bad critic is better than no critic?

On the first pages is looks to become a promising tale, worthy of a successful Hollywood writer familiar with flowery language. And please, pardon my broken English, I myself struggle living in four languages every  day.

The Title: The title Mother of Believers Prophet Mohammed gave to his first wife of 25 years Khadija as she was the first person to convert to Islam and was the only supporter of the Prophet at his crisis after receiving his first revelation.

Quran 33;6 “THE PROPHET IS CLOSER TO THE BELIEVERS THAN THEIR OWN SELVES, AND HIS WIVES ARE THEIR MOTHERS.”
I believe this means that the Prophet’s wives were like mothers to the believers and after his passing away they could not be married by anyone else later.

The Age of Aisha: Mr. Pasha, the Marriage to Lady Aisha lasted 10 years. According to you 6 + 10 = 16 years. Aisha was the youngest of Prohpet’s wives (the daughter of his best friend and companion) while others were in their late fifties and early sixties, mostly war widows. His first wife Khadija as we know was 15 years his senior and the marriage lasted for 25 years with 6 children and it was a very happy one. From all his other wives he married later he received only one boy who died very early.

For me personally it hard to believe that the early Muslim community would have accepted her as THE Mother Figure ( Mr. Pasha in his book: “I am the Mother of the Believers and this is my tale.” Aisha at the end of the first chapter) and as far as I know Aisha’s role after the death of the Prophet was somewhat controversial because she tried to take a political role others opposed.

Pardon my Planet, I had to bring this to my readers attention. From Amazon I can see that the book is selling well and receiving good feedback.

Salaam, for later commentary
Mona

The Problem is not Islam.

While reading latest comments to the Queen Rania’s award winning Youtube Video one of them  made me think, is he/she right or wrong?

“zeppelinsteen In Malaysia where I come from, there is approx. 60% Muslims. We have a lot of Christians as well. But the Muslims here are totally different from the Middle East. For example we don’t have any problem with women rights or whatsoever. Yet, other religions are going well with Islam. I think it’s not about challenging stereotypes, it is changing attitudes of the ARABS! “

Yes, he or she is right: the Problem is not Islam.

The problem is,  that some Muslims do not realize that what they believe to be Islamic teaching is in fact tradition. The Hadith’s  (traditions) sometimes clearly contradict the Holy Quran. The best example is the stoning of adulterous women as it still happens in some areas  in the Middle East. It was common practice before Christianity, which Jesus abolished (pls. read the article below “Stoning of a child” ).   

In the Quran there is NO mentioning of it but a sura, that cannot be misinterpreted:  

“And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death comes close to them or God opens some way for them.” (Quran 4:15) 

They somehow manage to distort the Original Message of  Righteousness, Tolerance and Humanity.  It was Islam,  that introduced 1400 years ago all these virtues to then pagan Bedouins, who were warring each other in bloody tribal conflicts.  And it is not solely the problem of the Arabs, who count only around 15 % of  the Muslims worldwide.

The reason  is that many preachers still prefer the Hadith’s,  even if there are clear instructions of tolerance, forgiveness, human rights, even animal rights and  “do not kill” in the Quran. 

Please read the passages of the Quran on the right panel, No. 7  “What the Quran has to say..” 

Traditions change last, unfortunately.