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Let’s get back to the action!
Uh, Hey?
Sorry, do you know where the sisters’ prayer room is?
Ahh...
Yeah, It’s just right there.
The chemical storage?
Yeah that’s it.
What the heck?!
Well, good morning and Asalamu’Alaykum, Peace be upon you.
I'm absolutely thrilled to be with you in this exciting new course.
Islamic ethics and philosophy.
It's one of the best courses that I like to teach, and I'm sure you'll find it
exciting as well.
However, allow me to perhaps start asking what you know about Islam.
Yes, please.
Islam is a religion of peace. Peace and love.
Thank you.
Actually, Islam is a religion of Tawhid.
Total submission to Allah.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
All right.
Islam is all about worshiping Allah and only Allah.
Fantastic.
Anyone else would like to add to that?
Thank you.
So, from what I've read, Islam is an Abrahamic religion.
It's one of the major religions in the world,
and it has some of the most devout followers.
They pray five times a day.
I guess you could say Muslim men and women are very traditional.
Sorry, what do you mean by traditional?
Like, you know.
He means the traditional gender roles and responsibilities.
Look, men are men and women are women.
Masha’Allah brother!
I wasn't asking you. I was asking him.
But what does he know? He's not even Muslim.
Look, it's really not that hard, okay.
Men and women are different.
They have very specific gender roles and responsibilities
Takbeer, you're from India, you know what I'm talking about.
I'm Tanveer, bro, and I'm from Pakistan. Same thing.
What do you mean?!
it’s laughable.
I mean, people like you who constantly reinforce the systematic oppression
of this Ummah, I mean, always being so patriarchal, it's baffling to me.
No no no, read the Quran.
Men have authority over women, men have a degree over women.
Just ask the professor, he knows.
Well, this is a very good start to this class on ethics.
We got into a bit of a heated debate, I see.
Can I ask you if you don't mind,
What do you know about the relationship between man and woman in Islam?
Are you married? No, I'm not married.
I'm not surprised.
I'm actually engaged. Well, I feel sorry for.
I feel sorry for you.
Well, that's. We'll leave that for another time.
But I guess first thing to point out is that this dichotomous relationship,
you know, it's either or is actually problematic.
And Islam looks at it more holistically than just either or.
And I love the understanding or the idea that the relationship
between man and woman in Islam and I think this is a very important point
that you can underline. It's not competitive,
but it's complementary.
And this perhaps brings me back to what you were talking about earlier.
This relationship in Islamic sacred law, the financial responsibility
of the entire household is on the shoulders of a man.
And therefore, when we speak about a man has the responsibility or a degree above
a woman, it's a degree of responsibility, not preference.
Whilst on the other hand, what Islam would say towards for a mother,
is that yes, maybe earning a livelihood is important,
but one of the most sacred and noble professions you can have
is motherhood, which sadly in today's modern society is sidelined somehow.
And I think the middle approach from an Islamic
perspective is that both and this is important
both as far as Allah or God is
concerned, are equal in His esteem.
Sir, sorry, I'm a little bit confused.
You talk about equality, but I still feel like there's a bit of a divide there.
I mean, at least the women's prayer space we’re praying in a chemical storage.
You prayed in the chemical storage room.
You know, we have a prayer space for sisters on campus.
You should have asked.
I did ask. Who did you ask? Him!
Astagfirullah Brother!
I think this is a very important point.
I think it links to what I was saying.
Take, for example, the very clear instructions of the prophet, Peace
be upon him that says do not stop women from going to the mosque.
Put that in perspective and in context.
This was said 1400 plus years ago.
And I think what we need to be doing is providing facility for both and give
the woman a choice whether she wants to go to the Musalla or the masjid or not.
But it is not a man's decision to decide whether she can go to the mosque or not.
And so I think it's important to emphasize the point
that Islam is about balance and the middle path
instead of this extreme or that extreme either or.
Professor, you talk about balance, but what about the Islamic laws
on inheritance?
Why is a woman's worth always half that of a man's?
Where's the balance in that?
Well, thank you for that question.
First and foremost, it's not because she is a woman and therefore less than a man.
No Muslim understands that.
No Muslim scholar understands that.
And certainly the Quran
and the tradition of the Prophet, the Hadith makes that very categoric.
No man is better than a woman and no woman is better than a man because of gender.
But rather it is piety and closeness to Allah.
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
The Quranic verse states that the most noble of you
in the esteem of Allah are those who are most righteous.
And so there are other, more pragmatic reasons.
Most people who jump to the conclusion
that women have less inheritance than men
do so based on one verse of the Quran that says,
لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الأُنثَيَيْنِ
and a male has twice the share of a woman.
But what most people don't realize is that there are 34 cases
in Islamic sacred law in which women can inherit property.
Did you know that? 34 cases.
One of those cases is the one that you were referring to
where she may get half to that of a man.
In fact, in 14 of those cases, according to Muslim
scholars, she inherits more than a man. Why?
Because the man has the responsibility to completely provide financial security for his household
And a woman is not entitled to, unless she chooses to,
to spend a penny from her money, even if she was a millionaire.
Then the issue of inheritance
also must be connected to financial responsibility.
Again, it's got nothing to do
with the assumption
and dare I say, the false assumption that because she's less than men,
Certainly the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad
never tells us that and this is not the understanding of the Muslim Scholars.
So it's the middle path, it's balance.
And remember the best of us in the esteem of God
from the Islamic perspective are those who are most righteous.
Look Khadija, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this.
But he’s also been sending me messages.
After marriage he will be worse.