Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
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people began to advise my mother to remarry, or
return to her parents’ home, or go to court to
recover the land which was lawfully hers. But
mother refused to follow any of this advice. Like the
brave Muslim woman that she was, she resolved to
face up to those circumstances on her own. This
decision was backed up by just two things: faith in
God and hard work.
Although my mother’s parents owned a vast tract of
land, 20 acres
100
of which had been willed to her by
her father, she never demanded her share of the land,
nor did she seek any help from the members of her
family. She depended upon God alone: her sturdy
independence was a shining example to us all.
I have seen how she would get up early every
morning, say the prescribed prayers and then work
right throughout the day without once stopping to
rest. When she went to bed, it was always late and
only after having said the
‘isha
prayer. The tasks on
which she spent her entire day included looking
after poultry, goats, etc. In this way, I too found the
opportunity to graze the goats, a
sunnah
(practice)
of the prophets.
