Imagine a nation where every hospital is free of cost irrespective to your status, caste, gender, religion, nationality. A multi-speciality hospital providing you a clothes, well furnished wards, delicious food, specialized doctors, that too free of cost. Not just this even giving the patient money and food as a compensation for being out of work during his hospital stay. Isn't it mind-blowing?? This is what hospitals were in the Islamic Civilization. In early medieval where Europe belief that illness is supernatural, uncontrollable, incurable. Muslims took completely different approach because of the saying of prophet Muhammadﷺ, “God has sent down the disease and he has appointed cure for every disease, so treat yourself medically”(¹) Mobile Dispensaries The first known Islamic care center was set up in a tent by Rufaydah al-Aslamiyah r.a during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ. Famously, during the Ghazwah Khandaq, she treated the wounded in a separ...
Islamic masculinity stems from the prophetic times and the acts of the companions of the prophet himself, which indirectly means we get it from the ahadith or the Holy Quran. Although now only a few handfuls of those acts of worship or teachings are being followed by men in accordance with masculinity, before we dive into this topic, let's first try to understand Islamic masculinity.
However, as time goes by, we may only see men adhering to some of these concepts, of which our topic of choice for this article is their contribution to household chores and domestic aspects.
Allama Iqbal spoke about the psychology of the Sahabas in one of his poems, where an elder Balouch is advising his son,
Set on the saint’s head, Darius’ crown
(Tag-o-Dou means struggling or related to extreme struggle; Dara was a term used to address the prince of Persia.)
Source of manhood:
The aspects of masculinity are not fulfilled entirely by the men of today, as these criteria and parts are handpicked by the males to fit their advantages, which creates an environment of being left out for women. We observe that when Muslim men took their masculinity from the prophet SAW and not the red pill men on social media apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc., they conquered the castles of Persia.
Today, men see the children of the ummah get slaughtered with little to no moral remorse as they take masculinity from those that have achieved worldly success. We often hear men complain about their non-participation in chores and homely aspects, and when they are asked to address and improve on this characteristic, much of today’s men take it upon their ego and become defensive as it makes sense to them that their character is being questioned or their manliness is being accused wrongly for just it. While men of this criteria have taken it upon themselves to alter the definition of masculinity to relate it to just earning a living, we learn from our very authentic sources, which are, of course, the ahadith and Quran, that that’s not what Islamic masculinity is. These are cultural teachings to ignore helping out in the kitchen and women being the sole bearers of responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, and whatnot all around the clock. One can also name it a generational curse.
When it comes to men being participative in the domestic aspects of their lives, we see very few examples, such as buying groceries on rare occasions and playing around with the kids depending on their availability. We know this from the hadith, which will be listed at the end, that the prophet SAW was indeed a participative and helpful member in his domestic life. It is noted that when men help out willingly with household chores without having to be told or constantly asked by their wives or mothers, it creates a very pleasant and harmonious environment for the entire family. It symbolizes a sort of partnership between the two (a couple) or the entire family in terms of familial matters.
Domestic responsibility:
Let's take an example to better understand these domestic issues relating to masculinity. On weekends or Sundays, we often see men enjoying their time off by going out, planning parties, lounging, etc., while the same “time off” for women is spent preparing four meals a day, making it an even longer day for her than usual working days. When do women get their time off? Are they ever fully off duty or relieved of their duties while they are at home? We notice that this ideology that women belong in the kitchen or men earning is all they need to do is adopted from the West or the red pill thinkers and influencers. Women in Islam are not meant to be put in stressful conditions, especially living conditions that extend to 24/7, as they affect them emotionally, physically, psychologically, mentally, and in every way possible. We understand this perspective not only from the way women have been addressed in the Quran but also from the scientific reasoning behind it. Women expect only minimal help around the house from their husbands, sons, or fathers while they can, or whenever they do offer it by themselves, because, as mentioned above, this simple act of sharing the workload or partnership helps create a loving and blissful environment for everyone in the house.
Ghairat: shame, modesty, honor, and self-respect.
Islamic masculinity is basically the masculine acts of the prophet, and the Sahabas (companions of the prophet) such as earning for the family, concepts of gheerah and ghairat, protecting their family, religion, and the pride of the religion, moral conduct, family leadership, along with self-discipline and positive contribution to society, these are most of the responsibilities that the men are majorly responsible for. The roots of all these instances are observed in the Holy Quran and the books of ahadith. Such acts helped mend and keep the domestic livelihood and the Islamic societies together and the bonds strong. For example,. It was narrated from Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (RA) that he said: I said to my mother: Take care of bringing water and other errands for Fâtimah, and she will take care of grinding flour and making dough for you. (Source: Ali ibn Abi Talib, by Dr. A. M. As-Sallabi)However, as time goes by, we may only see men adhering to some of these concepts, of which our topic of choice for this article is their contribution to household chores and domestic aspects.
Allama Iqbal spoke about the psychology of the Sahabas in one of his poems, where an elder Balouch is advising his son,
Ghairat Hai Badi Cheez Jahan-e-Tagg-o-Dou MeinHonor, that high thing in a world of troubling struggle,
Pehnati Hai Darvesh Ko Taj-e-Sar-E-Dara
Set on the saint’s head, Darius’ crown
(Tag-o-Dou means struggling or related to extreme struggle; Dara was a term used to address the prince of Persia.)
Source of manhood:
The aspects of masculinity are not fulfilled entirely by the men of today, as these criteria and parts are handpicked by the males to fit their advantages, which creates an environment of being left out for women. We observe that when Muslim men took their masculinity from the prophet SAW and not the red pill men on social media apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc., they conquered the castles of Persia.
Today, men see the children of the ummah get slaughtered with little to no moral remorse as they take masculinity from those that have achieved worldly success. We often hear men complain about their non-participation in chores and homely aspects, and when they are asked to address and improve on this characteristic, much of today’s men take it upon their ego and become defensive as it makes sense to them that their character is being questioned or their manliness is being accused wrongly for just it. While men of this criteria have taken it upon themselves to alter the definition of masculinity to relate it to just earning a living, we learn from our very authentic sources, which are, of course, the ahadith and Quran, that that’s not what Islamic masculinity is. These are cultural teachings to ignore helping out in the kitchen and women being the sole bearers of responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, and whatnot all around the clock. One can also name it a generational curse.
When it comes to men being participative in the domestic aspects of their lives, we see very few examples, such as buying groceries on rare occasions and playing around with the kids depending on their availability. We know this from the hadith, which will be listed at the end, that the prophet SAW was indeed a participative and helpful member in his domestic life. It is noted that when men help out willingly with household chores without having to be told or constantly asked by their wives or mothers, it creates a very pleasant and harmonious environment for the entire family. It symbolizes a sort of partnership between the two (a couple) or the entire family in terms of familial matters.
Domestic responsibility:
Let's take an example to better understand these domestic issues relating to masculinity. On weekends or Sundays, we often see men enjoying their time off by going out, planning parties, lounging, etc., while the same “time off” for women is spent preparing four meals a day, making it an even longer day for her than usual working days. When do women get their time off? Are they ever fully off duty or relieved of their duties while they are at home? We notice that this ideology that women belong in the kitchen or men earning is all they need to do is adopted from the West or the red pill thinkers and influencers. Women in Islam are not meant to be put in stressful conditions, especially living conditions that extend to 24/7, as they affect them emotionally, physically, psychologically, mentally, and in every way possible. We understand this perspective not only from the way women have been addressed in the Quran but also from the scientific reasoning behind it. Women expect only minimal help around the house from their husbands, sons, or fathers while they can, or whenever they do offer it by themselves, because, as mentioned above, this simple act of sharing the workload or partnership helps create a loving and blissful environment for everyone in the house.
Narrated Al-Aswad: I asked Aisha what the Prophet used to do at home. She replied. He used to keep himself busy serving his family, and when it was time for prayer, he would get up for prayer.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting!