Zwemer Center

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: Mary in the Quran and the Bible

In this lecture, Vivienne Stacey explores Mary in the Quran. The mother of Jesus plays a prominent role in both Islam and Christianity. There are common areas of belief for Muslims and Christians regarding Mary as well as some differences which are addressed in this lecture. This lecture was delivered at Columbia International University (CIU) in partnership with the Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies. We also have a course study guide that you might find helpful.

Here starts the auto-generated transcription of Vivienne Stacey’s Lecture on Mary in the Qur’an and the Bible:

So let’s pray to start our session this morning, which is on Mary in the bible and the Quran. Guide us, oh lord, into thy truth as we look at the person of Mary, who is for our Muslim friends and for us an example of faith and obedience. In the name of the one God, the Father, the Son, and the holy spirit. Amen. Ideally, you should read, but we don’t have quite the time to do it just now, the gospel of Luke.

And and if you’ve got your Bibles, you could open them up. Luke chapter 1, and, ideally, you could read from verse 30 to verse 56, but I’ll just pick out a few points. I’m sure you’re familiar with this passage, but there are always things that come up, which call for further reflection. And the things that I want to emphasize from this come in verse 38 and verse 48, where Mary said in verse 38, behold, I am the handmaiden of the lord. Let it be to me according to your word.

And 48, for he in the Magnificat, as we say, Mary’s song, for he has regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. Now handmaiden in the Greek is dulai. It’s the feminine of dulos. So Mary is saying, that she, I am the dulai of the Lord. It means I am the slave of the Lord.

This is willing submission. This is true Islam. Islam means submission to God, and this was this is an example. And it’s remarkable that Mary, is the only woman named in the Quran, and there are more the verses or more references to Mary in the Quran than there are in the bible. And, she is the the main I should think the most famous woman in the Quran and the bible.

It depends how you define fame. But, anyway, she’s the an outstanding woman in the Quran and is named. She’s an outstanding woman in the bible. Then just another section that I want to mention is verse 42 of Luke chapter 1, where her cousin Elizabeth, on hearing that, well, on seeing her and getting greet receiving Mary’s greeting, said, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why is this granted me that the mother of my lord should come to me?

For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her of the lord. Blessed, blessed, blessed. But in the Greek, the first two words, blessed, come from or It’s a, a verb in Greek from which we get the word eulogy. So it means blessed or be praised.

She’s to be praised because of the fruit of her womb, because she is bearing such a famous son. She is because she is the one who bears, the Messiah. But it’s not such an important word as the word for blessed in verse 45, where it’s the word makarios. Makarios with the feminine for that. But, makarios means supremely blessed.

She is supremely blessed. Why? Blessed or supremely blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. So she’s a model for believers, both for Muslims and for Christians. And the primary thing is not that she is the mother of Jesus, although that is very important, but it is the primary point is that she is a woman of faith.

She is a woman of obedience. But there are differences between Muslim and Christian views about Mary. We’re going to, to hear from Trish, is it? Trish? She has read Encounter, which is number a 151.

It’s a monthly cheap magazine. It’s my favorite reading matter, actually. I’ve reached magazines differently when they arrived, but this one I always receive with great joy. It comes from from Rome and is published under the Roman Catholic Church’s arrangements. I advise subscribing to it, And number a 151, just as about Mary, mother of Jesus in the Islamic tradition.

And I think we will pick up a few points which will help us. That this is in the Islamic tradition. Okay. Would you like to share? Maybe maybe you’ve come here.

It’s alright. Welcome. Okay. Alright. I learned a lot from this article.

The first thing I learned is that, the historical position was that, Mary was a prophet, but now most Muslim commentators say that Mary should not be considered a prophet. All Muslim scholars are agreed that Mary possessed a quality enjoyed by the prophets, which was sinfulness or sinlessness, sorry. Sinlessness. And all babies, according to the Quran, were considered touched by Satan at birth, but, Mary and Jesus were not touched by Satan at birth, so they were sinless. Mary was also prepared from birth for a life as a woman saint, is what they they would say.

And saint in the sense of, spiritual closeness with god. And, her name, I guess, in I’m not sure what languages, Arabic, I guess, is the worshiping servant. I also found out that she was considered to be raised by Zechariah, and that she was supposedly nourished without his providing the food. So she just she just somehow didn’t eat food. And also that her being chosen was, what they considered her being chosen was that that she was visited by angels.

And, she was visited once, and then the second time she was visited was the Annunciation. So, also, she was considered to have never menstruated, that that was considered a bodily and spiritual purification. So I guess that kinda is part of their concept of sinlessness, and that she was placed above all other women, at one point, and I’ll talk about that later. But, let’s see. And and what what placed her above all other women was her virginity even though she had Jesus.

So even though she had the son, she kept her virginity. So that placed her above all women. So that’s kind of their emphasis. Her greatness was thought of as unrivaled among women until, later on, she was, I guess, considered equal or even a I guess, well, a person that was considered equal or even maybe above her was Asaiah. Is that the name?

The wife of the pharaoh. I don’t know how to pronounce it, but that may be it. And, Khadija, the first wife of Mohammed, and the mother of the faithful is what she was considered. And Fatima, Mohammed’s daughter, was considered above. And, actually, now they see Fatima as above all other women.

So it kinda depends on I I kinda got a sense. It depends on, maybe the sect or or who you talk to. But, Mary is still considered very important. During the Annunciation, that was her second angelic visitation, and, the story shows Mary as believing and Joseph as slow to believe. So Mary, right away, supposedly believed, easily that God was gonna do this and that Joseph was needed some convincing.

It was they consider that the angel Gabriel came, but they call they call him the spirit and, that he was kind of a manifestation of God’s light is how they describe it. Let’s see. References there’s references to the spirit being breathed into her in the Quran, but most say that Gabriel breathed into her keeping, the proper distance between god and the virgin. But I guess the more mystical sex of I don’t know if they consider it sex, but of, Islam would emphasize the intimacy between Mary and the source of divine light is what they is like Gabriel or whoever visited her. So they’re they’re they think a little bit more of, like, the spirit as being maybe different than Gabriel.

And they also emphasized Mary’s they emphasized Mary’s chastity as a special virtue, and they they would say son of Mary for Jesus instead of son of the father’s name, and usually they’d use the father’s name. And, that the they’re they’re using that title son of Mary, was understood in Islam as as being real different and special making Mary highly exalted. And it was understood in Islam Mary’s chastity was understood in Islam as miraculous evidence of her own purity, not a mark of supernatural quality in her child. So, they didn’t emphasize as much Jesus’ the fact that he was so supernaturally conceived, but they would emphasize Mary’s purity in it all. And, so let’s see.

And that it manifested also the perfection of God’s creative power. They really emphasized God’s creative power in all of this and Allah and how he, creates. The birth there’s 3 significant points about the birth, and the first one is Mary’s pain. Said that she had an anguished cry and, they say that that was the moral pain, in the foreknowledge of the accusation of her immorality that’d be laid on her by her family. So she already knew that she was gonna be she was gonna be considered immoral and, that made her cry foreknowledge of the mistaken and idolatrous doctrines of mariology and Christology that Christians would lay on the event of Jesus’ birth.

The second significant thing about the nativity is that her shaking of the palm tree, and this is supposedly a sign of her sinlessness. And the reason why it was because she she shook the palm tree in that and then, fruit came from that, and then she was able to eat that and sustain herself. But more than that, the tree was supposedly dead. And when she shook it, it came alive and gave all this fruit, so that showed that she was sinless, that she could make a tree come alive like that. And the last thing is, Mary’s fast, and, she vowed to a fast of silence to abstain from from talking, from so that was significant to them.

And the last thing is, an accusation the accusation against Mary that, she was supposedly accused of being immoral and she would have faced capital punishment. But, Jesus, according to the Quran, Jesus spoke out from the cradle or from his mother’s arms in defense of Mary. And she he introduced his own person in ministry as God’s servant and prophet and, that that was to defend Mary’s innocence. Thank you very much, Trish. Very good.

You actually have, in, in your handbook and materials, geez a paper called Mary and Jesus in the Quran, and it’s from here are the translations of the of the Arabic or the renderings of the Arabic by AJ Arbery, who was a famous, orientalist, and his translation is a very good one. So you have it clearly laid out, every verse in the Quran, which mentions mentions Jesus and Mary. So you can see for yourself what is actually written, and you can note, that, Mary, it says about, Yusuf Ali writes this way, his rendering. He says, in Quran, in Surah 21 verse 29, we wish to appoint him, that is that is Jesus, as a sign unto men and a mercy for us. That’s Sura 1921, but Sura 2191, and made her and a son and her son assigned to the worlds.

So god made her, Mary, and her son assigned to the worlds. So that was a very good, certificate of, integrity and morality and chosenness. The other, Encounter Magazine is number 230, dated December 1996, and the title of this one is How Mary Holds Muslims and Christians in Conversation, because Mary does. And, I’ll only quote a little. You’ve we’ve already referred to the sign, and it does say, as our friend, Etrish, has said, oh lord, I dedicate your to your service that which is within my womb and totally free, accept it from me.

It’s totally unblemished. And then Mary then it’s written, god has chosen you and made you pure, and he has chosen you above the women of the universe. Surah 3 verse 42. The name of the Surah is the family of Imran. So according to the Quran, Mary is a saintly woman woman and, with Jesus destined as a sign to the universe.

So that’s pretty high status. Now, I’d like to just refer to Stoaise, who on page 69 of her book, can’t can’t see it. What the name of her book is, what? Stuassa’s book? The Quran and Women in the Quran, traditions and interpretations.

Women in the Quran. Traditions and interpretations. Oh, and so she raises the question too, page 69, that Mary was a a Quranic prophet for some Muslims. It’s a a debatable matter as to whether she is or not a prophet or prophetess. It’s I find this very interesting, because in saying that when Mary says, I am the handmaiden of the Lord, I am the doula of the Lord, she is in fact putting herself in the biblical prophetic tradition.

If you look at Amos chapter 3 and verse 7, you will read, God does nothing without make revealing his will to his servants, the prophets. And if you look at the Greek translation, of that verse, you will find the word douloi used, the same word, douloi. Paul describes himself as a slave of Jesus Christ, doulos, and, that puts him in the prophetic tradition. Muslims understand this very well. I did 40 hours of bible study with with a young Muslim who had trained in the Al Azhar in Cairo and come back to Pakistan to train others to be Muslim leaders, religious leaders.

And he wanted to study Romans with me, but when I said, well, we’ll study Romans then, he said, well, who was Paul? And I think the best answer I gave him, out of several, was Paul is doulos. He is the doulos of Christ. So he is and we looked at Amos 3 verse 7. He is in this prophetic tradition.

And so immediately, he was happy to study, Romans. And, Mary, by her own declaration and the fact that what the Magnificat and other things are written here in Luke, she comes in that prophetic tradition. So what she says is of great significance. So it is indeed, a a matter that how Mary holds Muslims and Christians in conversation. There will be differences, but there is a lot that’s in common.

The obedience of Mary is in common. The faith of Mary is in common. And, with Roman Catholics and Muslims, the chastity of Mary in that she remained a virgin. I mean, that is, the Roman position. It still doesn’t make her unchaste that she was the wife of Joseph, and I understand the scripture to say that.

The implication in Matthew is that she she became his wife after giving birth to Jesus later on. I mean, became his, that they had sexual relations and probably children, so it doesn’t take away from her chastity. So here are three things, three ideas, which are very important both for Muslims and Christians. The idea of, obedience. I am the handmaid of the Lord.

This is a classic description of submission to God. And faith, tremendous faith. And then, purity and chastity, where the Muslim will take it further and the Christian not. But still, the concept of chastity and and purity and holiness is is there. So some of these things can well be explored.

I sometimes would chat with a Muslim, woman about the name of her child. I do meet Maryam every now and then. Miriam is the name generally given to Mary. It’s used in the in the Luke uses it in if you look in the Greek, and, it’s used in the Quran for Mary. Okay.

So so here we have a great opportunity. You see little Merriam running around, and you can talk about Merriam, Merriam and Merriam. Now you’ll notice a few other things when you read through Mary and Jesus in the Quran. You’ll see, you’ll see that Jesus is off is described several times as Isa ibnay Mariam, Jesus, son of Mary. And, he is described in also in other ways.

You will see that Sura 19 has the title, Maryam, that’s the name of the Sura, and it is mainly about her. So I would invite you to consider how you might discuss with your Muslim friend, about Maryam. Now the one of the ways to learn how to discuss is to do it, and then you find your way, and then you later go home, and you analyze the conversation that you had, and you take out a principle or 2, and that’s a that’s the classic way to learn, in my opinion. There’s a Finnish proverb, which says, the worker learns by his work. I’m quoting it slightly inaccurate.

I know it, The worker is trained by his work. So do it, see how the Holy Spirit leads you, have the conversation, and then go over go home and think about it, and, find the principle in it, or the principles in it, or the mistakes in it, and you will be being trained by a conversation that you had over tea somewhere in some gracious Muslim woman’s home, whether it’s a humble home or a very wealthy home. So Mary, the mother of Jesus, so, common and very highly regarded in these two faiths. Let’s pray. Help us, oh lord, as we meditate upon Mary, Let us learn the lessons of her life, her obedience, her purity, and her faith, and help us to share these truths through our living and through our speaking.

Bless our Muslim sisters that they may come to an understanding of Mary, who was the mother of our Lord. So through this, may they come to know him who is Lord and Saviour, even Jesus. Amen!

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: Divorce, Inheritance, and Singleness in the Qur’an

In this lecture, Vivienne Stacey explores the quranic teaching on the topics of divorce, inheritance, and singleness. These lectures were given at Columbia International University in partnership with the Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies. The Zwemer Center was founded in 1979 and exists to offer comprehensive courses on Islam, facilitate research, foster dialogues, offer seminars, conduct training, and provide resources for effective witness and ministry among Muslims. We also have a course study guide for these lectures that you might find helpful.

Here starts the auto-generated transcription of Vivienne Stacey’s Lecture on Divorce, Inheritance, and Singleness in the Qur’an:

We’re continuing our series about women and family in the Quran, the Quranic teaching about women and family. And, we need to look at the question of divorce and also inheritance, and then we will consider singleness in Islam because that is also part of family and women in family. So divorce, the Quran allows divorce, but it is considered the most detestable of permitted things. Divorce is permitted, but it’s the most detestable of permitted things. And there’s a verse in surah 2, verse 237, about divorce after a civil ceremony is performed.

It is a religious ceremony in one sense, but it’s it’s, it’s not a a religious ceremony in the way that Christian marriage is. So it’s more civil than religious, although, religious leader will take part in the proceedings. Well, after a ceremony has been performed and the marriage has not been consummated, if divorce is desired. This is what the Quran says. Surah 2237.

And if ye divorce them before consummation but after the fixation of a dower for them, then the half of the dower is due to them unless they remit it or the man’s half is remitted by him in whose hands is the marriage tie and the remission of the man’s half is the nearest to righteousness and do not forget liberality between yourselves for Allah sees well all that you do. Thank you. So, men and women do not generally have equal rights in these matters, in the matters relating to divorce, and only the man is, according to the Quran, free to send his wife away. It’s commonly thought that if the wife has the same possibilities, if she did have it, she would be less concerned with preserving the home. That’s to explain it perhaps.

The right of asking for divorce can always be granted to the wife if it has been written into the marriage contract and if the prevailing school of law permits it. There are several, schools of law, and, there are, I think, 2 that permit it. There may be others that don’t. I’m not sure about the numbers, but those are the sort of general conditions, and it depends also on the laws of the particular country. But we are talking about what the Quran says.

We’re not talking about, later down or how laws have developed and reform laws and so on, the position in the Quran. So the permission, divorce can be, divorce is really the man’s initiative. When it works out, it becomes possible for a woman to have divorce, to ask for it, but it has to be written in the marriage contract. Contract was the word I wanted. Marriage is a contract in Islam.

But you try to think of this in terms of societies where people are illiterate. How does an illiterate woman, even know what’s written in her contract, and how does she get it enforced or brought to light? These kind of things. So let’s hear this verse then. We’ve heard one verse, haven’t we?

You’ve we’ve heard surah 2 verse 237. And now we’re we’re going to think about, more normal divorce, divorce after the consummation of the marriage and the marriage has been going. The first quarrel in the life of the couple will not necessarily lead to divorce. But sometimes, marriages do go down, and it becomes a difficult relationship. And, so Islam has sort of, steps for dealing with this, which, are laid down in the Quran itself.

The Quran lays outlines several steps towards reconciliation when a a marriage is going a bit off the rails. The husband should begin by admonishing his wife. If she doesn’t respond, he should abandon the conjugal bed. He can beat her if she persists in disobedience. Surah 4 verse 34.

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because Allah has given the one more strength than the other and because they support them from their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient and guard in the husband’s absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear, this disloyalty and ill conduct, admonish them first. Next, refuse to share their beds. And last, beat them lightly.

But if they return to obedience, seek not against them means of annoyance, for Allah is most high, great above you all. Right. So the wife, if she obeys, they can be reconciled. But if she doesn’t, if these possibilities are exhausted, the husband can appeal to 2 arbitrators, one from his family and the other from hers. And surah 4 verse 35 tells us about this.

If ye fear a branch between them twain, appoint 2 arbiters, one from his family and the other from hers. If they wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation. For Allah has full knowledge and is acquainted with all things. Divorce will only be pronounced if all these efforts fail. Otherwise, the divorce will take effect after 4 months.

During that time, the wife will join her parents’ family. And at the end of the period, the husband will again have the chance for reversing his decision. In the case of divorce, or widowhood, the woman has to wait 3 menstrual cycles before remarrying, lest there be any doubt about the paternity of the newborn child. Surah 2 verse, 226. For those who take an oath of abstention from their wives, a waiting of 4 months is ordained.

If then they return, Allah is oft forgiving, most merciful. During this delay and if she is pregnant until the time of the birth and the end of weaning, which is generally 2 years, the divorcing husband is bound to provide for her and for the child. Surah 2 verse 233. The mother shall give suck to their offspring for 2 whole years if the father desires to complete the term, but he shall bear the cost of their food and clothing on equitable terms. No soul shall have a burden laid on it greater than it can bear.

No mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her child, nor father on account of his child. An heir shall be chargeable in the same way if they both decide on winning by mutual consent. And after due consultation, there is no blame on them. If you decide on a foster mother for your offspring, there is no blame on you, provided you pay the mother what you offered on equitable terms. But fear Allah and know that Allah sees well what you do.

The divorce is only irrevocable, after 2 pronouncements. We find this in surah 2, verses 227. I think we won’t read it, but we’ve read half of it already, this passage. We’ll note that there has to be 2 pronouncements by the husband. If after divorcing his wife, her husband wants to marry her again, he can only do this after she has married someone else and been divorced.

So let’s hear that one. Surah 2, 229. Actually, it’s in 200 and 230. 230. Okay.

So if a husband divorces his wife, Yes. I have to put it irrevocably. I have to put you that word. After that, remarry her until after she has married another husband and he has divorced her. In that case, there is no blame on either of them if they reunite provided they feel that they can keep the limits ordained by Allah.

Such are the limits ordained by Allah, which he makes plain to those who understand. The third pronouncement finalizes the matter, and the Quranic reference here is 2 verse 230. But but it’s like the one before that. Okay. 229.

229. A divorce is only permissible twice. After that, the party should either hold together on equitable terms or separate with kindness. It is not lawful for you men to take back any of your gifts from your wives, except when both parties fear that they would be unable to keep the limits ordained by Allah. If you judges do indeed fear that they would be unable to keep the limits ordained by Allah, there is not blame on either of them if she gives something for her freedom.

These are the limits ordained by Allah, so do not transgress them. If any do transgress the limits ordained by Allah, such persons wrong themselves as well as others. Yes. So once the divorce is finalized, the ex husband has to guarantee to his ex wife a suitable pension so that she does not become an expense for her family or society or until until she marries someone else, then his duties finish. In the case of death, a man who wishes to marry a widow has to respect the waiting time.

During that period, he must not propose marriage nor make a secret promise. Surah 2235, is it? Mhmm. There is no blame on you if you make an offer of betrothal or hold it in your hearts. Allah knows that you cherish them in your hearts, but do not make a secret contract with them except that you speak to them in terms honorable nor resolve on the tie of marriage till the term prescribed is fulfilled.

And know that Allah knows knoweth what is in your hearts, and take heed of him, and know that Allah is oft forgiving, most forbearing. During the year following the death of her husband, the widow ought to be provided for. Surah 2240? Those of you who die and leave widows should bequeath for their widows a year’s maintenance and residence. But if they leave the residence, there is no blame on you for what they do with themselves provided it is reasonable, and Allah is exalted in power, wise.

Yes. Thank you very much. Now we’ll think about the subject of inheritance Inheritance. The Quran contains quite a number of instructions about inheritance and which lawyers have harmonized. The fortune left following a death can be divided into inheritance and legacy.

Inheritance is the most important part. It’s divided according to the well defined proportions fixed by the parental decision ahead of time, according to the Quran. Legacy is left by the will of the testator, but in any case, he’s not to bypass the legitimate inheritors. So he can allow give money to and or leave things, property, to other people as he wills, but but he must do the legal thing as far as the legitimate inheritors are concerned. It is left by will to this or that person.

That’s a, legacy. Legacy is left by will to this or that person whom the testator has freely chosen. Sura 2, a 180, is it? Mhmm. Right.

It is prescribed when death approaches any of you, if he leave any goods that he make a bequeat bequest to parents and to the next of kin according to reasonable usage, this is due from the good god fearing. And then for the dividing of the inheritance, Islamic law applies, among others, the following principles in surah 4 and verse 11. Allah thus directs you as regards your children’s inheritance to the male a portion equal to that of 2 females. If only daughters, 2 or more, their share is 2 thirds of the inheritance. If only 1, her share is a half.

For parents, a 6th share of the inheritance to each. If it if the deceased left children, if there is no children and the parents are the only heirs, the mother has a third and the if the deceased left brothers or sisters, the mother has a 6th. The distribution in all cases is after the payment of legacies and debts. You know that not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah, and Allah is all knowing and all wise.

So the man receives double the wife’s amount because of his direct responsibility for the children. He ought to meet all the material needs of his family in case of necessity. The woman is not held responsible for her father, mother, brothers, sisters, children, or other near relatives. Surah 4 verse 12. In what your wives leaves, your share is a half.

Your share is a half. If they leave no child, but if they leave a child, you get the 4th after payment of legacies and debts. In what you leave, their share is a 4th. If you leave no child, but if you leave a child, they get an 8th after payment of legacies and debts. If the man or woman whose inheritance is in question has left neither a sentence or descendants but has left a brother or a sister.

Each one of the 2 gets a 6th. But if more than 2, they are to share in a 3rd. After payment of legacies and debts so that no loss is caused to anyone. Thus, it is ordained by Allah, and Allah is all knowing, most forbearing. Thank you.

And now we come to the subject of singleness in Islam. We’re thinking of singleness in the Quran, but also I’ve mentioned the traditions here. I became very interested in the subject of singleness in Islam, because I met some Christians who thought that single women, Christian women, shouldn’t work in certain works in Muslim countries. And so I got an increase in my correspondence. People were writing and say, God has called me to work among Muslims in this particular country, but our leader says that a single woman should not be working in direct evangelism in this kind of situation and, various letters of this kind.

So I used to write back and say, well, I gave reasons why they might follow their calling, one being that if god had called them, probably be a good thing to to follow that. But, and the whole question seemed to be that single women, Christian women, were rather an oddity. So then I started to look at, what singleness was in Islam itself, and, it’s been very interesting to see. Arabia, one one of the most famous Muslim mystics, was held in very high regard, and she was single. And, also, she had a band of, mystics in her sort of group, and they were all single.

And some of the Sufi men advocated celibacy for religious reasons, including, Al Ghazali, who’s a very famous Muslim theologian and mystic. Eventually, he became a Sufi or mystic, I suppose. He I always remember well, he’s easy to remember he was around. He he died in 1111, AD. So, he was quite a long time ago.

But the thing about al Ghazali was that, that he knew the when he represented first the strictly Quranic view, and then he became a Sufi mystic, And, he, therefore, held a moved to a position of, perhaps not at the very center of orthodoxy at that point. But he advocated, singleness where it would help concentration on on religious affairs. Well, so but some orthodox Muslims will argue that al Ghazali, became Sufi and was therefore slightly marginalized, although very famous. But then we come to somebody like, Jamaluddin Afghani al Afghani, who certainly was right in the center of Orthodox the Orthodox tradition. And, al Jamaluddin al Afghani was highly respected.

He was a highly respected orthodox reformer in the 19th century, and he was a teacher of Muhammad Abdu who who was leading, reformation in Islam and renewal of Islam in Egypt the in this century. So, various people, when Jamaluddin Afghani went here and there teaching and preaching, some people thought he should get married and said, well, I’ve got a nice niece and, you know, what about marrying my niece or something? And he always gave the same answer when his admiring disciples offered daughters or arrangements. He always said, the ummah, the Islamic community, the ummah is my spouse. So here’s, some endorsement, from people in the history of Islam.

But if we go right and then we come to more modern times, we find, Jina, the, sister sister of Jinnah, Fatima Jinnah. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan, really, and he was single. No. He wasn’t single, but she was single. He married twice, I think.

Well, at least he married once. Fatima Jinah, the sister, remained single, and he used to take his sister, to public functions. I think he married a parcee, so it wasn’t so appropriate for him perhaps to overtake his wife, but, his sister often appeared on platforms. And then, about 1962 or so, there was a presidential, what should we say, election when, Ayub Khan, the martial law administrator of Pakistan, leader of Pakistan, was decided to regulate and introduce basic democracy, jinnah. Strangely enough, they put forth, Fatima Jina.

And, even the Jama’ite Islami, the very fundamental fundamentalist group, agreed to that. They that probably, that was the best way to get a candidate in, but it’s interesting that Pakistan did that. But if we go back to the Quran itself on the question of singleness, then we go back to tradition. 1st, before we get back to the Quran, tradition says marriage is half the faith. Marriage is half the faith.

So you’re not it seems that it’s the usual thing or even more than that. It’s more than the usual thing. But, the Quran itself has Jesus mentioned, he’s a major prophet, a major prophet, one of the 6. He was single. It mentions Yahya.

Yahya was John, John the Baptist. He was single. So singleness is not something foreign to the Quran. It’s not foreign to, the history of Islam, and it’s not foreign to the even to the traditions. It’s not foreign, or it’s not un Islamic.

It’s not usual, but it’s not un Islamic. And they crease I think there is increasing number of both men and women who’s who do stay single. So how, what do you what do you, have you got there? I’ve got surah 29.9. You’ve got some surahs.

Oh, good. Yes. Please read them. This is about Mary. And she who is chased, therefore we breathed into her something of our spirit and made her and her son a token for all peoples.

Okay. That’s about Mary. Okay. So it takes us on to the birth of Jesus who was single, himself remaining single. Maybe, we don’t need to look.

Did you look at, Sura 66 in verse 12? Mhmm. Same thing about Mary. Again, what does it okay. What does that say?

And Mary, daughter of Imran, whose body was chaste, therefore we breathed there in something of our spirit, and she put faith in the words of her lord and his scriptures and was of the obedient. Okay. And then John the Baptist, Yahya, in the Quran, it says that he was Hazur, which means chased, and he never married. Surah 3 verse 39. And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary.

Allah giveth the glad tidings of a son whose name is John, who cometh to confirm a word from Allah, lordly chaste, a prophet of the righteous. Thank you. So we see that voluntary celibacy for certain causes is increasing among Muslims. For example, those who are involved in the liberation of Palestine. Some both men and women remain single because they can be more effective in their campaign for liberating Palestine.

Both Islam and Christianity, see the celibate life as permissible permissible but, as an exception. It isn’t the usual. It isn’t the norm, but it’s quite in order in both those faiths. And you can find texts in the Quran as we’ve looked at. We can find 2 of the very great prophets.

1, Jesus, the greatest one of the great six prophets of Islam, and then Yahya. So that’s solidly there in the Quran. These references to Mary and her son, well, it’s the same it’s Jesus again. But, in the traditions too, there are traditions that would uphold singleness, and we have the example of Yahrabiya, this mystic, and her school. I want to emphasize that.

I want to emphasize that she wasn’t just a lone single woman who became very famous. And I have a book, and I’m not sure if it’s on the reserve shelf, another copy of it, but I have one about Rabia and her circle. I think this is very important to realize that there are quite a number of single women, Muslim religious leaders. There still are some in South India, I know, and, but certainly, Rabia gave this classic example with her group. And, then we have straight out of the orthodox line, Jamaluddin Afgani, who, was highly respected in the 19th century and has influenced, 20th century reformers.

And he said, the people of Islam, the Ummah, Ummah, is my spouse. So he wasn’t about to get married. Maybe I could just say, 1 or 2 things about the Quran. I, just happened to to put my Bible like that. Can you I I put my Bible on top of my Quran.

Is there anything wrong with that? Oh, there is. Okay. I’ll take my Bible off my Quran. What’s wrong with it?

Putting the Bible as well as Tehran. Can’t hear it? Sorry? You’re putting the Bible above the Quran. Okay.

Well the way you are. Okay. Well, I’ll put one of the books I wrote in on top of my Quran. No. I shouldn’t do that.

Okay. Yes. Never put anything on top of your Quran. And I never I try never to do that. And you it’s, so if I’m, I I I don’t actually put anything generally on if I’m Sometimes I put things on top of my bible, but, if I were had 1 or 2 Muslim friends with us, I I wouldn’t.

And, but I train myself about the Quran, and, it’s good if you do that, because the Muslim regards the Quran as the eternal written word, the eternal written word. It is not sort of equal to the bible in a sense because we regard Jesus as the eternal living word, and and we’ll discuss this another time, but a closing thought. These are the authorities of these two faiths, but, the Quran is claiming that it is the eternal written word of God. The Bible is the inspired word of God, which points to the eternal living word of God. So we’d have to discuss these subjects in the light of what these books teach.

So it’s very important that we have Qur’ans. And if you buy a Quran, please buy, Yusuf Ali, translation, which with the Arabic and the and the rendering on whether I should call it translation, I’m not really sure. But I I don’t have any commission for that, but it’s just that, it seems a very good translation to have because it reads much more easily, as you may have noticed, than Mohammed Pickthor’s, translation.

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: What Does the Quran Say About Women Pt. 2

Vivienne Stacey discusses the Quran and Muslim teachings on women and the impact of these teachings in modern society. This lecture was delivered at Columbia International University (CIU). We also have a course study guide that you might find helpful. This is the second part of two lectures given on the topic of Quranic Teachings about Women.

Here starts the auto-generated transcription of Vivienne Stacey’s Lecture on What Does the Quran Say About Women Pt. 2:

We’re continuing our study of women, in the Quran, the Quranic view of women and the family. And we’re just arriving at the family here, the Quranic view of the family. And the Quran clearly states that women that children are a gift of god. This is Surah 1672. And Allah has made for you mates and companions of your own nature and made for you out of them sons and daughters and grandchildren and provide for your sustenance of the best.

Will they then believe in vain things and be ungrateful for Allah’s favors? In pre Islamic, Arabia, just before the rise of Islam, the birth of a girl wasn’t as important as the birth of a boy. There was less honor in the birth of a girl. And sometimes there was the killing of infant girls. Muhammad was very much against this, and it could almost seem that he regarded girls and boys equally, and he certainly, the only male the only child that of his that survived to be an adult was his daughter Fatima.

Anyway, let’s see what the Quran says. There’s, what about surah 16 verses 58 to 59? When news is brought to one of them of the birth of a female child, his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief. With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he has had. Shall he retain it on sufferance and contempt or bury it in the dust?

What an evil choice they decide on. And, Surah 43 verse 10? Actually, I found it in 4316. Oh, I see. Now that’s a good example of having to look around a bit.

Okay, 4316. It’s probably a type technological error. What’s that’s your word? K. Navigate.

Again, I’m not sure. What has he taken daughters out of what he himself creates and granted you sons of choice? I guess it was the element of the choice Yes. That seemed to be given place to the female. And 818, does that, When the female infant buried alive is questioned?

Yes. That was as far as it right there. Most of the the surahs are the 114 surahs in the whole of the Quran. The first one is the opener, the fat fatiha. I think that’s right.

Yeah. It’s just, a few verses, and then the longest of the surahs comes next, the al Bakrah or the cow. Suras have names as well as numbers. And, then the next one in length comes next, and then they get shorter and shorter and shorter till they’re very short ones at the very end, numbers a 114, and number a 113, and so on, much shorter. That’s the usual way in which you find it.

You don’t then all, qurans don’t order it that way. There is there are those who’ve tried to put it according to dating, but it’s not proved. Generally, surahs are divided into those that belong to the period in Mecca, the early period, and then later, the later period when Muhammad moved to Medina, and every surah will have at the head of it Mecca or Medina. So that by that way, you know which is a heavy a later one or an earlier one. And Suras, as I said, have names.

So Sura 19, for example, is called Mariam, after Mary. So let’s, hear. Have we we The the surah following that, 819 says, for what crime she was killed. So, again, here’s looking at the daughter, being buried alive. Yes.

The crime. Yes. Thank you. Now another point about children and the family, obedience to parents is like that obedience which is due to God. It’s very, very important to in fact, it’s regarded as part of one’s worship to God that you obey your parents, And this is partly what sometimes makes it difficult for Muslims who become, believers in Jesus Christ as lord and savior, to, at least make it if they to say it sometimes to their parents who may disapprove and may want them to leave home because of the what they have believed and done.

But, so it’s an added difficulty. We can, in our societies, perhaps, sometimes, on a matter of principle, disobey what our parents might want to say, but on maybe they don’t even give us orders anyway. But this whole idea of obedience to parents is like the obedience that’s due to god, and you honor god through obeying your parents. Let’s hear about it from the Quran. Surah 37 verse 102.

Then when the son reached the age of serious work with him, he said, oh my son, I see in vision that I offer you thee in sacrifice. Now see what is thy view. The son said, oh, my father, do as thou art commanded. You will find me if all is so wills, practicing patience and constancy. Yeah.

I think, we’ll leave the other references in your text for you to look up yourself. And, if you can get a copy of, Yusuf Ali, which will have Arabic on the side one side and English on the other, that will be good. So let’s just look at another point. The approval of God reveals itself in the approval of parents, and the anger of God reveals itself in the anger of parents. Surah 64 and verses 14 to 15.

Oh, you who believe truly among your wives and your children are some that are enemies to yourselves, so beware of them. But if you forgive and overlook and cover up their faults, verily, Allah is oft forgiving, most merciful. Yes. Thank you. Yes.

So being faithful to Islam, this is another different point, being faithful to Islam comes before obeying your parents. So you are obedient to Islam. That takes precedence over, obeying your parents. But if you become a believer in Jesus as lord and savior, that doesn’t come in that category at all. In Sura 3115, but if they strive to make thee join in worship with the things which thou hast known of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not, yet bear them company in this life with justice and consideration and follow the ways of those who turn to me in love.

In the end, the return of you all is to me, and I will tell you the truth and mean of all that you did. Yeah. And children are to be gracious to elderly parents. Surah 17, 23, and 24. Thy god hath decreed that ye worship none but him and that ye be kind to parents.

Whether 1 or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say, my lord, bestow on them thy mercy even as they cherished me in childhood. And then more importance is given to the mother than to the father. Quite an interesting statement. Surah 46 and verse 15.

We have joined we have enjoined on mankindness to his parents. In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the child to his weaning is a period of 30 months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains 40 years, he says, oh, my lord, grant me that I may be grateful for thy favor, which thou has bestowed upon me and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as thou approve and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly, I have turned to you, and truly do I bow to thee in Islam.

There is an emphasis on on the mother in this verse, and, it’s very important to for us to remember the very close bond that there often is between a a Muslim mother and her children, particularly her sons. The sons are, don’t move out of the family house. They become they are the extended family, and they marry and stay in that setting. But the bond is very close, and so the importance of relating to Muslim women is also that they have great influence on their particular, sons. That’s one reason.

I mean, there’s a reason anyway because they are human and, because they are women and because they are Muslim, but it’s their own right. But then this close bond, we should remember it. And one of the hadiths says, whoever believes in God and in the last day maintains his family claims. And in surah 2 and verse 125, we get some indication of the claims of parents. And I found that in in surah, 2124.

Okay. So the information Thank you very much. Yes. Illustrating again that sometimes it’s one behind and sometimes one above. And you might, consider this because, actually, the division of verses is there is this division of verses in the bible as well as the Quran, but, a verse, we put a a mark for the beginning of a verse, at the beginning.

And generally, the mark for a verse in the Quran is at the end of the verse. So if you tell a if you’re studying the bible with a Muslim, and you say look up, John 3, verse 12, they may find I can never remember whether they’ll find John 3 verse 11 or they’ll find John 3 verse 15. See? What say what why I got it wrong? 13.

Is that right? 13. So they may, do it like that. And act anyway, these, maybe it’s the this thing that’s behind it that has made the division slightly different in different renderings of the Quran. I don’t know the reason for that.

But I can say that there’s a a difference in the way we separate the text in the Quran and the bible by bookmarking the beginning of a verse. We were at the beginning, and they marked the end, and you can get a numbering com a bit confused, like I’m confused, about that. Okay. Thank you. So, sir, 124.

And remember remember that Abraham was tried by his lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled. He said, I will make thee an imam to the nations. He pleaded, and also imams for my offspring. He answered, but my promise is not within the reach of evildoers. And then are the claims of kinsmen?

Surah 1726. And render to the kindred their due rights as also to those in want and to the wayfarer, but squander not your wealth in the manner of a spin spendthrift. And now it’s interesting to know that Abraham, who is for Muslims and for Jews and for Christians, the father of believers, Abraham was called to leave his father and his tribe, and he prayed for forgiveness from his father. Surah 9, 114. And Abraham prayed for his father’s forgiveness only because of a promise he had made to him.

But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. For Abraham was most tenderhearted for bearing. Fine. Now we’ll move on to the section, polygamy or monogamy. And maybe I should have said monogamy or polygamy, but, Muslims themselves are, divided on this matter, but the crucial text is, surah 4 and verse 3.

The Muslims interpret variously the Quranic verse that a man may have up to 4 wives provided he treats them equally. Surah 4 verse 3. If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry woman of your choice, 2 or 3 or 4. But if ye feel that ye shall not be able to deal justly with them, then only 1, or a that your right hands possess that will be more suitable to prevent you from doing injustice. Thank you.

So it seems that, a large number of Muslims will argue that no man can treat 2 women or 3 women or 4 women equally. So this verse really means you only marry 1. I mean, quite a lot of Muslims will hold that view, and quite a number will not hold that view. And, even, Abraham, if you remember, had he had 2 wives. I want to do a study on with you about Hagar.

But, Hagar, the Hebrew word there is is wife, not concubine. So he had 2 wives, and he certainly who he’s who is the father of believers, he certainly couldn’t treat them equally. The situation didn’t allow it. He might have wanted to. I don’t think No.

Now, the main arguments in favor of polygamy are the psychological, physiological needs of men, not psychological, but physiological. They’re more compelling than those of women, apparently. And, the and, they last to an advanced age. Barrenness, illness, or long menstruation hinder relationships. So that’s another reason for having more than one wife.

And to guard from the sin of adultery is another reason. And to protect women in immoral societies. So it’s a protection for women, if men have more than one wife because the women, there are not, any unattached women around. Surah 2 in verse 222. So this is 2222.

Sarah 2222. Thank you. They ask thee concerning women’s causes. Say, they are a hurt and a pollution. So keep away from women in their causes, and do not approve them until they are clean.

But when they have purified themselves, he may approve approach them in any manner, time, or place ordained for you by Allah. For Allah loves those who turn to him constantly, and he loves those who keep themselves pure and clean. Okay. Well, this is sort of one of the ground rules, but, it’s easier if you’ve got 2 or 3 or 4 wives is the idea. I think we’ll, turn to the next subject now.

Thanks. And, consider the special situation of the prophet of Islam. So the because the question arises, how is it that Muhammad, had even more than 4 wives? And, here are some of the reasons. One is that he was not an ordinary man.

So Surah 4 verse 80. We have sent the Mohammed as a messenger unto mankind, and Allah as sufficient as witness. Whoso obeyeth the messenger, obeyeth Allah, and who so turneth away, we have not sent thee as a one as a warden over them. And, thank you. Yes.

And what about verse 7 of Sura 59? K. I’m gonna start in verse 6. But Allah giveth his messenger lordship over whom he will. Allah is able to do all things.

That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the township, it is for Allah and His messenger, and for the near of kin, and for the orphans, and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you, and whatever the messenger giveth you, take it, and whatsoever he forbidth, abstain from it, and keep your duty to Allah. Lo, Allah is stern in reprisal. And, also, surah 4. What’s the name of surah 4? Have you got that there?

No. It it’s Imran. Oh, forgotten what the name is. Yeah. Sometime, I look at names of surahs.

It’s quite good to remember a bit about the names. What it’s called? Oh, it’s called Nis al Nisva. The women. Sorry.

Yeah. So it’s called women. That it sometimes the the name of a Sura is sometimes significant and it’s sometimes not. It’s a one word or two words taking out taken out of the Surah to be given its name. Sometimes it’s just a word that’s picked out, and it’s not an important word in the whole, text.

But sometimes it’s this theme of the Sura, like Sura Maryam is about about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Okay. Well, this is quite a has quite a bit to say about women, certainly. Would you read it? Surah 4 verse 59.

Oh, ye who believe, obey Allah and obey the messenger, and those of you who are in authority. And if ye have a dispute concerning any matter, refer refer it to Allah and the messenger. If ye are in truth if you are in truth, believes in Allah in the last day, that is better and more seemly in the end. Okay. Thank you.

The bottom line here, is that, Mohammed is, not an ordinary man. He’s, he’s not the perfect man. He’s the ideal man. And as the prophet of God, he has a special as the last prophet, he has a special relationship with God and special privileges as we see here. So it exempts him from the maximum of 4 wives, so he had 9 or 11.

It’s a little difficult to know, maybe 2 were, concubines or or maybe they were all 11 were wives. And it’s quite clear that some of them came from different tribes and religious origins. 1 or 2 possibly 1 was of Christian origin, possibly 1 certainly 1 was of Jewish origin, And, Mohammed had the aim of uniting Arabia, so he married political sort of he had political alliances. He was working on the unification of the country and uniting the tribes. He also wanted to give widows, who have been left widows through war, some protection, And he also took very young, I think Aisha was 9 when he married her, to give protection, to those who are really orphans.

I I’m not sure what Aisha’s background was, but, anyway, he certainly had various motives and purposes in having a large, family, as it were, with many several wives, many wives. So we have yet to deal with, with divorce and inheritance and then come on to to singleness. I will do we’ll do this in the next section. I think it’s probably quite good for us to have a heavy dose of Koranic reading. This is the text.

This is, ideally, we would read it in Arabic and, understand it, but, we have to do it the way we’re doing it, and I will later tell you more about the Hadith. The Quran the Muslim is always asking, what does God want me to do? He’s asking not, he he’s really not asking, what shall I do to be saved? He’s asking, what does the book, the eternal book, tell me that I should do? So he’s not asking the same question as the Christian.

And, obviously, you’re not gonna find in a book the size of the Quran, which is about the length of the New Testament, everything that you’re gonna have to do. So, the the traditions are what Mohammed told people, is what he said and what he did, but it’s also what he didn’t say and what he didn’t do. So the traditions are really what he said and what he did, that comes out of that, ideally what he said. And there has to be always a chain of reference, which is the kind of links through the centuries that show the reliability of the text, which is there, which is called the mutton. In Arabic, it’s called mutton for text, and, and then, you have this chain.

Isnad is the chain. I’ll write these words on the on down, but, I s n a d, you could transliterate from the Arabic for chain, and m a t a n, you could transliterate for text, the text of this hadith or the tradition. So the Muslim, therefore, needs a whole hundreds of thousands of traditions to know what he should do in every aspect of life. Just a few would not be adequate if you’re asking, you know, which way do I pray? There are even instructions on on going to the toilet.

Yeah. And there are all sorts of, minute instructions about, what you do and don’t do. So for every aspect of life. And but these so these aren’t nearly as important as the Quran because they help the Muslim to live according to God’s rules and regulations, not quite as important, but nearly. And as Westerners on the whole, we have undermined not undermined, underestimated the importance of traditions.

Sometimes they’ve got good stories in them. Mohammed was doing this and this, and somebody came and asked this and this. Some of them are quite fun. Some of them are, are a bit, rather, what should we say, we would we might find them a bit offensive or but, not a good idea to show any offense with a tradition. I know one person who had to leave the town where I lived, Christian, because he got into discussion about a particular tradition, and then he got reported by the person, in the mosque.

And the mosque leaders put it out over the loudspeaker, and he had to fly leave for because he was in danger in his life, and he never came back. That’s because he got engaged on a a discussion on a rather offensive, tradition. Okay. Well, we’re gonna leave traditions to a bit later on, and, we’ll, in the next session, deal with divorce in the Quran, her inheritance, and then the interesting subject, I think, of singleness in Islam.

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: What Does The Quran Say About Women? Pt. 1

Vivienne Stacey discusses the Quran and Muslim teachings on women and the impact of these teachings in modern society. This lecture was delivered at Columbia International University (CIU). We also have a course study guide that you might find helpful.

Here starts the auto-generated transcription of Vivienne Stacey’s Lecture on What Does the Quran Say About Women Pt. 1:

We learned yesterday that the role of women in the Muslim world is very varied, and, it doesn’t always depend on who’s wealthy or who’s poor. And I once went to visit in a rather remote part of Pakistan, I went to visit with the person I was staying with, the and it was her contact and relationship with that family that caused me to be there. And this millionaire really, a landowner had only 1 child, 1 12 year old girl, and she was growing up illiterate. He had enough money he was gonna fly off to London the next day to see a friend who was sick so plenty of money to educate his daughter even by having teachers come and live in the estate, but but he didn’t. And so that’s his view about women, and in the time there, I had to ask to see his wife, and I also was able to meet his brother’s divorced wife.

She had no children so she got divorced. There wasn’t anywhere for her to go so she still lived there, so the prospect for her was to keep on living in that setup for the rest of her life. She was actually a graduate so things can be difficult even if you have education and even if you have money but, everybody’s condition of course is not as bad as some of those. In Saudi Arabia, we see the benefits of oil whereas previous generations of women have mainly been illiterate and uneducated now because the country has so much oil and has got an eye for development in the modern world, there is a complete educational system for both men and women, and it’s interesting to see that in the gulf countries in general, the oil countries, Kuwait and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman and Qatar, and I think in Saudi the larger percentage in the universities are women so it’s 50 more 51, 52, 56 percent of the student enrollment in those countries. I’m not sure of Saudi, but I am sure the others, are women.

One reason for that is, equal education opportunities provided by the oil wealth and the other reason is that women aren’t able to go out of the country to study unless they have a male escort and someone who’s a close male relative to to look after them. And so the men go off and study in the United States, in Britain, in many other places, but the women don’t so they will do their doctorates in the universities of their own country. Anyway that’s an interesting thing that so many women do go go to university. Now, I’d like us, to look really at the Koranic teaching about women, and I think the best way is that you report on on the section that you have particularly studied and and read your quotations from the Quran. I’ll just say a bit and maybe you come and read it So, the first person who’s gonna talk about marriage is one of God’s signs could come and be ready to read, but I’ll tell you when to read.

It’s interesting this word sign, we have it in the bible and we have it in the Quran. The word sign, we Jesus is a sign and for the Muslim God’s signs include marriage and I’ll read this verse of the Quran. It’s Surah, when you see Q it means Quran, when you see 30, surah 30 it means chapter and then 2 dots and then there’s the verse number and when you’re reading the Quran sometimes if you’re reading a different translation of the Arabic Quran then you sometimes find you have to look a verse behind or a verse ahead. So don’t, if you don’t find it on the exact number 21, then try 20 or or or 22 or or even a little bit further afield because they’re not all exactly the same in their numbering and, so it reads Quran or Surah 30 verse 21 and one of his signs is it is that he created wives for you of your own species that you may dwell with them and has put love and tenderness between you. Here truly are signs for those who reflect.

And then we are told in the Quran that marriage is a gift, is represented as a gift of God. The Quran 1672 says Allah has given you wives of your own kind and has given you from your wives’ sons, grandsons, and has made provisions of good things for you. It is then advantage that thou believeth and in in the grace of Allah that thou that they not believeth. Yeah. Thank you.

Now it also is taught in the Quran that marriage is a gift of God and it’s the normal condition of human beings of adult human beings it’s a it’s the normal, to be unmarried is not the normal but it’s, it’s recognized and later today we’ll think about that about singleness for example, but the normal condition Quran 425. So who so is not able to afford to marry free? Believing women let them marry from, the believing made whom your right hand possess. All I know is best concerning your faith in process, one from another. So with them, by permission of their folks, and give them unto them the portion and kindness.

They’re being honest, not debaucher, nor loose condition. And if when they are honorable, marry them, committed lewdness, they shall increase the half of the punishment of free women. In that in that case, this is for him among you who fears to commit to commit sin, but to have patience would be better for you. Allah is forgiving and merciful. Yeah.

So marriage is the is a gift of God and it’s the normal condition and men and women are required to remain chaste before marriage and and to avoid adultery. Let’s hear surah 17 and verse 32 Could you do surah 30 17 verse 32 and, our brother here he is using the Pickthal interpretation really of the Quran. Pickthal is it was a a Britisher who became Mohammed Pickthal. He became a Muslim and, he wrote this it’s he doesn’t like to say he’s writing a translation because Muslims on the whole don’t like to use the word translation for the for the Quran After all, they regard it as an eternal book. So if you have an eternal book, you cannot really translate it.

Any translation it ceases to be the eternal book and strictly speaking we should be reading all these things in Arabic anyway Pickthal wrote and he called his book the meaning of the glorious Quran So he didn’t like to say it’s a translation and, it isn’t necessarily our it’s not the best of translations but it’s very easy to carry around and some of the other ones are very large. Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ayusef Ali is probably the best one and it’s good if you can at some stage get a Arabic and and an English rendering by the side of it. When you visit the mosque, maybe they will give you one. Okay. So we look now avoid adultery, surah 17 verse 32.

17 32. And come not near unto adultery. Lo, it is abomination and an evil way. Yeah. And the punishment for adultery is 100 stripes.

Surah 24 verse 2. The adulterer and the adulteress skirts ye each one of them with a 100 stripes. And let not pity for the twin withhold you from obedience to Allah. If you obey and if if you believe in Allah in the last day and let a party of believers witness their punishment. Yeah.

Now you might say, well, I’ve heard of stoning for for adultery and certainly we’ve had reports from Saudi and 1 or 2 other countries of that but it’s the traditions that say that the punishment for adultery should be stoning and, but the Quran itself does not say that. It says 100 stripes. The punishment for accusing honorable women without producing 4 witnesses is 80 stripes, and a Muslim man may marry a woman from the people of the book. He may marry a Jewess or a Christian but he may not marry an idolatrous or an atheist. Let’s read Quran Sura 5 verse 5 Well, we’ve got a selection here, we can you can read 2 verse 221 or 60 verse 10, they all deal with this idea that a Muslim man may marry a a Jewish or a Christian but not an idolatrous or an atheist, But an a Muslim woman has to marry a Muslim man.

It’s not the other way around. Okay. Chapter 55. This day are all good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have received the scripture is lawful for you and the food is lawful for them.

And so are the various women of the believers and the various women of those who received the scripture before you. Lawful for you. When you give them their marriage portion and live with them in honor, not fornication, nor take them as secret concubines. Whoso delighted the fear the faith, He works his works is vain and will be among the losers here at Thank you. Then it is a great sin, to marry quite a number of relatives.

I mean, to marry one of them and Quran 4 verses 21 to 23 which is written in your text includes Foster sisters so I’ll read it and it’s 4 23 really, I’m reading part of this reference. Forbidden unto you are your mothers and your daughters and your sisters, and your father’s sisters, and your mother’s sisters, and your brother’s daughters, and your sister’s daughters, and your foster mothers, and your foster sisters and your mothers in law and your stepdaughters who are born under your protection. So this is forbidden. Yeah thank you very much and and we’ll now go on to the next subject about about, women in Islam unless you have a question. Anybody’s got a question or a comment?

You could come and just share it. Any question? So anytime after one of these sections, if you have a question, put your hand up. Okay? Let’s, look at spiritually men and women are equal.

We have a an idea, I think, that in Islam women and men are not equal. Well, the Quran teaches that spiritually they’re equal and so who is going to read the Quran about this? The first verse is Quran 1697. You’re going to read that. It said, who so doeth that which is right, whether male or female, if a believer, him will we surely quicken to a happy life and recompense recompense them with a reward me for their best deeds.

Yeah. Thank you. So that clearly makes the statement that, whoever does right, whether male or female, if of a believer, him or it should perhaps be it’s him, will we quick, surely quicken to a happy life, but it’s clearly stated male or male or female, and, this means that they, both men and women, keep the 5 main religious duties, those are the 5 pillars of Islam, reciting of the creed and prayer and fasting, going on pilgrimage if it’s possible, and giving 2 and a half percent of one’s money, as kind of tithe, and I shouldn’t say tithe because the tithe is a 10th but giving a fixed amount of money away or all of goods it doesn’t have to be money it could be from the flocks or from the harvest. Women sometimes miss prayers. They often say their prayers at home and don’t go to the mosque or they can’t go to the mosque perhaps, but menstruating women are considered unclean so they don’t take part in prayers at that time, and also if they miss days of fasting for the same reason they, during the month of fasting, they make it up at some other time, but otherwise, in theory or in statement, in belief, men and women are spiritually equal.

There’s a slight, handicap for women, in the actual practice, and they have to catch up, and that that’s there are ways to do that. Then we come on to the difference between men and women. Men and women have different have different but complementary roles in society, different but complementary roles in society. So spiritually equal before God, but different functions and responsibilities, and, there are 4 ways in which men are affirmed as being I don’t like to say, over women but they have a primacy of of place over women in 4 areas. Then men may discipline their wives if they don’t keep in line.

That’s Surah 4 verse 34. Would you like to read that? Men are in charge of women because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property for the support of women. So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart and scourge them.

Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo, Allah is ever high exalted. Great. And the 3rd area in which men are above women, it relates to the legal situation. I’d like to just say a little about this because I lived through the period in Pakistan when this was very much debated At one period in Pakistan, in fact, through most of its history until this matter occurred, the testimony in court of 1 woman would be equal to that of 1 man.

But then when president Zia ul Haq introduced the ordering of society according to the way of the prophet Nizami Mustafa, then the question of whether the testimony of 1 man should equal that of 2 women. And that’s what is going to be read from the Quran in a minute but the question is how should this be interpreted and it really divided the country because the more progressive and liberal Muslims thought, and especially women, thought that it should be the testimony of 1 woman is the same as the testimony of 1 man. And, the more orthodox and fundamentalist Muslims thought it should be 2 women to 1 man and so it was really dividing the country almost in half and, so the decision was that the judge in charge of any case, should decide whether it’s gonna be 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 and that, of course, satisfied nobody. So but anyway, that’s what happened. So let’s hear it from the Quran.

Surah 2 verse 282. K. This is a lengthy verse. Would you like me just to Yes. Take a portion of it?

If you could read out the portion that replies particularly, that would be great. Sure. And call to witness from among your men, 2 witnesses. And if 2 men be not at hand, then a man and 2 women, of such as ye approve his witnesses, so that if the one heareth through forgetfulness, the other will remember. That’s right.

And then the traditions actually also raise this question and one of Mohammed’s wives was very unhappy with about one of the traditions because Muhammad is reported to have said prayer is annulled by a donkey or a dog and a woman if they pass in front of praying people. And so she said, you have made us women dogs. So she took a dim view of that and then the last area of where men seem to be above women is in the matter of inheritance. The the main reason for this is that, generally, the men in the family take responsibility for the economic situation in the family, and so that men generally have a greater responsibility from women so they therefore daughters would inherit half of what, brothers would inherit and let’s let’s hear the verse it’s, you have it, Surah 4 verse 34. Inheritance?

Yeah. Is. 4 11. Oh, 4 11. Yeah.

Okay. Thank you. Olav chargeth you concerning the provision for your children, to the male the equivalent of the portion of 2 females. And if there be women more than 2, then theirs is 2 thirds of the inheritance. Yeah.

And if there be 1, only then the half. Okay. Now, the summary of this is really like comes in Surah 4 verse 34. You can read that. Sure.

Mhmm. Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God has gifted the one above the other, and on account of the outlay they make of their substance for them. Okay. Thank you very much. So you can see then that the Quran clearly states that men and women are spiritually equal and, but in matter of, responsibilities and and roles, they are different, and men are superior, in those areas, particularly in the matter of inheritance, but it’s got a good reason behind it.

In the matter of legal, situation in the courts, which, to my way of thinking, doesn’t have a good reason behind it, and, and men are are stronger and therefore take certain roles. I don’t have a problem about that, but maybe, doesn’t really matter whether I have any problem or not because the question is, what does the Quran teach? And and we’ve just noted that the Hadith have has something else to say, and that’s one of the things that we will be studying, the the Quran and the Hadith because they don’t always reinforce each other. The primary source is the Quran, but the Hadith tends to be a very great influence in guiding thinking and attitudes. We’ll be thinking about this later.

We’ll just have a break and then we will continue on this subject of the Quranic teaching about women and finish that before we come on to the question of singleness in Islam.

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: Muslim Women in Society

Vivienne Stacey shares the importance of understanding society’s sociological impact on the lives of Muslim women. Muslims are incredibly diverse and so are the societies in which they reside. We should avoid overgeneralizing or minimizing the impact that Islam has on societies as well as the impact societies have on Islam. This lecture was delivered at Columbia International University (CIU). For more information on Vivienne Stacey or more resources for Muslim ministry, visit the Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies at CIU.

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: Muslim Worldview

In this lecture, Vivienne Stacey discusses the importance of learning the worldview of Muslim women in order to build effective relationships. These lectures are from the course Understanding Muslim Women and were given at Columbia International University.

Here starts the auto-generated transcription of Vivienne Stacey’s Lecture on Muslim Worldview:

I want to just, read 1 or 2 things about worldview. I’m reading from this book, which, which I was published last year. It’s a book I wrote on, introducing Islam. It’s called submitting to God, and there are copies over there. In it, I quoted, David Burnett, who who wrote a very fascinating book called Clash of Cultures.

And in his book, he quotes, he says, and I quote it, a worldview consists of the shared framework of ideas held by a particular society concerning how they perceive the world. So worldview consists of a shared framework of ideas held by a particular society concerning how they perceive the world. Now we need to know how Muslim women perceive their world, how Muslims perceive their world. He goes on to say everyday experiences are fitted into this framework in order to give a totality of meaning and comprehension to the individual. And he also I I say it now, quoting myself, so to speak.

In worldview, there is a deeper level of assumption than in philosophy or in theology, and it’s nearly always subconsciously assumed. If ask somebody, you you might meet on a train or a bus or airplane or something about worldview, and they might not, be aware of their worldview. They’re so used to living in it that they don’t analyze it and think about it. They don’t think about other people having different worldviews. But it’s a fact of it’s a fact that there are different world views.

In his book, doctor Burnett has sought to look at several world views, and he’s studying the following 6 themes in each. The cosmos, that’s the world, the self, knowing, community, time, and value. In the secular worldview, reason is the basis for establishing the truth about reality. Human beings are the center of the universe, and through their minds, they can study the material universe. There is, therefore, a focus on the natural order, which leaves no place for revelation.

And that’s the situation in USA to a large extent and in Britain, I think. The universe is controlled by its own laws. Everything must have a logical and scientific explanation. Humanity, the self, is part of this scheme of things. Secular humanism sees people as equals not because they are created in the image of God, and that’s in the Christian worldview, but as individuals each having a rational mind.

So it’s different. Now I want to focus here on the Muslim worldview. And, if you I don’t know if some of you will know John Stott’s, book on, basic Christianity. Do you know it? Okay.

It’s very interesting to do just look at that book on basic Christianity and see what the chapter headings are. If you look at the comparison with a Muslim theologian, there’s one book called Fundamental Truths written by a theologian a theologian in Pakistan. He’s, Maulana Khousa Niyazi Khousa Niyazi. And the three sections of his book, just are headed by 3 words, unity, prophethood, and the hereafter. So in Islamic thinking of theology, it won’t be these 8 or 10 chapter headings that John Stott has, although Muslims believe in 1 God and Christians believe in 1 God.

It will be for the Muslim, it will be unity, prophethood, and the hereafter. And if you take the most important of those three, it’s unity. Okay? 1 God. And it’s the Unitarian vision of God or Unitarian concept of God.

Not Trinitarian, Unitarian. Okay. Unity. The opening verse of the surah, 1st surah of the Quran says that Allah is Lord of the worlds. So there’s not only a unity of this world, but the next.

There will be there’s a unity of this world and the next, and also a unity in this world. So lord of the worlds is the unity of both worlds, and then the Muslim will look at the unity of this world. This world is all to become under the rule of Islam. So the house of peace, Islam, is where Islam rules, and, the house of war is where Islam doesn’t rule yet, but it’s to come under the rule of Islam. So that would make the unity of this world.

So one god and one world. The ideal is that every state should be ruled by a Muslim and the state governed by sharia or Islamic law. So one law, if you like, sharia. And that’s why Muslims today are trying to find their unity in that different countries adopt Sharia law. And the more this happens through the world, the unity is promoted.

There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet. That’s on the flag of Saudi Arabia written there. It’s all about unity. No god but God. One God.

And there may be many races, and we’ve talked about different stereotypes in the previous sessions. There there aren’t stereotypes really, but, there are many, many versions and variations among Muslims. But, there may be many races and ethnic groups and many types of Muslim women, but there is only one community, and that’s the Umma of Islam. That’s the community of Islam. And there’s a tradition, a Muslim tradition, that says at the end of this world, when this world ends, the prophet Esau, Jesus, will return and make all human beings Muslim.

So that’s the sort of dream that there’s one community. There’s one God. There’s one world. Or there are 2 worlds which are actually one world, and then there’s one community. There’s also one system.

So this oneness you find coming everywhere. For the community, there’s one language, one system. The six articles of faith and the five pillars of Islam are absolutely the same through, Malaysia, Iran, Indonesia, in the south of the Philippines, and wherever you go. The words are the same. The Arabic words are the same, and, the practice, if you like, of the system is the same, 1.

So this is a concept of a focus of unity. There’s a oneness here, which is a kind of groundswell for the, for the whole culture and the practice of the religion. So it’s worldview. And Muslims have this worldview, whether they can express it or not. And Muslim women often can’t express it, but they know.

They know about the ummah. They know about the, the one god. They know about one practice. They know about sharia law. I mean, they know it’s something that’s almost like breath.

You you breathe it, your worldview. And I don’t know how much you thought about your own worldview, but you have one. And you might not know, but it doesn’t matter whether you know or not, you have one. You can’t live in this world without having a way by which you perceive reality and relate to it. So that’s sort of worldview.

Now I want to put up here another show you another diagram, which also relates to worldview, and we’ll just look at it a bit more carefully. Maybe it’s clearer. If I put it up high, can you see it? Can everybody see this? Yeah.

Oh, you’ve got a copy of it. Yes. So whether you’re here or whether you’ll be far away, you can see because you’ve got a copy. Okay. So worldview and then areas of life and customs so the areas of life and customs fit into the worldview.

The worldview is almost the air we breathe, but it belongs to one culture. The culture is incorporated in the worldview. It’s not that worldview is incorporated in culture. Theology, it’s not that the worldview is incorporated in theology, but theology is incorporated in worldview. It’s not that it’s philosophy.

Philosophy is incorporated in worldview. Worldview embraces it all. So we’ll look at it. Worldview is at the center of it. And for for the Muslim, God is at the center.

That’s true for the Christian, but there are 2 different, what you might call, what do you call them parademes or something? There is the Trinitarian one, and there is the Unitarian one. And for the Christian, God, the Trinitarian God, is the center of worldview for the Muslim. It’s the one god, the Unitarian model. There’s 2 models, if you like.

Trinitarian, Unitarian. If Muslims could think of a could adopt a Trinitarian model, they would become Christians. And if Christians adopt a Unitarian view, they’re not so far from being Muslim. Okay. Now let’s just look at this diagram in detail, some detail.

We’ll start why don’t we start with leisure? That’s a nice subject to start with. When the Muslim looks at leisure, he’s people intensive, or she is people intensive. The focus is, you know, who you do something with. You drink tea together or you, you go to, even women, they go to Quran readings, they go to get together.

It’s, it’s much more important who you do it with and, the relationships there than, and, than it is, for the, say, Westerner, generally, leisure for the Westerner is swimming for half an hour, at least it is for me, swimming for half an hour a day, preferably. Okay. But it’s time dominated. It’s not who I swim with, but it’s that I have swum so many lengths and, get so much exercise. I do enjoy doing it with a friend, but the thing is much more time dominated.

One, fits one’s day into slots of time and doesn’t have a sort of relax, even in leisure, not to relax. I think you know what I’m talking about here. Education. Well, in many countries, rote learning is preferred. People don’t learn through more inductive methods.

Somebody once asked me about Cyprus, which is mostly Christian, Greek Orthodox, but has some Muslims. What’s the education system like? And I just sort of had a guess and said, well, I’m guessing, but I think there’s a lot of rote learning here. And then about a week later, a UNESCO report came out on education in Cyprus, and I found I was right. It doesn’t rank very high on the UNESCO list, Cyprus, because there’s so much rote learning.

It’s a kind of cultural way that you learn. Memory, It doesn’t teach people to go in for creative thinking. It doesn’t do all the different things that most of us have experienced in our education, which makes us not put such a high priority on memorizing and learning by heart and writing back the same things that you’ve got in your notes to your examiner and all that. There’s a freedom about the way we’re educated. So there’s a different way by which this is done, and particularly in the Muslim world, where the Quran and here if you, I have a copy of, the Quran.

It’s The Quran is only the Quran in Arabic. So my Quran has Arabic here, and then it has an Urdu because I am familiar with that language, and then it has translation in English. The only a third of this book is the Quran, the the Arabic. And even if I if you don’t know much Arabic, it’s good to have Arabic English or whatever your language is, Arabic Urdu or Arabic, French or whatever. But the very fact of having a book which is to be memorized makes, learning an emphasis on rote learning, because as the book is to be memorized, the influence of the importance of memorization affects the system of education.

And then the system reinforces the generally general approach to education in some of the Middle East and and, African and Asian countries. So we have a very strong emphasis on on rote learning, rather than by learning in the inductive and interesting methods that we, I think, have mostly, in the West. Then, we come on to to religion. Muslims quite often have a a view of religion which is communal. Even women do these Bible, Quranic studies together and, but, men men meet in the mosque and pray.

It’s not it’s communal and it’s public. I think in certainly in Britain, we have privatized religion, So I don’t find a Christian worldview among Christians in Britain. I find a a privatized kind of religion. I mean, it’s just watch it’s up to the individual to believe what they want to believe, and, if it’s Christian, okay. But it’s a privatization.

There’s not a public and communal There is to some extent, I suppose, in sometimes through the churches, but in general, it’s your private business, what you believe. There’s not an open public statement. There isn’t much public truth that’s biblical where it should I think you could say this might be happening here, I don’t know, but, I won’t judge. Health? Well, I lived in a hospital.

I didn’t work in it, but I lived in the comp compound of a hospital in Pakistan, and often it was the last resort resort of Muslim women to come to the hospital. They first went to the local shrine and, tried to get some, not magical, but almost magical kind of help from the shrine keeper or from the religious leader in that place. And I actually have a bowl, which I got at a shrine complex. It’s got a verse of the Quran written on the inside of it, and that bowl, I asked when I bought it. Now, I tried to buy it, and I was told I could have given offering for it, so I never bought anything at a shrine after that.

I asked what the offering was. And I never buy a Koran and I never buy a Bible. I ask what the offering is because, because it’s got the word of God on it. It’s, for the Muslim, the word of God. It’s beyond price.

So I regard my bible as beyond price, so I take offerings for bibles and offerings for Qurans. And if I I don’t generally sell Qurans, but I do buy them sometimes. Okay. Well, so the last step might be to come to the Christian hospital. It’s a different view of health.

I wouldn’t go to a shrine and catch my health anyway, but and I don’t expect you would, but that’s what most Muslim women will do first. And, sometimes the, practitioner at the shrine says to the Muslim woman, well, why don’t you, if this medicine that I’m giving you doesn’t work or if this prescription of drinking some water from this holy bowl and after you’ve said something or the other over it and giving it, taking it yourself or giving it to your child, if that doesn’t work, then go to the hospital. And so then they will come to the hospital with the blessing of the local practitioner. So So when they get better, the local practitioner, is, they are very happy with their local practitioner and reasonably happy with the Christian hospital. But it’s a different view of health in many parts of the world.

And then after that, politics, not who you know. Who you know counts most. What you know what do I say? What you know counts most? Who you know.

Who you know counts most. Yes. In one, setup, the western one, it would be and I suppose, well, certainly Western, secular, what you know would count more than than who you know. You might you might need a lot of money either way. Social life, well, sometimes people ask me about, Cyprus, and I have to say that it’s, has segregated societies.

Partly, it’s in in Middle Eastern culture to be like that, and then Islam sometimes reinforces this. So Cyprus, the Christian section in Cyprus would have women do things together and men do things together. There’s a separation there, but in northern Cyprus, or the northern part, which is illegally a republic, only recognized by Turkey, in that section, Islam reinforces the Middle Eastern attitude. Male and female interact together in Western society generally, and in Christian society often, and male and female operate separately, in Islamic society, and often at the begin at the outside of the compound where a home is placed, there will be a room where the man meets his guests, and it affects the architecture of the home. For family, we have, the nuclear family, and we have the extended family.

But if things are changing, I I’ve read a book on Saudi Arabia on Jidda, a study of about 18 families, and many of these families are becoming nuclear families rather than extended families, but it’s a different different, system.

Vivienne Stacey Lectures: Introduction to Muslim Women

Vivienne Stacey was a long time field worker and trainer in Muslim ministry in Pakistan. These lectures were given at Columbia International University.

Here starts the auto-generated transcription of Vivienne Stacey’s Lecture on Introduction to Muslim Women:

What I really want to do is to make sure that we none of us has a stereotype of of Muslim women. There is no stereotype. There is infinite variety. And I don’t think of Muslim women first, as Muslim women. I think of them first as humans, human beings.

I think the priority is that we we should think of anyone, who is a human being. That is the first line of relationship, person to person, human being to human being. We are made in God’s image, all of us. And the second emphasis is on the fact that they are women. The second emphasis is not Muslim, it is being a woman.

So we have human, woman, and then we have Muslim. I think we some of us have got rather geared to thinking Muslim, and then woman, and then I don’t know where the human comes in, but, human has to come first. That’s our primary relationship in the world, and then, sex difference, yeah, I think does come next, and then Muslim, or Hindu, or Christian, or secular, or atheist, or what, whatever. Now, I’ve got up here a chart. It’s rather badly drawn one of mine, but, it gives you the idea of relating to another human being, and in the case of these lectures, this course, to a woman and to a Muslim.

I need to remind you that, every 10th person in the world is a Muslim woman or girl or baby. Roughly 20% of the world is Muslim and roughly half of the 20% will be women and girls and babies. So that’s a very high percentage of humanity. When I first went to Pakistan in 1954, I had a idea of Muslims and Pakistanis. I had the idea of mind to mind.

I just finished studying theology and, I was sort of rather up here, as it were. My mind, was active. And I had the first thing I had was a long discussion on the train with a member of the, National Assembly, a woman member, and we discussed the trinity. I’m sure I chose the field of, the subject. I don’t remember too much about it, but I do remember that it took me some years to start thinking of relating heart to heart, and I think that’s perhaps even more important, particularly in dealing with women, to think about the heart to heart, the fears and the joys, Fear of death, fear of having no children, fear of having only girls, fear of divorce, fear of sickness, joys as well, the joy of feasts and celebrations, the joy of, having enough to eat, the joy of the wide extended family, in some cases at least, it’s, it’s a joy but it varies, of course, because there is no stereotype.

Now, I like to think of the relationship, one side Christian, one side Muslim here. I like to think of the relationship of the mind, thinking their way. I mean, the Muslims we’re gonna meet are not really necessarily going to think our way. It’s we who are trying to relate to them and engage with them, so we will need to try to understand how they think. And, they think quite differently, quite often.

Well, east Easterners certainly do. I once preached the same sermon, to a Western congregation, in one of the Arab Emirates, and then I preached it again to a nation congregation, and I found the structure of my sermon was the same, but my illustrations were quite different because I was I suppose I had got to some extent into thinking their way, And the way Westerners think, the way Easterners think is quite often different. With Africans, I think, maybe so. Heart to heart, feeling what they feel. It’s feeling their joys and feeling their sorrows, feeling their fears.

And then the last link, as it were, or is it the link of culture and customs, you might put in that worldview, I suppose, as well. Culture and customs, It’s like getting into their shoes. Sometimes I’ve looked at a row of shoes outside a mosque or a shrine. In the case of women, it’s generally outside a shrine, you see a row of shoes. Sometimes I think, you know, I wonder what it’d be like to be in that pair of shoes and go where that person goes for a day.

Walking their way. Walking their way, and often our way is very different. So we do need to understand, other people’s culture and other people’s customs, and that there’s a whole area here, for exploring understanding. So there’s no stereotype. In the beginning of your handout handbook, or I I don’t know what you call it, but handbook or published materials or photocopied materials, you’ll find one of my articles just entitled Muslim Women, and I I’ve made these points.

I’ve said when we meet a Muslim woman, we should regard her as a human being, second as a woman, and 3rd as a Muslim. Whoever she is, her perception of herself may be vastly different, from from this. Many of them are utterly unselfconscious and accept without question the state into which they were born. They do not think of life as offering any alternatives. How does the world look to the 1st woman prime minister of Pakistan?

How does the world look to her illiterate neighbor? How does the world look to a refugee in North America? Now, I was asked to write an article, this article for publication on Muslim women, and, I thought how on earth do I write a 3 page or 2 page, article on Muslim women when there are so many, categories and types? Not only categories that are religious categories and different sets and subsets of Islam, not only, different levels of society, those who are very strictly Quran and Hadith orientated, those who are involved in folk Islam, there is an infinite variety. And with 1 within one country, there might be a 100 varieties.

You many some of these countries have 50 languages. Even Pakistan has, I think, about 55 languages, so you’ll have women in all those linguistic groups, those ethnic groups. India, I don’t know how many languages, but it’s in the 100, see? But if you just get the idea of, you can’t just say a Muslim woman is like that, You can say you have to have always some qualification about it. I wanted I think I would like here to quote, this way that a Muslim woman spoke.

This is a Sindhi poet. Sindh is one of the provinces of Pakistan. Karachi is the is in Sindh, and Sindh has its own language and moment is Cindy. This poem is a translation. It it affect it sort of represents the almost the, despair of a Muslim woman, but, because it is I wouldn’t have put it in if it had been written by anyone else except a Muslim woman, because she writes it, it’s authentic.

If someone else from another culture and religion wrote it, one would have to question its validity. But here it is, called The Journey, just a few lines. It’s the whole poem. The journey of my life begins from home, ends at the graveyard. My life is spent like a corpse, carried on the shoulders of my father and brother, husband and son, bathed in religion, attired in customs, and buried in a grave of ignorance.

It’s utter despair, it seems to me. This is this is how, at least, Atia Dawood sees herself, I suppose, or sees her fellow many of her fellow country people. And, I must say that in my relationships with Muslim women, I like to have the privilege of praying for them when it seems appropriate. And I when I pray for a Muslim woman in her presence, I nearly always mention her name because she might go for weeks months and no one names her, And I feel it’s one of the high privileges of life to name a person before the triune god and to pray for her. So a name, it’s a symbol of her being a person and not just, carried on the shoulders of father and brother, husband and son.

She is perhaps the daughter of Habib and the sister of Yaqoob and the wife of Latif and the mother of Ibrahim, but her name is Mariam or Miriam. But she’s almost forgotten it because in that rather, what shall we say, backward culture in that particular place in Sindh, that’s how it seems to her. And she is illiterate, like probably 3 quarters more than 3 quarters of women in Pakistan are illiterate. Brothers can go to school, but, the country may give her more rights, but because she’s illiterate, she can’t doesn’t know how to exercise them. In her country, the law gives a minimum age for marriage, but there’s no punishment for this not being observed, so it isn’t always observed.

There’s a lot of superstition. Well, you can read the article. My second profile here is a very great contrast, just a few lines about Baynazir Bhutto, the, twice the prime minister of Pakistan. She was trained in the same province in Sind by her father, who was prime minister of Pakistan. She was trained in that same province, but she went abroad and studied at Radcliffe in the United States and the University of Oxford in in Britain.

She was trained to be a politician by her father. And one thing she seems to have in common with the first person that we’ve discussed, the poet, poetess, is that she visits shrines. I’m sure both these women, one very educated, one illiterate, They both, I’m assuming, the first visit shrines and is involved in folk Islam. Bayn Azir says she is. Baynazir, in her autobiography, very interesting reading, she says she have she mentioned several times things that relate to folk Islam, but the one I’ve recorded here is that, she says that her father, before he was executed, urged her to pray at the shrine of the most famous saint, La Shabaz Kalander.

And she says and I quote here, my grandmother had gone to pray at his shrine when my father became very ill as a baby and nearly died. That’s, her father, this one that is now condemned to death. Would God be able to hear a daughter’s prayer for the same person? Well, here’s someone then educated at Radcliffe and at Oxford, but obviously in the family tradition, going to pray at the shrine of this saint is quite high on the agenda. So a different profile, there’s no stereotype.

And then the third, I’ve discussed or rather described, an Afghan refugee whom I know. I know this I’m going for 1 week, or a few days while I’m here in North America to visit this Afghan family. When this Afghan refugee girl became about 18, her mother urged her to well, her mother said, you’ve got to get married. Otherwise, I’m gonna turn you out of your home, at the home. It’s time you got married.

You’re 18. And she arranged a marriage. It was quite a shock to some other members of the family. After the marriage, she started to wear the veil. She couldn’t she just about finished her education, not going on to college.

And she married a man who was arranged about twice her age. I think she I’ve seen her since she’s married. I think she’s reasonably happy at the moment. She’s not happy because she doesn’t have a child, and, she needs to have a child to cement that marriage. I enjoy quoting from Begum Iqramuller, who dedicated her book, it was an autobiography, to her husband, who her to my husband, who he he had allowed her to lay aside the veil, but he regretted it ever since.

But all these different types of people. So the refugee who marries the educated people like Begum Ikramullah and Baynazir Bhutto, and the poet of of of Sindh in Pakistan, Atiya, who has such a story. Now, one other overhead here, and diagram which you should have, there are other ways we can categorize Muslim women. I come from Britain, as you’ve already gathered, I’m sure and heard. But, so I did this overhead to show types of Muslims.

We often think of types of Muslims in in categories which are religious categories. Well here’s, here’s a category. I’m just thinking that my adding up isn’t quite correct, but never mind. Well, go back to, yes, I suppose 1 in 10 would be Muslim woman. Right?

If 1 in 5 is a Muslim, 1 in 10. Just checking my arithmetic. Okay? In the UK, there are over a 1000000 Muslims. That’s a lot because we’ve only got a population of about 55,000,000.

And we can divide, as you could here in the United States, into students, foreign students who, come from Malaysia, Egypt, Egypt, so many different countries, and you can make your list. There are refugees, from quite a number of different countries here. Still, some of them on refugee status. Some of them, after 5 years, at least in Canada, have become Canadian citizens. I don’t know how long it takes here.

There are immigrants or settlers. I don’t know how you categorize them, but, that’s what in effort in essence they are. And then there are those who are 2nd generation, 3rd generation born American or born British. They’re as British as I am, if they’re 2nd or 3rd generation, 3rd generation. They have the same rights, the same passport, the same the background is is different, but they’ll all speak English, they’ll all know more about some, the modern teenage trends than I do.

And then there are those who are tourists. We had lots of Arabic instructions all around London and some of our cities in Britain, and I expect you do around here and not in, perhaps, Colombia, but in some of the major cities. Detroit, which has the largest settlement of Arabs outside the Arab world, there’s a very large population of Arabs in Detroit, So half of them will be women. And then there are those who who were born not into a Muslim culture or to a Muslim country, but who were born on the soil of this country, of my country, who have become Muslim, converts to Islam, and their their number is increasing. I once attended I once attended, in San Fran No.

It was in Los Angeles, a mosque service in which about 60, Baptists black Baptists, became Muslims. I sat at the back and, I was taken by 2 Indians to this service, so there are a lot of those who convert to Islam. Now, maybe one person could tell us about a Muslim woman that you know. Yes? Thank you.

I’m Doreen, and, I’d like to talk about, Muslim women were going to their house for dinner this evening. Oh, great. They are refugees, and they fled their home country and went to Pakistan and stayed in Pakistan 2 years before their refugee status came in, and, they are of the Bahai faith I see. And, that’s why they got a refugee status Right. Here in America.

But at present, they have with them a family, Muslim family, who have come to visit them, who are believers. Mhmm. And this Muslim family, is trying very hard to show this Baha’i family who are here, they’re all of the same country, background, but, these people are very, very difficult to try to win, to the Lord Jesus. Yes. But tonight, we have another opportunity to be with them.

Oh, great. Yes. Maybe you would, pray for them and we’ve got a concluding quarter of an hour or so of worship, so it’d be nice to pray for at least some Muslims. So maybe we could pray for them, tonight. Not tonight.

I think it might be earlier, like, quarter to 2, like, before we close our formal studies for the day. Okay. Now, anybody else like to share about any Muslim woman that you’re in touch with? Yes? I’m Ruth and I’ve got to know a lady from West Africa and she is here studying at USC.

Actually learning English right this point, but she’s left children back in at home and, just trying to to have opportunities to to spend time with her. Mhmm. Good. Okay. So these are, that’s we got a refugee and then a a student.

Yes? Anyone else in touch with Muslim women? Yes? My hairdresser. Your hairdresser.

Yes. Right. Good. And, her husband’s here studying and, they have what I find kind of interesting. She had she’s from Saudi Arabia and she was talking about the differences between the real conservative part of Saudi Arabia and her part of Saudi Arabia, which, isn’t as conservative.

And I I found it interesting that she doesn’t wear the veil anymore here even though she’s been here for only a few years. Yes. Yes. Very open to the gospel. Okay.

Anyone else? Anyone else in touch with any Muslim women? Any of the men in touch with Muslim women? Yes. Yes.

My name is Jay. I work with an organization that works overseas and my wife and I served in France for 8 years. And we are in contact with technically, she was a first generation immigrant when she came over to France at such a young age. Practically speaking, she was a second generation. Yeah.

And she was discolorously transformed by reading the word of God. Mhmm. And just really became a strong Christian. And it was interesting just to see the dynamics between the cultural aspects of her family, which was very traditionally Moroccan, and herself, which was more French and her culture and language. Mhmm.

Right. Thank you. You’re a pastor? Mhmm. Have you come across any Muslim women in your ministry?

Not as of yet. No. Because you’re not in the part of the country where there are very many. Is that the reason? That’s right.

Yes. Anyone else like to speak? Okay. Well, I’ll give a bit of summing up then. Thank you very much for the, and, we’ll every day try to pray for 1 or 2 Muslim women.

But, now we know, that first we think of them as being human, and then we think of them as being women, and then we think of them as being Muslim. Okay? I’m it’s useful to analyze what we actually do. Sometimes we’re so focused on Muslim that we’re forgetting something or we’re narrowing what is wider. And, there’s no stereotype.

We could just we could probably put together, a 1,000 different kind of profiles, And those would just be a beginning of the many types of, Muslims Muslim women that there are. And I don’t know if I should even say type, but, and then we should think about Muslim women in minority, as they are at the moment, in our countries. It does make a difference when you share good news or establish a relationship, whether a person is is a student or a refugee or an immigrant or a second or third generation, born British or born American, or whether the person’s a tourist, or whether the person is a convert, to Islam. Coming over last year, I sat next to a Saudi Arabian couple on the plane, and I couldn’t talk very much with a woman because she didn’t speak English, and I my Arabic was pretty bad. But I was able to talk with her husband who sat between us, and I, I was also able to show him an Urdu calendar card with a verse from scripture on it.

And I asked him I said, can you read this? He was able to read it, because he it’s written in the same script as Arabic. He picked out some of the words. So I said, it comes from a psalm, a psalm of David. And then we talked about the Psalms, and I was able to give him a new testament and Psalms.

And I said, please share it with your wife. So Muslim women of many kinds, let’s just clook conclude with a short prayer. We thank you, oh god, that we can study together. Guide us, we pray, and bless us this day in the name of the one God, the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen.