I want you to know one thing: no matter what you do, no matter how independent you become, you can never stop being a slave. It is up to us to decide whether we want to be a slave of our desires; of the society, media, fashion, beauty, culture, fame, wealth or whether we want to become a slave of the One who created us. We can either become the slave of the creation OR we can become the slave of the Creator.

There are no exceptions to this rule.

Although this thought is essentially gender blind, but here it is discussed predominantly with the relation to women. Because we have often found women feeling left out in a world dominated by male ideologies –  fighting to carve out paths for themselves regardless of the discipline they belong to. We find ourselves constantly trying to prove that the fairer ones matter.

At times it seems as though the society ruthlessly denies the importance of where the individual originally stems out from; their mothers.

Ironic, isn’t it?

Young girls despaired by such biases are then lured into the wonderfully woven net of feminism and liberalism. But the underlying belief in these theories break down to a single assumption: that it is the status of a man that ultimately matters. And it is only when the MAN realizes the significance of a woman is when the woman will become important.

There is a lot that can be commented upon when it comes to women rights and women empowerment, but there are numerous concepts simultaneously floating around in our society which cannot be synced in with the stroke of the pen. But regardless of what arguments are put forth, the conclusion is going to be the same: That there is essentially something wrong with the idea of relying on the opinion of men when it comes to woman empowerment.

And by men here male religious scholars are not being addressed since their arguments are based on the knowledge of what Allah swt has ordained – rather than personal opinions. The point here is also not to present the idea that there is necessarily something wrong with the opinion that men have. It depends on the man in question here, his standing in life and his character.

However, on a more general level, why do we women need to question a man when it comes to our esteem issues? Is a woman only worthy if a man finds her beautiful? Or is she an intellectual only when a man agrees with her opinions? This is a problem because when you ask someone for opinions, you are giving them the authority to mold your personality in the shape of the box of their own mentality.

The personality of a Muslim woman is not bland, unlike the popular portrayal. Muslim women are not supposed to be passive victims of the society. They strive to do good, they are dynamic, they are creative and motivating. They are intelligent and know what to say and when to say it. They are passionate when it comes to deen. They are knowledgeable and strive to learn.

Unlike the perceived modern women, they are not bent on defeating men. This is not their primary goal in life. They stress on collective progress. Their fight is not against men or a particular group or a particular person, their fight is against the evils of the society. They strive for whatever Islam calls for.

Muslim Women are not doormats. They don’t shy away from situations that calls for them to speak up. They are ninjas in themselves – their jihad is constant as they protect their modesty and chastity from the prying eyes of the men. They know their limits. They are not always soft and ‘bechari’. If a guy tries to be cheesy with her, she knows how to put him in his place. Her gentleness, softness and beauty is reserved for only a selected few.

Maybe it is time to read up on the Women in History of Islam. Maybe it is time we open up our minds to the Islamic concept of woman.

And Maybe, just maybe, it is time to revisit the concept of Freedom and Empowerment of Women in the light of what Allah (swt) has declared to be the status of a woman in Islam.

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