In January 1998 we were in Madinah for the visit of Umrah. We put on our wrappers and flew to Mecca reciting the prayer ‘’lebbeyk’’, while carrying in our hearts the familiarity brought along during our three day visit to the masjid.

In spite of the fact that it was winter time, the weather was considerably warm. However, the most surprising event was the pouring rain that made us wet all over...

Most of the visitors for the Umrah were performing the supererogatory salat by following Mr. Abdül Rahman,the premier Imam of the Kaaba. While they were doing so, we were going round the Kaabah at least seven times to make up one proper turn of the visit, because it was not crowded...

Moreover, this special salat was not one of the pillars of the religion...

On the 9^th of January when we returned to İstanbul with the spiritual influence granted to us by Haqq, we have seen that the press was dealing with a Mufti whose sensitivity was apparent. For the sake of making up a sensational news, they were talking about his fatwa (decleration) about women which was allowing the women to perform the

funeral salat in the same row with the men... Evidently, it had gained much popularity among the press...

Meanwhile, a lot of people were supporting the opinions which were saying that women could perform the salaat and fast while they were having their periods, that it was necessary to read the turkish version of the Koran during the salaat, that it was not proper to read the Koran after a dead person...

Also, there was the subject of the head scarf for which no solution could be found either!..

I am thinking;

Apart from the countries who are ruled by dictatorship or by royalty, that is in countries that are ruled by democracy, there must be rules which should enable people to lead civilised lives. The rules should be such that the people may live without violating the rights of the others.

As a matter of fact, all of the happennings which are taking place come into being within an order and a sysytem.

These conditions are valid in the mystical area which itself is a complete system.

The independence of the individual cannot go beyond the rules.

In the following verse Haqq, the Only One is in a way holding a light for what has all been told ;

‘’...ve len tecide li sünnetillahi tebdiylâ’’ (48/23)

(There is never a change in the laws of Allah)

Moreover, Allah states that only Hu cannot be limited and restricted within the framework of these systems with the decree ‘’Allah is transcendent from all the sytems.’’

Now, let us come to the points concerning women...

In the chapter of Bakhara??? the 30^th Verse states clearly that the human being is a caliph without making any discrimination between a man and a woman.

In the woman when the quality of being a caliph is taken into consideration, the subject

becomes very deep surpassing all the disagreements on the surface.

You can find many more examples in the Koran parallel to this;

‘’You! The human beings, beware of being disrespectful to your Lord who has created you from a single soul, from that soul who has created the partner, and from these who has created many men and women...’’ (Nisa/1)

‘’That is Allah who has created you from a single soul and from the same soul who has created your spouse in whom you are going to find peace.’’ (Araf/189)

What is being emphasized is that the qualities of the essence have been given to the human being without making any discrimination whether a man or a woman...

Our Rasul, in one of his hadiths says;

‘’I have been made to like three things from your world; the woman, the beautiful scent and the Salat on which the brightness of my eye has been placed’’.

When you look at these carefully, the woman is being mentioned between the beautiful scent which means Rahman/merciful and the Salat that is being substituted.

The reason why such a strong emphasis is given to the woman is that she has been created with the meanings pertaining to the physical body. As a matter of fact, these meanings become amplified in her and they make up a structure which is a bridge for the ultimate (divine) union.

The Rasul of Allah (a.s.), himself has determined the place of the woman whom he was made to like, in the stairs of the humanity and within the system.

He has;

Defended the women and has done his best to honour them in an environment where the people went mad because of the heat, where honour and dignity had become only symbols, where worshipping various idols and assaulting the women were considered as normal.

In a way he has veiled himself with the identity of being a protector for them.

His statements such as the following are very good examples of his behaviour which honors and gives esteem to the women as well as making them gain productivity and become virtuous :-

‘’The women of the companions in Madinah are so much blessed that their modesty does not stop them from learning their religion.’’

When we look back in time, we can witness that the wives’ of the companions have taken part in charity works and other social activities.

Some of them nursed the children, some were barbers, some were doctors and some of them were teachers. We have learned from different sources that during the time of Hz.Omar a literate woman was appointed as a public security guard.

The hadith which says ‘’The witnessing made by two women is equivalent to that of a man’’ is a good document showing the value attributed to the females in the Islamic world.

When we look at the behaviour of our Rasul (a.s.) towards the women, we can see that he loved them, regarded them as valuable, protected them, supported them and most important of all he did not regard the women as an object without feelings. However,

he was portraying some finesse in his behaviour suitable with the laws of the system...

As an example;

He did not shake hands with the females apart from his partners, if he had to be together with other women he suggested that the woman should take place on the left side of the man, if this was not possible than she should follow the man from three steps behind.

In the Koran it is indicated clearly with whom the women should eat, and the homes of the people to which she can go. (See Nur/61)

The following hadith of the Rasul of Allah (s.a.v) points out the fact that the reason of their being is based on variation...

‘’Get along well with the women, because they are like a curved rib, if you push them hard they will be broken.‘’

The Science of Sufism emphasizes that the woman has become manifest with the quality of Power (Qudrat), whereas the man has become apparent with the quality of Reasoning (Hiqmat).

A woman has the capacity to finish a thing in forty days which a man could not do in forty years. However, in four minutes she can pull apart a thing which she has done in forty days, owing to her nature which cannot tolerate any pressure. The moment she becomes sensitive, the number of negative neurons that start to function in her brain is eight times more than that of a man.

On the contrary, a man may reach her position in forty years; however he will not destroy easily what he has already done even in forty years...

In spite of the fact that she has strong intuitive powers, it is not uncommon for a woman to loose what she has earned within an instant...

The musts of her biological body and the difference in the activities of her hormones are the main factors which differentiate a womam from a man as well as setting up limits for her.

This is the law of the nature, Allah’s law.

There are some women who have been able to surpass the above mentioned moods.

In a hadith our Rasul of Allah says;

Mary, the mother of Jesus, Asiye, the wife of the Pharaoh, who was a real believer, my wife Hatice and my daughter Fatima...’’

From the wives of Hz. Ümmü Habibe (s.a.v) Safiyye, Ümmü Seleme, Soltan Rabia, his daughter Ümmü Gülsüm and others whose names we cannot write are the ones who have surpassed the limits of their innate compositions...

Especially, I want to make it clear that in every period there exist twenty two women who are saints (Wali).

They have gained the quality of purification and have put their steps on the stair of humanity.

It is not easy to understand the woman who is the door for the manifestation of the quality of Qudrat/Power.

If someone cannot solve and understand her, it is very difficult for him to understand and recognize Allah who is having a new state in every instant.

To leave all this information aside and to consider the woman only as a sexual object outside the system is an irrational determination.

Those who deviate from this subject with feminist feelings think that they do not need men and they say that the women should have the priority in the activities within the society...

In the past this was again the same, now we cannot see any change either...

We have seen a very good example for this in the film Titanic. During the disaster the women were given the right to survive, but men were left behind to die. Do you think that it is right?

Then how can we talk about an equality between men and women?

We must not forget this;

The mentality which puts the woman in a high and esteemed position like the crown over the head, and afterwards which brings her down and steps over her is bound to have crisis.

In a governmental protocole, it is impossible to think of a rule which lets everyone to be near the President.

Similarly, in a ceremony which takes place whether in the inside or outside of the temple the place of a woman should be behind the men according to the principals of existence.

A woman may join the Friday Salaat as well as the funeral salat under the condition that she stays in the back rows...

According to the religion of innate compositions...;

The place of the woman in the divine order is to form the ultimate union with the man at a certain point.

Actually this is her reason of existance.

When we come to the subject of head scarf , we are confronted by two different points of view.

One of them does not consider a woman who does not cover her head as a muslim, whereas the other is insisting to see those who cover their heads as frightening outsiders.

The Koran has been prepared in dimensions beyond our known concept of time. The full declaration of the Koran took twenty three years to be completed. The decree regarding women to cover themselves has come on the seventeenth year of the divine inspiration. It mentions that it would be beneficial for the women who have chosen Islam to cover themselves. (Nur/30)

Our Rasul of Allah (a.s.) has given importance to being covered, but he has never said that the woman who did not cover up herself will not go to Heaven.

To be against the head cover means being against the individual freedom. It is not a logical behaviour to limit the right of living for individuals because of their beliefs by thinking that they are being harmful for the society.

On the other hand, to accuse the women who do not cover their heads as non-believers and trying to stop them from religious practices, moreover to declare them as being infidel to Islam will be very harmful. Especially for those who are by passing the decree ‘’There is no pressure/compelling in the religion’’, who are acting in the direction of their feelings leaving aside the wisdom. These people are definitely living the results of their mistakes.

May Allah be helping and supporting us!...

Ahmet F. Yuksel