The True Identity of Woman

By: Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei

Patience in the Face of Poverty and Hardship

These were the conditions of Hazrat Zahra’s (SA) life….She was a help to a husband like the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who was always busy working and doing different activities. That is to say, whenever there was a battle, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) was the first to go to the battlefield. Whenever there was something important to be done, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) was a pioneer. They were married to each other for about ten years. During this ten-year period, how much time did this young husband have to take care of his wife and children in the ordinary, human sense of the word? Being patient with that life, being patient with that poverty and hardship, engaging in those great Jihads, raising those children and making the sacrifices that you have heard about all of these things are models to be followed.  Our girls should follow Fatima Zahra (SA) as their role model. Similarly our boys should follow Hazrat Zahra (SA) and the Commander of the Faithful as their role models.

Avoiding Material Luxuries and Agreeing to a Simple Dowry

We need to prove ourselves. We say that the dowry of Her Holiness makes one cry, do we not? We say that the material world and its luxury were completely worthless to that great lady, do we not? So how can we increase the ceremonies, luxuries, jewels and insignificant things in life on a daily basis? How can we increase our daughters’ mahr(marriage portion)?

A Spiritual Wedding That Was Devoid of Superficial and Insignificant Ceremonies

Muslim women have found their identity. Take care not to lose this identity. Marriage was made easy thanks to the Revolution because the number of unnecessary ceremonies was decreased and people became more lenient.  It is fathers and mothers who should avoid being strict about the unnecessary conditions for marriage because young people are not strict about anything. They should let marriage proceed in an Islamic way. They should let young Muslim girls who have grown up in an Islamic environment marry the way Fatima Zahra (SA) did, the kind of marriage that is accompanied by the bond of marriage between two divine and honorable people and is devoid of superficial and pointless ceremonies and luxuries. This is the way Muslim women should get married, raise children, manage the home environment and think about and engage in social matters, religious activities, acquisition of knowledge, and social and political activities. This is what Islam says.

Hazrat Zahra (SA) was the best girl of all time. And the Commander of the Faithful was the best boy and the best son-in-law of all time. How did they get married?  One single hair of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) is worth more than thousands of handsome, noble, strong and lovely boys. Similarly one single hair of Fatima Zahra (SA) is worth more than thousands of beautiful and noble girls, even those who enjoyed high spiritual positions and were considered among the best people of their time. Fatima Zahra (SA) was the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the leader of the Islamic community who had perfect authority. And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) was the Commander of Islam. Notice how they got married to each other. Notice what the mahr and dowry were.   Everything was done in the Name of God and keeping Him in mind. They are our role models.  Even at that time there were certain people who still followed some customs of  Jahiliyya and demanded very high mahr for their daughters, like one thousand camels. Were their daughters more virtuous than the daughter of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)? Do not follow them. Follow the daughter of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Follow the Commander of the Faithful (AS).    

2- Hazrat Zainab al-Kubra (SA)

A Permanent Role Model for All Muslim Men and Women

Because of the birthday anniversary of Hazrat Zainab al-Kubra (SA), these days belong to that outstanding Muslim lady who will always remain a role model for Muslim men and women. 

Hazrat Zainab al-Kubra (SA) was a perfect example of a Muslim woman, a role model that Islam has presented to the people of the world for the education of women. (Part of the Supreme leader’s speech delivered on June 15, 2005 in a meeting with a group of citizens from various social backgrounds)

A Role for History

Hazrat Zainab al-Kubra (SA) is a role model for Muslim women of all time. The famous and outstanding women who lived during the early years after the introduction of Islam are other examples. These women were present in society.

Her Comprehensive Personality

Zainab al-Kubra (SA) is a perfect role model for Muslim women. Zainab al-Kubra (SA) is the role model that Islam has presented to the people of the world for education of women. She enjoyed a multidimensional character. She was wise and knowledgeable. She was an outstanding human being. Whoever becomes familiar with her character is humbled by her wisdom, spirituality and knowledge. Everybody was humbled by her womanly greatness. Womanly greatness is a combination of zeal and love which cannot be found in every man. With dignity and spiritual steadfastness, she overcomes all great tragedies in a courageous way and at the same time she teaches lessons and raises public awareness. She consoles the Infallible Imam of her time – namely Imam Sajad (AS)- like a kind mother. She also stands firm like a mountain and gives a sense of peace and security to the children of her brother, who had lost their father in that great tragedy. Therefore, Zainab al-Kubra (SA) had a comprehensive character. Islam calls on women to move in this direction.

 Awareness of the condition and fulfilling her divine obligation

The immense value and greatness of Zainab al-Kubra were exhibited due to the position she adopted and the great human and Islamic movement that she started because of her divine obligation. It was her actions, her decisions and her movement that gave her such greatness. Anybody else who does the same things would achieve  greatness whether or not she was the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful (AS).  A major portion of this greatness was because of her awareness of the conditions, both of the conditions that existed before Imam Hussein (AS) had left for Karbala and faced the critical moments of the Day of Ashura, and of conditions of the tragic events that happened after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS). Moreover, she made proper decisions in different conditions and it was those decisions that made her Zainab al-Kubra.

Her insight and her Support for the Imam of Her Time

During those critical moments that would have confused even the strongest human beings, she realized what to do and she decided to support her Imam and prepare him for martyrdom. And after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein ibn Ali (AS), which plunged the world and the hearts and souls of all people into that grief, the great woman became a source of light. Zainab (SA) achieved a position that has been achieved only by the most virtuous human beings in the history of mankind – namely prophets (AS).

3- Hazrat Sukayna al-Kubra (SA)  

A Source of Knowledge

You have heard the name of Sukayna al-Kubra in the stories recounting the tragedy of Karbala. She was the daughter of an Infallible Imam and Zainab (SA)’s niece and student. Those who are interested in books and in research should pay attention to this point. She is considered a source of knowledge in the entire history of Islam. Even those who do not believe in Zainab (SA), her father and Sukayna’s father admit that Sukayna (SA) was a source of knowledge.

4- The Virgin Mary (SA)

A Qur’anic Example for Believers

…Again Allah the Exalted mentions the name of two women as examples of believers.                                                                                                                                                                               “Allah draws an[other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said,   ‘My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot.’  ” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Tahrim 11)

One example is the wife of Pharaoh and the other example is the Virgin Mary.

The other woman is Mary , the mother of Isa[Jesus Christ] and the daughter of Imran…When Allah the Exalted wants to mention two human beings as example of believers, He mentions the names of two women, not names of two men or the name of a man and a woman. There are reasons behind this divine choice.

Resistance against Accusations

When the Holy Qur’an mentions an example for faithful human beings, it does not mention an example from among men. Rather it mentions an example from among women: “Allah draws an[other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh…” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Tahrim 11)

In this ayah Allah the Exalted mentions the names of two women as examples of all outstanding and faithful human beings, not examples of outstanding women. That is to say, when Allah the Exalted wants to mention examples of human qualities and spiritual perfection, He does not refer to prophets, great men or scholarly and religious men, rather He refers to two women, one of whom is the wife of Pharaoh. “…when she said,   ‘My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise…”(The Holy Qur’an, Al-Tahrim 11)

The other example is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Isa and the daughter of Imran. “Mary daughter of Imran….” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Tahrim 12)

The Virgin Mary was a young girl who stood like a mountain against the associations and suspicions of all the people in her city and her region: she holds up the word of God and the soul that Allah the Exalted in his might had placed in her pure womb and she enlightens the dark world of her time with the light of her baby.  These two women fill the world with light. This shows that when Allah the Exalted wants to pick two human beings from among all humanity and put them forth as examples, He picks two women, not two men or a man and a woman. There are secrets behind this choice.

Preserving Her Honor and Chastity

The case of the other two women – the Virgin Mary (SA) and Hazrat Asiya (SA) – is also related to the family…. The same is true of the Virgin Mary “who guarded her chastity.” She guarded her honor and chastity, this shows that there were factors in the Virgin Mary’s society that could have threatened her honor and chastity and she managed to fight those factors.

….Again Allah the Exalted mentions the names of two women as the examples of believers. “Allah draws an[other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said,   ‘My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot.’  ” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Tahrim 11)

One example is the wife of Pharaoh and the other is the Virgins Mary…..And the Virgin Mary also guarded her chastity. “And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded the chastity of her womb, so We breathed into it of our Spirit….”  (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Tahrim 12)

These are human values.

5- Asiya the Wife of Pharaoh

A Qur’anic Example for Believers      

In the Holy Qur’an the wife of Pharaoh has been mentioned as an example of religious faith for both men and women of all time.

…. Here Allah the Exalted mentions two women as examples of outstanding and faithful human beings, not examples of outstanding and faithful women. That is to say, when Allah the Exalted wants to mention an outstanding example of human qualities and spiritual perfection, He does not mention the names of prophets, great men, scholarly and religious figures; rather He mentions the name of two women, one of whom is the wife of Pharaoh.

To be Continued…..