TRANSLATOR'S FOREWORD
Praise be to Allah (SWT), Lord of the Worlds, and may the blessings and peace of Allah (SWT) be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his Family and Companions.
The Ideal Muslimah: the true Islamic personality of the Muslim woman and defined by the Qur'an and Sunnah offers the reader a comprehensive overview of the woman's place in the Islamic scheme of things. The many roles which a woman may play throughout her life - daughter, wife, mother, friend - are explored in detail. Extensive quotations from Hadith and historical accounts of the lives of the early Muslim women provide a vivid picture of how the Muslim woman at the time of the Prophet (PBUH) went about putting Islam into practice; this is an example which Muslim women of all places and eras may follow in their own lives.
An important point is the fact that the first chapter addressed the Muslim woman's relationship with Allah (SWT). Dr. Muhammad `Ali al-Hashimi rightly puts first things first, and reminds readers that they must pay attention to this most important aspect of our lives. If our `aqidah and worship is sound and sincere, then other things will begin to fall into place, in sha Allah.
From there, the author takes us by stages from a woman's care of her own self - body, mind and soul - to her relationships and dealings with her family, friends, neighbours and society as a whole. Far from being the passive, oppressed victim of popular stereotype, the Muslim woman is seen to be a whole person with a valid contribution to make at every level of community life.
This is, above all, an immensely practical book. Dr al-Hashimi addresses real issues that face Muslim women throughout the world, and supports every point made with extensive quotations from the Qur'an and hadith.
At a time when Muslim women are being increasingly attracted by "feminist theories" and "women's studies," this book serves as a timely reminder that the unique and authentic sources of Islam have always spoken of the rights of women and recognized women as full partners in the human venture of history. The translation of this book into English will render this valuable information more readily accessible to Muslims whose mother-tongue is not Arabic.
Husbands, fathers, brothers and sons will also benefit from reading this book. Studied in conjunction with the author's Ideal Muslim: the Islamic personality as defined by the Qur'an and Sunnah, it will enable both men and women to have a deeper insight into the complementary roles of men and women and the harmony between the genders envisaged by Islam.
The interpretations of Qur'anic quotations have been taken from the well-known translation by Yusuf `Ali. The archaic style of this translation has been amended and modernized, so that "thou" becomes "you," "goeth" becomes "goes," etc.
Many Islamic concepts are difficult to express in English, where "religious" words carry much cultural baggage that gives connottions that do not exist in Arabic. For this reason, many Arabic religious terms have been retained, with explanations given either in the text or in the Glossary that may be found at the end of the book.
May Allah (SWT) reward the author for his efforts to educate the Muslims, men
and women alike, about their religion; may He cause this book to be a source of
beneficial instruction to English-speaking Muslims; and may He (SWT) guide us
and keep us on the Straight Path.
Nasiruddin al-Khattab
September 1997