The suffering of women in the time of Moses, peace be upon him | Episode (2) | Insulting men by oppressing women

0:00 The story of women's suffering during the era of Moses, peace be upon him.

0:06 Humiliating men through the oppression of women

0:12 is one of the greatest forms of vileness practiced by tyrants throughout history:

0:18 degrading a man by violating and oppressing his female kin,

0:22 be she a mother, a sister, a wife, or a daughter.

0:27 For an honorable man would readily accept death and torture for himself,

0:31 yet will not tolerate the slightest infringement upon the honor of his womenfolk.

0:34 Tyrants in every era recognize this as a man's point of vulnerability,

0:39 and they exploit it to crush and subjugate men.

0:42 Pharaoh represents the quintessential school of tyrants in dealing with men,

0:47 especially scholars and callers to truth.

0:50 Every despot draws from Pharaoh’s methodology and emulates him,

0:55 and no tyrant throughout time has failed to resemble Pharaoh in one way or another.

1:01 For this reason, the story of Allah's Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, with Pharaoh is mentioned

1:06 across every single section of the Noble Qur'an,

1:10 and it is the most detailed narrative in the entire Qur'an.

1:14 In his pursuit of subjugating the men of the Children of Israel, Pharaoh took the path of mistreating their women and offspring.

1:23 Allah Almighty stated:

1:25 "Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people into factions, oppressing a group among them, slaughtering their sons and keeping their females alive."

1:51 “Lo! Pharaoh exalted himself in the earth and made its people castes. A tribe among them he oppressed, killing their sons and sparing their women. Lo! he was of those who work corruption.” (28:4)

1:56 Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

2:01 "Allah Almighty says, exalted be His mention:

2:03 Pharaoh acted insolently and arrogantly in the land of Egypt,

2:07 tyrannizing its inhabitants and subjugating them until they yielded to him in servitude."

2:13 And Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

2:16 "Meaning, he grew arrogant, tyrannical, and oppressive;

2:19 'and made its people into factions,'

2:21 that is, categorized them into classes, assigning each class to serve his state's interests as he saw fit.

2:27 And as for the words of Allah Almighty:

2:29 'Oppressing a group among them,' this refers to the Children of Israel,

2:34 who were, at that time, the finest people of their era.

2:38 Yet this obstinate, tyrannical king overpowered them,

2:42 employing them in the most menial of tasks,

2:45 exhausting them day and night in his service and the service of his populace,

2:50 while simultaneously slaughtering their sons and sparing their women,

2:54 out of humiliation and contempt for them,

2:57 and out of fear that among them a boy would be born

3:00 of whom he and the people of his kingdom were terrified—

3:04 that a boy would arise from them who would bring about his ruin and the downfall of his dynasty at his hands."

3:11 And al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

3:14 "The beginning of this account is:

3:16 'Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land,'

3:19 through his dominion, authority, armies, and tyranny,

3:23 becoming one of those who seek haughtiness therein, rather than being among the truly elevated.

3:28 'And made its people into factions,' meaning divided groups,

3:33 disposing of them according to his whims,

3:36 executing upon them whatever his subjugation and brute force dictated.

3:40 'Oppressing a group among them,'

3:43 and that group was the Children of Israel,

3:46 whom Allah had favored above all peoples,

3:49 whom he ought to have honored and respected.

3:53 Instead, he treated them as weak and helpless,

3:56 viewing them as having no defense

3:59 to shield them against whatever he intended for them.

4:02 Thus, he disregarded them entirely and showed no concern for their plight.

4:06 His audacity reached such an extent

4:08 that he slaughtered their sons and spared their women,

4:12 fearing that they would multiply and overcome him in his land,

4:16 and that dominion would transfer to them—

4:18 “Lo! Pharaoh exalted himself in the earth and made its people castes. A tribe among them he oppressed, killing their sons and sparing their women. Lo! he was of those who work corruption.” (28:4)

4:21 [a trait of] those who have no intention of reforming religion

4:24 or rectifying worldly affairs;

4:26 and this was part of his corruption in the earth."

4:29 Pharaoh truly despised the men of the Children of Israel

4:34 and degraded them by killing their sons

4:37 and exploiting their womenfolk,

4:39 and that indeed was a dreadful torment.

4:42 This very method of breaking men

4:45 continues to be employed in our present era,

4:48 albeit through modernized methods.

4:51 For the legislation concerning violence against women

4:54 diminishes the man's authority:

4:56 he is left with no say over his wife,

4:58 nor any rights over her.

5:00 Furthermore, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

5:03 Discrimination Against Women,

5:05 famously known as CEDAW,

5:07 demeans the woman and distorts her identity,

5:10 stripping away all privacy and special status reserved for her anywhere,

5:14 because they deem her privacy

5:17 to be an unfair privilege granted to the man over her.

5:19 Thus, the girl is forced to study alongside young men,

5:23 and should a woman fall ill,

5:25 men examine her.

5:27 Indeed, there is hardly any waiting area

5:30 in any public or private establishment

5:33 designated exclusively for women.

5:35 This deeply pains the righteous man

5:38 who wishes to raise his household in accordance with Islamic teachings.

5:43 Likewise, the child protection laws

5:45 embolden the daughter against her father

5:47 and prohibit the father from disciplining his daughter

5:50 through any method sanctioned by the Shariah.

5:54 Should the father dare to do so,

5:57 she can lodge a complaint against him;

6:00 nor can the father prevent his daughter

6:03 from traveling alone,

6:05 or forbid her from attending mixed parties and the like.

6:09 In this way, men in Muslim lands are broken and subjugated

6:13 at the hands of Westernized Muslims and hypocrites.

6:19 Yet have those who champion these laws

6:24 truly honored women through their legislation, or have they merely exploited them?

6:28 The answer is known to every sensible woman,

6:32 for deep within herself she knows full well

6:35 that through these laws, they merely want her to be a commodity for their pleasure

6:41 and an instrument for their material profit.

6:45 Those who drafted these laws

6:48 and sought their implementation across all nations

6:51 know that the only ones who stand in their path

6:55 are men acting as women's guardians.

6:58 Therefore, they enacted laws that demean the man before the woman;

7:02 for once the man is displaced, the woman's protective wall collapses,

7:07 and they prey upon her just as wolves prey upon sheep

7:11 in the absence of the shepherd,

7:13 consuming her entirely and then casting her aside.

7:18 A woman might rejoice at this openness and the freedom they offer her,

7:25 but ultimately,

7:28 she realizes she has suffered a tremendous loss

7:31 that is difficult for her soul to overcome.

7:34 Let every woman reflect upon these questions:

7:38 Why do state laws facilitate divorce and khul' for you so easily?

7:44 Why do they resent your remaining under the care of a man who protects you?

7:48 Why do they incite you against your parents, especially your father?

7:53 Why do they demand that you remove the hijab to work?

7:57 Why do they mix you with young men in university education and elsewhere,

8:02 insisting upon it?

8:04 Why do they place obstacles in the path of marriage,

8:07 stipulating arbitrary age requirements

8:10 and enacting laws to enforce these conditions?

8:14 Do you truly believe they do this for your welfare,

8:19 or do they have an ulterior motive?

8:22 Do you think that the rulings of the Shariah came to restrict you,

8:27 or that they favor the man over you?

8:30 My noble sister,

8:32 I invite you to reflect deeply upon this matter within your own soul,

8:36 if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day.

8:40 Return to the Book of your Lord and search therein for the truth,

8:45 and look to the guidance of your Prophet, peace be upon him:

8:49 how he safeguarded woman and commanded good treatment toward her.

8:54 Then examine the sincerity of your love for Him as you read the words of Allah Almighty:

9:00 “That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you. And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal.” (59:7)

9:06 "And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty."

9:11 We shall continue in our next gathering, if Allah wills,

9:16 and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

The suffering of women in the time of Moses, peace be upon him | Episode (2) | Insulting men by oppressing women

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