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The Dark Danger: Bigotry: The Idea that Women Are Deficient in Intelligence and Faith

Contents
  1. The Misunderstood Islam
  2. The Two Basic Concepts Misused by Those Who Portray Islam as a Violent Faith: Sharia and Jihad
  3. Islam: The Religion of Ease
  4. The True Sharia in the Qur'an
  5. What Does the True Qur'anic Sharia Bring to A Country?
  6. The True Jihad in the Qur'an
  7. An Examination of Verse 95 of Surat an-Nisa'
  8. An Examination of Verse 52 of Surat al-Furqan
  9. A Muslim Has a Responsibility to Believe in Every Verse of the Qur'an, Without Exception
  10. The Qur'an Is a "Preserved" Book
  11. The Mistakes in Differentiating between the "Meccan Period Muslims" and "Medinan Period Muslims"
  12. The Harsh Testing of Muslims in the Meccan Period
  13. The Medinan Period and the Battles
  14. Who Were Battles Fought Against?
  15. The Description of War in the Qur'an
  16. Polytheists with Whom Agreements Were Made
  17. The First Multilateral and Most Democratic Constitution Ever: The Constitution of Medina
  18. Verses about War and the Interpretation Thereof
  19. There Is No Justification for War in Islam Except for Self-Defense
  20. War for Ideological or Ethnic Superiority?
  21. One of the Main Causes of Radicalism: Tribal Culture
  22. War for the Purpose of Spreading the Rules of Islam to be Introduced by A Muslim Leader?
  23. War for the Elimination of Enemies?
  24. Who Desires War?
  25. Conclusion
  26. The False Faith of the Fanatics
  27. Fabricated Hadiths that Shape the Religion of the Fanatics
  28. Our Prophet (pbuh) Did Not Allow Any Hadith To Be Written Down
  29. The Rightly-Guided Caliphs Did Not Allow the Writing of Hadiths
  30. Some of the Companions of Our Prophet (pbuh) Objected to Collecting Hadith
  31. The Idolaters and Hypocrites Tried to Harass Our Prophet (pbuh)
  32. Where Did Fabricated Hadiths Come from?
  33. Differences between the Islamic Schools of Thought
  34. Those Who Seek Commandments outside the Qur'an Must Turn to the Truth of the Faith
  35. Radicals Seek to Hold on to "What They Learned from Their Forefathers"
  36. The Islamic World's Abandonment of the Qur'an
  37. The Qur'an Is Our Guide and Should Be in Our Hands at All Times
  38. A Major Problem: The Defamatory Idea that the Hadiths Have Abrogated Verses
  39. Understanding the Limits of the Fanatical Mindset
  40. The Killing of People Who Drink Alcohol
  41. The Killing of People Who Commit Adultery
  42. Adultery in the Eyes of the Qur'an
  43. The Killing of People Who Steal
  44. The Killing of Apostates
  45. The Killing of Those Who Cease to Pray
  46. The Beating of Children Who Stop Praying
  47. The Killing of People Who Do Not Give Alms
  48. The Imprisonment and Starvation of Those Who Do Not Fast
  49. The Killing of People Who Abjure the Faith When Drunk
  50. The Killing of Those Who Speak Improperly about the Prophet without Calling on Him to Repent
  51. The Superstition of "Accursed Animals" in the Religion of the Fanatics
  52. Our Prophet (pbuh) Did Away with the Cruel Customs that Mistreated Animals
  53. Our Prophet (pbuh) Forbade Animals from Being Overworked
  54. Working Animals' Right to Rest
  55. Our Prophet (pbuh) Prohibited the Abuse and Mistreatment of Animals
  56. Our Prophet's (pbuh) Cat, "Muezza"
  57. Our Prophet's (pbuh) Affection toward a Mother Bird and Her Young
  58. The Baby Goat
  59. A Starving Camel and Its Owner
  60. A Sleeping Antelope
  61. A Donkey Branded on the Face
  62. Treating Animals Well
  63. The Foul Nature of the Fanatic
  64. A Dirty Conception of Faith and A Low-Quality Conception of Being a Muslim
  65. Women Are One of the Finest Blessings in This World
  66. Women in the Qur'an
  67. The Idea that Women Are Deficient in Intelligence and Faith
  68. The Idea that Women Are Crooked
  69. Hadiths and Claims Fabricated to Debase Women
  70. The Idea that Women Are a Barrier to People Living by the Faith
  71. The Idea that One Should Never Be Guided by Women
  72. The Defamatory Idea that Women Are Second-Class Citizens and that God Has Left Women Backward
  73. Allegations Prohibiting Women from Adorning Themselves
  74. The Fanatics' Idea of How Muslim Women Should Treat Their Husbands
  75. The Rights and Superiority Bestowed on Women in the Qur'an Are Nowhere in the Religion of the Fanatic
  76. The Position of a Woman Who Divorces Her Husband
  77. A Woman Being Regarded as a Sinner until Her Husband Is Pleased with Her
  78. Women Being Unable to Go out, and the Idea They Are Prone to Deception by Satan
  79. The Idea that A Woman Is Misfortune and Annuls Prayer
  80. Examples of the Fanatical Mindset that Compares Women to Animals
  81. Verses Addressing the Wives of Our Prophet (pbuh)
  82. Conclusion: The Qur'an Attaches the Greatest Value to Women
  83. The Addition of the Word "Headscarf" to Translations of the Qur'an As a Means of Restricting Women
  84. Surat an-Nur Verse 31, 1st Part
  85. "Khimar" / Cover
  86. "Yadribna" / To strike
  87. "Juyub" / Collar opening
  88. Misleading or Incorrect Translations Based on Fabricated Hadiths
  89. A False Interpretation: "That They Should Draw Their Head Coverings"
  90. 1-Care over the Use of Words in Arabic
  91. 2-Examination of Words in the Qur'an Through Other Verses
  92. 3-Care Being Taken Over Ascribing Meaning to Arabic Words in Parenthesis
  93. Surat an-Nur Verse 31, 2nd Part
  94. Misinterpretations Regarding "Women's Adornments"
  95. The Idea that Women Are Instruments of Trial
  96. The Error of Making Adornments and Accessories Unlawful
  97. How Is the Word "Ornament" Used in the Qur'an?
  98. The Region Referred to in Verse 31 of Surat an-Nur
  99. Fabricated Hadiths on the Subject of the Head-Covering and Their Internal Inconsistencies
  100. Forbidden Things Are Not Left Obscure in the Qur'an
  101. The Desire to Shut Only Women and Their Bodies Away
  102. The Qur'an Refers to the Jilbab, Not to the Headscarf
  103. Surat al-Ahzab Verse 59
  104. Espousing the Head-Covering but Never Mentioning the "Jilbab"
  105. Which Important Topics Do Some of the Passionate Defenders of the Headscarf Never Talk About?
  106. A Muslim Woman Knows How to Dress in Accordance with the Qur'an
  107. The "Two Women = One Man" Error
  108. Women and Witness Testimony in Loans
  109. Women's Inheritance Rights
  110. A Woman's Right to Divorce
  111. Divorce and the Protection of Women Thereafter
  112. Women Being Kept Happy and Content in the Event of Divorce
  113. Women Being Given Financial Security after Divorce
  114. Assets Given to Women Must Not Be Taken back after Divorce
  115. Ensuring Women Have a Place to Live after Divorce
  116. Women Not Being Inherited by Force
  117. The Value Placed on Mothers
  118. The Slander of Male Superiority and the Nonsense about Beating Women
  119. The Idea of Male Superiority
  120. The False Idea of the "Beating of Women"
  121. Other Misconceptions concerning Women
  122. Sayings of Our Prophet (pbuh) in Praise of Women
  123. The Fanatics' Hatred of Art
  124. The Idea that Joking, Humor and Laughter Must Be Avoided
  125. According to the Qur'an Grief and Unhappiness Are Attributes of Unbelievers Alone
  126. The Joy in Paradise and the True Meaning of Sorrow
  127. The Idea of Avoiding Humor
  128. The Allegation that Music and Poetry Are Forbidden
  129. The Dishonesty of Fanatics Who Seek to Ban Music
  130. God Loves Music, and Causes His Servants to Love It
  131. The Idea that Painting and Sculpture Are Unlawful
  132. The Idea that Gold and Silk Are Prohibited
  133. Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Pleasant Scent
  134. Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Tattoos, Removal of Facial Hair, Esthetic Dental Work
  135. Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Women from Going out of Doors in Attractive Clothes
  136. Fabricated Hadiths that Maintain that Women Lose Paradise by Preoccupying Themselves with Gold and Clothes
  137. Fabricated Hadiths that Maintain that Women Should not be Given Nice Clothes
  138. If the Spirit of the Fanatics Dominated This World
  139. Make-up, Grooming, Cleanliness, Modernity and Culture, "Quality" for Short, Are All Requirements of Islam
  140. Women Are Lovely Beings, of course They Must Be Well-Groomed
  141. The Horrifying Nature of the Misogyny of the Fanatical Mindset
  142. The Perversion that Leads to Running inside and Locking the Doors upon Seeing a Boy
  143. The Lie that Young Boys are Accompanied by Eighteen Satans
  144. The Perversion that Claims Boys Can Be 19 Times More Seductive than Women
  145. The Perversion that Claims ‘Young Boys Are Same as Women’ And ‘Boys Can Be Lusted After just like Women’
  146. The Claim that a Young Boy's Voice is Forbidden
  147. Muslims Have the Right to Wear Attractive Stylish Clothing and Own Fine Cars and Nice Homes
  148. Jews and Christians in the Religion of the Fanatics
  149. Responses from the Qur'an to Those Who Look to the Qur'an for Enmity toward the Jews
  150. The Comparison with "Monkeys and Pigs" and What the Qur'an Really Says about the People of the Book
  151. Examination of Verse 60 of Surat al-Ma'ida
  152. Jews Who Are Praised
  153. Examination of Verse 166 of Surat al-A'raf
  154. Examination of Verse 65 of Surat al-Baqara
  155. The Error of the Jews Being Cursed
  156. An Examination of Verse 88 of Surat al-Baqara
  157. Examination of Verse 155 of Surat an-Nisa'
  158. The Idea of Not Taking Jews and Christians As Friends
  159. Misunderstandings About War and the Jizya
  160. What Does the Expression "The Religion with God Is Islam" Mean?
  161. The Idea of Killing Jews Who Enter Adolescence
  162. The Idea of Making Jews Responsible for the Sins of Muslims
  163. The Idea that Food Is Spoiled because of Jews
  164. The Idea that Two Faiths Should Not Co-exist in Arab Lands
  165. The Idea that Calling Someone a Jew Is an Insult and that Cursing Jews Is a Source of Reward
  166. The Idea of Forcing Them onto the Narrow Part of the Road
  167. The Gharqad, the Tree of the Jews
  168. Muslim Men Can Marry Women of the Book; Muslims Can Eat the Food of the People of the Book and They Can Eat the Food of Muslims
  169. Muslims' Invitation to the People of the Book
  170. The Just Behavior of Muslims toward the People of the Book
  171. Muslims Are Obliged To Protect Churches and Synagogues; It Is a Sin To Attack Places of Worship
  172. Our Prophet's (pbuh) Relations with the People of the Book
  173. The Gospel and the Torah in the Qur'an
  174. Our Prophet's Practices concerning the Torah and the Gospel
  175. The Jews Enjoy the Right to Live in the Holy Land in the Qur'an
  176. Afterword

O women! You curse frequently, and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. (Sahih Bukhari, Chapter 24, Hadith 541)

God said: … I also make her stupid, although I had created her intelligent, and must make her suffer pregnancy and birth with difficulty …. (The History of Al-Tabari: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood, translated by Franz Rosenthal [State University of New York Press, Albany], Vol. 1, pp. 280-281)

There is no mention in any verse of the Qur'an of women being weaker than men in terms of intelligence. On the contrary, by referring to "believing women and believing men," God tells us that they have equal responsibility in His Sight; in other words, that they are similar in terms of intelligence and conscience. Moreover, as in the example of the Queen of Sheba, women can even be rulers of states taking decisions on the most important matters. In addition, it is not having a different anatomy that makes a person more intelligent, but their fear of God, love of God, depth of faith and conscience. God always inspires the truth in the conscience of every human being, man or woman. Therefore, what makes people intelligent and devout is not whether they are men or women, but whether they abide by what is revealed to their consciences and, as revealed in this verse, "You who believe! If you fear God, He will give you discrimination [between right and wrong]..." (Qur'an, 8:29) their fear of God: That is the sole measure of intelligence in the Qur'an. Therefore, in the same way that a man is not superior solely for being a man, a woman is not deficient in intelligence and faith simply because she is a woman. However, as we have said many times, the religion of the fanatics is totally different to the Qur'an and is full of slanders.

The way that they slander God Himself with the fabricated hadiths in question shows the extremes to which the fanatics will go. Nothing along the lines of "... I make her stupid, and must make her suffer pregnancy and birth with difficulty" appears in the Qur'an, so what is the status of these words alleged to be the words of God? Where is this revelation, alleged to have come from God, if it does not appear in the Qur'an? The greatest danger of the religion of the fanatics is that they speak lies in the name of God and are therefore capable of such slander.

Pregnancy is regarded as a sacred state in the Qur'an, for which reason mothers are also regarded as sacred in it. Our Lord's verses on the subject read:

We have instructed man concerning his parents. Bearing him caused his mother great debility and the period of his weaning was two years:

"Give thanks to Me and to your parents. I am your final destination."

Qur'an, 31:14

We have instructed man to be good to his parents. His mother bore him with difficulty and with difficulty gave birth to him; and his bearing and weaning take thirty months. Then when he achieves his full strength and reaches forty, he says,

"My Lord, keep me thankful for the blessing You bestowed on me and on my parents, and keep me acting rightly, pleasing You. And make my descendants righteous. I have repented to You and I am truly one of the Muslims."

Qur'an, 46:15

Mary (pbuh) became pregnant by the will of God and was patient in the face of all the difficulties she encountered during that pregnancy; because of that fortitude and her devotion to God she has been made superior to all the women of the world:

And when the angels said,

"Mary, God has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you over all other women."

Qur'an, 3:42

John William Godward's oil painting "Rich Gifts Wax Poor When Lovers Prove Unkind," 1916 The Messiah, the son of Mary, was only a messenger, before whom other messengers came and went. His mother was a woman of truth...

Qur'an, 5:75

In exhibiting their own horrifying ways of thinking about women by talking about "stupidity," and referring to pregnancy and childbirth as punishments from God, the fanatics are at the same time foolishly insulting Mary (pbuh), the Companions and all other devout women praised for their superior virtues.

A difficult pregnancy and giving birth in pain is one of the tribulations of this world, and one that requires great fortitude, strength and willpower to bear. God reveals that a mother who displays fortitude in the face of this difficulty is very valuable in His Sight. For that reason, a mother who displays submission to God and love of Him despite all such difficulties is a very superior entity. This value attached to mothers is one of the moral values in the Qur'an. As we have seen, there are ways in which women are even superior to men in the Qur'an, therefore the idea that they are "deficient in intelligence and faith" is a grotesque slander by the fanatics. God addresses men and women equally in terms of responsibility. That is one the reasons why male and female believers are addressed at the same time in numerous verses. One such verse reads:

Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and women who are steadfast, men and women who are humble, men and women who give the alms, men and women who fast, men and women who guard their private parts, Mary (pbuh) fell pregnant in a miraculous manner by the will of God. Throughout her pregnancy, she bore all her difficulties with fortitude, and she was made superior to all the women of all the worlds because of that fortitude and her devotion to God.

Sassoferrato's oil painting "The Virgin in Prayer."

The idea that women are "deficient in mind and faith" is a slander from the religion of the fanatics. God addresses men and women equally in terms of responsibility. This is one of the reasons why many verses are addressed to male and female believers at the same time.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau's oil painting "Mother and Children," 1879 men and women who remember God much:

God has prepared forgiveness for them and an immense reward.

Qur'an, 33:35

As seen in this verse, there is no distinction between men and women when it comes to such basic elements of being a Muslim as fearing God, remembering God, being loyal to God, having fortitude and giving alms; there is not the slightest suggestion in the Qur'an that women possess any less of any of the characteristics of a believer. Whether people are men or women they have a responsibility to fear God with all their might, love Him with a profound passion and earn His approval.