from adina ayu kamarudin 3/08/06

Muslim Woman's Role as a Mother

A MUSLIM woman's main role is to care for her house and fulfill the responsibility placed on her shoulder by her Lord. This does not mean to oppose woman's work; rather, the stress is on the fact that the main work of a woman is to work in her house. Her product is her children. It is a valuable work indeed.

Apart from her role as a wife, the Muslim woman has a very important role as a mother. The status and value attached to parents in the Muslim World is very high. The Qur'an emphasizes this in Surah Al-Israa' 17:23-24 and Surah Luqman 31:14.
It is reported that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked : "Messenger of Allah, who is the most deserving of good care from me?" The Prophet replied: "Your mother (which he repeated three times)" then your father, then your nearest relatives in order".
The Muslim mother has consequently a great feeling of security about the type of care and consideration she can expect from her children when she reaches old age. As the verse of the Qur'an quoted above indicates, thankfulness to parents is linked with thankfulness to Allah, and a failure in either of these respects is indeed a major failure in one's religious duties. In both the Qur'an and Hadith, the principles of strong belief and good conduct are highly stressed, and good conduct begins at home with one's closest relatives.
Listen to the best Teacher and Guide for humanity, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as he elevated women from their status as chattel to the dignity of being equal servants of Allah with men. Yet, their status in society was not conditioned upon entering man's world. Their most important task is to take care of their homes and children. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says in this regard, addressing women : "Take care of your home for that is your Jihad." (Musnad Ahmad). Jihad is the epitome of Islamic life. Declaring homemaking as Jihad for women is giving it the highest possible status in an Islamic society.
Not only is it an all-important task, only women are uniquely qualified to do it. It is not by accident that pregnancy and nursing are purely feminine tasks. Allah has given women the special talents and psychological makeup needed to take care of children. There is no substitute for mother's milk or mother's love. No one can extract a bottle of motherly compassion. Her patience, kindness, willingness to sacrifice her own comforts, and her natural affinity for children — and the children's natural affinity for the mother — are the key to successful upbringing of children. A mother understands the children's problem even when they cannot express it. She can uniquely sense their needs, both physical and emotional. She can satisfy some of these herself. For others, children need the father. But even he needs her insights in discharging his responsibilities in this area. No day-care center or nursery can make up for the absence of the mother and father.
Mothers are the silent workers who are indispensable for building character of the next generation. A believing mother who understands the crucial nature of her responsibility will imbue her children with faith and moral values, as much as she can. She will raise children with courage, honesty, truthfulness, patience and perseverance, love and kindness, faith and self-confidence. On the other hand, a society without mothers and homemakers will produce at-risk youth.
This role of a woman is like that of the archers in the battle of Uhud. It looked less important, but was the key to the fate of the entire army. If women hold on to their front, the entire army will succeed. If they leave it for "greater action" elsewhere, everyone will lose.

Compiled from various sources. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. Note that an English translation of the Qur'an is an interpretation of the Qur'an, and does not have the perfect status as the Qur'an in its original Arabic form.



A'uzu bil-llahi minash shayta nir-rajeem.(I seek protection with Allah from Shaitan, the rejected)
Bismillah hir-Rehman nir-Raheem (With the name of ALLAH -The Bestower Of Unlimited Mercy,The Continously Merciful)
O ye who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak).
Nor be like those who say, "We hear," but listen not:
For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb,- those who understand not. [The Qur'an 8 AL-ANFAL - Ayats 20-22]
O ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calleth you to that which will give you life; and know that Allah cometh in between a man and his heart, and that it is He to Whom ye shall (all) be gathered. [The Qur'an 8 AL-ANFAL-Ayat 24]
O ye who believe! When ye meet a force, be firm, and call Allah in remembrance much (and often); that ye may prosper:
And obey Allah and His messenger, and dispute not one with another lest ye falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! Lo! Allah is with the steadfast.[The Qur'an 8 AL-ANFAL - Ayat 45-46]
Those who believed and left their homes and strove for the cause of Allah, and those who took them in and helped them - these are the believers in truth. For them is pardon, and bountiful provision.
[The Qur'an 8 AL-ANFAL - Ayat 74]
Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: Somebody asked,
"O Allah's Messenger! Who is the best among the people?"
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied,
"A believer who strives his utmost in Allah's cause with his life and property." They asked, "Who is next?"
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied,
"A believer who stays in one of the mountain paths worshipping Allah and leaving the people secure from his mischief." - Sahih Al-Bukhari