The Purest Renaissance

As I flipped through Yahoo! News on December 14th, I couldn’t help but notice the headline of “Miss World” being awarded to another person like every year. Sometimes those Miss World contests take place locally (e.g., the infamous Miss Teen South Carolina!) or globally in the format of “Miss Universe.” From young girls primary school aged, from pre-teens to teens, to young women, mothers and mature women, women have no option but to be mesmerized by the perfect smile, flawless contours and never-ending popularity of such “miss”-es. No matter how much of a unique, strong woman someone may pride herself in being, she may find herself, many-a-time, being psychologically drawn into the acquiescence of such a “Miss Universe” as a symbol of womanhood, the womanhood she and other women for centuries, have been looking for, the answer to the broad-ended question of: What is true womanhood really?

The implicit assumption underlying these competitions is the notion of standards: beauty, womanhood and perfection in a nutshell in this one woman and it all boils down to her, Miss Universe, the eclectic blend of all the goodness in our wonderful world…Not!

Why in the world does this one woman represent us all? Who said it was only she who would represent women? Actually, nobody did. It’s just our own lack of purpose and lack of positive models as well as society’s active pushing of someone or something into the throat of the ’social vacuum’ that propels this standard.

But for us Muslim women, alhamdu lillah, All Praise is for Allah, we already have the answers in His Book and the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Allah tells us in the Qur’an in Surah Dhaariat (51:56) that He has “not created Jinn or humans except to worship [Him] alone.” Our purpose, far from pleasing society, is to please our Creator and submit to Him. His final Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us about the top women, the Ultimate “Miss Universe”-es we, by nature, are looking to emulate.

The Prophets, leaders of mankind towards Allah and the Straight Path, know that people desire and need role models and beneficial standards. Thus, he explained to us through an example a powerful lesson.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, drew four lines on the ground, then he said, “Do you know what this is?” We said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The best of the women of Paradise are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint Muhammad, Aasiyah bint Mazaahim the wife of Pharaoh, and Maryam bint ‘Imraan – may Allah be pleased with them all.

(Reported in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad 2663 and it’s Saheeh)

And also what was reported in Sunan at-Tirimdhee and is saheeh:
Sufficient for you among the women of the world are Maryam the daughter of ‘Imraan. Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint Muhammad and Aasiyah the wife of Pharaoh.

The truth of the matter is…these are the top “Miss Universe”-s we should emulate. So much so that the Prophet, upon him be peace, even mentioned they are sufficient for us, implying, truly, they are adequate role models for us! These four women are the epitome of true womanhood, true happiness and true success in this life and the Hereafter.

The struggle and determination of Aasiyah against her arrogant, tyrant of a husband, the cursed Pharaoh who claimed he was the “Lord Most High” to Maryam, the mother of Jesus, peace be upon him, who bore him with dignity and withstood accusations from her people, to whom Allah would bring down food near her place of worship as a sign of her devotion. Among them was Khadijah, the honored lady who consoled our Prophet and was the first to accept his call, and no one can forget Fatima, a true daughter of our Prophet, her hands perseveringly blistered as she worked in her home, desiring the comfort of the Hereafter while enduring the inevitable hardships of this life.

Tell me…what emotions, values and keys to success do you not find in these women? From their patience, struggle and submission to Allah to their honesty, goodwill and compassion, to their ability to question the status quo which enslaved people to the worldly life and creation while their hearts yearned for the Hereafter and their Creator are only glimpses behind the reasons why Allah, in His Ultimate Wisdom, chose these women as our exemplars and best of women.

Many today have an emptiness and lack of purpose which, in turn, creates a vacuum in our 21st century times. TV, media, gossip, morally decayed philosophies and secularism, to name a few, are all actively seeking to fill the void in this vacuum. But it is only by similarly actively reviving the knowledge of our purpose of life as told by our Creator and following His Straight Path, Prophets and righteous people of the past, such as these four women that we can seek to succeed and find that contentment. And it is only by following the true standard of womanhood of these four and actively, not stagnantly, seeking to relive their legacies in our homes, schools, communities and world that we Muslim women can shun “Miss Universe”’s standard justly-because now, we have the standard stamped and approved not by societal demands, changing outlooks on beauty or unfathomable views of women as tools of consumerism, but by our Creator, Most High, who knows us better than we know ourselves.

All praise is for Allah that we already have the tool for this pure renaissance, the beautiful, purposeful change from within, changing ourselves and our communities for the better as Muslim women, following in the momentous, engraved footsteps of these four, and many other, righteous women of the past.  Just look at your bookshelf. The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, the ultimate tools for positive social change, are what you will find.

Thus, the amazing part is that the change is already, and has been, here, but it’s just our legacies in which the pages are crisp, white and melting like a precious snowflake. Time is running out and our deeds are…in need of that pure renaissance, in need of blessed revival from within.

Photo courtesy: 7Art Screensavers