The Myth that Women have to "Obey" their Husbands
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You're completely missing the point. Please re-read my post and try to understand it. If you can't understand what I am saying, I will then explain to you.
I completely understand you , I thought you would understand what i have not said/explained, but you did not , OK i will,
Do you agree that there has to be someone in charge?
If yes , then who for the house?
Do you think God would not address this important issue?
siki
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Peace.
I look around me,and see muslim couples manage themselves,without,no obedience from non.I see couples discuss,and come to a mutual agreement,without nobody have to obey the other.
I dont think a marrige is a ship,that are in need of one captain,there are two adults involved,and mutual agreements,must be the basic.Then there will be no chaos.To be a captain on a ship,you need education,so on a boat it is the person best fit to rule a ship,that is the captain.
Marrige in Islam,is a contract,with mutual benefits.
Every buisness beetween equals,is done with mutual agreement,why is that different,when a woman is involved?She has to be obedient?
No,it is the same old,same old,thinking that a man,is always better equipted,than women,in deeling with life and truth,even when the reality shows us different.Men that kill their wifes,and dont think they are few,79% of all women gets killed by a man that they are in relationship with,or has been.Very often,this men are used to obedience from their wifes,and when they dont,bam.And the men belong to every corner in this world,and with religion or not religion.
Muslim countries have choosen not to deal with their honory killings,that happen every day.Obedience is a key word here,in this sad storys,where men think that if a lady disobey,and by that deforme tha family honour,they can be killed.Jordan for example,have in their criminal laws,the reduced sentences,for husbands,brothers,fathers,that commit this kind of crimes,but most often cases do not go to court.Just forget obedience,and get your minds on mutual agreement.
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Peace.
I look around me,and see muslim couples manage themselves,without,no obedience from non.I see couples discuss,and come to a mutual agreement,without nobody have to obey the other.
I dont think a marrige is a ship,that are in need of one captain,there are two adults involved,and mutual agreements,must be the basic.Then there will be no chaos.To be a captain on a ship,you need education,so on a boat it is the person best fit to rule a ship,that is the captain.
Marrige in Islam,is a contract,with mutual benefits.
Every buisness beetween equals,is done with mutual agreement,why is that different,when a woman is involved?She has to be obedient?
No,it is the same old,same old,thinking that a man,is always better equipted,than women,in deeling with life and truth,even when the reality shows us different.Men that kill their wifes,and dont think they are few,79% of all women gets killed by a man that they are in relationship with,or has been.Very often,this men are used to obedience from their wifes,and when they dont,bam.And the men belong to every corner in this world,and with religion or not religion.
Muslim countries have choosen not to deal with their honory killings,that happen every day.Obedience is a key word here,in this sad storys,where men think that if a lady disobey,and by that deforme tha family honour,they can be killed.Jordan for example,have in their criminal laws,the reduced sentences,for husbands,brothers,fathers,that commit this kind of crimes,but most often cases do not go to court.Just forget obedience,and get your minds on mutual agreement.
bravo
Thanks for those words of wisdom, Marleya
Peace,
Hadi
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Did any body hear about being the Captain (of the ship)? or the term, CEO? YES we must listen and discuss but it is the husband who is been appointed as the ONE , and HIS FINAL decision must be obeyed, if she is the smart one out of the two, He will soon realise his mistakes and would learn to pay heed to her suggestions and would start taking correct decisions accordingly. Even if she is the bread winner He stays as the CAPTAIN.
Siki
Well,a ship needs a brain attentive to space and geometry,strategical thinking and awareness of the frame and the dimensions..
yes,males generally tend to pay more attention to the geometry of the world around them.. but science proves that some women have male brains and that some men tend to think more like women..
It`s the brain sex that identifies the way you tend to think..http//www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/add_user.shtml
The leadership is for the fittest,it can be a man or a woman..the world is not static,it`s dynamic and flexible..
and each individual should be put where he fits in order to perform his role in life.. -
Negative, my analogy is valid for any/every organization/set up/unit whenever there is more than one person. For the collective good some body has to be a captain/leader, and if there is none/or eveyone, (in a group) doom/chaos is inevitable.
siki
Yes,aren
t there women who proved validity to head such bodies/organizations/even countries? there was wisdom, power and peace under some,as well as tyranny and bloodshed under others,just like men.. If we were progressive muslims,its because we respect the dynamic nature of the universe,its because our minds cant deal with dogma,and we decided were not sheep or mass production of some factory..we are individuals and each has a role to fulfill..and were here to encourage that... -
I completely understand you , I thought you would understand what i have not said/explained, but you did not , OK i will,
Do you agree that there has to be someone in charge?
If yes , then who for the house?
Do you think God would not address this important issue?
siki
You mention captains of a ship, which no one is arguing against, and then want to deduce from that a "therefore husband should obe beyed"?
What are the conditions of a captain? Is gender one of them? This is missing the point.
Each one of the couple has their expertise. I do not think you make all the decisions, and I know I did make many decisions. There's no question of obedience or no obedience. If there's a disagreement about an issue, I do not think the "gender" would be a good ground to solve it.
Back to the verse If it's a commandment that she should "obey" the husband, what's the point of having an arbitrator from each side? -
Peace.
I look around me,and see Muslim couples manage themselves,without,no obedience from non.I see couples discuss,and come to a mutual agreement,without nobody have to obey the other.
Mutual agreement is the key word and that is what i advocated in my first post, but let us say if there is a difference of opinion on a certain important issue, who gets to use the veto?
And what you are talking about is ideals, and i am afraid there is nothing like an ideal marriage, and even that so called ideal marriages have their less than ideal moments quite often.
I have never seen in my life any thing working/surviving with two CEOs/ captains, or leaders with equal rights , no matter how brilliant they are individually.
siki
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Yes,aren
t there women who proved validity to head such bodies/organizations/even countries? there was wisdom, power and peace under some,as well as tyranny and bloodshed under others,just like men.. If we were progressive Muslims,its because we respect the dynamic nature of the universe,its because our minds cant deal with dogma,and we decided were not sheep or mass production of some factory..we are individuals and each has a role to fulfill..and were here to encourage that...There is no denying about women's capabilities, there is a significant percentage who prove to be better than Men.
Some one definitely needs to be In Charge, for me i would not mind even if that has to be a less capable person no matter who it is, Husband or wife. Till the time either one has power to take that final decision, and the other one recognises and submits to it, (even if He/she thinks otherwise) The ship is doomed.
And i am afraid , God thought "Men to be more suitable for carrying out this difficult task"
siki
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You mention captains of a ship, which no one is arguing against, and then want to deduce from that a "therefore husband should obe beyed"?
What are the conditions of a captain? Is gender one of them? This is missing the point.
Each one of the couple has their expertise. I do not think you make all the decisions, and I know I did make many decisions. There's no question of obedience or no obedience. If there's a disagreement about an issue, I do not think the "gender" would be a good ground to solve it.
Back to the verse If it's a commandment that she should "obey" the husband, what's the point of having an arbitrary from each side?Yes , the successful couples do recognise each others strengths, and a rational husband would always give due respect to opinions of his wife , which over a period of time she proves to have strength in.
But what we are talking here is 99% cases which are less than perfect ,or that plenty of less than perfect situations.
Who takes that final decision? Or if both think that they are the perfect ones to lead, and hence their his/her decision must be implemented, what if that decision is very very important and no one wants to let go off it ?
siki
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The leadership is for the fittest,it can be a man or a woman
I agree, but who decides that who is the fittest?
It is perfectly ok that someone less fit leads, than the case " that they both fight over captaincy and sink the ship"
the world is not static,it`s dynamic and flexible..
and each individual should be put where he fits in order to perform his role in life..Yes, that is why creator took a decision and conveyed to us, because no one knows creation better than the creator himself.
siki
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Yes , the successful couples do recognise each others strengths, and a rational husband would always give due respect to opinions of his wife , which over a period of time she proves to have strength in.
But what we are talking here is 99% cases which are less than perfect ,or that plenty of less than perfect situations.
Who takes that final decision? Or if both think that they are the perfect ones to lead, and hence their his/her decision must be implemented, what if that decision is very very important and no one wants to let go off it ?
siki
Siki, you are taking a word in a specific situation in a complex verse and then applying it to a whole marital life. The verb (if they obey you) is only applicable to wives who are nashiz and only in the case of nushuz (arrogance). Even these wives are not sked to obey in situations other than that specifically indicated. Those 99% imperfect situations (doe not mean I agree with) Are they all cases of wives who are arrogant because they are the bread winners?
Even in such situation, the final decision is in the hands of arbitrators, according to the very verse.
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There is no denying about women's capabilities, there is a significant percentage who prove to be better than Men.
Some one definitely needs to be In Charge, for me i would not mind even if that has to be a less capable person no matter who it is, Husband or wife. Till the time either one has power to take that final decision, and the other one recognises and submits to it, (even if He/she thinks otherwise) The ship is doomed.
And i am afraid , God thought "Men to be more suitable for carrying out this difficult task"
siki
Peace,Siki..
The truth is clear,when there`s a healthy debate going on between two mature persons,wisdom supersedes,not concepts of manhood or womanhood!except if there is an arrogant party who wants to force their own decision just to prove themselves powerful..
Men excel in some aspects of life and women excel in others,maturity states to respond to the best decision..and recognition of expertise..
There is no one absolute captain of the ship but a continuous exchange of roles.."The men are to support the women by what God has bestowed on them over one another and for what they spend of their money. "
I see "support" here and not "the absolute right of decision making"..
women ,since the revelation time and until now are rarely supported by their husbands,their self confidence is always shaky because of the constant pressures they face from their societies to deprive them from the right of a fruitful contribution to their societies,they are not to inherit money,their education is not necessary,theyre not to work,theyre a source of evil,so confine them in their homes,and if they get out they must be fully covered,they are not to preach or utter a word in worshiping places,she`s not to understand,but to follow..
All those horrible pressures make women in need of support of their fellow men,especially their own spouses..
Besides,women endure times of incapability of going out winning bread,as in the times of pregnancy and giving birth and nurturing their children,countries now "support" those women by giving them enough time off work in order for women to give their full attention to their babies and to their own health..Many men show negligence to women during those critical times,even show immature and unhealthy childish feelings of jealousy when women give most of their care and attention to their new born baby..and start to ignore their responsibilities,and in many cases go out cheating on their wives,because their wives
shape change after giving birth,or they show lack of interest in sex..etc. I believe its a reminder to men to keep showing responsibility and support for women..instead of exploiting her if she`s a bread winner,or cheating on her if her shape changes after giving birth to their own babies..But that`s only my personal view on the issue..I see it an issue of responsibility and not the right of making decisions..cause when it comes to making decisions..one could excel the other in expertise or knowledge of a certain issue,and wisdom is to be adhered to,through good debate and true desire to seek solution..
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I agree, but who decides that who is the fittest?
Life decides.. working solutions decide..that
s better than adhering to manhoods absolute right of choice,even though its not a working solution..its decidable over the course of the changing events and problems or issues both have faced,they see for themselves who has the capability of making good decisions..It is perfectly ok that someone less fit leads, than the case " that they both fight over captaincy and sink the ship"
There
s no individual whos always forever less fit,men excel women in important issues,and women also excel men in no less important other issues..its the decision of wisdom,if debating parties are mature,they would recognize whats best for themselves..Yes, that is why creator took a decision and conveyed to us, because no one knows creation better than the creator himself.
The verse you`re talking about is about support and responsibility,"The men are to support the women by what God has bestowed on them over one another and for what they spend of their money.
The Arabic reading states"What God has bestowed some of them over some of the others"which implies a relative nature of the issue..Men excel women in physical power,which makes them protectors,that
s a fact..in the animal world,males fight over territories and females,the male who proves himself powerful inherits the land and the females included..in human world,the world is in an exceeding need of mental power in all aspects of life,including wars..when it comes to mental power,we saw that capability of strategical thinking and awareness of the geometry of the world which is the core of decision making,can differ according to brain sex,science has proved that there are women whose brains identity is closer to malesand males whose brain identity is closer to females`..
What we need is to accept the dynamic nature of life..and that we are companions in life,not competitors..
There are the rules and there are the exceptions..God is the best knowledgeable...
Peace,
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Negative, my analogy is valid for any/every organization/set up/unit whenever there is more than one person. For the collective good some body has to be a captain/leader, and if there is none/or eveyone, (in a group) doom/chaos is inevitable.
siki
If decisions are for men,and only men..then women cannot head anything or even tell a man to do so and so..that happens with me all the time in my work,when I
m in a position of suggesting actions to be taken during work,they always bring me a female,even if my assistant is originally a man,because hes so "sensitive" to taking "orders" from a "woman"...
That hurts me and makes me angry..not because I lose the pleasure of giving orders to a man..but because I never intend to "give orders" to any one,but always suggestions in the most indirect ways I could think of..I grief because I appreciate man`s partnership while he always undermines mine.. -
Peace,
Sa'dah,
You have discovered a lesson in the GENERAL nature of the genders and their inter-relationships. Some men are more receptive to womens' suggestions than others (we all have had mothers whom we are told to respect and listen to) but most men have a problem with women weilding authority over them. ANd I think many women don't know how to handle that and (as with many men as well) handle the authority without being demeaning. And in my opinion men and women should NOT be put in these competitive environments with each other. It only leads to resentment and ill-will. Now we all can adapt to situations we don't like if forced to. But we find ourselves ever increasingly in GENERALLY unnatural environments, and it can cause more problems than need be. I don't think any "liberated" woman will accept the nature of this dynamic and respond accordingly and the times certain don't call for us to have more natural relationships with each other. Women IN GENERAL seem to lash back and attack (rather illogically and over emotionally) whenever it seems that the integrity of their gender is critiqued in any way. I rarely see men seriously defending our gender. Jokingly we do it all the time, but we know we can't vouch for all the other guys out there. I think a little man solidarity would be nice, but obviously not all men are good men. Cultures may vary in the levels of man solidarity, but it is never on the level of woman-solidarity.
We all just need to act like good drones and work together like a Borg society accordin to mainstream society. But that is breaking up our society and our families frankly. It's creating women who are unsuitable for relationships with men and it is causing men to rebel against taking on manly responsibilities which can be undermined and competed for by the one he is trying to care for. Or sometimes these men do not learn them at all, because they grow up feeling undervalued and not needed as men.
My observations have been that men are more principal/philosophy oriented and are more cool-headed in comparison, and women are more pratical- oriented (they want to see those earthly goods needed for survival) and will sacrifice all in order to survive, while also being more emotional and irrational in comparison. These are generals, there are always the grey individuals and everyone has their moments of principal/philosophy, emotion, cool-headedness and irrationality. But I see that strong (generally unprincipaled) survival instinct making women better workers in the 'cut throat' and 'do as your told' work environments we find ourselves in today. That leaves more principaled/philosophically oriented men in tough situations. Of course if your philsophy IS cut throat and do as your told then there's no problem. And in a society that undermines the role of leadership in men and gladly gives it to a woman if she is a better drone . . . Well, that is a recipe for disaster. The woman might see it as liberating but her personal relationships with men suffer greatly because of the outlook that has been encouraged for her to have. And men grow bitter and less tolerant, unless they have some good distractions going on (video games, sports, or they make good money and happen to be the leader in the situation which will mitigate some of the problems that would ensue were he on the underside of the coin).
But I think the Quran strikes a good balance in setting up the man as a leader in his family and in the community but also demanding that he have his ears open, be retrospective, look out for the interest of, and care for the women and children in his family and community as he would look out for himself (ba'dukum min ba'din). And I think the strengths and weakness that men and women have respectively lend towards a more successful family unit and society if a woman is obedient (or biblically submissive) to the men in her life. UNLESS God is on her side and not on the men's side. And in the case where the men disagree (brothers, fathers and grown sons). Well, whoever makes the most sense and has God on his side is to be heeded. But none of that honor-killing stuff. If my sister, daughter or mother were on the path to Hell, i have NO right to try to speed that up. All I can do is pray that they are guided and be there for them when they are in need out of respect for the bond of blood. I think women are to be respected as human beings and never abused. I also think women have valuable experiences that should be utilized where needed and heeded. But I do not think men and women should be competing against each other in society or within the family. And the Quran helps to strike a balance that is good for the men and the women who choose to follow its guidance. Those who don't choose to follow it, can do as they like. Unfortunately the socieiteis we co-exist in are usually non Quranic (sometimes even our very families belong more to these societies than to the Quran), and ARE doing as they like. But we have to resist the temptation to go with the status-quo and live the Quran in our personal lives at the very least. A Quranic community would help us live by the Quran in a better way, but I don't see that dream Quranic community coming along any time soon. Although I would love to see it one day. Until then I'll ask God for patience, ask Him to protect me from Satan and his friends and I'll keep on trucking, and trying to earn my place in Paradise when the Good Lord decides to take me.
I have no god but God. Praises be to Him! (I really see God as an 'It' but that is a linguistic lesson I don't want to give right now).
Example of a Muslim Community in the U.S. I'm proud of these brothers. They've been acccused of alot but none of it has stuck. In my opinion it's all just anti-Islamic paranoia
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Dr765NMvc&feature=related
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAAJi1y43hE&feature=related
http//www.youtube.com/user/Islamberg?ob=1
I'm proud of them because they were able to take the steps to get land and set up their own communities. They are a Sunni/Sufi group under Sheikh Jilani. Now I might have some issues over the role of the last prohpet and the hadeeth when it comes to the specifics. But I love the last prophet of God as well and I'm glad these guys got some sense and decided to build their own.
Godbless,
Anwar -
She should obey him. If she doesn?t like Allah?s arrangement for her, she can go marry an obedient man and be the maintainer/manager over him. Maybe that will make her life easier?
Does this mean God's arrangement for her was to obey a disobedient husband?
The husband is not supposed to be obedient. It is not his place to take orders from the wives. He is the one ?standing/establihsed? over them, maintainer/guardian over them, keeping them in line.
It does not mean that he must be a tyrant. The man can consent to his wives to make them happy. As long as it does not interfere with God?s commands. But it has to be established who is in charge. The husband should know his place in the family, and the wives and children should know theirs.
I really do not understand what's this "obey" me.
Me? Where did the ?me? come from? Tell me please.
You mean the wife asking the husband to not work?
Why not? If she earns much more than him, and one of them should take care of the little child or sick child. Why not him?
Because it is his responsibility to earn a livelihood for her.
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Quote from Fahad on Yesterday at 094134 PM
Men.
Sorry, I meant, who is the subject of this verb "ata3nakum"?
Women from whom the men fear their nushooz. There is no point in demanding obedience from those already giving obedience, just like there is no point in forcing those who are already willing.
So the righteous wives are disobedient, and the unrighteous ones are obedient? Nice.
I did not say that. I said God did not describe them as "obedient".
It does not describe the other category as obedient either. It just says if they obey you, then do seek a way over them, i.e. do not take those three steps, just like the steps are not to be taken with as-saalihaat, because they are already obedient. It only makes sense.
And if obedience is so good that a righteous person cannot be described as "disobedient", why are you against men being obedient too?
Men also have to be obedient but to those to whom their obedience is due, i.e. the parents, (besides God and his messenger and the oolul amar), not to the wives.
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As-salihaat , women who reconcile or reform. If the man is to maintain or manage the women, the women must be obedient; otherwise it will make reconciliation difficult. It will make his responsibility difficult. How can being disobedient help her reconcile? Thus the women are to reconcile themselves with the arrangement made by Allah for men to be maintainers/managers/care-takers/guardians over women and women to be obedient to men(in the context of a husband-wife relationship).
You see, the three steps the men are told to take are for women who go out of the line of being as-saalihaat.
If they go back to being obedient, that is if they reconcile with this arrangement made by Allah, then there is no need then to take those 3 steps.
You are mixing between salih and muslih. Salih is someone who does good thing such as charity.
More appropriately someone who does something to improve, repair, reform, fit, suit, order(as opposed to disorder).
As-salihaat do not compete with men as qawwamun/maintainers/managers but compliment them, they prefer their husband to be in charge.
What if God's arrangement was that the husband loses his job or becomes disabled? What world are you living in? What about women caring for their orphaned siblings or their poor family? Single mothers/widows? I just feel silly counting obvious cases. Are you seriously saying women do not support families consisting of men?
CAN she? Of course she can if the husband is not strict. If he is strict, she CAN risk her relationship if she thinks she can afford to.
Women can also work if they have no other option, for example in case of disability of the man of the house, as in 28/23.
No one can restrict orphaned women from working, who have no father or husband. But it would be better if they can get married and let the man work for them. It is a masculine role to earn a livelihood for the women.
I am living in the same world. I just try to see it through the lens of the Quran.
How would a son learn to obey his mother when his father is controling her life?
If he sees his mother not paying obedience where it is due, maybe he will not do it either.
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Peace
if you let me interfere a bit,
obey implies order, the couple order/obedience means one is the chief and the other is the subordinate, subordinate means low-level, secondary, subaltern, terms that fit to the army or to the organization chart of a company for instance. Some of you think they fit to marriage also. I don't.
I don't know what the quran says, I read your different versions. Perhaps the myth version of the opening post is the true one, I can't know.
Appart form that, I wonder why ordering is so enjoyed by many, men and women.Greetings,
Elena