Women, You're On Your Own

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

If we rely on people, we will never get anywhere. We will be disappointed at one point or another because no one is perfect. Each and everyone of us have inadequacies and many flaws, some are worse than the person next to you. Some people may look like a butterfly, sweet and kind, gentle and chivalrous, and everybody loves them and can't have enough of them, except his wife who would tell you how horrible her husband is and vice versa. Being a lawyer, spending most of my time, at one time, in Family courts, this is a matter no one can say it is a far fetched tale. Even some religious people are not free from this double image, but if they fear Allah, they work to correct themselves.

Women, you maybe on your own, but you are not alone. Rely on the True and Perfect One, Who neither changes nor sways by anything. Don't allow your heart to be connected to anything except Allah. Trust all your affairs with Allah alone while you do the best you can. Ask Allah alone to help you and believe that He will help you.

Remember the story of the people of the cave; the youths hid in the cave, but they trusted in Allah, and made over their whole case to Him in prayer. They apparently fell asleep (for 300 years, some add 9 more) and knew nothing of what was happening in the world outside. All along Allah protected them.

إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا

Behold, the youths took in the Cave: they said, "Our Lord! bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way!" (Qur'an al-Kahf 18:10)

Have certainty (yaqeen) that Allah will give you what is best for you, and be content with what Allah sends your way.

Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
(Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah)

I thought this is an interesting read. When you go to Wal-Mart, show your support and sympathy towards those ladies serving you, especially the old ladies, who have to work outside of their homes. Where are all the men who are supposed to support them?

Supreme Court to Women of Wal-Mart: You're on Your Own

June 20, 2011

Today, a Supreme Court majority ruled against women by siding with the country's largest employment discriminator, saying Wal-Mart, essentially, is too big to sue. The brave women, led by Betty Dukes, who stood up to Wal-Mart at great personal sacrifice, are told simply they're on their own.

"With this decision, the Supreme Court has assisted Wal-Mart in its efforts to systematically dole out promotions and pay raises on the basis of sex. The law calls that illegal discrimination, but this Court has turned its back on the more than million women who only sought simple justice," said NOW President Terry O'Neill. "The women of Wal-Mart deserve respect and fair treatment, and we will continue to stand up for their rights."

In 2002, NOW declared Wal-Mart a "Merchant of Shame" as part of its Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign. NOW chapters have led countless community demonstrations at Wal-Mart stores around the country to educate shoppers about Wal-Mart's exploitation of its women employees.

Today, NOW demands an immediate legislative response to help the women of Wal-Mart. We call on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would provide more effective remedies to victims of sex-based wage discrimination. This bill passed in the House in January 2009, but ultimately was defeated in the Senate.

"The gap between women's and men's pay is still sizeable, which is why it's so important to get this legislation passed," stated O'Neill. "We will continue supporting the efforts of Senators Mikulski, Cantwell, Gillibrand, Klobuchar, Stabenow and others to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and hold accountable those who stand in the way of this sensible remedial bill."

A legislative remedy is only part of the solution, however. NOW also calls on Wal-Mart to end its unconscionable resistance to employees' efforts to form unions and bargain collectively over pay, benefits and other conditions of employment. Research demonstrates that unionized women workers earn better wages and have better benefits than their non-union counterparts. In fact, women in unions earn 11.2 percent more or $2.00 more per hour than non-union women workers. And the gender wage gap is smaller in unionized workplaces.

"The benefits of being unionized are significant," said O'Neill. "Women workers can gain a voice througha union that they could never have individually, ultimately making Wal-Mart a better place to work for everyone."
http://now.org/press/06-11/06-20.html

JEDDAH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly warned against maltreating women in any form and said this is totally against Islam.

In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, the mufti said only bad people treat women badly.

"The psychological or physical abuse of wives, daughters and sisters is against the Islamic Shariah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)," he said.

Al-Asheikh warned husbands and fathers who take the salaries of their wives and daughters that they are committing anti-Islamic acts.

"The fathers who make it a condition to have their daughters' salaries before they give their consent for marriage are equally wrong. Husbands who force their working wives to share in home expenses are committing erroneous acts. Islam made it the responsibility of the man to spend on the house," he told the worshippers.

The mufti also said it is haram (forbidden in Islam) when husbands ask their wives who request divorce to return the dowry before they consent to divorce. He also said burdening women with bank loans and letting them suffer the payment of installments is equally haram.

The mufti said polygamy, which is allowed by Islam under the condition of being just and fair, is not a loose right. "The first wife should have all her rights," he said.

He also warned against relying on matchmakers who draw a bright picture of the groom who may turn out in the end to be an unethical and irresponsible man. "Matchmakers should convey a true picture of the groom and the bride," he said.

The mufti asked people to make the Prophet a role model in his treatment of women, citing a number of Hadiths that the Prophet never maltreated women.

"The Prophet was completely refined in the treatment of his wives, daughter and other Muslim women," he said.

The Prophet has said: "The best of you are the best to their wives; and I am the best to my wives."

The Ministry of Social Affairs has toll free telephone numbers in several cities and towns for women to report cases of violence against them.

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS
Published: Apr 8, 2011 19:05 Updated: Apr 8, 2011 20:41

May Allah rain His mercy upon all of us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam