In the verses of the Holy Qur’an, our guide to guidance, about human beings, it is mentioned that there are certain mentalities that are not sensitive to time and place, and that it is right to treat people according to the mentality they belong to. These verses categorise human beings into four groups in terms of character: believer, hypocrite, polytheist and disbeliever. All the people who will be questioned, regardless of time, place and lifestyle, definitely take the form of one of these moulds. For this reason, we can determine the hypocrisy of a person living today by comparing the life of a hypocrite who lived in the period of Asr al-Saadet with the life of a hypocrite who lived in the period of Asr al-Saadet independent of time, environment and culture. In other words, a person’s faith is not sensitive to time and place. Therefore, in this section, we will endeavour to compare the beliefs of people living in ancient times with the beliefs that exist today in order to reveal the gravity of the situation we are currently in.

While explaining these two branches on a specific subject, we will also try to convey the warnings, precautions and solutions brought by Islam for informative purposes. However, this study is also an evidence of how ignorant people who continue to live without a guide in their environment despite all the time that has passed. Because as long as the values we attribute to time and the positioning of people according to the conditions they are in continue, the message that should be taken will never be fully received.

An experienced event reported by the Qur’an is a warning and admonition for those who obey. Those who try to build their imaginary worlds in life by putting themselves in the place of the leading actors in the films they watch should get rid of this disease as soon as possible and strive to live like the characters described in the Holy Qur’an, who will be rewarded, not tormented. In order to clarify this and similar approaches, we will deal with a few major issues in three stages: in Jahiliyyah, in Islam and today.

Jahiliyya is derived from the Arabic word “jahiliyya” and means “not knowing”. It is called the acts of religious, social and political movements in the city-state of Mecca in the pre-Islamic period that are contrary to the religion of Islam. With this meaning, it may be thought that jahiliyyah has completely disappeared into history, but when we look at the usage area, it is understood that what is actually meant to be described is not a historical phenomenon, but the wrong practices made in the name of religion and the clarification of a life line without religion. Although the borders have become clear, those who live with this belief support the belief of jahiliyya. In other words, what is emphasised is not the data of history, but the gravity of living in the mentality that accepts these data as true.

Jahiliyyah life is not exactly related to cultural and social ignorance, as conditions can change according to the environment and time. For example, in the old times, illiterate people were labelled as ignorant. Today, however, there are many illiterates who can read and write. Therefore, giving the meaning of “ignorance” does not fully express the Jahiliyya mentality. When we look at the Holy Qur’an, which is our guide, we understand how rich the word Jahiliyya is in terms of the meaning it contains: Remember when the Prophet was calling you from behind, and you were fleeing without looking at anyone; and Allah made you go from grief to grief, that you might not grieve for what you had lost, nor for what had befallen you. Surely Allah is well aware of what you do. Then Allah sent down upon you after that sorrow a sense of security and a slumber that enveloped a group of you. And a group of them went to their own troubles. They were harbouring an untrue opinion about Allah, reflecting the mentality of the ignorant, and they were saying, “Do we have anything to do with this?” Say to them, “No, this is a matter that concerns Allah.”[386]

When the verse is carefully analysed, we are informed that the people who have an ignorant mindset about Allah (swt) are a group of people who say that they swear allegiance to the Prophet. This means that even if there is a Prophet among them and they believe in him, there is still a possibility that people may still live in a way that harbours the ignorance mentality. In another verse, Allah (swt) says:

Or is it the system of ignorance that they want? Is there anything better than Allah’s order and Allah’s judgement for the firm believers?[387]

In this verse, it is reported that the people who want the jahiliyyah order are not only non-Muslims, but there is a group of believers who think that this order is even better than the order and judgements established by Allah. Undoubtedly, the most prominent feature of the belief of ignorance was shirk. Since it is necessary for a person to say “I believe in Allah” in order to have the possibility of entering into shirk, even this common belief informs us that the belief in jahiliyyah is a virus that may exist within the circle of faith. To summarise, jahiliyya is called all the actions that are the opposite of the religion of Islam. Everything that contradicts the orders of Allah and His Messenger is jahiliyya and therefore un-Islamic.

For this reason, we will deal with the life of those who say “I am a Muslim” today, and we will deal with the issues subject by subject in order to determine the existence of this virus with the evidence we bring from the time of jahiliyya. By adding the rules brought by Islam, we will have the opportunity to compare our lives.

WOMAN

Pre-islamic Age of Ignorance: Women were oppressed in the time of Jahiliyyah. This oppression was realised in different ways according to the position of women. Women who were considered superior in terms of wealth and lineage were deceived with the claim that they were granted some rights, while other women were oppressed by being subjected to all kinds of injustice and distress without being valued.

The best example of avoiding the traps set is the example of Hz Khadija (r.a). Khadija (r.a), who had the honour of being the first person to accept the invitation, was engaged in trade during the time of ignorance. Since the Prophet (pbuh) did not have enough capital to engage in trade, Khadija (r.a) hired him for a fee. Because Hazrat Khadija (r.a.) was having difficulties in trading by handing over her goods to a trustworthy person due to the insecurity and danger of the environment, and the most trustworthy person in Mecca was the Prophet (a.s.). Because of this concern, she made the Prophet the offer of travelling to Damascus as follows: “I know that you are truthful, extremely safe and good-natured, and I will give you several times the wage I have never given to anyone from your people.” Our Prophet accepted this offer. Goods would be taken from Mecca with camels and sold in the market in Damascus, and the goods would be brought back to Mecca. In return for this trade, Khadija (r.a) would give four young and valiant male camels.[388]

The fact that the parties engaged in trustworthy trade was also instrumental in their marriage. The fact that the Prophet was paid more than usual for this trade because of his trustworthiness reveals that the time was full of traps such as mistrust, lies, riya and deception. Hz. Khadija (r.a.), thanks to her intelligence, did not allow much possibility of being deceived in her commercial or social relations. Women who were not intelligent like her were deceived by revealing their own ornaments and being dragged into the endeavour to be admired. The Qur’an reports this situation as follows:

Dwell in your houses with dignity (make your houses your headquarters), and do not expose your ornaments, as the women of the early ignorance exposed their ornaments…[389

Women, who were not valued highly in the Jahiliyya society, were oppressed in every aspect of life. Women were not valued, their rights and laws were not recognised, and women were considered as property and inherited. When a man died and his wife became a widow, one of the heirs of the deceased would immediately throw his clothes over her and she would be his. Either he would marry her without mahr, or he would marry her off to someone else and be entitled to her mahr, but he would not give her anything. In addition, if the woman inherited anything from her husband, he would forbid her to marry in order to take it away from her. In the verse that came down upon these events: O you who believe! It is not lawful for you to try to inherit women by force[390]. Examples such as women being buried alive when they were young girls because they were a cause of shame, being deprived of inheritance, their testimony not being valid, being deprived of some foods because they were women, being used as slaves, being seen as a sexual object[391] and being subjected to violence will be discussed in the relevant sections.

ISLAM: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), in his Farewell Sermon, which is a document of human rights, stated the necessity of observing women and the rights they should have as follows: “O people! Fear Allah about women, for you have taken them only as a trust from Allah. And make it lawful for you to marry them by the word, command and permission of Allah. O people! Verily, you have rights over your women! And they have rights over you! Your right over them is that they should not put their feet on your bed except you, that they should not commit fornication which may cause a rift between them, and that they should not bring into your houses anyone whom you do not want without your permission. Their right over you is to provide them with all their food and clothing in the manner of maruf [392],[393] that is, according to the customs and traditions of the country, and I advise you to be good to women. For they are weak with you, they are a trust, they do not possess anything for themselves.”[394]

TODAY: The woman has always been a creature that ignorance has never been able to fully digest in accordance with her creation. Even today, women who are superior in terms of wealth and lineage are trapped and the others are oppressed without considering their rights. These traps, which are set up with the aim of deceiving women who are superior in wealth and lineage, have slogans such as “freedom”, “equality” and “women’s rights”. The mentality that perceives not living under marriage as freedom, sharing responsibilities with men as equality, and taking part in all kinds of professions without exception as women’s rights is becoming widespread. The consequences of these behaviours are constantly returning to women as problems. A life lived without marriage usually results (depending on the conscience of the man) in the woman being used for a certain period of time and then ‘thrown away like a handkerchief’, which is a common expression, and this fate is becoming more and more modern as the ages pass. There are hundreds of examples of this today. The consequence of a woman’s considering it equality to share some hardships with her husband, when she herself can do the best and the most beautiful things, is at best, the man’s alienation from home; at worst, divorce due to severe incompatibility. The most definite proof of this is that the courts today give a date for divorce months later. Women’s generosity in compassion and mercy is constantly blunted by the fact that they are employed in professions that are not suitable for their creation. This atrophy is rapidly reflected on the children who are the barometer of social peace. The vast majority of women, who unwittingly face physical and psychological problems due to the heavy weight of their professions, raise their children without compassion and mercy. This is an effective factor in the increase of theft, extortion, murder and rape incidents in the society. Do not infer from these discourses that “let’s not give women their rights, let’s prevent them from having free and equal rights…”. On the contrary, women -whether they are fathers or wives- are entrusted to men. Our intention is only to inform you about the consequences of traps. A woman cannot be happy unless she leads a life in accordance with her creation. Even if she calls it right, what she does is only pleasure. It must be recognised that unless Islam is made liveable in life, the woman cannot get her rightful share of life.

Women who are not valued in society are exposed to violence and being seen as sexual objects. Unfortunately, they are subjected to this persecution even from people who say “I am a Muslim” who should be an example to the society. In this sense, Muslims are divided into two as those who know and those who do not know the rights given to women by Islam. Those who oppress women unknowingly set rules that go as far as limiting the life of women to a few square metres like a half-open prison. Those who know the rights given by Islam to women but hide them for their own interests do not spare half of the time they allocate to those who do not have religious problems to their own wives and do not endeavour to raise their awareness. Such people are scholars outside and tyrants at home. They spend twenty years on one pillow, but never once tell their wives the message of religion and the importance of obedience to the Creator. In the context of the verse, only those who know fear Allah[395], these women, deprived of the necessary information, become unafraid of Allah. The lack of information that can prevent them from doing so causes them to spend an average of six hours a day on useless activities such as television and gossip. This is an average of ¼ of a human lifetime, a waste of life that cannot be compared to any other waste. The Holy Qur’an informs us about the necessity of raising awareness within the family as follows.

Allah (swt) says the following:

O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families from the Fire whose fuel is mankind and stones. And at the head of it are the angels, large-bodied and stern, who do not disobey what Allah has commanded them and do what they are commanded.[396]

Hazrat Ali (r.a.) said about this verse: “The only way to protect one’s family members from Hellfire is to educate and train them.” Abdullah b. ‘Abbas said, “A person protects himself and his family from the punishment of Hell by obeying Allah, avoiding disobedience to Him, and commanding his family to remember Allah.”[397]

The fact that Muslims, consciously or unconsciously, continue their family life in this way causes the disbelievers to cite these ignorant people as an example, arguing that beliefs are the cause of backwardness in world societies. The main reason for the denial of women’s rights is, as I mentioned earlier, not to make Islam liveable. We have given these examples because we are against criticising Islam because of the ignorant. Their faulty lives do not show that Islam has a deficient teaching. On the other hand, we have also pointed out the aspect of the Muslim giving material to the disbeliever instead of being an example of justice, so that we may be the means for some people who endeavour to get out of the ignorant life in which they are living. There are some restrictive behaviours imposed on women in Islam. This is constantly on the agenda. It is obvious that the majority of the issues discussed are not handled with good intentions. However, let us briefly touch on the issues for the minority who want to learn. Firstly, let us make a clear definition of woman. Who is a woman? A woman is the female of a human being, the mate of a man and the one who has reached adulthood. When the issue is tried to be solved without ignoring these three stages, the reason for the persecution of women throughout history and the commands of Islam for women will find their meaning.

Woman is the female of man… She is not the same as man in terms of creation. Because of this difference, some protection methods are required to prevent women from falling into an asocial[398] position. Since their biologically and physically different structures are the reason for triggering the ego of the opposite sex, there should be a number of rules to be considered for women to live safely in society. Because a man’s pleasure from a woman can be realised through seeing her, touching her or talking to her. The triggering that occurs due to these reasons, and then lust arises when the ego overcomes the mind. Although these situations are not constantly triggering the man, there should be sanctions that will be sufficient for the woman to act peacefully in society and not to be accepted as a sexual object. For this purpose, women are commanded to dress in a way that does not attract the attention of the other party, to cover certain areas in a way that does not cause lust, and to pay attention to the way they speak. All these orders are for the peace of women in society. Nevertheless, those who think that they can provide their own security can live as they wish. Provided that they see themselves as responsible for the events that occur afterwards… After the events that occur, the man is the absolute culprit, but by leading such a life, the woman also becomes the instigator. This is like saying, “The bull cannot interfere with my wearing red”, even though it is known that the bull is sensitive to the colour red. Although it is known that red is the colour that triggers the bull, acting with the understanding that ‘I can dress as I wish’ will also eliminate the right to interfere with the bull.

Woman is the wife of man… Women have emotional attachments due to their fertility. For this reason, women approach every formation and result in the world emotionally. Compared to men, they are weak and in need of protection. Since Islam wants women to be treated as pearls to be avoided, it has given the responsibility of the woman to her parents until marriage and to her husband after marriage. Since pearls are very precious, they are protected in their shells, and since they are under protection, they are valued. Islam values women like pearls. In the Holy Qur’an, it is stated in the following verse that women should be covered because they are precious and they should be valued because they are covered.

Allah (swt) says:

They are your coverings and you are their coverings.[399]

The pearl lives in its shell to preserve the value given to it. This leads to a lack of knowledge about the outside world. Islam also does not accept the testimony of women alone in some matters due to the possibility of misleading justice due to women’s emotional view of events and their lack of knowledge about the environment as much as men. The non-acceptance of women’s testimony alone is not valid in all areas. The mujtahids, who are accepted as imamayn[400] in the Hanafi madhhab, accept the testimony of women alone in places that men cannot know and cannot look at, provided that the woman is fair.

The woman is the female who reaches adulthood… Due to the fact that she grows up in different areas of society and has the characteristic of fertility, the woman acts with a different perspective and exhibits different approaches than the man. This difference causes both sexes to look from different windows even when thinking on the same subject. With this point of view, the management of bilateral relations is only possible if the man values the woman and the woman obeys her man. Islam also considers this appropriate. A “man” who does not give confidence to the woman means an unreliable life for the woman. In time, this insecurity causes some paranoia[401] in the woman.

The difference in the life and formation of a woman is manifested in the fact that she often defends views in her life that are opposite to those of a man. The actions are the same, but the purposes for which they are done are different. For example, a woman wants to talk to prevent a fight. A man starts talking when he wants to fight. A woman wants her feelings to be understood and to hear that she is loved. The man hates having his feelings recognised and hates repeating that sentence. A woman does not look at a life dedicated to her, but at a meaningful word from the lips. The man, on the other hand, instead of saying this word, wears a flower that is given as a gift by attributing the meaning to its colour. When the woman says “go”, she actually wants the man not to go, but to stay. When the man says “go”, he really means for the woman to go. The woman grows up anxious about the future and marries to put an end to this anxiety. The man, on the other hand, starts to feel these concerns only when he gets married. It is possible to give examples from all areas of life. The continuity of relationships after various changes in life is only possible with the value and obedience we give. Most of the time, even looking from the same window is a reason for separation. For this, everyone should act in accordance with their creation.

MALE

Pre-islamic Age of Ignorance: In Jahiliyya, the oldest male of the father or paternal lineage had absolute authority in state or family administration. The mother’s side was considered foreign and was not accepted as a relative. Women had no right to intervene in any matter or to express an opinion on any issue. Men could marry as many women as they wanted, there was no limit to this. Despite the fact that they were not in an environment where they were valued, women endeavoured to look beautiful and adorned, and were inviting to the men they loved. Among the men, shedding blood was considered an honourable behaviour. Men claimed to live for their honour and dignity,[402] but they tried to prove it in other areas. They drank, worshipped idols, gambled and practised usury. Being honourable began with being born as a man. For the father, this was one of the conditions that would ensure honour. Power and honour depended on having many male children. Because one of the accepted states in Jahiliyyah was to boast of multiplicity. Religion, language, race, breed, genus, lineage, progeny, intellect, etc. They were in every subject[403]. Their lives consisted of being arrogant, proud, aggressive, committing adultery, violating the rights of the oppressed, drinking and gambling. It is possible to give the following example of their pride: When people came to al-Muharraf during the Jahiliyyah, a man would stand on a mountain and say: “I am the son of so-and-so, I did this, my father did that, my grandfather did that.”[404]

ISLAM: Upon this boasting, Allah (swt) revealed the following verse: When you have finished the pilgrimage, remember Allah as you remembered your ancestors, even more insistently. Some people say, “O our Lord, give us beauty in this world”. Such people will have no share in the Hereafter.[405]When this verse was revealed, the Prophet (PBUH) said: O People! Allah has forbidden this arrogance and pride and boasting of your fathers. Because (all of us) are children of Adam. Adam was also created from earth. Indeed, Allah Almighty says: O mankind, We created you from a man and a woman and divided you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The best of you with Allah is the one who fears Allah the most. Allah is All-knowing, All-knowing.[406]

On Taassub,

Then those who disbelieved placed in their hearts the angry protectiveness of lineage, that ignorant ignorance.[407]

About grandiosity,

“Do not turn your cheek to the people and walk on the earth arrogantly. For Allah does not love the arrogant and boastful.”[408]

In honour and dignity,

He who seeks honour and glory should know that all honour and glory belongs to Allah.[409]

About boasting of multiplicity,

You were distracted by the race to multiply wealth and children. Finally you visited the graves. No, you will know soon. No, you will know soon. Nay, if you knew the truth with certainty, you will surely see Hell. Surely you will see it with your eyes. Then on that Day you will be questioned about every favour you have been given.[410]

TODAY: Unfortunately, the same situations are observed today. It is observed in every society that customs are favoured over religious beliefs or that religious beliefs are chosen and applied in accordance with customs. The main reason for all these jahiliyyah customs is that people give the honour and glory to other places other than Allah (swt). The Holy Qur’an explains this situation as follows.

Allah (swt) says:

They take the disbelievers as their friends, leaving the believers. Do they seek strength and honour with them? Verily, all power and honour belongs to Allah.[411]

Undoubtedly, honour and glory belong to Allah (swt) alone in the absolute sense. However, no human being whose measure is not Islam can even claim to be honourable, let alone prove it. Because honour belongs to the immortal. The immortal who brings the living out of every dead and the dead out of every living… For this reason, the owners of ideas(!) who cannot comprehend His power and immortality are exempted from this honour. A person who derives his values from the owner of honour will be strong, live honourably and be found superior. The lack of these is the lack of value. This is also the reason why these people abandon the believers and make the disbelievers their friends. These people both do not realise that they will die and do not think about the immortal, and they follow those who have temporary power in a one-worldly life, those who dress up as honourable and those who claim superiority with what they have. However, the very first articles of the covenant of faith state that honour and glory must be surrendered to the Creator before even starting to act. Allah (swt), the Owner of honour and glory, declares in His Word that only those who give power, superiority and honour to Him, the Messenger and the believers, are honoured.

Allah (swt) says:

They say: “By Allah, if we return to Madinah, the honourable will surely drive out the lowly from there.” Honour belongs only to Allah, His Messenger and the believers. But the hypocrites do not know this.[412]

Power, with the knowledge to be informed about what Allah has sent…

Honour is based on building our rejections and acceptances on faith values…

Superiority is achieved through loyalty to beliefs.

While the vital reality[413] that begins with saying “I am a Muslim” has turned into pseudo-knowledge as a result of people being content with saying what they believe and pushing the practices in line with their beliefs out of their lives, who are the honoured ones today?

Those who are scholars but do not pay zakat on their knowledge, those who have wealth but do not pay zakat on their earnings?

Those who have wealth but do not spend it on their relatives?

Those who do not support each other even though they are well-connected?

Or those who say “I am a Muslim” but have no knowledge of the word of Allah?

Who are the owners of honour and glory.

Yes, the Muslim is honourable. Those who believe in Allah, who are with Allah, who believe in the Prophet, and who stand on the side of the Prophet are saints, superior and victorious. Those who seek honour and glory in places other than Allah, serving Allah and being with Allah are people without honour. Those who see honour and glory in possessions, office, money, cars, economic and political power, realise this themselves as soon as they lose them. Because they take their values from them. However, if they had taken their values from the immortal, neither what they gained nor what they lost would have affected them. The unconverted state of Abu Sufyan (r.a.) is a clear example of this. The fact that he did not take part in the battle of Badr and fled with his caravan, and that he replied to those who asked him, “Are you fleeing from the battle, where is your honour?”, “My honour is riding on camels”, shows strikingly what a person who does not serve Allah seeks honour and glory in. What the same Abu Sufyan did when he was going to be honoured with Islam is narrated by the author of the book Hayat al Sahaba as follows: Abu Sufyan bin Hâris said: “Until I reached Juhfa, neither Rasulullah nor any of the Muslims spoke to me. I was standing at the door of Rasûlullah and my son Ja’far was standing. When Rasûlullah saw me, he would turn his face away from me. When I descended from the slope of Ezahir to the valley of Abtah in Mecca, I approached the door of the tent of the Messenger of Allah. He looked at me. This was the first soft look he gave me. I began to hope that he would smile.” Hadrat Ali said (to me): “Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam), from the back side! He said, “If you are a Muslim, you should not be a Muslim: “By Allah, Allâhu ta’âlâ has indeed made you superior to us! He said, “I am the one who has made you superior to us.”[414] It cannot be accepted that there can be a more beautiful saying than this. When Abu Sufyan bin Hâris did so, our Prophet said, “There is no reproach or blame for you today! May Allâhu ta’âlâ forgive you. He is the most merciful of the merciful [415]. When Abu Sufyan bin Hâris heard that our Prophet had said, “I do not need either of them,” he said: “By Allah, either he will allow me to enter his presence, or I will take my son by the hand and we will leave the earth until we die of hunger and thirst! You are not only my relative, but also the best-behaved, mild-tempered, most benevolent and generous of the people.” When the Prophet heard these words of Abu Sufyan, he took pity on both of them and allowed them to enter his presence. They entered and became Muslims.[416]

[Surah Ali Imran, Verses 153-154

[387] Surat al-Ma’ida, Verse 50

[388] M. Asım Köksal, History of Islam, Shamil Publishing House Volume 2, pp.144-145

[389] Surah al-Ahzab, Verse 33

[390] Surat al-Nisa, Verse 19

[391] Object

[392] It is publicly known

[393] In the figure, from maintenance

[394] M. Asım Köksal, History of Islam, Shamil Publishing House, 17 volumes, pp.258-259

[395] Surat al-Fatir, Verse 28

[396] Surah Tahrim, Verse 6

[397] Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari, Tabari tafsir, hisar publishing house: 8/357-358

[398] Non-social

[399] Surat al-Baqarah, Verse 187

[400] Imam Abu Yusuf (b. 731 – d.798) and Imam Muhammad (b. 749 – d. 805)

[401] A mental illness characterised by suspicion, distrust, selfishness

[402] Value value greatness, greatness

[403] Fierce partisanship

[404] Ibn Ishaq, Siyar (History of the Prophet) Muhammad Hamidullah, Aqaba Publications, p.151.

[405] Surat al-Baqarah, verse 200

[406] Surat al-Hujurat, Verse 13

[407] Surat al-Fatih, Verse 26

[408] Surat al-Lokman, Verse 18

[409] Surat al-Fatir, 10th verse

[Surah Tekasur, Verses 1-8

[411] Surat al-Nisa, Verse 139

[Surat al-Munafikun, Verse 8

[413] Reality

[Surah Yusuf, Verse 91

[Surah Yusuf, Verse 92

[416] Muhammad Yusuf Kandahlevi, Hayatu’s-sahaba, Akçağ publications