“And long not for that wherewith Allah hath preferred one of you above another. Unto men shall be the portion of that which they earn, and unto women shall be the portion of that which they earn. And ask Allah for some of His grace, verily Allah is of everything Knower” (Daryabadi Translation of the English Meaning of the Qur’an IV:32).
“We must recognize the unquestionable existence of the biological inequality of the sexes. It goes deeper and is of far greater import than it would appear to those not familiar with natural science” (Nemilov, 1932. Biological Tragedy of Woman)
“Will it be possible for women’s emancipation to remove those differences between man and woman which are rooted in their innermost beings? Even the most rabid advocates of women’s rights must accept the undeniable fact that woman bears children, not man; that woman menstruates, not man. It remains equally fact that these primitive functions will always be a hindrance to complete emancipation, though they do not preclude advance and improvement in the intellectual and social position of women which every fair-minded man recognizes as necessary” (Bloch, 1996. Sexual Life in England).
The Story of Prophet Adam and his wife originates from the human need to communicate.
Adam was alone in Paradise. The Angels were busy worshipping Allah (SWT). Adam had no companion. Meaning, there was no other human being with him.
“Adam knew the names of everything, but he was alone in Heaven. One morning Adam woke up and found a woman gazing at him.”
A conversation between Adam and this woman took place when he asked “why she had been created. She revealed that she was to ease his loneliness and bring tranquillity to him. The Angels questioned Adam. They knew that Adam possessed knowledge of things they did not know as well as the knowledge mankind would need to occupy the earth. They said ‘who is this?’ and Adam replied ‘this is Eve’.”
The story continues with Prophet Adam and Eve coerced by the Devil to unclothe themselves. It is a story of a man and a woman given the opportunity to exercise their free will and their free-choice. Now, the Devil appears to engage humans and attempt to persuade their choices and invite them to disobey by exciting their curiosity. While Prophet Adam (as) knew the nature of everything, the nuances that derived specific behaviors; the social-psychological environments that activated specific situations and revealed specific choice-sets, or determined which choices to make only happened through interactions. Lacking opposites, choices were ubiquitous. In this first case, while the wisdom and justice of opposites: male and female, good and evil enables free will, which differentiates humanity from other creations, the limitations of knowledge impeded Adam and Eve from making a just decision for themselves.
When Adam saw Eve, he realized his opposite and it was good. Conversely, when the Devil joined them, they discovered disobedience as opposed to obedience, for they were under a covenant, or a promise to obey. The Devil by his capacity to persuade, coerced them to forget and (by default) break their promise to Allah (T’ala). So, they each experienced responsibility (for their actions) then accountability to Allah (T’ala) for their choice. Since their own nature was revealed by their actions; unknowingly, their loyalty and faith was tested. Simultaneously, their relationship with the Creator was revealed, and their status as believers was pronounced. Although devastating in its result — the whole event was beneficial because from this beginning, human nature was disclosed.
The human creation is perfectly good, but the nature of the Devil is perfectly evil. From this beginning the distinction between good and evil was made plain and crystal clear to Adam and Eve. Furthermore, their descent from the space between heaven and earth affirmed the “work” required to be human. From this “fall” into “temporal life,” Adam and Eve determined to be good — not evil. Subsequently, they each, individually and independently, began the task of living according to the commandments of their Lord vowing not to break them again. Both Adam and Eve embraced this decision because “Their descent was not one of degradation”; rather it was to dignify and distinguish them as a unique creation. They descended upon separate regions then began to look for one another. Their separation represents the individuality of choice. If Eve determined to look for Adam, it means she accepted and submitted to the consequences of her behavior, and she meant to live with Adam under the conditions of their term on earth. It was her choice.
The first humans consigned themselves to the occupations and roles granted by the Creator — believe it or not. History speaks for itself. Rather readers adopt the theory of evolution and the hunter-gatherer theory, the electric spark, the clay; or any other “origin of life” theory, know that all believe that in prehistory there was a man who worked best according to his biological proficiencies and there was a woman who worked best at her biological proficiencies. However, for humans, their biology is a burden when it promotes stereotypes and classifications that oftentimes interfere with the real condition of females and males — man and woman.
To realize manhood as only sexual prowess, and to see woman as only a sexual object masks their humanity, limits their opportunities, and supports an injustice: male and female roles are confined solely to their biological functions: mothering as the child bearer, and fathering as the provider, This is not always the case. A broader perspective presented as the art of mothering views mothering as an institution of an evolving character of human nurturing innate to females while fathering is a seat of human justice, equity, and economy. When the roles of men and women transcend biology it defines, distinguishes, and confirms the variances in their roles as being the synthesis of physiology and psyche patented by the Creator.
In these pages, the reason I Am Art of Mothering is explored.
(Sources: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1190/viewall/story-of-adam/).
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