By Salim I. Hassan (Salimullah)
08/03/2017
On March 8, the world observed International Women's Day — a day to commemorate
the struggle for women's rights and celebrate the political, social, economic
and cultural achievements of women throughout history. So that means a
religious achievement is out. No wonder as this occassion is a genius of the
Western institution – UN specifically. In
spite of this, we have our yardstick for measuring rights of women and their
freedom. Material achievement is incomplete when it is not reinforced by spiritual
one. In UK telegraph a list of 13 women
was published as released by google as the best women in the history of the
world starts from 1st century. And I don’t think of any muslim women
name recorded. However none of the 13 women
fought for a single right or freedom of theirs. Silliest things recorded as their achievement include
Suzanne Lenglen, a French tennis player for popularising the game in the 20th
c., Miriam Makeba, a singer, and Rukmini Devi, a Dancer from India. A little
more reasonable contributive women also recorded: Ada
Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer from Mexico and El-nadia, the first female pilot from Egypt.
I may pose a series of questions here: what of a first woman who fought
for the women rights and freedom to be recognized unconditionally in a society
where there wasn’t a right for them? What
of a first woman, with the help of her great father, enforced the world to set
women free for equal access to education with men? What of a first woman that
participated in various wars with her very soul and body and even served as a
Nurse taking care of Muslims army casualties in the battlefield. What of a
woman who wrote about 50 books many of which dedicated to publicize the need of
women right to free access to education, economy and leadership?
A woman with the above unique contribution should be named as the no. 1st
best woman in the world. And she was
from West Africa, Fulani by tribe and Muslim by religion. This is the Woman I set
out to extol, appreciate, appraise, and to inform the uninformed about her. The Western world always try to Rob Peter to
Pay Paul - taking away what (credit)
belongs to one person and pay another unworthy of it!
On this very day (8 March, 2017) of Women International Day, I am obliged
to discuss and bring forth to memory one of the greatest women personality in West
Africa in particular and the world in general, for her outstanding contribution
to women progress and development. She was much indeed worthy to fit as the
subject of discussion when the world marked this Women’s day. She was
a women personality whose great father fought, both intellectually and practically,
for the emancipation of women rights and freedom especially their right to equal
education opportunity. May Allah continue to shower His mercy on her and her
father as well. She was a He-woman that had used to be part of the Muslim
combat forces in case of war, where she used to serve as a Nurse taking care
for Muslim casualties. She memorized the
complete Qur’an before she reached 10 of her age. She
wrote about 50 books. 18 books between 1820-1840 while 34 were between
1841-1865 according to Jean Boyd. Ma sha Allah ko ayanzu sai an tona irinsu.
I won’t utilize much time extolling this woman
personality. All had been and still being said by great writers and historians
from both muslim and non-muslim figures. I will not even dare to mentione her
name. I will let the authoritative writer and historians to tell you who this
woman is.
To begin with, Nana
Asma’u (a daughter of great Sheik, the revivalist Uthman Bn Fodiyo) is a
product of the 19th century Sokoto Jihad. She is a woman scholar,
poet, community leader, political commentator, and socio-cultural engineer
whose mountain of knowledge cannot be equaled to her contemporaries. She was
active in politics, education and social reform, she was a prolific author,
popular teacher and renowned scholar and intellectual (Mack & Boyd;
2000:1).
M. Yusha’u, in his article
published in Gamji further added: “These qualities possessed by Nana Asma’u
made her a distinguishable figure and a model for those who have the zeal for
learning, and at the same time she is an answer to those who view women as
exploited, oppressed and relegated to the rudiments of home management and
service to the children especially under Islam”. Going by the main objective of
this Women’s day which says - …(it is) a day to commemorate the struggle
for women's rights and celebrate the political, social, economic and cultural
achievements of women throughout history- this woman should have occupied the 1st
position as the best 13 women in the world published in Telegraph.
I
recalled one of her quote when she said: “Women, a warning (to you). Leave not
your homes without good reason. You may go out to get food or to seek
education. In Islam, it is a religious duty to seek knowledge Women may leave
their homes freely for this”. (—A Warning, II¸Nana Asma’u, 1856). Kaji Malama
Mujahida!
Throughout the period of the Sokoto
jihad, a series of battles in a campaign to reform Islam (1804-1830), and long
after, Asma’u was an active teacher of both men and women. In addition to
teaching students in her own community, she reached far beyond the confines of
her compound through a network of itinerant women teachers whom she trained to
teach isolated rural women. An accomplished author, Asma’u was well educated,
quadrilingual (in Arabic, Fulfulde, Hausa, and Tamachek), and a respected
scholar of international repute who was in communication with scholars
throughout the sub-Saharan African Muslim world.
Source: Mack, Beverly B. and Jean Boyd. One Woman’s Jihad: Nana Asma’u, Scholar and
Scribe. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2000.
This woman represent the model on how
women should be in Islam. Any curtail of clean women rights by any leader,
nation or society is un-islamic.
My Credit to You, Al-sheikhat Nana Asma’u
Bn Sheik Uthman Bn Fodio.
Salimullah.
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