Week 1

Understanding Feminism &

Sexuality from the
Islamic Tradition

The Islamic Worldview:

• Establishing
• Orientation
• Alignment
 Intentions for Learning and Teaching

‫ِبْس ِم ِهللا الَّرْح َمِن الَّر ِح ْيِم‬

،‫ َو اْلَح َّث َع َلى الَّتَم ُّس ِك ِبِكَتاِب ِهللا َو ُس َّنِة َرُس ْو ِلِه‬،‫ َو ْاِإل َفاَد َة َو ْاِال ْس ِتَفاَد َة‬، ‫ َو الَّنْفَع َو ااِل ْنِتَفاَع‬، ‫ َو الَّتَذ ُّك َر َو الَّتْذ ِكْيَر‬، ‫َنَو ْيُت الَّتَعُّلَم َو الَّتْع ِلْيَم‬
‫ ِاْبِتَغاَء َو ْج ِه ِهللا َو َم ْر َض اِتِه َو ُقْر ِبِه َو َثَو اِبِه ُسْبَح اَنُه َو َتَعاَلى‬،‫ َو الَّد َالَلَة َع َلى اْلَخ ْيِر‬،‫َو الُّدَع اَء ِإَلى اْلُهَد ى‬

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. I intend to learn and teach, to
remember and remind, to benefit (myself) and benefit others, to derive usefulness and
extend it to others, to encourage adherence to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His
Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, to call to guidance and direct towards good, seeking thereby the
Countenance, Pleasure, Proximity and Reward of Allah, the Absolutely Transcendent and
Most Exalted.
 Part 1

Establishing the
Islamic Worldview:

Key Concepts & the

Straight Path
Metaphor
 ‫ا‬ ‫َك‬ ‫ا‬
‫َي َء َم ِهَي‬ ‫ْش‬‫َأْل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ا‬‫َن‬ ‫ِر‬‫َأ‬ ‫َّم‬‫ُه‬‫َّل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫!ا‬

O God, show us things as they are!

 ‫ٱ‬ ‫اَّل‬ ‫َه‬ ‫َٰل‬ ‫ٓاَل‬ ‫ۥ‬
‫ُه‬‫َّن‬‫َأ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ْع‬ ‫ٱ‬‫َف‬
‫ِإ ِإ ُهَّلل‬ ‫ْم‬
Know that there is no god except Allah

(Muhammad:19)
 ‫َو َم ا َخ َلْقُت اْلِج َّن َو اِإْل ْنَس ِإاَّل ِلَيْع ُبُد وِن‬

I did not create the jinn and humans except

to worship Me.

(Al-Dhariyaat 51:56)
 The Straight Path

‫ِبْس ِم ِهللا الَر ْح مِن الَر ْح يِم‬ In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Compassionate

‫اْلَح ْم ُد ِهَّلِل َرِّب اْلَعاَلِم يَن‬ All Praise is for Allah, Lord of the Worlds

‫الَّرْح َمِن الَّر ِح يِم‬ The Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

‫َم اِلِك َيْو ِم الِّد يِن‬ Lord of the Final Day

‫ِإَّياَك َنْعُبُد َو ِإَّياَك َنْس َتِع يُن‬ It is You whom we worship & from You we seek help

‫( اهِد َنا الِّص َر اَط اْلُم ْس َتِقيَم‬+) Guide us on the Straight Path (+)

‫( ِص َر اَط اَّلِذ يَن َأْنَعْم َت َع َلْيِهْم‬+) The Path of those whom You have blessed (+)
Not [the path] of those who have earnt Your wrath nor
‫( َغ ْيِر اْلَم ْغ ُض وِب َع َلْيِهْم َو اَل الَّض اِّليَن‬-) [the path] of those who have gone astray (-)
(7-1 :‫)سورة الفاتحة‬ Surah al-Fatihah (1-7)
 ‫ «َهَذ ا َس ِبيُل ِهللا ُثَّم َخ َّط ُخ ُطوًطا َع ْن َيِم يِنِه َو َع ْن‬: ‫ َخ َّط َلَنا َرُس وُل ِهللا صلى هللا عليه وسلم َخ ًّطا ُثَّم َقاَل‬: ‫َع ْن َعْبِد ِهللا ْبِن َم ْسُعوٍد َرِض ي ُهللا َع ْنُه َقاَل‬
‫ ُثَّم َقَر َأ ﴿َو َأَّن َهَذ ا ِص َر اِط ى ُم ْس َتِقيًم ا َفاَّتِبُعوُه َو اَل َتَّتِبُعوا الُّسُبَل َفَتَفَّر َق ِبُك ْم‬.»‫ َع َلى ُك ِّل َس ِبيٍل ِم ْنَها َش ْيَطاٌن َيْدُع و ِإَلْيِه‬،‫ َهِذِه ُسُبٌل ُم َتَفِّر َقٌة‬: ‫ ُثَّم َقاَل‬،‫ِش َم اِلِه‬
[‫ والدارمي‬،‫ وابن ماجه‬،‫َع ْن َس ِبيِلِه﴾ [رواه أحمد‬

(‫)َو َأَّن َهَذ ا ِص َر اِط ى ُم ْس َتِقيًم ا َفاَّتِبُعوُه َو اَل َتَّتِبُعوا الُّسُبَل َفَتَفَّر َق ِبُك ْم َع ْن َس ِبيِلِه‬

Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬drew a line in the sand
and said, “This is the Straight Path of Allah.” Then, he drew lines to the right of it and (lines) to left of it, and
said, “These are other paths which divert (from the Straight Path), upon each of them is a Shaytan calling to
it.” Then he recited:

(This is My path, (that is) straight, so follow it. And do not follow the
other paths, lest they divert you from His Path. ) (Qur’an 6:153)

(Narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Majah & al-

 Part 2

Orientation and
Alignment with
the Islamic
Worldview
 ‫ َأِبي َع ْم َر َة ُس ْفَياَن ْبِن َع ْبِد ِهَّللا الثقفي َرِض َي ُهللا َع ْنُه َقاَل‬: ‫َع ْن َأِبي َع ْمٍر و َو ِقيَل‬:

": ‫ َيا َرُس وَل ِهَّللا! ُقْل ِلي ِفي اِإْل ْس اَل ِم َقْو اًل اَل َأْس َأُل َع ْنُه َأَح ًد ا َغ ْيَر ك؛ َقاَل‬:‫ُقْلت‬

‫ آَم ْنت ِبَاِهَّلل ُثَّم اْس َتِقْم‬: ‫" ُقْل‬

Abu `Amr (or Abu ‘Amrah) Sufyan bin Abdillah al-Thaqafee Radi Allahu ‘anhu said:

I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam which I can
ask of no one but you." He ‫ ﷺ‬said,

“Say: I believe in Allah, then adhere to the Straight Path”

(Narrated by Muslim)
Knowledge Action
‫ِع لم‬ ‫َع مل‬

Following Avoiding
‫ِإِّتباع‬ ‫إْج ِتناب‬
-Two Simultaneous Journeys-

Sayr Ijbari

Sayr Ikhtiyari

Sirat al-Mustaqeem
 How to follow the Straight Path

Establishing Orientating
‫إقامة الوجه‬ ‫توجيه الوجه‬

Submitting Steadfastness
‫إسالم الوجه‬ ‫االستقامة إلى هللا‬
 Unity

Synthesis

Wisdom
 al-Hijr (Q: 15)

‫ َقاَل َر ِّب ِبَم ا َأْغ َو ْيَتِني ُأَلَز ِّيَنَّن َلُهْم ِفي اَأْلْر ِض َو ُأَلْغ ِو َيَّنُهْم َأْج َم ِع يَن‬٣٩
39 [Iblees] said, "My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience]
attractive to them on earth, and I will surely mislead them all

‫ ِإاَّل ِع َباَدَك ِم ْنُهُم اْلُم ْخ َلِص يَن‬٤٠

40 “ Except for Your sincere servants among them.”

‫ َقاَل َٰه َذ ا ِص َر اٌط َع َلَّي ُم ْسَتِقيٌم‬٤١

41 (Allah) said: "This is the Way which will lead straight to Me.“

‫ ِإَّن ِع َباِد ي َلْيَس َلَك َع َلْيِهْم ُس ْلَطاٌن ِإاَّل َمِن اَّتَبَع َك ِم َن اْلَغ اِو يَن‬٤٢
42 “ Over My servants you have no authority, except for the erring ones who follow you.”

Story of Nabi Lut (alahi salam)

‫ َو َلَقْد آَتْيَناَك َس ْبًعا ِم َن اْلَم َثاِني َو اْلُقْر آَن اْلَعِظ يَم‬٨٧

87 (Muhammad), We have given you the seven most repeated (verses) and the great Quran.
 Dua
‫اًّقلَّلُهَّم‬
‫َأِر َنا اْلَح َّق َح ا َو اْر ُز ْقَنا اِّتَباَع ُه‬
‫َو َأِر َنا اْلَباِط َل َباِط اًل َو اْر ُز ْقَنا اْج ِتَناَبُه‬

O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and grant

us the ability to follow it and show us
falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability
to avoid it!
 ‫وصَّلى هللا‬
‫على سيدنا‬
‫محمد وآله‬
‫وصحبه وسَّلم‬