Risala Ajila ila al-Ukht al-Muslima
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- Editions
- Dar Ibn Khuzaymah
Risala Ajila ila al-Ukht al-Muslima (An Urgent Letter to the Muslim Sister) is an Islamic advisory treatise authored by Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud to provide moral and religious guidance to Muslim women. The work addresses the status and obligations of women in Islam, advocating the observance of the Islamic veil (hijab), domestic responsibilities, and piety while warning against Westernized notions of women's liberation, free mixing, and display of adornment.
Purpose and Content
The author frames the treatise as an urgent gift and appeal directed at the conscience and religious identity of Muslim women, urging them to embrace their duties as mothers, wives, and educators of future generations.
The text is organized into thematic sections:
- Identity and Honor in Islam: The work emphasizes the elevated status granted to women in Islam, citing historical examples such as Khadijah, the women of the household of Abu Bakr (Umm Ruman, Asma' bint Abi Bakr, and 'A'ishah), and early martyrs like Sumayyah bint Khayyat, as well as the Prophet's ﷺ instructions during the Farewell Pilgrimage.
- Critique of Women's Liberation: Mahmoud warns against proponents of modern women's liberation, characterizing their calls for equality and unrestricted public life as deceptive efforts that undermine modesty and expose women to exploitation.
- Domesticity and Public Conduct: Drawing upon Quranic verses such as وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ (And stay in your houses) and the exegesis of al-Qurtubi, the author urges women to remain predominantly within the home, leaving only for necessities, and recounts reports concerning the merit of women praying in their homes rather than outside.
- Prohibition of Free Mixing and Seclusion: The treatise strongly cautions against intermingling between men and women (ikhtilat) and private seclusion (khalwa), quoting Ibn al-Qayyim on the moral harms of free mixing and citing prophetic warnings on solitary encounters.
- Adornment and Modesty (Hijab): The author condemns public display of beauty (tabarruj) and describes the full jilbab and face covering as mandatory safeguards of female dignity, incorporating Arabic verses of poetry celebrating chastity and fortitude in the face of societal pressure.
- Marital Devotion and Final Exhortations: The closing sections highlight the promise of Paradise for women who perform their daily prayers, fast Ramadan, safeguard their chastity, and obey their husbands. The work concludes with practical advice encouraging frequent recitation of the Quran, the pursuit of religious knowledge, repentance, avoiding gossip and slander, and choosing righteous female companions.
Method and Sources
The author employs an exhortative, homiletic style (wa'z) interspersed with traditional scriptural proofs, early historical anecdotes, and Arabic poetry. The text draws heavily on the Quran, canonical hadith collections (including Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Sunan Abi Dawud), classical Quranic commentary from al-Qurtubi, legal and theological citations from Ibn al-Qayyim, and commentary on hadith by al-Nawawi.
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