Womanhood in Islam (2/3)

Sayings of The Prophet

Now we come to certain sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, in which the Arabic word dil' has been mentioned for the word "rib." The first thing that has to be remembered here is that these traditions are about ordinary women, and do not refer to the creation of Adam and Eve. It is the' manner of every woman's creation that is being dealt with, not specifically that of Eve. One of the relevant sayings is as follows:

“Treat women well, for they have been created from a rib.”[1]

Now  this  cannot  be taken  to  mean  that  women  have actually been created from a rib,  for this  has  no  connection with  the  point  conveyed in  the  rest of the  sentence,  which is that women should be treated  well. A correct interpretation of the word ‘rib' has to be one that fits in with the underlying purpose behind the Prophet’s statement.

The statement, "women have been created from a rib," should be taken metaphorically, not literally. What the Prophet wished to convey was this:  "Women are akin to a rib and should be treated with due consideration."  There is another tradition which explains what this means.  “A  woman  is like a  rib,"  said the  Prophet,  "if you try  to  straighten  it,  it will break."[2]

This  saying of the  Prophet  Muhammad,   related in  the Sahih of  both  Bukhari  and  Muslim  -   the  most -authentic collections of traditions  -  makes it clear that  women  are like ribs; they are not  actually created from ribs. The allusion is figurative not literal. Light is also cast on the meaning of the metaphor. Ribs break when one tries to straighten them. So it is with women.  Rather than try to straighten them, it is better to let them be.

"Women have been created from ribs," and "Women are like ribs," are just two different ways of saying the same thing. There is a difference in the mode of expression of the two statements, but there is no difference in meaning. It is common in every language for metaphors to be expressed directly, without the use of the words "like" or "as." For instance, if one wishes to pay tribute to a person’s bravery, one can say that he is like a lion. But there is not as much force in saying that a person is "like a lion" as there is in saying that he "is a lion."  Examples of such usage abound in every language, including English. A notable one is to be found in the poem, "Morte d'Arthur," by the celebrated poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson:

“...  More things are wrought by prayer

Than  this  world  dreams  of, wherefore, let  thy voice, Rise like a  fountain  for me  night  and  day

For what are men better than sheep or goats

That nourishes a blind life within the brain,

If knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer

Both for themselves and those who call them friend?

For so the whole round earth is every way

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.

In this last line the  poet does not  mean that  the world is physically tethered to the feet of God by chains, but merely wishes to indicate the  unbreakable bonds  that  exist between God  and  this world. In referring to the chains as "golden," he suggests the very great beauty and value of these bonds. By referring to  the "feet" of God,  rather than  any other part of Him,  he  suggests the  humble  position  of man  in  God's divine scheme. It is, indeed, a very rich metaphor. To return to  the  metaphor  of  the  rib,  in  saying that  if one  tries  to straighten  a  woman  one  will  break  her,  the  Prophet  was referring to  her delicate nature. Physically, women are weaker than men: psychologically, they are more highly strung, more prone to emotional upset. This is a fact of life which everyone realizes, irrespective of whether he is educated or not. A father, for instance, will not be as hard on a daughter as he might be on his son, for he knows that boys are made of sterner stuff than girls. The latter tend to break under severe pressure. For this reason females are more prone to suicide than males.

Sometimes a trivial matter can drive a woman to suicide, or cause her to have a nervous breakdown. In likening a woman to a rib, the Prophet was expressing this fact of life in metaphorical terms.  Ribs have a slight curve in them.  There is good reason for them to be made that way. They should be left in their natural state. No attempt should be made to straighten them.

The  Prophet  used  a  parable  to  explain  the  delicacy of women's  nature,  pointing out that they should  be treated in accordance with their nature. Their delicate emotional constitution should always be borne in mind. God has created them that way, and He has done so for good reason.  They should be treated kindly. If they have to be told something, it should be done tactfully, in a gentle tone. Abruptness and severity will break them, as a rib is broken by any attempt to straighten it. Once, when the Prophet was on a journey, he saw some women riding on a camel. The man leading the camel made to drive the animal on faster, forgetting that this would cause undue discomfort to his passengers. So the Prophet said to the camel driver: "You have glass cases there. Be gentle with them."[3]

 (Continued)