In desperation, Sarah offered Hajira to Ibrahim, so that their children could carry on his legacy. Very soon Hajira was pregnant and Sarah found to her surprise that she had started feeling jealous of the fertile young woman and the relationship she had entered into with her husband.

It was difficult for her to see her husband’s seed flowering in another woman’s womb and despite her best intentions she could not control her feelings. Pregnancy also restricted Hajira’s movements and she was unable to work as before, infuriating Sarah even more. When a beautiful baby boy was born to Hajira, Sarah’s jealousy overflowed. She could not bear to look at mother and son without feeling envious and conscious of her own inadequacies.

She urged Ibrahim to take Hajira to the desert and leave her there. Ibrahim was in a dilemma and prayed to God and his Lord ordered him to separate Hajira from Sarah.

“Where should I take her?” asked a worried Ibrahim.

“Take her to the valley called Mecca. It is the part of land that I created first,” was the revelation by God.

Gabriel was sent to their assistance and Ibrahim, along with Hajira and her baby Ismail, were carried on a heavenly steed towards their destination. On the way they saw many places lush with greenery, rich with streams. Ibrahim wanted to stop in each of these places but was told that this was not their destination.

At last they reached Mecca, a valley between the hills of Safa and Marwah, and Hajira and Ismail alighted from the heavenly steed. Under a solitary tree Hajira spread a cloth and lay down her infant son, taking rest after a long, tiring journey.

Suddenly, she saw that Ibrahim was leaving and she cried out in anguish, “O Ibrahim, where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we can enjoy nor anything to comfort us?”

Ibrahim hurried his pace. Then Hajira asked, “Has God asked you to do so?”

Ibrahim stopped, turned back and said, “Yes!”

“In whose care are you leaving me? There is no one here to help, nor is there any water or food for me or my baby.”

Ibrahim replied, “I am leaving you in the care of the One who asked me to bring you here.” With a heavy heart, saying a prayer to his Lord to look after his wife and baby son, he returned to Sarah.

Hajira was left alone in the desert with a baby and soon the dates and water that Ibrahim had left behind were finished and the baby was crying from thirst and hunger. It was a hot day and the heat was making the baby cry even louder.

Helpless and terrified, Hajira cried for help but there were no humans around. The distraught mother didn’t know what to do. In desperation, she left the baby under the tree and started running towards the two hills Safa and Marwah looking for water.

Fearful that wild animals may harm the baby crying under the tree, she kept turning her gaze towards him, then steeling herself to go forward.

When she reached the top of one hill she would see a mirage of water on the other side and run towards it. She ran up and down the hills seven times, chasing the mirage, her baby’s distant cries echoing in her ears. Exhausted, she realised there was no water for her, and as she bent down in despair, she realised that there was silence around her. Her baby had stopped crying.

Frightened, tired, the young mother hurriedly made her way towards the baby to find an angel guarding her son and a spring gurgling near him, which the angel was digging with his foot.

She rushed towards the spring crying, “Zamzam, zamzam,” (Stop, stop) for she was now scared the baby would drown in the water.

The news of a freshwater spring in the dry, rocky, mountainous region soon spread in the desert. Bedouin tribes began to move towards the valley and with Hajira’s permission started to settle there. And slowly mother and son made a new life for themselves.

Ibrahim, in the meantime, kept Hajira and their son in his thoughts and prayers. Ten years later he returned to Mecca to look for them and was relieved to find mother and son well settled. Ismail had grown up well. He had a huge flock of sheep and was able to look after his own and his mother’s needs. Ibrahim was happy and proud.

But the father’s reunion with his family was interrupted by another vision and command of sacrifice. Ibrahim dreamt that God had commanded him to sacrifice the son whom he was meeting after a decade of separation.

Anguished, Ibrahim described his dream to his son, who immediately asked his father not to delay in obeying God. All his life, ever since he had discovered his Lord, Ibrahim had obeyed all his commands without questioning them. Now he was put to the ultimate test of devotion – in every instance he had shown his great love for his God. He had given up his home, his old traditions, the chance of raising a family – everything he held dear. But now he was being asked to prove his love for God above the love of his only child, the deepest bond humans have on this earth.

Ibrahim clenched the knife in his hand and raised his arm to bring it down on his son’s neck. The son for whose birth he had prayed was about to be killed by his own hands. His faith was strong and unwavering, his pain deep.

But before the knife entered his son’s flesh, a voice spoke out to the old man. “O Ibrahim, you have indeed fulfilled the vision.” God had tested Ibrahim with a severe test but he had proved that his faith was true. Miraculously Ismail was replaced with a ram.

This sacrifice was of such importance that every year Muslims celebrate it as the feast of Eid uz Adha or the celebration of the sacrifice, commemorating it by sacrificing an animal in honour of Ibrahim and Ismail.

Thirteen years after the birth of Ismail, Sarah was given divine tidings that she would be blessed with a son though at that time Ibrahim was close to a hundred and she was almost ninety. And thus, Ibrahim’s second son, Isaac, was born to her.

In the meanwhile, Ibrahim visited Hajira and Ismail regularly. On these visits Ibrahim received instructions that he and Ismail should build the House of God.

They built a structure in the shape of a cube, which is known as the Kaaba, and Ibrahim raised his hands in prayer, “My Lord, make this city (Mecca) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in God and the Last Day.” From that day onward this has been a place of pilgrimage.

Ibrahim returned to Palestine and died there but he became a leader of nations as promised by God. The three major Abrahamic religions were born from his sons. Muslims are descended from Ismail, while Jews and Christians are descended from Isaac.

After Islam was revealed to Prophet Mohammad and instructions given on how to perform the pilgrimage or Hajj, God honoured Hajira’s sacrifice. The desolate spot the one-time slave woman was left in is one of the busiest pilgrim sites in the world today. Today, every pilgrim has to walk up and down the two hills of Safa and Marwah, seven times, keeping his or her face turned towards the spot where Hajira had left Ismail. Every pilgrim, too, drinks from the spring of Zamzam.

The culmination of Hajj is the sacrifice of an animal in the nearby city of Mina on Eid uz Adha honouring Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God’s sake.The stoning of the pillars at Mina honours Ibrahim’s rejection of Shaitaan’s temptations.

When Hajira died, Ismail buried her next to the Kaaba. This area is part of the circumambulation done by pilgrims during Hajj. The word hijrat or migration comes from her name. This slave girl who had to leave her country finally found a home in the House of God.

Rana Safvi & Subuhi Safvi

“And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them. And Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise” (2.228 Quran)

For the medieval society of Arabia this was a revolutionary concept. The Prophet himself practiced what he preached and there are umpteen traditions, which talk of how he always got up when his daughter Fatima Zehra entered the room as a mark of respect.

In fact last address of Prophet Mohammed to the Muslims on the occasion of the Hajjat-ul-wida was:

“All people are equal, as equal as the teeth of a comb. There is no claim of merit of an Arab over a non-Arab or a white over a black person: Only God-fearing people merit a preference with God. Thus men and women are equal.”

Despite this there is widespread perception and practise which show that women are not equal in the eyes of Islam. Most of the arguments quoted in favour of gender inequality seem to emanate from a man who had said the above lines.

But most conservative Muslims seem to believe that women are to be neither seen nor heard. They are just a top to toe black covered nonentity.The reason for that lie in patriarchy and tribal customs which have refused to let Islam evolve.

When Islam started to spread through the Arab states, the population was mostly tribal. The teachings had to be incorporated with tribal customs. Some scholars argue that the practice of sex segregation and veiling of women are not mentioned in the Quran but have been practised because it was not easy to improve the status of women in trial practices.

In fact the verse which is quoted in relation to hijab [24.30] starts by telling men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty. It is only on the next verse [33.59] that women are instructed to guard their modesty and dress modestly in a way that their bosoms and sexual parts are covered. The verse which says women should wear an outer garment when going out was to differentiate them as believing women so that they could avoid harassment on the streets. They were not told to stay at home but advised how to go about their work comfortably and safely.

Islam has been criticised for granting low status to women. There are many scholars that believe that it is actually because of the interpretation of Islam by jurists and traditions that have resulted in the low status of women. The tribes of 7^th century Arabia resisted many of the rights granted to women since it was a radical change to their customs. As centuries passed, these traditions have become part of Islamic practice and the rights and privileges granted to women by the religion have not been realised.

With the exception of a few verses the Quran grants equal status to men and women. It encourages a functionally supportive relationship between men and women in society. Dr. Jamal Badawi in his essay, ‘The Status of Women in Islam’, discusses the position of women in light of the Quranic verses. He says that The Qur’an provides clear-cut evidence that woman is completely equated with man in the sight of God in terms of her rights and responsibilities.

The Qur’an states, “Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds” (Quran 74:38). It also says, “…So their Lord accepted their prayers, (saying): I will not suffer to be lost the work of any of you whether male or female. You proceed one from another” (Quran 3: 195).

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will we give a new life that is good and pure, and we will bestow on such their reward according to the their actions.” (Quran 16:97)

Another verse states, “And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer – those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed. “ (Quran 4:124).

In fact the Qur’an does not not blame Eve for Adam’s mistake. “Both were jointly wrong in their disobedience to God, both repented, and both were forgiven” says Badawi. (Quran 2:36, 7:20-24).

The First Lady of Islam Khadija was a prosperous businesswoman whose money funded the initial expansion of Islam. She was not only successful but emancipated enough to send a proposal to Mohammed who was her employee and younger than herself, because she recognized his noble qualities. Isn’t it truly ironical that the women of the religion to which she was the first female convert are so suppressed and repressed in the name of Islam ?

There is no verse in the Quran that says that women should not participate in politics. In Chapter 27 of the Quran, Queen of Sheba, Bilquis is said to be a very good ruler. Women were also present at the pledge of allegiance for Prophet Mohammed. Khadijat ul Kubra, the Prophet’s first wife was a successful business woman. Aisha the Prophet’s youngest wife was active in politics and public life.

The achievements of these women are often overlooked by scholars that insist Islam affords women no rights.

Zainab binte Ali the granddaughter of the Prophet not only held the orphans and widows together after the Battle of Karbala, she also saved the life of her nephew the ailing Ali bin Hussain on at least three occasions by saying that those wishing to kill him would have to kill her first. She addresed gatherings in every place where their caravan was halted during an arduous journey from Kufa in Iraq to Damascus, she challenged the Governor of Kufa in his palace with her speech. Her speeches in the court of Yezid in Damascus are examples of her determination and endurance. It was she who put paid to efforts of Yezid in declaring the Battle of Karbal a as a fight between a rebel and a ruler and made people realise that it was a fight of good over evil. She ensured that her brother Hussain’s sacrifice was known to all.

We are in the present mess because we have stopped questioning and evolving.

The Messenger of Allah had said “Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim.”

It doesnot specify that only men should seek knowledge but that it is the duty of every Muslim.

And true knowledge does not come passively. You have to question, to probe in depth to get answers.

Islam was sent as a religion for all times and thus it has to be for all times. We are dragging it willy nilly into the medieval century.