Gabriel (peace be upon him) filled the cave with light, and Muhammad clearly saw someone with a mysterious piece of parchment. He commanded Muhammad to “Recite!” three times before Muhammad , shaken, asked what he should read. It was then that the first five verses of the Quran were revealed, from Surat Al-Alaq:

“Read in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is most Generous, Who teaches by means of the pen, teaches man what he does not know.” (96: 1-5)

Tired and shell-shocked, he returned home in a state of fear and asked Khadijah to, “Cover me, cover me.” The tactful, intelligent, and supportive wife that she was, she waited until Prophet Muhammad’s anxiety had abated before asking about its cause. After the experience was told, Khadijah said, “Allah will not let you down because you are kind to relatives, you speak only the truth, you help the poor, the orphans, and the needy, and you are an honest man”. Later, she consulted with her cousin Waraqa, who possessed admirable knowledge about revelation and scripture, and he confirmed the truth: “Muhammad is the expected Prophet.”

After that, Prophet Muhammad began receiving revelations. His first convert was Khadijah , who not only believed in him without hesitation but also helped spread the message of Islam. The next two converts were Ali bin Abi Talib (cousin) and Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (close friend). The Prophet was reported to have said that everyone whom he approached with the message of Islam took their time answering his message – except Abu Bakr , who was unhesitating; this is why he will always be remembered as Al-Siddiq, or The Believer.

For three years, the Prophet only made da’waah within his own family and close friends. However, he was finally commanded by Allah to publicize the message in Mecca. When he began sharing his profound message – that there is only one God – a number of men in their community had approached Abu Talib about what Prophet Muhammad was doing. Assuming he only wanted fame, they offered to make Prophet Muhammad a king among them if he would end his efforts. When Abu Talib approached Prophet Muhammad about the matter, the Prophet told him that they could offer to place the moon in his right hand and the sun in his left, and he would still not defy Allah’s command.

Poor and unprotected converts were subjected to horrible torture by the disbelievers; these disbelieving Meccans assumed that the rise of Islam would be their downfall, a prospect that encouraged hostility of the worst kind. The powerful and ruthless Umar ibn Al-Khattab was among their number, and yet he converted later: his story is nothing short of miraculous.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s belligerence to Islam was well-known; he resolved to defend the traditional religion of Arabia and was said to have been adamant in persecuting the Muslims. He saw the new monotheistic religion as a cause of discord and disunity for the tribe of Quraish, and when the message began to spread, he decided that the only solution was to kill Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He said to himself, “Here is a man who has split the people. People lived smoothly enough. He appeared on the scene. He has torn son from father and brother from brother. Now his followers are running away to another land. Surely Muhammad is the cause of all trouble. I must slay him and put an end to the trouble.”

On his way to the Prophet’s dwelling with his sword in tow, Umar was met by a fellow Quraishi who laughed when he heard the murderous plans. “Set your own house in order first,” he said, “your sister and her husband have converted to Islam”. After hearing such shocking news, Umar changed course and made for his sister Fatima’s house. Upon his arrival, he found the two newly-converted Muslims reading Surat Taha. He began to beat his brother-in-law cruelly and furiously; Fatima bravely ran to help and was struck on the head. She began to bleed, and the couple shouted together, “Yes, we have become Muslims. Do what you will!”

At the sight of the blood on his sister’s head, Umar felt remorse for his actions. He asked to take a look at the Qur’anic verse. Fatima told him to go cleanse himself first before being able to read the Holy Book. He did as he was asked, and upon his return Fatima noticed that her brother was calmer. She handed him the pages of the Qur’an, and Umar sat down to read. After a few moments, struck by the beauty and divinity of the verses, he began weeping: “Surely this is the word of Allah!”

Umar proceeded to make his way to the Prophet’s house once more, yet for a different cause. He converted to Islam, and the Muslims were filled with great joy, for one of Islam’s greatest enemies had now become a follower.

The Prophet’s message continued to spread, particularly after Umar’s conversion, and opposition to him grew and was led by Amr ibn Hisham (better known as Abu Jahl, or “Father of Ignorance”). His methods of torture grew so severe that Summayyah, one of the earliest converts, died as the first martyr of Islam. Prophet Muhammad himself was unharmed, as his uncle, Abu Talib, was a prominent member of Mecca and protected him unfailingly. But Muhammad was left on his own when both Abu Talib and Khadijah died in the year 619 AD. Little did he know that his biggest undertaking was yet to come: Hijra – his migration to the city of Medina.

MuslimGirl.net is covering the entire history of the Islamic Empire in the 30 days of Ramadan 2009! Click here to see the entire series.

It is widely known that before Islam, women were considered inferior to men in every aspect; they were more sex objects than anything else, and they were commonly unacknowledged as individual beings. It was a shame for a baby girl to be born – the infant would be buried alive. Buried alive, just for the crime of being female! But God sent Islam and liberated women from all this mistreatment. Islam tore off the chains that bound us, and set us free from the cage of masculine injustice.

Fast forward to today. Not only are we living in a time of “Neo-Jahiliyyah” (New Darkness), but women are helping speed up the process! It’s strange, but sometimes what you want turns out to be exactly what isn’t good for you, although many girls haven’t realized it. They crave attention from men and obtain it with revealing clothing, make up, jewelry, etc. And those independent, spirited women have only reached their places in society today by fighting decades and even centuries of hardship.  Take America for example: before the Women’s Rights Movement, women were supposed to stay at home to cook, clean, and tend to the children. They were only educated from ages 9-12, while men recieved full schooling. Those females who were forced to go out and find work were paid very low salaries and given few hours compared to men. Only after did they unite and fight were they given a fraction of the rights they enjoy today, and even now there are still struggles for women’s equality! You’d think that now that we are in the 21st century, situations would be entirely different and mind frames would be changed. It’s a shame that we can’t say that for all cases in America, and even less for other countries around the world.

It’s also a shame that people can’t just look to Islam for the answers. Islam is, as was said before, a beautiful and perfect religion. It liberated women 1400 years ago, when it was first revealed.

Islam gave women the human right of equality to men. Now, just because women and men have different obligations doesn’t mean that either one is superior or inferior. It’s like trying to compare a hammer to a saw and saying that a saw is better because it cuts or a hammer is better because it smashes. They are used for different things, so neither is greater than the other. Islam showed us that, and also asserted that women aren’t “evil” by nature as some may assume.

Women were also given the civil right of individuality by expression and the social right (and obligation) of education. On any public matter, a woman may give her opinion and participate in politics. She may also hold position in goverment; Abdul-Rahman ibn Auf was said to have consulted with many women before recommending Uthman ibn Affan for the caliphate.

Islam fosters the idea that a woman’s first care is to raise children and support her husband, yet if she has the capabilities to work outside the house she may do so as long as family obligations are met. Let’s not forget that the Prophet’s first wife was a business woman (who happened to propose to him)! A woman also has the right to earn money (which she is not obliged to spend on the family, for the man must be of support monetarily), own property, and manage assets in whatever way she would like to. What other religion (or society) has offered women as much as that, for longer than an entire millennium?

As a wife, a woman has the right to be treated with care and kindness, as well as be given support by all means regardless of her wealth.

Finally, and importantly, the hijab is an obligation for women as a way to protect her from lustful stares and liberate her from social standards of attractiveness. As a hijabi, I always feel very protected by the headscarf and I don’t feel like I have to prove myself to be as beautiful as a model on a magazine. The Qur’an states, “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they should be known and not molested.” (33:59) The Prophet said, “Allah, Most High, is Ha’yeii (Bashful), Sit’teer (Shielder). He loves Haya’ (Bashfulness) and Sitr (Shielding; Covering).”

Looking at the true and noble values of Islam, it’s AMAZING how much we were given, and how humans have distorted it with the dark side of culture and tradition. As always, we look to the example of Prophet Muhammad for how we should live our lives, so here is what said about women in Islam:

The Prophet said, “Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female).”

Of motherhood, “Heaven lies under the feet of the mothers.”

Of marriage, “The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives.”

Source: Islam101

I was wrong, though. Of course I was. And I still clearly remember the event that changed my mind.

A private Islamic school in my community was holding a “Sisters’ Night” – an all-girls night where we would be permitted to don flashy dresses and let our hair down for all to see. My friends, sisters, and sisters’ friends were all going, so I was excited; I even had a “little black dress” to wear. I expected to have fun, but I didn’t know that I would finally have an answer to a question that would change me, my perception of hijab and Muslim women, and my life.

Excited, I dashed to the entrance of the building at the designated time, flung open the door, and gasped… I didn’t know anyone there. Wait, I did! In fact, upon closer observation, I recognized quite a lot of the faces I had thought to be unfamiliar at first sight!

Subhan’Allah! What a difference flowing hair and bright colors make. It was then that I realized, not for the first time, that Allah is All-Knowing. The girls were stunningly beautiful, especially the hijabis who normally wore very loose clothing and dull colors. Certainly, everyone had let their hair down in every sense of the phrase.

I had always loved the hijab, despite my doubt, but now I wear it with ten times more pride. Instead of laying out my beauties for all to see and enjoy, I’m reserving it only for certain people who are allowed the privilege. And my thoughts about the head scarf always lead back to the same analogy – diamonds. A bullet-proof, glass case is to a diamond as the hijab is to a girl!

And when you ask them (the Prophet’s wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and their hearts.’ (33:53)