The ideal Muslimah : the true Islamic personality of the Muslim woman as defined in the Qur'an and sunnah = Shakhsiyat al-mar®ah al-Muslimah

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She preserves her self-respect and dignity through her piety in obedience to Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (PBUH). She is the role model that every true believer hopes to emulate. Books on early Islamic history praise the contributions of the male companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is crucial that we seek to study the contributions of the female companions of the Prophet as well. An authentic hadith records that more than 70 Companions were injured and many others were martyred (Al-Bukhari, Book no. 59, Hadith no. 322).

At times, I found the explanations to be repetitive, especially when it was common sense. Perhaps the repetitiveness was to reiterate how easy it is to be a good Muslimah and to put greater emphasis on what is an 'Ideal Muslimah.' One note on some strange happenings. A woman goes to hell after being a good devout Muslim because she has "a sharp tongue" and a prostitute goes to heaven because she gave water to a dog once? Seems to me that God's ways are so mysterious as to not really matter, you may or may not get on his good side, and you can't possibly hope to know that before destiny is fulfilled. The Europeans were particularly astounded by the fact that the Muslims used to wash their hands before and after every meal. The Messenger of Allah said: “No, for he has repented to Allah” —I think he said, “with an act of repentance so great that if the people of Madinah were to repent in this way, it would be accepted from them.”The Prophet (PBUH) hated to see people come out in public wearing dirty clothes when they were able to clean them; he drew attention to the fact that the Muslim should always be clean, smart and pleasing to look at. The Muslim woman does not neglect her appearance, no matter how busy she is with her domestic chores and the duties of motherhood. She is keen to look good, without going to extremes, because a good appearance is an indication of how well she understands herself, her Islamic identity, and her mission in life. The outward appearance of a woman cannot be separated from her inner nature: a neat, tidy and clean exterior reflects a noble and decent inner character, both of which go to make up the character of the true Muslim woman. This book is very dense, and I definitely felt like the information could have been presented better at times. For example, I wish the author's voice was a little less prominent (in other words, I would have liked this to feel more like a reference book), and a lot of information came off as repetitive.

The Muslim woman takes good care of her body, promoting its good health and strength. She is active, not flabby or overweight. So she does not eat to excess; she eats just enough to maintain her health and energy. This is in accordance with the guidance of Allah (SWT) in the Qur’an: We know of Nusaybah’s bravery during the Battle of Uhud because so much did not go well during this battle. In the process, the life of the Prophet was constantly at risk. This teaching which is directed at men, is directed even more so at women, who are usually thought of as being more clean, the source of joy and tranquillity in the home. Throughout history, Muslim women have played a vital role in various aspects of the development of their community. However, no one else holds the special title of being the defender of the Prophet himself, as Nusaybah did. She withstood the pain of multiple wounds to ensure that no harm would reach the Prophet. The book made many references to “corrupted western values” that corrupts many Muslims nowadays. Some of them are right, but the author referenced it so many times it almost funny and made me laugh and think “Is he obsessed with Western people?”. I mean, not every so-called Western values are bad, right? I admire their independence, hard-working, and appreciation of individuality. The author wrote it in a way that if you are an alien from another planet, you’ll think Western values are complete evil. However, if someone from the Western world made a praise about Islam, he will referenced it immediately. That’s why I said it’s almost funny.Islam encourages the Muslims in general to stand out among the people; the Muslim woman, in particular, is encouraged to be distinct from other people in her appearance, because this reflects well on her, and on her husband, family and children. a state of janabah (impurity, e.g. following marital relations), and wear perfume.” 4“Whoever attends Friday prayer, man or woman, should take a bath ( ghusl).” 5

The life of Nusaybah is not chronicled in detail. What remains is authenticated and well documented due to her participation in key events in the life of the Prophet and in the early days of Islam. The Muslim woman who truly follows the teachings of Islam keeps her body and clothes very clean. She bathes frequently, in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH), who advised Muslims to take baths, especially on Fridays: “Have a bath on Fridays and wash your heads, even if you are not in The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came to visit us, and saw a man who was wearing dirty clothes. He said, `Could this person not find anything with which to wash his clothes?'” In the palace of the King of England (George I), the ugly smell emanating from the persons of the King and his family overpowered the grandeur of their fine, lace-edged French clothes. This is what was happening in Europe. While I agree that men and women have different physical condition, needs, obligations, and rights, I can’t help but notice the difference between the two books in the the chapter about spouses. I read The Ideal Muslim in English Edition 4 (2005) and The Ideal Muslimah in English Edition 6 (2005). While the other chapters relatively balanced, this one chapter is unfortunately not.

In the course of defending the Prophet, Nusaybah suffered wounds, but she did not complain or lose heart. Asking the Prophet to make du`aa’ that she and her family would join him in Paradise, he did so.