This post is an extension to my previous post "The Pleading Woman in Qur'an". Many years after the revelation of Al Mujadala, and at the Khilafa (sucession period) of Omar Ibn Khattab, this old woman met the Khalifa (may God bless him) on the road while he was walking with some of his companions. This brave woman stopped Omar and said:

" O Omar! We used to call you Omairan (dimishing of Omar the name-a feature of Arabic language), and after we called you Omar, and now we call you the Prince of all believers. It is because of this that you should, always, live under the fear of God."

Khaoula was not trying to diminish the value of Omar Ibn Khattab in front of his companions, but, just, wanted to tell him that as a Man reaches a higher rank, he should never forget that God is higher than him. The companions of the Khalifa went angry about her and blamed Omar for hearing to what she had to say, due to the fact that she was an old, unknown women (to them) and that Omar was Khalifa. Then, Omar reminded his companions that this was the woman that God sent the revelation of Al Mujadala verse on her behalf, and for that she has the right to be heard. If God Himself and His Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) pleaded for her, and gave her the right to voice her frustrations and beliefs and to be heard, why Omar should not?

Another story that I learnt about the issue of women in Islam is the story of Barira, the ex. servant of Aicha (peace be upon her), and whom the Prophet Muhammad liberated her after and gave her the right to decide on her marriage with her husband, Moghit. Barira did not love Moghit, while the Prophet knew this. This woman told the Prophet (pbuh) that she wants divorce for no reason that she does not love him. When Moghit suffer from refusal and spent all his days convincing her of his attachement to her, the Prophet felt pity for him, and went to Barira to convince to regress on her decision. She said: Is this your order Prophet? He replied: "I am here to talk on his behaf". She replied: "if not (if it is not an order), it is no, I do not want him."

You see how the Prophet was talking to this woman. Yet, she was an ex. servant, but he treated her as woman with full right of expression and decision. Another story supporting this one narrate the example of a woman who comes to the Prophet to complain about her father, who forced her to marry a man she did not like -he was either a friend of the family or a cousin. The Prophet gave her the choice to decide on her marriage and ask divorce, but she said: " Finally, I have accepted this marriage, but I just want to complain about it and show that parents have no right to enforce women to marry men they do not like."

Can you relate a similar story about any leader in human history, if it was not the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his respectful position towards women? Women at the time of the Prophet used to meet with the Prophet concerning their issues, and ask, courageously, for their rights and for protection, and he never chided them, but always talked on their behalf. I recall another story that I heard from a Muslim Imam that Aicha the wife of the Prophet was suspicious of his feeling towards her, and began to blame him for this in front of his companion Abu Baker (may God bless him). Abu Baker felt angry about the Prophet (pbuh) and wanted to slap her. The dear Prophet came in between and stopped him. After Abu Baker went out, the Prophet told Aicha: " You see! I have defended against Abu Baker." (eventhough, you were disrespectful)

Aicha like Abu Baker (peace be upon them) as we can be are all imperfect people, we make mistakes and getlessons from it, but the Prophet of God was above all these imperfections. As Aicha said: he was a walking Qur'an; ie, he had a Qur'anic morality (peace and blessings be upon him)