ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Woman Chapter 2: The Human Perfections After discussing in the first chapter the equal identity of the woman and man, and attaining to a clear conclusion of it, I will discuss in this chapter the first arena of this common identity, that is the human perfections and accomplishments.

What I intend to say is that the door of the human maturities under the protection of the Islamic Shari'ah, is uniformly open wide before all women and men, who have ability, aptitude and full innate readiness for traversing the various courses of these maturities. We have to investigate and peruse the woman's human perfection in two grounds: Knowledge and moral conduct.

And this theme can be laid for disputation from two sides, one being theoretical confirmation, and the second being historical and original consideration. Further, this issue can be discussed according to religious texts and sources, that is the holy Qur’an and Prophetic Sunnah, and also on the basis of historical and external evidences this theory can be proved. For completing and covering all dimensions of this matter, it is essential and necessary to take its both sides into consideration.

In other words, we can say that the way to such development and perfection was paved by the holy Qur’an and teachings and precepts of the Prophet (S) and Infallible Imams, whose traces can be sought in that epoch and many following eras. What follows is discussion and elaboration of two arenas of perfection, i.e.

moral behaviour and knowledge, with due attention to theoretical and historical sources: Moral Behaviour The holy Qur’an has paved the way for moral behaviour before the woman, in a way taking Mary and wife of Pharaoh as two examples and patterns to be followed by all the believers: “Setteth forth God the similitude unto those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh, when said she: “O my Lord!

Build Thou for me a house in the Garden and deliver me from Pharaoh and his doing, and deliver me from the unjust people! And Mary the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and breathed We unto it “her baby” of Our Spirit, and she testified the truth of the words of her Lord, and His Scriptures, and she was of the obedient ones.” (Qur’an, 66:11­12).

These two women have attained to lofty ranks in faith and nearness to Allah, though one having no father and the other being under protection of an ill­natured husband claiming deity.