Can Muslim Women Overcome These Challenges?
Overcoming the above challenges to stick to and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is an uphill task.
A Muslim nowadays has to not just guard his or her faith from the onslaught of modernism and the prevalence of more fitnah (worldly allurements), but he also has to strive to prove, through his actions, that Islam is practical and easy to implement in all times.
In increasingly secular societies, religion has been divorced from politics and government; progress and advancement is now synonymous with secularism and lack of religion.
Sadly, the economic progress and military power of these societies urge modern Muslims to abandon the teachings of Islam that were revealed centuries ago.
Challenges of Muslim Women in the Modern Life
Muslim women are ardent followers of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad as well.
However, those teachings of his Sunnah that are relevant to men are not supposed to be followed by women; the Prophetic teachings clearly marked the different requirements of the roles of both genders in society.
For example, growing a beard and praying every prayer regularly in the mosque are applicable to Muslim men rather than women.
Muslim women, therefore, look up to practical examples from within the Prophet’s life, of women who obeyed and practiced Islam according to his teachings, to get guidance towards how to apply his Sunnah in the modern context today.
Foremost among these noble women are his wives and daughters, some of who had significant expertise in matters of Islamic jurisprudence.
Today, the greatest challenge Muslim women face on a global level, when they choose to practically live the Sunnah as a way of life, is the assumption that they are oppressed by Muslim men and forced to cover themselves with modest clothing and focus on their homes and families, instead of careers.
Many Muslim women obey Allah’s Messenger and willingly adopt the highly fulfilling Islamic way of life. However, misconceptions about women in Islam, purported by a few legitimate but gender-based differences in Islamic laws and commands, abound in global media, nurturing unjustified stereotyping and propaganda.
Successful Examples
Today, several Muslim women have carved a niche for themselves, especially in the field of dawah through communications media. They are wives and mothers, but also writers, journalists, doctors, lawyers and teachers. They are active in their community and in service of Islam.
Their hijab and other aspects of adherence to Islamic principles do not thwart them from being educated, proactive members of society.
Practical Advice
To implement the Sunnah in one’s daily life in this day and age, there is no one, clear-cut methodology. Rather, a broad strategy that, when applied in the long-term, leads to surefire results:
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