Mother’s Role in Society
“Under the feet of one’s mother, lies the Heaven. ” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ” Abraham Lincoln God created men and women to build life together and to complete one another all lifelong. Hence, Islam opened the door to women to wade through all the fields of struggle in life side by side with men, supporting each other, helping, and completing one another.
Moreover, Islam did not separate them in roles, the thing that is clearly shown in God’s saying {The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil. } (9:71). Once we understand that justice embraces everything positive in life, and that evil comprises everything negative in it, we will then realize that men and women are partners in building up life. And just like men are responsible of the society, women also are equally responsible of the society they live in.
So, outside the framework of the specifically motherhood and fatherhood characteristics where they perform absolutely different functions, men and women have vast areas to conquer, building life shoulder to shoulder as human beings, equal in humanity. Accordingly, we can say that Islam had opened the door to women to enjoy life as a whole, in contrast to what some people may assume that it had tied them down in their characteristics as females.
The sphere in which a woman can express her femininity is narrow to a certain extent, because it is restricted to her marital life where her role as a female is mainly revealed, and to her family and feminine milieu where she can show her feminine traits through wearing ornaments or whatever… not to mention motherhood that is the most important feminine role that a woman fulfills. But motherhood itself is not purely a feminine role; all the more so it is a human role in a woman’s life. Thus, the role of a woman as a human being remains her most essential role in life.
She must confirm, in her actions, that she is a person of reason, a person of will, a person of affection, and a person who has a mission to carry out and she should prove that she has the ability to take part in life. So, women’s humanity is the most important aspect in their personality because it is the aspect that symbolizes the aim God (S. W. T) created them to achieve in this world. He created women to contribute to the existence with the faculties they have, just as He created men to contribute to the existence with the abilities they possess.
Therefore, we believe that, while the feminine aspect of the woman’s personality is revealed in a delimited sphere, her human aspect is manifested in her whole existence as a woman. Even more, the human aspect of her personality will indeed be integrated with the feminine aspect of her conduct as a female, whether with her husband or within her own specific sensations of femininity. Verily, the aspect of humanity in her will enrich that conduct turning it into a nobler one, and will expand her giving to the partner that she joins in marriage.
Every society is made up of blocks of family units. The stronger each block is, the stronger the structure of the society. Families are thus the building blocks, upon which rests the fate of society. For the development of good families, the mother plays a vital role. Many women today have aspirations of progress in their careers, and degrees in various fields. However it is indisputable that the most important achievement of a mother is the raising of sensible, virtuous children who will then move on to build other strong blocks for society.
It has been said that it is easy to bear children but it is difficult to raise them well. In that lies the challenge for all women who are mothers. Mother is, likely, one of those few words whose very cite inspires a fountain of emotions in the heart of almost every person. As very well said by a wise man, the mother’s lap is the first school for every child. Mother is every man’s primary wealth. Women are the creator and destroyer of society. Women can make a family, thus making the society a heaven by removing the wrongs and evils from the society.
Our society views motherhood as something very special. Mothers should provide security and stability for their children. An ideal mother must sacrifice many of her own wants and desires for the benefit of her child and should teach him/her the ethics of being a good citizen. An ideal mother tries her best to carry out the goal to make her home a paradise for her children. A Muslim mother has a valued and dignified role. Her contribution is acknowledged and appreciated. Her unparalleled gifts to the child have been aptly described by Imam Zaynul `Abidin (a) in Risalatul Huqooq – The Chapter of Rights.
It is the right of your mother that you should appreciate that she carried you [in her womb] the way nobody carries anybody. She fed you the fruits of her heart which nobody feeds anybody. She protected you [during pregnancy] with her ears, eyes, hands, legs, hair, limbs, [in short] with her whole being, gladly, cheerfully, and carefully; suffering patiently all the worries, pains, difficulties, and sorrows till the hand of God removed you from her and brought you into this world.
Then she was most happy, feeding you forgetting her own hunger, clothing you even if she herself had no clothes, giving you milk and water not caring for her own thirst, keeping you in the shade, even if she had to suffer from the heat of the sun, giving you every comfort with her own hardships; lulling you to sleep while keeping herself awake. ” The foundation of the family is laid with the decision to marry, and the importance of the mother is evident in Islamic teachings beginning with marriage, conception and then child rearing.
As times change, mothers change to meet the new roles that they are expected to play. Gone are the days where most mothers just cared for the family and the home. Mothers today are a lot of things to a lot of people. Mothers still have to fill the mother role, but it is not felt that they are the only ones responsible for rearing the family. What is a mother? It is now harder than ever to answer that question. The role of the mother is infinitely complex. Take any street in any town and ask a mother how they would define their role.
All the answers will be different and significantly so. The changing role of mother today includes career issues, responsibility for total home care, education of children, healthy life styles for family, and there is more focus on mother as a person with needs of her own. You didn’t disagree with mom on issues of life styles and how to care for the home. The problem with the role of mothers then and the role they now have is the need to feel that they had to be all things to all people.
Today mothers are not afraid to say what is on their mind and someone think they are not a good wife or mother. The changing role of mothers should not be seen as a bad change, but one that promotes healthy happier life styles for all family members. Mothers will always fill the role of mother, no matter how many changes in life occur. Families today are just realizing the importance of all the roles mothers have played in the past and how her role is changing for the better.
Women can change the society’s lookout and so they are only responsible for its upliftment or downfall. We all are greatly influenced by our Mothers. She remains a great reservoir of inspiration for all of us throughout our lives. Mothers not only inspire and make us good human beings but also bring smile on our faces. Mother’s value as a role model and keeper is undeniable. There is no substitute to mother for a baby. Mother plays a keystone role in bringing up newborn. Mother’s role is not limited to newborns only.
Mothers have to play a lively role even after their babies are grown up regardless of their age. In most of the Asian countries, mother is considered as symbol of strength and integrity and binding force for a family. Mother also plays a critical role in career building of her child, as mother best knows the capabilities, strengths and weaknesses in her kid and can better guide her child to choose the right profession. As mothers, are the one who mould their children into bright, beautiful, pure and strong itizens, we assign a special place to women in the society.
It is therefore all the more important that the girls who are studying presently, should train themselves in such a way that they can live up to the ideals and aspirations of future woman. In conclusion, if we want a good society, first of all we have to look for a good mother, as a mother is not only a school, but she is also the life, origin of human.
