The Return of Women to Their Proper Roles—with a Correct Understanding of Those Roles—is a Complex and Costly Process

Observation and Caution

Each time one glances at social media discussions, one finds, among the replies, female users—women and girls—bearing slogans like “seeking knowledge,” “calling to Allah,” and “reform.”
Most of them are aligned with a particular scholar, group, or state, and their responses reflect fervor and a clear, unmistakable sense of purpose.

Yet what urgently requires attention and unflinching discussion is this:
This segment of active female participants on social platforms often harms knowledge, da‘wah (calling to Islam), and reform more than the very opponents they seek to confront.

Their harsh, sometimes offensive and impulsive replies—laden with aggression, bitterness, and fanaticism—only add to the noise of unrefined debates lacking evidence and decorum.

This group, unintentionally, discredits committed Muslim women and even discredits themselves, believing they are defending truth and holding a vital frontline in service of the faith—when in reality, they are doing quite the opposite.
In fact, they often provide ammunition against the very causes and figures they claim to support.

A Call to Reflection

O servant of Allah, I know that you cling to a dream and a purpose, and that you strive for it sincerely.
But let it never be at the expense of the Muslim woman’s modesty and chastity.
Let it not compromise the dignity of seclusion and the sanctity of the veil.

O servant of Allah, you who race to the platforms of knowledge and da‘wah—beware!
Supporting those you love, trust, and endorse must not come at the cost of your identity as a woman of God—modest, restrained, and far removed from aggression or hostility.

And if you truly believe that the one you are defending—whether a scholar, a group, or a state—is upon clear truth,
then tell me: how would your absence from online disputes and verbal battles with unknown men possibly harm his cause?

What business have you, O woman, with engaging men in their personal pages, or even intruding into private messages, to raise your voice in argument and escalation?

A Subtle Infiltration

Western calls for “women’s liberation” and modern feminist ideologies have begun to infiltrate under an Islamic guise—seeking to assert the woman’s “presence” in ways that harm her far more than they benefit her.

And though some still deny the existence of such activists, those who are honest and observant know well that they are widespread on social platforms.
Many respected men of knowledge and wisdom deliberately avoid engaging with them—
because of their sharp tongues, offensive tone, and ill-mannered speech.

Knowledge Without Modesty Is a Hollow Claim

Dear sister, knowledge and da‘wah—if they do not first rectify your own heart before anyone else’s,
if they do not cultivate piety and modesty within you,
then there is no good in such public prominence that unravels its own fabric,
nor in argumentative displays that bring nothing but insult, disgrace, and sin.

A girl who truly walks in the light of faith grows in chastity and grace.
So when you see one ablaze with insolence, competing in rudeness under the illusion that she is defending scholars and da‘wah—
know that she has not yet understood how deeply she has sunk into the mire of ignorance.

A Word to the Callers

We ask Allah that those who hold pulpits and lead da‘wah movements remain alert to what is happening around them—
and that they not overlook the subtle deviations emerging within this segment,
thinking it insignificant.
For neglecting it may allow such behavior to evolve into a doctrine and methodology of its own.

How repulsive is the sight of a masculinized woman cloaked in the garb of religion and da‘wah!
How disturbing is this new breed of fanatical feminists—raising banners of defending religion and the ummah,
while they bear no resemblance, in conduct or demeanor, to the women of the Salaf or the Mothers of the Believers!

This is not how noble women serve their faith.
This is not how free women deliver their ummah from decline.

Returning to the Prophetic Path

Fear Allah regarding uprightness—let it be as He commanded,
not as dictated by media alliances or emotional loyalties.

We seek the Prophetic path, not the path of modern ignorance (Jāhiliyyah).

Whoever heeds this advice, reforms herself, and seeks only what purifies her heart and faith—let her not worry about anything beyond that,
for Allah is too just to wrong anyone.

But she who turns away and grows arrogant harms only herself,
and her example becomes a warning to others.

Indeed, the return of women to their rightful positions, with a correct understanding of those positions,
is a complex and costly process—as we witness every day.

Yet religion is sincere counsel,
and Allah alone is the ultimate aim and witness.