Housework

[itsme]

Imam Ahmed reported in his Musnad, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to “sew his own clothes, mend his own shoes and do whatever other work men do in their homes.”

This was said by his wife Aisha, when she was asked about what the Messenger of Allah used to do in his house. In another narration, she said: “He was like any other human being: he would clean his clothes, milk his ewe and serve himself.”

In yet another narration reported in Sahih Bukhari, a more general description of his involvement at home is available. The Mother of Believer, Aisha narrates, "He used to serve his family, then when the time for prayer came, he would go out to pray."

If we revive this example in our lives, we would at least achieve a few things:
1. we would be following the example of the Prophet
2. we would be bringing our families closer together & helping our wives
3. we would inject more humility into our lives & stave of arrogance.

It is commonplace nowadays to hear of men who demand food instantly from their wives when they get home. The pot might be on the stove and the baby screaming to be fed. Yet, they do not even pick up the child or show patience and wait a little while for the food. Let these ahadeeth be a reminder and a lesson for all of us.

Source:
"Advice on Establishing an Islamic Home" - By Salih Al-Munajjid, pp. 66-67

[snakelegs]

:bravo::bravo::bravo:

[ummAbdillah]

This was said by his wife Aisha, when she was asked about what the Messenger of Allah used to do in his house. In another narration, she said: “He was like any other human being: he would clean his clothes, milk his ewe and serve himself.”

MashaAllah!!

[sevgi]

mashallah...

he was the closest thing to perfect after all.thus not so appropriate to comapre to our imperfect men.lol.

he would mend is clothes and shoes...

he only had one throughout a lifetime.lol.our men have so many..they would be sewing for hours on end.:D

before a brother comes and starts to comapre us women to our mother aisha...i shall leave it here:)

peace!

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[snakelegs]

this thread is very quiet, huh? :D

[itsme]

mashallah...

he was the closest thing to perfect after all.thus not so appropriate to comapre to our imperfect men.lol.

he would mend is clothes and shoes...

he only had one throughout a lifetime.lol.our men have so many..they would be sewing for hours on end.:D

before a brother comes and starts to comapre us women to our mother aisha...i shall leave it here:)

peace!

:sl:

^o):? i don't understand why brothers should compare us to our mother aisha. the meaning of the above does not mean that brothers should start mending their shoes and sewing their clothes. rather it is more of an indication that they should help the women in their house in whatever way they can.

[itsme]

this thread is very quiet, huh? :D

quite right...

[sevgi]

:sl:

^o):? i don't understand why brothers should compare us to our mother aisha. the meaning of the above does not mean that brothers should start mending their shoes and sewing their clothes. rather it is more of an indication that they should help the women in their house in whatever way they can.

i know that...i dnt understand what is being refuted...

they could help by mending their own clothes for starters...then we can move on to more encomapssing housework.

the predominant eg's given of our prophet pbuh were inclined towards the likes of mending.so i went on from that.it didnt say that he used to do the dishes or vaccum or clean windows.it merely states that he would do his own thing, and/or, more vaguely, that he would 'serve his family'...

we are showing him as a role model to our men...in terms of mending-as housework-

the men may easily turn around and show aisha mother as a role model to us in terms of whatever they like...

all in all, i believe my post had a sarcastic tone and i stand by it...i still feel that its refutation is unnecesary.

peace.

[itsme]

:sl:

got your point. :okay:

[Muhaba]

I must say I don't like housework so much. I get most of the stuff done myself but I think having someone else to do some of the work once or twice a week is a good idea. I don't think it is right for a woman to burden her husband / male relatives with housework when he works all day, even if he is sitting in an office all day. Who said that was easy work? Sure, some men like doing housework, but I still think that everyone should be considerate and think of the other household members. Hiring a maid for an hour once or twice a week is a good compromise, I think.

[greenhill]

I feel men should play a role. Anything involving ladders, power tools, general repairs, lifting, perhaps an occasional dinner - that's pushing too far..:D

Did you know the reason women grew long nails and painting them was to indicate that they do not do house work :exhausted ...

:shade:

[MuslimInshallah]

Did you know the reason women grew long nails and painting them was to indicate that they do not do house work :exhausted ...

:shade:

(smile) I've seen village girls who haul buckets of water, hand-wash clothes, hoe the garden, milk the cows… and they like to paint their nails. Admittedly, long nails don't work too well in these conditions, but they would like them if they could. They paint their nails because they think it makes their nails prettier.

As for housework, according to rulings by all 4 madhaahib (schools of Islamic Law), this is not mandatory on the woman. It is a sadaqa she does for her family. Some have argued that her obligation to housework is implicit in her marriage because of prevailing social norms, but this is, in my opinion, a weak argument, and a dangerous one, too. Because it opens the door to all social norms as over-riders of Islamic ideas.

Basically, I think we have to look towards justice and kindness to illuminate our understandings. If a husband and wife want to build a good family, they are going to have to mutually agree on how to do this. I know of too many families where the husband is un- or under-employed, while the wife not only does all the housework and child raising (which is hard!), but she also is working part- or full-time outside the home. One friend is also studying! And yet the husbands feel it is their "Islamic right" to do little or nothing to contribute to the family!

This is obviously not Islamic. The husband has a duty to provide for the needs of his family. A wife has the duty to fulfil his sexual needs. Outside of this, we should behave bi-lma'rouf, that is, with equity, kindness and politeness.

And therefore, it seems to me, the exact tasks each member of the couple performs is going to vary from case to case, according to circumstances.

May Allah Help us Search His Will with sincerity.

[Muhaba]

Did you know the reason women grew long nails and painting them was to indicate that they do not do house work ...

You can't type fast with long nails either.

[ardianto]

Could a wife ordered her husband to wash the clothes, ironing, washing dishes, cleaning the house?. Could a wife angry to her husband if her husband didn't do what she has ordered?.

Yes, ...... if her husband was Mr.Ardianto. :D
.
Housework was my daily job during my married life, although I must work to make money too and my wife was a housewife. But I didn't mind to do this duty, because I realized, my wife was too busy to take care our children, and cooked the foods.

Now I still do housework, including cook simple foods for my children. I don't hire a maid. Since I have no wife, I don't want a female stranger serve me and my family.

[hisnameiszzz]

Awesome thead. I wish my Dad could have taken this on board. He used to work my Mom like his own personal slave. At aged 13, I started to help her with cooking and cleaning because I felt awful for the way he treated her and made her run around after him.

There should also be some quotes which tell women to do housework too! ;D;D;D My brother's wife sits around like a diva all day and does nothing whatsoever, well other than talking to her Mom on her cellphone and her friends. My brother has to go to work, take the kids to school, bring them back, feed them, clothe them, cook, clean and do all the housework. Not fair is it? There should be a compromise.

[InToTheRain]

:salam:

EHHH...What is the "Housework" :O is it perchance referring to rituals of times ancient past

[ardianto]

Physically, women are not as strong as men. If the husbands realize it, they would not burden their wives with too many housework.

[Muhaba]

Hahahaha! So many gentlemen who don't want to burden their wives with housework. Times have truly changed. It's amazing.

Anyway, since you're all so keen on doing housework, here's my secret recipe that I often use to put together a quick meal. You can use it when you want to cook for your families.

Wash and cut one or two vegetables (such as squash (three medium) and potatoes (two medium)).
Put this into a clean pot. Add 1 large chopped onion and one bulb of garlic.
Add a little oil (to taste).
Once you have all the vegetables in the pot, turn on the fire to medium flame. When oil gets hot, add spices and salt to taste, and stir everything in the pot to mix everything.
Then add 2-3 medium tomatoes (finely chopped) and continue to stir everything every once in a while. After a while, lower the heat and let it cook until vegetables are tender. (You may now cover the pot with a lid and let it cook on low flame. You may also add a few spoons water, but only if required.) Once done, turn the fire off and serve.
Takes about 15 minutes to cook and is really hassle free. Plus it tastes very good.

[ardianto]

Hahahaha! So many gentlemen who don't want to burden their wives with housework. Times have truly changed. It's amazing.

Amazing? amazing what?. Those husbands just don't want their wives too tired for their main duty.

:)