The female king in Islam

The most famous (though not the first) female king in Islam is Syajar (or Syajarat) ad-Durr who ruled Egypt for several months in the seventh / thirteenth century and founded the Mamlik Bahri dynasty. He was the favorite sultan of the Ayyubid sultan named sultan Malik al-shalih Najamuddin, and when this sultan was killed, he concealed the death of the sultan, and carried out the state affairs by the name of the sultan. Thanks to his intelligence and ingenuity and prosperity he created in Egypt, the Mamluks became respectful of him and ultimately raised him to the sultan. During his reign, his name was cited as a ruler in Friday sermons in mosques, and issued a coin bearing his name - two classical symbols of Islam for political validity.

 But Ayyubid Ayyubiyah did not want to recognize it as the ruler of Egypt for several reasons, and received Khalifah support in Baghdad. The Caliph told the Egyptians that if they did not get a man among them the Caliph would send someone to them and quote the words of the Prophet. To overcome the objections of his people, the Mamluks married him to the army commander and appointed a six-year-old boy as the second king (Roded, 1995: 204).

Nevertheless, Syajar ad-Durr resumed domestic affairs when his husband was preoccupied with external battles and internal political struggles. In the end he killed her husband and lost Mamluk support, and was detained. He was beaten to death by the slaves of his husband's first wife, and his half-naked body was thrown into a ditch, his body dumped for several days, before he was finally buried properly in the Mausoleum he had built himself (Roded 1995: 205).

Biographical notes on Syajar ad-Durr mention only the facts of his career, positively expose him, and do not mention that the woman who became the ruler as an oddity. Other sources of the Mamluk priode put forth more dreadful details showing the negative side of his character. The uniqueness of its role has attracted the attention of many experts who vary their judgment about its real impact on Egypt. In modern times, his image as a female ruler has amazed people's imagination.

The longest period when women were de facto ruling in an Islamic state, was the reign of women in the Ottoman Empire, which lasted for about one hundred and fifty years in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Such phenomena as Ottoman observers and modern historians are regarded as a sign, if not the cause of the Ottoman collapse. Leslie Penn's recent study of the period poses the thesis that the political influence, firstly, the sultan's favorite and then the sultan's mothers, was the cause of changes in the structure and validity of the Ottomans. The absence of women in biographical collections at this time (along with other forms of resistance to women's opportunities), is a reaction to women who reach the pinnacle of power in a Muslim country (Roded 1995: 208).

Furthermore, in today's contemporary era of women as leaders of the country in politics, it is often understood subjectively and black and white. This is for example seen in the case of Benazir Bhutto rising to become prime minister of Pakistan, many scholars there who criticize his position. Therefore, when Nawaz Syarif succeeded in overthrowing Benazir Bhutto's position in the 1997 election in Pakistan, it became a powerful weapon for Islamic fundamentalist groups to attack women's ability to take the lead. Why is every woman's defeat in the political stage always associated with the image of the weakness of women's leadership in general and instantly making it as eternal evidence? In fact, if the opposite happens, for example there is a male head of state who failed, the community commented on it as a matter of course.

The description of such active women was also revealed at a meeting in New Delhi hosted by the Geneva-based International Parliamentary Union (IPU). In a meeting attended by representatives of 77 countries over the five days it discussed women's and men's partnership in politics. In a meeting entitled "Toward Partnership Between Men and Women in Politics" stated that during this unfair treatment, especially by the mass media, against women politicians who are often said "Wild" and tend to hysterical while male politicians are often said as a politician The wise (Syafiq, 2001: 200).

Leadership failure can not be basically rely on the leader's personal self. Moreover, in modern leadership that is no longer dependent on individual personal ability, success or failure is the collective responsibility of the people involved in the leadership system. So it is not natural to claim the leadership of Benazir Bhutto, for example as a representation of female leadership character in general. Why the success of Margaret Thatcher's leadership is not considered a symbol of a woman's general leadership success. Here it appears the injustice created by many parties (Syafiq, 2001: 201).

In modern management theory a leader is a person who is able to organize all the elements contained within the scope of management. There are people, assets, markets and other supporting elements. A successful leader of a country is a leader who is able to use the above elements effectively. If women are able to properly manage the elements of management, why women should not be heads of state.

The next issue that needs to be clarified is how should one understand women's leadership in Islam? As already noted, the issue of state leadership or usually referred to as khilafah (head of government) is very important. Until now persolan associated with the female caliphate is still in a debate that is unrelenting. Each side clings to its own doctrine of doctrine. Then the question that should be raised here is, does Islam really forbid women to become khalifah? Benazir Bhutto from Pakistan and Khalidah Ziyah from Bangladesh have responded with action. Long before in the history of the previous Prophets Allah SWT also tells the queen of women named Balqis of Saba ', an area in South Yemen. If God does not allow women to become heads of state, why does He lift his story without any tone of humiliation in the Qur'an?

As it turns out, the basis of the argument about the prohibition against women to become head of state, according to al-Zuhaili and some other literature is based on a hadith narrated by Abu Bakrah. "It will not be fortunate for a people who submit all its problems to women." Abu Bakrah used the hadith To respond to A'ishah as the leader of the bourgeois war, but in fact that this hadith issued by the Messenger of Allah in order to respond to the leadership of the daughter of Kisra, Persia, is reinforced by Ibn 'Abbas's narrations of the Prophet's letter to Kisra or Persian Emperor (Syafiq, 2001 : 204).

Furthermore, we can also see that in Indonesia too, although the number of opinions that developed in the midst of society about whether or not women become head of State. The President of Indonesia, the woman can become the head of state as president Megawati Soekarno Putri, can run its leadership as well as possible, the 1945 Constitution allows women to be President and elected by MPR members, in direct election if the people choose President Then the leadership will be recognized.

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From the above descriptions it can be concluded that, at the time of Prophet Muhammad, the position of women in the political system, was still very limited, because all the problems could be solved directly by the Prophet. Women play a role in politics as bai'at towards leaders / heads of state as well as occasionally advocating for political interests, as well as joining the battlefield in the back line.

The period of Khulalafa ar-Rashidin too, the position of women in the political field is still very limited, limited only to membai'at head of state and also provide input and sometimes criticize the leader in the right circumstances or situations. Also once as a troop leader Siti Aisyah in war jamal (camel) and even then only conditional. Women have not yet seen the role that really determines the policy in government in the system of politics.

After Khulafarasyidin and contemporary now, the position of women in the Islamic world's political system has been very diverse, from participating indirectly like her husband, her son or brother who became head of state, he also determine the domestic policy and give advice to the caliph in the government and There are also secretly direct reigns because of circumstances that provide opportunities, and women have been as direct policy makers play an active role in politics, especially in the 20th century many women who have occupied the highest position in government or as head country.

Reference

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