پژوهش نامه اسلامی زنان و خانواده
سال چهارم شماره 11 (زمستان 1390)

Women have a special place in Imam Khomeini's thought owing to the oppressions and injustice committed against them over they history by previous regimes. His works and speeches well indicate that women's issues have been one the most important concerns of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the extent that we can term "Imam Khomeini's discourse about Women" as one of the subjects of the Imam's thought. Women's spiritual issues have special momentum in this discourse. The most important principle in the spiritual upliftment of women is that they themselves should be built on the basis of religious spirituality and coherent doctrines and logic of Islam. These doctrines and logic can be seen in the mirror of a Muslim scholar and a true expert of Islam such as Imam Khomeini, may Allah bless him. He is the best and the most perfect model who has explained women's spiritual status in rebuilding and shaping human society. This article seeks to concentrate on Imam Khomeini's discourse about women and focuses on his views about women's self-belief, role model, modest dress, education and learning, continence and piety and their man-making role which is linked to the spirituality and social role of women.

Man demonstrates his servitude and need to God through different ways. The prayer is the most important form of expressing servitude. The spirit of worship is ingrained in human nature that must be put, at the start of the birth, on the right track so that it may lead to worship of God. Hence, the ground must be paved for him from the outset of the childhood period; because this is the period in which a child's character is built and developed. The present article aims to study the Islamic texts with a view to explaining the groundwork and motivational methods which are meant to persuade the child to offer prayer. The 'groundwork' methods are those methods that must be carried out by parents before and after the child's birth. The motivational methods are methods that help persuade the child to learn prayers, get acquainted with its prerequisites and offer it; they cause the child to pick up a tendency towards the prayers and to strengthen his relationship with God. The Quranic verses and also traditions indicate that the existence of certain elements such as choosing a spouse, the way a child is conceived and methods like reciting Adhan and Iqamah to a child's ear, breastfeeding in the state of ritual purity etc. can lead to the child's understanding of the Lord, the Sublime. Also, other activities such as inculcating the love of God in a child's mind, taking him to the mosque and telling him sweet stories about prayer can help it get attracted towards prayer.

Since the family is the most important and main educational institution, it must be healthy and strong; a healthy family is a family characterized by good relationship between its members especially parents and children. In order for a family to attain a sound human relationship, there are certain principles and methods which the parents must know how to use to create a suitable relationship among family members. This article aims to study and elaborate on the effective methods of relationship between parents and children, the different types of relationship and the principles governing them, because lack of understanding can create a hindrance in their relationship with each other. Knowledge, familiarization with the facts, feeling of psychological security, balance, moderation of expectations are some of the principles which have been discussed in this article with reliance on Quranic verses and hadith. The result shows that the parents must be cognizant of suitable methods and strategies for establishing a relationship with their children. The parents can play with their children, greet and treat them in a way such that makes them feel that they are important and that gives them a feeling of psychological security. However, during the teenage period, the situation is different; the parents should create self-esteem and strengthen their children's self-confidence so as to pave the ground for growth and moral education of their teens so that as a consequence of which they can maintain sound relationship with them.

The roots of emotional and spiritual poverty faced by many individuals in society have to be found in the lack of correct interpretation of the family and practical adherence to the oneness of God and His being effective in life resulting in deterioration of family relationships and in anxiety, apprehension, false dreams, greed and ravenousness to material issues and violation of divine and human values. Given the important role of family foundations in transmitting revealed or non-revealed doctrines, a great amount of attention has been given to the well-being of the family unit, its growth and development. Thus, the public attitude toward this sacred foundation has derailed causing human societies to decline and fail to attain growth and development. This article investigates the Quranic verses about the family which is characterized by love, affection, trust, confidence peace and calm.The factors determining the stability and sustainability of the family or the weakness of its foundation and the strategies to strengthen family bonds based on the teachings of the Quran and lifestyle of noble religious leaders have been studied.

Today, the uncontrolled growth of consumption has developed into a predicament for many countries. The consumptionist society and country are less likely to attain self-sufficiency. The growing tendency to consume has in fact infiltrated and affected different strata of society including women who also have dual relationship with consumption. On the one hand women constitute half of the consumer population, on the other, they have direct effect on other's consumption choices and patterns. Therefore, reforming consumption pattern in anything whose maintenance and preservation have an impact on the individual himself and on society is necessary. In this regard, women can help institutionalize frugality and economic behavior in the family which can help change the culture of the whole society. A major part of the religious doctrines about economic issues, deal with desirable consumption patterns according to Islamic Shariah. In this study, first of all Islam's general standards have been introduced regarding consumption. Then social issues related to consumption and the effects of propagations on women's consumption behavior have been examined. The dangers of consumptionism (in the form of extravagance and fashionism) for women's society have also been taken into account by the writer. Since the manifestation of piety, contentment and simplicity in the life of Fatima Zahra can create sufficient motivation in Muslim women's lives, examples of simplicity and frugal conducts have been provided from the life of that great lady.

In the wake of some social and political developments in the past years, slogans are chanted at the international level demanding justice and equality between the rights of men and women. One of the women's most important demands is to have economic independence and equal financial rights with men. But the existing international law does not serve women's needs in this regard whereas Islam exalts the status of women by commanding that women should enjoy the right of ownership and appropriation of properties. Islam has given them independence in this regard and has obligated men to provide them with their needs, albeit with the observance of human and moral rules. This article introduces the economic position of women in Islam and studies the financial independence of women in Islamic jurisprudence and civil law of Iran.

The most important factor in the formation and growth of groups, are their values and the beliefs of their members. These are the factors of social convergence. Feminism like humanism, individualism and moral relativism has come into existence in the context of secular society with the motto of freedom and equality bringing about a lot of cultural changes in the society of Western women. In the Islamic societies, the women have a special value system, obligations and rights that are different from those of the Western women. The institutionalization of monotheistic values is possible only through systematizing them, creating value-laden systems and social structures congruous with them; otherwise, the global systems and programs entertain the women each day in the context of secular society with mottos such as feminism. In this article, the feminism movement and the differences in the approaches of Western and Muslim women have been studied. The writer has concluded that Islam is the most perfect religion and that it can help women find their real status and place in society. Also, the individual, family and social personality of woman in the context of a secular society and the dilemmas that have occurred in these three areas on egocentrism, new definition of marriage, insecurity, dual responsibility of women, lethargy, hopelessness and injustice committed against womanly personality have been studied.