The Character of the “Society” Woman

In the societies living by the morality of ignorance, the character of a woman brought up within the group called, “high society” is still no different from that of a housewife. Their characteristics and habits are similar. But the circumstance and possibilities in this environment, being better disposed of by financial means, are different from those of the middle-income housewife. This difference results in different habits among them.

These women are overwhelmed with anxiety about fitting in to their milieu. For this reason, they behave according to the expectations of those around them, rather than according to their own desires, disposition or inclinations. The expectations of the majority of the members of high society are usually based on money and pretense. Therefore, those women who adopt this lifestyle spend their days mainly in “high society” doing the “in-things,” trying their best to fit in to that way of life. The world of such women is one of pretence and putting on airs; to this end she will go to holiday resorts, wear clothes considered “high fashion,” gossip at a spa or high-class beauty salon, meet her friends for lunch in an expensive restaurant, or buy things imported from abroad.

Although they appear to have brightly colored lives from the outside, their lives are in fact at least as monotonous and dull as those of housewives. After sleeping until lunchtime every day, they then glance at the magazine gossip pages and begin drawing up their program for the day. Over the course of the day they prepare what to wear to wherever they are invited to that evening, go to the hairdressers and then attend these parties, remaining there until the early hours. The time they spend there is troubling and distressing, full of false show, artificial laughter and people showing off to one another. The following day, due to the tiredness and physical fatigue resulting from this night life, they wake from an uneasy sleep with a raging headache.

Preoccupations such as housework and looking after the children play much less of a role in their daily lives compared to housewives. They enjoy the irresponsibility of having handed such matters over to their assistants. But the fact that they assume no responsibilities leads to the development of an even more uncaring character. The fact that everything they want in life is laid out on a platter for them, that their children and homes are managed by others and the fact that they themselves hope for nothing apart from being part of “high society” soon leads them to dissatisfaction and a terrible emptiness.

All this eventually causes them to become dissatisfied and draws them into a moral abyss. As soon as they acquire something they want, they no longer desire it anymore. Instead, some other things attract their attention, which they then pursue. They are wealthy in material possessions, but they can never achieve spiritual happiness. They cannot attain trust, love or respect, either in their marriages or in their friendships.

Even though they have whatever they want, they are not content. The moral degeneration of a certain section of the high society is reflected in their own lives. Lying, fraud, deceit and all sorts of other moral deficiencies are usually regarded by them as normal. There will come a point, however, where this corruption will turn on these people living by this wicked morality. For instance, while they are themselves gossiping, others are talking about them. Every detail of their private lives, and even unfounded hearsay, becomes the subject of rumors. A secret they share with a friend becomes the headline in a magazine the next day. They approach others with feigned affection, and false friendship, and they are approached in the same way by others. They can never enjoy real genuine friendship. They rarely have intimate conversations, to share their sincere feelings. They never experience loyalty, either in their friendships or in their marriages; they do not trust even their husbands. This life they have chosen for themselves, as in other roles in a society of ignorance, is the product of an environment far removed from the morality of religion. For this reason, these women find themselves at a significant impasse. But, in spite of the fact that they have lived their entire lives in anxiety, they are unable to recognize the contentment the religion and a good moral life can provide. They seek the solution to their predicament in the corrupt social system they live in, but their efforts are futile; they are digging themselves deeper and deeper into a rut.

This is all because these people in question have turned their backs to the Qur’an. Because they do not live in the way that Allah, our All-Mighty Creator, has commanded, they will never be able to find peace of mind. As is stated in the Qur’an, “... Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace.” (Surat ar-Ra‘d, 28) their hearts will never find ease, and they will never escape from their anxiety and misery. They have fallen into this condition because they chose a lifestyle that does not suit the purpose of their creation. If they had lived a life pleasing to Allah, and kept to the moral precepts that He has commanded, they would certainly have enjoyed the reward that comes from living a good life. In the Qur’an, Allah has promised:

When those who fear Allah are asked, “What has your Lord sent down?” their reply is, “Good!” There is good in the world for those who do good, and the abode of the Hereafter is even better. How wonderful is the abode of those who guard against evil. (Surat an-Nahl, 30)

It is obvious that a person who lives by the morality Allah commands in the Qur’an and makes her friends among righteous believers would not have had to live with such insecurity. They would have been able to enjoy a society of individuals who are trustworthy, loyal, honest and sincere, and would not have experienced the insecurity and fears plaguing a society of ignorance. In a community where the moral teachings of the Qur’an are adhered to, every believer is eager to live a good moral life, and to receive the reward that comes from it.

Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl, 97)