support the power of thinking. The damage or loss is not apparent, but it will
inevitably show itself later when organs that were robbed of a sounder
foundation begin to fail, or perhaps if the child’s mental faculty becomes
hyper-active or manic.
Thus, parents who hastily nurture a genius may actually do the child
irreparable harm by accelerating the return to chaos by means of this
imbalance.^24 It is possible yes, but not necessarily wise. It is best that the
child adjusts to the normal pace of social development within his/her peer
group, as this allows these formative forces to complete the process of
respective maturations of bodily systems within God’s pre-ordained, natural
balance. In a similar manner, women who wish to compete with men do so
to the detriment of their health as well as their feminine persona and beauty.
For example, physical prowess in women is a known cause of the cessation of
menses, especially when musculature is overdeveloped.^25 Restoration of
normative function may return when training and competition cease.
However, the directing life-energies meant to maintain feminine health,
reproductive capacity and beauty of form are irreplaceably diverted, mis-
utilized and therefore lost – implying the “supplies” mentioned by Ibn Jazlah
are mis-rationed and therefore will not last for the intended lifespan. This is
one reason the Oriental female is able to maintain her natural beauty longer
than Western ladies; i.e., assuming she doesn’t overeat as is now become the
‘fast-food’ custom, or become oppressed by excessive forced labor or the
incontinent demands of chauvinist tyrants.
This principle extends to fields of endeavor that are traditionally given to men
such as the judiciary, military, government, hard physical labor and police
work. If such work ages the incautiously undisciplined man prematurely,^26
then what chances have women to withstand the same effects? Surely,
women can function and perform well in these roles, but it is always to the
24
Such children, as most Pediatricians and Psychiatrists know, often develop forms of neurosis
to the point of mental breakdown or social dysfunction and/or disturbing habits, with the
latter often excused as eccentricities because of their so-called ‘gifted’ status.
(^25) Consider the fact that men do not menstruate! Therefore, the cessation of menses in overly
athletic females is actually an attempt on the part of their body to become ‘manly’, and
reflects an antithetical power of human will that causes deviation from divinely intended
norms.
(^26) Except for men who follow the sunnah of the prophets