THE STATUS OF A WOMAN IN ISLAM: SIMPLIFIED & CONCEIVABLE

A non Muslim came to a Sheikh and asked: 
why is it not permissible in Islam for a woman to shake hands with a man?

SHEIKH replied; can you shake hands with Queen Elizabeth?

Non Muslim replied: of course not, there are only certain people who can shake her hands.

SHEIKH replied: our women are queens and queens do not shake hands with strange men.

Non Muslim: why do girls cover up their hair and body then?

The SHEIKH smiles and takes two pieces of candy. He opens one and leaves the other
closed, throws both of them on the dusty floor and asks the non Muslim: if asked you take
one of the sweets which one would you take?

Non Muslim: the closed one

SHEIKH: that's how we treat and see our women. Women should not be like the moon
so everyone can see and admire. They should be like the sun and make people lower their gaze.

Non Muslim: show me God if he exists?

SHEIKH: look at the sun!

Non Muslim: i can't see the rays hurt my eyes

SHEIKH: if you can't see the creation of god, how you going to see God?

Lastly the non Muslim invited the SHEIKH to his house and offered him grapes. The SHEIKH
then ate them an was then offered a glass of wine which he refused.

Non Muslim: how do you forbid wine but eat grapes when wine comes from grapes?

SHEIKH: do you have a daughter?

Non Muslim: yes

SHEIKH: could you marry her?

Non Muslim: no

SHEIKH: Subhan'Allah you marry her mother but can't marry her although she came from her mother!

OUR PURPOSE IN THIS WORLD?

If you permit this world to own your heart, like the ocean that owns a boat, you’ll sink down to the depths of the sea. You will touch the ocean floor. You’ll one day realize that you were at your lowest point, trapped by your sins and the love of this life. You will feel broken, surrounded by darkness. That’s the amazing thing about the floor of the ocean. No light reaches it. You will ask yourself, what was the purpose of my life: owning assets ‘for this world and people’, & now dying?
Once you realize it, you will come to know that this dark place is not the end yet. Don’t you remember the signs of God that the darkness of night precedes the dawn?
The bottom-line is that as long as your heart beats, this is not the death. You can still change and introspect on ‘’your purpose in this world’’. Once you understood your real purpose of life, you will definitely ponder on hereafter- the life after death and you will begin to earn the bounties for your hereafter where you have to stay ever.
Sometimes, the ocean floor is only a stop on the journey. It is here where you have to take choices- either you can stay there at the bottom, until you drown  Or you can gather pearls and rise back up—stronger from the swim and richer from the jewels.

{part of above text extracted from Yasmin Mogared's Quote}