Module13:TheRiseofIslam

ManyfactorscontributedtotheriseofIslamasnotonecanbecontributedtothelarge
amountsofMuslimindifferentcountries.FortheresearchpaperinModule13,Ichosea
controversialpieceregardingwomenunderShariaLaw.Inmanycountriestothisday,Sharia
Lawisstillconsideredthelawoftheland.UnderShariaLaw,womendonothavethesame
opportunitiesorfreedomsthattheirmalecounterpartsexperienceinthesamesociety.From
educationtoinheritanceandmarriage,manywomenareoppressedinMuslimsocieties.Below,I
outlinethesethreemajorfactorsunderShariaLaw,andhowtheyaffectthewomeninthese
civilizations.

BillBalent
AncientHistory:Module13
6/16/2016

WomenUnderShariaLaw

WhenresearchingwomeninaMuslimsociety,itisfirstimportanttounderstandSharia
law.ShariaLawistranslatedasIslamicLaw,butactuallymeansawaytothewateringplace.
ShariaLawwasdevelopedhundredsofyearsafterthedeathofthegreatprophetMuhammad.
Therearedifferentpunishmentsfordifferentcrimes,themostseriousbeingHaddpunishments,
whichconsistoffivecrimes.ThefiveHaddcrimesinclude,unlawfulsexualintercourse,false
accusationofunlawfulsexualintercourse,winedrinking,theft,andhighwayrobbery.Forthese
offenses,harshpunishmentisrequiredunderShariaLaw.Thepunishmentforthesecrimes
includesflogging,stoning,amputation,exile,orexecution.Inthemodernworld,mostMuslim
countriesdonotusethesebarbaricpunishments,butwiththeriseofalQaedaandISIS,manyof
theseextremistgroupsarecarryingouttheseterriblepunishments.Theselawsaresetforthso
thateachMuslimcanfindtheirwaytotheafterlife.IntheQuranitstates,Thusweputyouon
therightwayofreligion.Sofollownotthewhimsicaldesireofthosewhohavenoknowledge.
ThisisimportantbecauseitisspokenfromtheprophetMuhammad,whoisconsideredthelast
prophetthelastgreatprophetinthereligionofIslam.Indoingso,Muslimsmusttakepartinthe
fivepillarsofIslam,andtheSharialawhelpsthemdoso.Sharialawissupposedtoprotectboth

menandwomentopracticethefivepillarsofIslam,butoftentimeswedonotseetheequality
today.WomeninIslamicsocietiesarenotgiventhesameluxuriesastheirmalecounterparts.
Womenareoftentimeshinderedfromeducatingthemselvesinapropermanner.Womenare
unequalwhenitcomestoinheritancetothemalesintheirsocieties.MarriageunderShariaLaw
isalsonotequalforwomenasitisformen.Duetothesefactors,Islamicsocietiesarebehind
manyothersocietieswhenitcomesrealizingthateveryoneisequal.Aroundtheworldtodaythe
Sharialawisunderfirebecauseofthesuppressivewaysthatittreatswomen.
TheQuranmeanstoreadorrecite,whichisthemainfundamentalofIslam.Itis
importantforMuslimstocontinuetheirreligiouseducation,astheQuranencouragesthis
behavior.Bothmenandwomenarerequiredtodothis,andinordertotakepartofthefive
pillarsofIslam,bothmenandwomenneedtoeducatethemselvesintheirreligion.Unfortunately
inmanyculturesthroughouttheMiddleEast,womenarenotallowedtopartakeineducation.
ThisrightofeducationgoesagainsttheteachingsofMuhammadandthereligionofIslam.
UndertrueShariaLaw,womenshouldhavethesamerightstoeducatethemselveswhenitcomes
totheirreligionasthemendo.Theideaofdenyingthisbasicrighttowomen,intheireyes,is
hinderingtheirabilitytotrulyworshipAllah.
AnimportantpartofShariaLawthatwasputintoplacewastherightforwomento
inherittheirfamilyestates.PriortoIslam,inArabia,womenwerenotallowedtoinherit,this
includedmothers,wives,children,etc.AfterIslamwasintroduced,andtheShariaLawwasput
intoplace,womenwerethenenabledtoinheritfromtheirfamily.Althoughdaughterswereonly
toinherithalfofwhattheirbrotherinherited,wasstillanadvancementforwomenrightsunder
ShariaLaw.StatedintheQuran,Allahcommandsyouasregardsyourchildrensinheritance:to

themale,aportionequaltothatoftwofemales;ifthereareonlydaughters,twoormore,their
shareistwothirdsoftheinheritance;ifonlyone,hershareishalf.

WomenunderShariaLawalsodonotgettoexperiencethesameequalityastheirmale
counterpartswhenitcomestomarriage.MarriagesinIslamiccountriesarequitedifferentthan
marriagesinthewest.Typicallyinthewest,menhaveonwife,whereasinIslamiccountries,
menareallowedtohaveuptofourwives.Thisbeingsaid,itisnotthesameforwomen.Women
areonlyallowedtohaveonehusband.UnderShariaLaw,divorceisalsoquitedifferent.The
menareallowedtodivorcehiswifebymakingadeclaration,thewomencanhavenosayinthis
factifhewantstodivorceher.Ontheotherhand,awomancannotdivorceherhusbandwithout
hisapproval.ThisisadoublestandardweseethroughoutShariaLaw,andmanywomenaround
theworldareuprisingagainstthisoppression,seekingabetterlife.ItissaidthatunderSharia
Law,itislawfulforamantobeathiswife.Thefactthatamancanbeathiswifeandhaveno
repercussionsisatragedy.Thisisscaryforthewomen,especiallythefactthatwomencanbe
marriedawayatayoungage.Assoonasthefemalehitspubertyshecanmarry.Thiscan
producelargegapsinagesanddevelopments,makingthiskindofoppressiondetrimentaltothe
womenofIslamicnationsunderShariaLaw.
Asdiscussedthroughoutthispaper,womensrightsunderShariaLawismuchlessto
theirmalecounterparts,andtotherightsthatsocietyinthewestgetstoenjoy.Theoppressionof
educationhinderstheirabilitytopracticetheirreligion.Inareligionwhereeducation,learning,
andpracticingthereligionissoimportant,thiscanmakewomenfeelasiftheywillnotbeable
toserveAllahastheyseefit.Whenitcomestoinheritance,womenareoppressedinIslamic

nationsunderShariaLawastheycannotinheritasmuchofthefamilyestatesastheirbrothers
can.Onlybeingabletoinherithalfoftheirbrothersinheritanceisfurtherproofthatwomendo
notreceivethesametreatmentasmalesdo.Asformarriage,womenbasicallyhavenosayin
whomtheymarry,whentheymarry,ordivorceunderShariaLaw.ThemeninIslamicnations
decidealloftheseaspects.

Sources
Johnson,T.,Sergie,M.Islam:GoverningUnderSharia.CouncilonForeignRelations.July25,
2014.Web.
Nasir,J.TheStatusofWomenUnderIslamicLawandModernIslamicLegislation.Boston.
Brill.2009.Book.
Salime,Z.BetweenFeminismandIslam:HumanRightsandShariaLawinMorocco.University
ofMinnesotaPress.Minneapolis.2011.Book.
http://www.clarionproject.org/understandingislamism/womensrightsundersharia

BeforemyresearchonwomenunderShariaLaw,Iknewlittletonoinformationpertainingto
thissubject.ThroughthesecrediblesourcesfoundthroughGoogleScholar,Iwasableto
researchwhatlifeislikeforwomenunderShariaLaw.Withhelpfromtheworksofthese
authors,IwasabletobetterunderstandtheoppressivesocietyunderShariaLaw.Fromeducation
toinheritanceandmarriage,womenareoppressedallthroughoutMuslimcountries,asSharia
LawisthelawofthelandheldbymanyextremistgroupssuchasalQaedaandISIS.