WOMEN IN ISLAM

April 9, 2010

Introduction

Family, society and ultimately the whole of

mankind is treated by Islam on an ethical basis.
Differentiation in gender is neither a credit nor a
drawback for men or women.
Therefore, when we talk about status of woman in
Islam it should not lead us to think that Islam has
no specific guidelines, limitations, responsibilities
or obligations for men.

Most honorable of you

What makes one valuable and respectable in the eyes

of Allah, the Creator of mankind and the universe, is
neither one's prosperity, position, intelligence, physical
strength nor beauty, but only one's God-consciousness
and awareness.

"O humankind! Verily! We have created you from a male and

female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may
know one another. Surely the noblest, most honorable of you
in God's sight is the most God-fearing , one best in piety and
righteousness for God. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
The Qur'an, 49:13.

Misconceptions about Women in Islam

Muslim women are slaves to their husbands/inferior to

them
Women are forced by their husbands to cover
Women are backward
Women are oppressed in Islam
Women are completely devoid of spiritual, social,
economic or political rights

Equity

In Islam, men and women are treated with equity:

natural justice
However, the limits and rights for men and women
may not be identical; because they are different
regarding their

Creation
Abilities
Roles and duties

Rights of Women in Islam

Equality of reward for their deeds

The right and duty to obtain education
The right to obtain provisions from her father or brothers
until she gets married
The right to have their own independent property
The right to provisions from the husband for all her needs
and more.
The right to work to earn money if they need it or want it
The right to keep all her own money
The right to express their opinion and be heard
The right to negotiate marriage terms of her choice
The right to obtain divorce from her husband
The right to have custody of their children after divorce
And more

Women in Islam Different Aspects

The spiritual aspect

The economic aspect

The social aspect

The political and legal aspect

Spiritual Aspect

In Islam there is absolutely no difference between

men and women as far as their relationship to Allah
is concerned, as both are promised the same reward
for good conduct and the same punishment for evil
conduct.

Quran 74:38
"Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds

Quran 3:195
...So their Lord accepted their prayers, (saying): I
do not leave to waste the work of any of you
(engaged in doing good), whether male or female.
You are all one from the other...

Spiritual Aspect

Qur'an16:97

Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has

faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and
pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to
the their actions.

Quran 4.124

And whoever does deeds of righteousness, whether male

or female, and is a (true) believer such will enter
Paradise

Spiritual Aspect

Woman is not responsible for the fall of man

The Quran does not blame woman for the fall of

man, nor does it view pregnancy and childbirth as
punishments for eating from the forbidden tree.

There is no hint that the first woman created by

God is a creature of lesser worth than the first
male.

The Quran deals with the pair with perfect equity.

Both are equally guilty of sinning; both are equally
punished by God with expulsion from the Garden;
and both are equally forgiven when they repent.

The Spiritual Aspect: Religious obligations and rewards:

In terms of religious obligations and rewards, such as the Daily Prayers,

Fasting, Zakat, and Pilgrimage, woman is essentially no different from
man (small differences in practice of each obligation is due to
differences in their nature)
If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have
faith, they will enter paradise and not the least injustice will be done to
them. Quran 4:124
Surely, Men who surrender unto Allah, and women who surrender, and
men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and
women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak
the truth and men who are humble and women who are humble, and
men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and
women who fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who
guard (their modesty), and men who remember Allah and women who
remember-Allah hath prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward.
Quran 33:35

The Social Aspect: As a child and an

adolescent

Despite the social acceptance of female infanticide among

some Arabian tribes, the Quran forbade this custom, and
considered it a crime like any other murder.

"And when the female (infant) buried alive - is questioned, for what
crime she was killed. Qur'an 81:8-9

Criticizing the attitudes of such parents who reject their female

children, the Qur'an states:

When news is brought to one of them, of (the Birth of) a female

(child), his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief! With
shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad
news he has had! Shall he retain her on (sufferance) and contempt,
or bury her in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on?

Qur'an 16: 58-59

The Social Aspect: As a child and an

adolescent

Among the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in

this regard are the following:
Whosoever has a daughter and he does not bury her
alive, does not insult her, and does not favor his son
over her, God will enter him into Paradise. (Ibn
Hanbal, No. 1957).
Whosoever supports two daughters till they mature,
he and I will come in the day of judgment as this (and
he pointed with his two fingers held together).

The Social Aspect: Right to education

The right of females to seek knowledge is not different

from that of males. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim".

The Quran repeatedly commands all readers to read, to

recite, to think, to contemplate, as well as to learn from
the signs of Allah. In fact, the very first revelation to
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was concerned with
knowledge.
Lectures of the Prophet were attended by audiences of
both men and women
By the time of the Prophet's death, there were many
women scholars

The Social Aspect: Rights in marriage

The female has the right to accept or reject marriage

proposals
Her consent is a prerequisite to the validity of the
marital contract, according to the Prophet's teachings
Right to retain her family name
Full right to her Mahr marital gift
Right to be satisfied by her husband
The husband is responsible for the maintenance,
protection, and overall leadership of the family, within
the framework of consultation and kindness.
Right to divorce her husband

The Social Aspect: As a wife

The Qur'an clearly indicates that marriage is sharing

between the two halves of the society, and that its
objectives, besides perpetuating human life, are
emotional well-being and spiritual harmony. Its
bases are love and mercy.
And among His Signs is this, that He created for
you mates from among yourselves that you may
dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love
and mercy between your (hearts); verily in that are
signs for those who reflect. Quran 30:21

The Social Aspect: As a wife

They (your wives) are your garment and you are a

garment for them. Quran 2:187
Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband
and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage,
secure each other's chastity.
The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the
husband find comfort in his wife's company and she in
his.
The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment
of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their
husbands are to them.

The Social Aspect: As a wife

Islam does not consider woman "an instrument of the

Devil", but rather the Qur'an calls her muhsana - a
fortress against Satan because a good woman, by
marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of
righteousness in his life. For this reason, marriage was
considered by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a most
virtuous act:

"When a man marries, he has completed one half of his

religion.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was full of praise for virtuous

and chaste women

"The world and all things in the world are precious but the
most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman

The Social Aspect: As a wife

In his last sermon, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

said:

O People, it is true that you have certain rights over

your women, but they also have rights over you.
Remember that you have taken them as your wives
only under God's trust and with His permission. If
they abide by your right then to them belongs the
right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Treat your
women well and be kind to them, for they are your
partners and committed helpers. It is your right and
they do not make friends with anyone of whom you
do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste...

The Social Aspect: As a wife

Four Wives

If you fear that you will not be able to observe their rights with exact fairness
when you marry the orphan girls (in your custody), you can marry, from
among other women (who are permitted to you in marriage and) who
seem good to you, two, or three, or four. However, if you fear that (in
your marital obligations) you will not be able to observe justice among
them, then content yourselves with only one Quran 4:3

In Islam, there is no relationship with other sex out of marriage (a legitimate

contracted agreement)

Four wives is a limit, before Islam many people had more wives and they
had to divorce with revelation of this verse

There is another limit: marry 2,3, or 4 only if you believe you can treat them
equally and with justice, otherwise only 1! For this reason although polygamy
is allowed, number of Muslims practicing it is only a few. Who can guarantee
to behave justly to all four without favoring one over another!

The Social Aspect: How to treat women?

The Qur'an admonishes those men who oppress or illtreat women:

O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women

against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness,
that you may take away part of the dowry you have given
them - except when they have become guilty of open
lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of
kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be
that you dislike something and Allah will bring about
through it a great deal of good. Quran 4:19

The Social Aspect: How to treat women?

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

Prophet (pbuh) instructed Muslims regarding

women:
I commend you to be kind to women.
Once Mu'awiyah asked the Prophet (peace be upon
him), "What are the rights that a wife has over her
husband?" The Prophet replied, " Feed her when you
take your food, give her clothes to wear when you wear
clothes, refrain from giving her a slap on the face or
abusing her, and do not separate from your wife, except
within the house."

The most perfect believers are the best in conduct

and best of you are those who are best to their
wives.

The Social Aspect: How to treat women?

Should marital disputes arise, the Quran encourages

couples to resolve them privately in a spirit of fairness
and probity.

Under no circumstances does the Quran encourage,

allow, or condone family violence or physical abuse.

The Social Aspect: How to treat

women?

Beating women:
Men (those who are able to carry out their responsibilities) are the protectors
and maintainers of women inasmuch as God has endowed some of people
(in some respects) with greater capacity than others, and inasmuch as they
(the men) spend of their wealth (for the family's maintenance). Good,
righteous women are the devoted ones (to God) and observant (of their
husbands' rights), who guard the secrets (family honor and property, their
chastity, and their husband's rights, especially where there is none to see
them, and in the absence of men,) as God guards and keeps undisclosed
(what should be guarded and private). And as for those women whose ill-will
you have reason to fear, admonish them (to do what is right); then, (if that
proves to be of no avail), remain apart from them in beds; then (if that too
proves to be of no avail), beat them lightly (without beating them in their
faces). Then, if they obey you (in your directing them to observe God's rights
and their marital obligations), do not seek ways against them (to harm them).
(Be ever mindful that) God is indeed All-Exalted, All-Great. Quran 4:34

The Social Aspect: How to treat

women?

Prophet (pbuh) stipulated in his last sermon that beating should

be resorted to only if the wife "has become guilty, in an
obvious manner, of immoral conduct", and that it should be
done "in such a way as not to cause pain.
(Authentic Traditions to this effect are found in Muslim, Tirmidhi, etc.)

On the basis of these Traditions, all the authorities stress that

this "beating", if resorted to at all, should be more or less
symbolic - "with a toothbrush, or some such thing" (Tabari,
quoting the views of scholars of the earliest times), or even "with
a folded handkerchief" (Razi); and some of the greatest Muslim
scholars are of the opinion that it is just barely permissible, and
should preferably be avoided: and they justify this opinion by the
Prophet's personal feelings with regard to this problem.

The Social Aspect: As a mother

Islam considers kindness to parents next to the

worship of God. Quran says:
"Show gratitude to Me and to your parents: to Me
is (your final) destiny." Quran 31:14

Moreover, the Qur'an has a special

recommendation for the good treatment of
mothers
"And we have enjoined upon man (to be good) to
his parents: His mother bears him in weakness
upon weakness... Qur'an 31:14

The Economic Aspect

In the 19th century European women did not have

the right to own their own property.

In Britain, perhaps the first country to give women some

property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known
as "Married Women Property Act."

In Germany the wife was denied any control over her

property until 1922 by civil law!

The Economic Aspect

Islam provides a woman with:

Right to possess personal property- buy, sell,
mortgage, lease without anyones permission being
required.

"Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and

whatever women earn, they have a share in that."
Qur'an 4:31

In Islam the wifes property and earnings are under her

full control and for her use alone. No matter how rich
the wife might be, she is not obliged to act as a coprovider unless she herself voluntarily chooses to do
so.

Right to seek Employment

Right to Inheritance
Financial security

The Political Aspect

Islam provides a woman with:
Right to vote
Participation in political affairs
Women can be in leadership positions
Participation in public affairs
- During the Caliphate of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, a
woman argued with him in the mosque, proved her
point, and caused him to declare in the presence of
people: The woman is right and Omar is wrong.

Women in Islam Worth to mention

Even with such distorted image of women in Islam in the

West it is worth mentioning that:

The history of Muslims is rich with women of great

achievements in all walks of life from as early as the
seventh century
Out of every 5 Muslim converts, 4 are women!
The status which women reached in the west was achieved
through a long struggle and sacrifice on womans part and
only when society needed her contribution and work, during
the two world wars, and due to the escalation of
technological change.
In the case of Islam such compassionate and dignified
status was decreed more than 14 centuries ago, not
because it reflects the environment of the seventh century,
nor under the threat or pressure of women and their
organizations, but rather because of its essential
truthfulness.