The Truth Message – Part – 3.15:
Status of Women in Islam
[as per Allah (in Qur’an) & Prophet Muhammad (saw)]
During the pre-Islamic era Arab men had a very severe attitude towards women. They would easily hit women even over simple mistakes. Baby girls would be buried alive and women were treated as chattel created solely for men’s pleasure: They were inherited and mutually shared.
At the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) woman was placed in a condition in which she was not the owner of her property; she did not have a share in the property of her father. Nor could she inherit the property of her husband. The husband was entitled, out of bad temper, to beat his wife; she was not to raise a voice against it. Should the husband die, the wife, in some countries, fell into the hands of her husband’s relatives who could then marry her to whomsoever they liked, or else sold for money.
Whenever the husband liked, he could drive her out of the house, and she was condemned to wander about homelessly. Some husbands would sell their wives or lose them in gambling and betting, and when they did so, they were all considered to be within their rights. There is a slight reflection of this in the old Indian story of princes like the Pandawas who lost their wife in gambling, and against the law of the land, a noble princess like Dropadi could not raise the slightest voice.
Well, going back to Arab: In domestic affairs she had no privilege. Even from the religious point of view: she had no status.
Of the property of her parents, to whom children are bound by a most deep and affectionate tie, woman was deprived of all share.
Women literally had no status in a society and were in a condition much lower than slaves! They received no respect, had no rights, no status, no power… in one word they were in an absolutely helpless condition with no ray of hope from anywhere.
By the advent of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) all these iniquities were wiped away, as it were, with one stroke. He declared that God had particularly entrusted to him the task of safeguarding the rights of women.
He proclaimed in the name of God that man and woman by virtue of their humanity, were the equal of each other, and when they lived together, just as man had certain rights over woman, so had woman certain rights over man.
Women could own property in the same way as men.
A husband had no right to use the property of his wife, as long as the wife, of her own free will, did not let him have some of it.
A husband does not own his wife.
He cannot sell her, nor reduce her to the office of domestic drudge.
On the death of her husband, his people were to have no right over her. She would be free, and a suitable opportunity occurring, she would have the right to marry again. Nobody can stop her from doing so. Nor can a widow be compelled to live in a particular place. Only for about four months and ten days, she would live in her husband’s house, so that all those conditions which can have a bearing on her rights and on those of her husband’s people, should have time to manifest themselves.
This is the teaching which the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) promulgated at a time when the standards of the world were altogether opposed to it. Through these injunctions, he reclaimed women from the slavery which had been their lot for thousands of years, to which they were forced in every land, and the yoke of which every religion had put on their neck. One man, in one time, cut asunder all these chains of serfdom! Bringing freedom to mothers, he at the same time saved their children from slavish sentiments, and provided for the germination and nourishment of great ambition and high resolve!
It was the Holy Prophet (saw) of Islam – the greatest champion of women rights who said that as Men are the servants of Allah, so are women the servants of Allah and NOT the servants of men.
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Pre-Islamic Arabs used to hit women just out of pleasure: The Mercy for Mankind Prophet Mohammad (saw) commanded that they are not to be hit but to be taken care of.
The Holy Prophet (saw) said:
Feed her as you feed yourself from what Allah the Exalted gives you, clothe her as you clothe yourself with what Allah the Exalted gives you. Do not slap her, do not use foul language with her, do not turn her out of the house’.
The Holy Prophet (saw) has conferred countless acts of kindness on women.
He said one who has daughters should provide them with education, should give them good moral training and on the Day of Judgment, Allah the Exalted would make Hell haram (forbidden) for that person. All this helped in the upbringing the status of women in the society.
These were the early days of Islam, era of the training phase, when men were advised to be kind and soft and show empathy.
The Mercy for Mankind, His Holiness Prophet Mohammad (saw) considered women’s emotions in such a meticulous manner when determining their rights, that a believing woman can never thank him enough even if she invokes salutations and blessings on him (Durood) throughout her entire life.
The Holy Prophet (saw) said that a person who has a baby daughter and does not bury her alive, does not demean her and does not give preference to sons over her shall be given entry to Paradise by Allah the Exalted.
The Holy Prophet (saw) said to his Companions ‘be warned of those who do not treat their wives well; they are certainly not regarded good in the sight of God.’
Following these commandments, women’s rights were established and other commandments were revealed in the Holy Qur’an. At this, women were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
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Islam gives rights of Inheritance to Woman:
This complete and perfect Shariah (Islam) took women out of the depths of darkness (from every sphere of her life) and established her rights so much so that one who was previously treated as inheritance, was given the rights to inheritance, Subhan’Allah!
In the Holy Qur’an:
Daughters are given rights of inheritance from their parents,
Wives have a right on husbands’ inheritance;
Mothers have rights on their children’s inheritance (if they die before her).
Similarly in some situations daughters and sisters are heirs of their brothers. Thus Islam is the first religion to give women rights of inheritance.
Husbands usually try and snatch wives’ property by unfair means: Allah Almighty in his final religion has strictly forbidden this.
Husbands have no rights on their wives’ money, or her earnings; this is again strictly forbidden.
The Holy Qur’an establishes women’s rights and goes on to safeguard these rights like no other religion.
Allah the Exalted revealed this commandment:
For men is a share of that which parents and near relations leave; and for women is a share of that which parents and near relations leave, whether it be little or much –a determined share. (Ch.4:V.8)
In the West, until quite recently women did not have these rights. Can anybody deny this? Islam had given all these rights more than 1400 years ago!
Notice how the Holy Prophet (saw) made the ignorant Arabs who were used to treating women as worthless objects appreciate the rights of girls and women. Then, before his demise, the Holy Prophet (saw) gathered the Muslims to give them some final counsel in which he strongly advised them to always treat women with kindness.
Islam and the Holy Prophet (saw) have conferred upon women the greatest of kindness. As I have said earlier, women can never show adequate gratitude for this.
The Promised Messiah (as) said:
No other religion has safeguarded the rights of women as Islam has done. It lays down the injunction so succinctly:
…and they (the women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in equity; (Ch.2:Vs.229).
The Quran does not stop at this level, it continues to explain these facts by different means and from different angles.
The Holy Prophet (saw) said:
The best among you is he who is best towards his wife.’ (Malfoozat, Vol.5, pp.417- 418).
Imam Mahdi (as) of Muslims said:
How can one claim to be pious when he does not behave well towards his wife? (Malfoozat, Vol.3, p.147)
A Muslim woman should always have a sense of honor for the cause of religion. The homes where the honour of religion is upheld will never be without the blessings of Allah.
Islamic history is full of accounts where women gave preference to religion and in comparison deemed worldly matters insignificant.
Among the Sahabiyyaat (female Companions) of the Holy Prophet (saw), there were many who outshone men in acts of worship of God.
It was a woman indeed who was the first person to accept Islam, that is, Hadhrat Khadijah (ra). She not only helped the Prophet with financial sacrifices in her capacity as his wife, but also as a Muslim.
Indeed, those were women who aspired to be part of the blessings of Jihad performed by men. They asked the Holy Prophet (saw) that as they were left behind and looked after the homes while the men went to war, would that entitle them to the blessings as well?
So their Lord answered their prayers saying, I will not allow the work of any worker from among you, whether male or female, to be lost. You are from one another. Those therefore, who have emigrated, and have been driven out from their homes, and have been persecuted in My cause, and have fought and been killed, I will surely remove from them their evils and will cause them to enter gardens through which streams flow – a reward from Allah, and with Allah is the best reward. (3:196)
When the Holy Prophet (saw) called for financial sacrifice and asked for the mantle of Hadhrat Bilal (ra) to be spread, indeed, it was women who piled up donations of their jewelry and valuables on the mantle.
So these were the women who had understood that the one to champion their rights and herald their freedom was this Prophet of God (saw) who had brought a beautiful teaching that gave them a distinct status. There are many accounts of similar nature about the female companions of early Islam.
AND These are not just stories of old.
Because we see repeat of these events, during the time of the Promised Messiah of all religions (as) – the Imam Mahdi of Muslims, there were numerous women who understood this reality and set high standards of sacrifice. There are the sacrifices of Hadhrat Ammah Jan (ra) (the blessed wife of the Promised Messiah (as); she donated all her jewelry and savings for the hospitality of Jalsa guests without a hint of complaint or concern. This sense of sacrifice ensued from a true comprehension of faith, steadfastness in belief and feelings of gratitude.
Therefore, from whatever angle you look, women’s rights are safeguarded in Islam. So extensive is this safeguarding of rights that no Muslim women can be adequately grateful for these commandments in the Holy Qur’an. No other religious book or Shariah (law) watches over women’s rights so well.
O Muslim Women! Come and be counted amongst the best of women. (Copied from Address to Lajna by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V, The Review of Religions – March 2009)
The above removes any concept of inferiority leveled at women in Islam. Furthermore, there are many references in the Holy Qur’an that refer to the various spheres of life where the status of women has been elevated.
The Holy Prophet of Islam knew the essential part women had to play in the development of society, so he laid great stress on the upbringing of girls by saying:
A man who has two daughters and brings them up and educates them to the best of his capacity shall be entitled to paradise.”
It’s the word of lord, obey it – it’s only good for you, if only you knew.
Now let us see…
Allah / Islam / Quran on equality of Men & Women:
The West has often regards the Islamic women as being backward in a male-dominated world. Now let us see some truths:
Allah explains their (Men & Women) common origin in the Holy Qur’an:
O ye people! Fear your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and of its kind, created its mate, and from them twain spread many men and women. (Chapter 4, verse 2)
The words single soul in this verse signifies man and woman taken together equally. This verse affirms that women and men belong to the same kind and species and that they have the same propensities.
Islam confers on women all the political and social rights, which man enjoys. She is entitled to all the privileges bestowed upon man. And beside worldly matters, women are also equal to men in the spiritual sense. Islam was the first religion formally to grant women an equal status with men spiritually.
Gender Equality in the Holy Qur’an:
Surely, men who submit themselves to God and women who submit themselves to Him, and believing men and believing women, and obedient men and obedient women and truthful men and truthful women, and men steadfast in their faith and steadfast women, 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 chastity and women who guard their chastity, and men who remember Allah much and women who remember Him — Allah has prepared for all of them forgiveness and a great reward. (Quran Al’Ahzab V. 36)
…And they (the women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in equity. (Ch.2:V.229)
There are many more verses (aayats) in the Holy Qur’an which speak of gender equality: None is superior to another.
Islam is the first religion to give the right to education, property, the right of inheritance, and freedom of marriage and divorce to women.
Assigning a position of dignity and honor to woman the sacred scripture of Islam – The Holy Quran, contains hundreds of teachings where the moral, spiritual and economic equality of men and women are explained. To start:
The Holy Quran emphasizes that God in His perfect wisdom has created all species in pairs, and so men and women have been created of the same species; as is said:
He created you from a single being” (39:7)
He has made for you mates of your own kind.” (42:12)
Words such as: Created from a single being, same kind, own kind… all indicates the similarity, the equality of status. And Men and women are afforded equal protection. Allah says:
Those who malign believing men and believing women for that which they have not done, shall bear the guilt of a calumny and a manifest sin.” (33:59)
Those who persecute the believing men and believing women, and then do not repent, will surely suffer the chastisement of hell, and the chastisement of burning.” (85:11)
Women, being more vulnerable than men, are accorded special protection:
Those who calumniate chaste, unwary, believing women are cursed in this world and the hereafter; and for them is grievous chastisement, on the day when their tongues and their hands and their feet shall bear witness against them as to that which they used to do.” (24:24-5)
Rewards in the hereafter:
Allah in Qur’an-e-Kareem confirms that Men and women will be equally rewarded in the hereafter:
“…I will not suffer the work of any worker from among you, male or female, to perish. You are spiritually akin one to another.” (3:196)
“Whoso does good whether male or female, and is a believer, shall enter Paradise and they shall not be wronged a whit.” (4:125)
“Of the believers whoso acts righteously, whether male or female, We will surely grant such a one a pure life; and We will certainly reward them according to the measure of the best of their works.” (16:98)
“Whoso does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, these will enter the Garden; they will be provided therein without measure.” (40:41)
The believers, men and women, are friends one of another. They enjoin good and forbid evil and observe Prayer and pay the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. It is these on whom Allah will have mercy. Surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise. Allah has promised the believers, men and women, Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide, and delightful dwelling places in Gardens of Eternity, and the pleasure of Allah, which is the greatest bounty of all. That is the supreme triumph.” (9:71-72)
“That He may admit the believers, men and women, into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide, and that He may remove their ills from them; that, in the estimation of Allah, is the supreme triumph.” (48:6)
Keep in mind the day when thou wilt see the believing men and believing women, their light running before them and on their right hands, and it will be said to them, ‘Glad tidings for you this day of Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide. That is the supreme triumph.” (57:13)
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Diversity Of Functions
The divine scheme furnishes evidence of divine wisdom in all its aspects. Men and women are spiritually akin one to another and are equally the recipients of God’s favours and bounties, but their functions are not identical. In view of this diversity there is a corresponding diversity between their respective faculties and capacities. This is indicated in the Holy Quran as is said:
“Our Lord is He Who has endowed everything with its appropriate faculties and then guided it to their proper use.” (20:51)
“God has fashioned mankind according to the nature designed by Him, there is no altering the creation of Allah.” (30:31)
To explain: If men play their part by becoming soldiers who protect their country or explorers who reach far and beyond, or martyrs who die in the way of religion, women play their part too. Women struggle & suffer pain to ensure the continuation of the human race. Her praise is highlighted in the Quran too where it says:
… His mother bears him with pain and brings him forth with pain. And the bearing of him and his weaning takes thirty months… (Chapter 46, verse 16)
Does a man have this much of patience?
Few could, but definitely not all, whereas all women of this planet become mothers, irrespective of their religion, color, caste, creed, nationality, patience levels, etc. And so obedience to Mother is placed three levels above the obedience to the father, moreover the Holy Prophet said:
Paradise lies under the feet of mothers’.
Arabic of the Hadith_Paradise is under the feet of your mothers
For instance: A Woman is well equipped for child bearing, while man is incapable of it. On the other hand, man is well fitted to command in the field… This is not a question of superiority or inferiority; it is a question of natural capacity and proper functioning.
The proper discharge of the function of child-bearing imposes certain handicaps upon women, from which man is free; but the glorious honour of the crown of motherhood is reserved for woman, man cannot aspire to it.
Husbands and wives have reciprocal obligations towards each other: As wife and mother the primary and normal sphere of woman’s activities is the home; as breadwinner the normal sphere of man’s activities and operations is the outdoors.
The Holy Quran describes husband and wife as garments for each other (2:188); that is to say, a means of security, dignity and ornament.
“They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them.” (2:188)
Islam opines that man and woman complement each other and are a means of mutual fulfillment. Men and women are a divine bounty for each other and as such must be cherished as a means of fulfillment.
“Allah will turn in mercy to believing men and believing women; Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful.” (33:74)
“…I will not suffer the work of any worker from among you, male or female, to perish. You are spiritually akin one to another.” (3:196)
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Islam and Celibacy:
Some religious disciplines mistakenly esteem celibacy more exalted spiritually than conjugal life. Islam disapproves of it as Allah says in The Holy Quran in Ch.57:V.28:
And they invented monasticism – We did not prescribe it for them;
The complete verse reads [57:28]: Then We caused Our Messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow them, and We gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who accepted him compassion and mercy. But monasticism which they invented for themselves — We did not prescribe it for them — for the seeking of Allah’s pleasure; but they did not observe it with due observance. Yet We gave those of them who believed their due reward, but many of them are rebellious.
The Holy Prophet has said: “Conjugal life is our way; he who turns aside from our way is not of us.”
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God / Islam / Quran on Marriage:
Wedded life is the normal way in Islam.
Adultery and fornication are prohibited under severe penalties, and all approaches thereto are forbidden. Do not even approach adultery; surely it is a foul thing and an evil way. (Ch.17:V.33)
Islam does not permit sexual relations, even preliminary acts of physical love, outside of marriage. To remain sexually inactive and chaste before marriage is an extremely important injunction in the Holy Qur’an.
Adultery, fornication and having secret relationships with the opposite sex is a heinous moral lapse which is categorically condemned in the strongest terms by Islam. This prohibition includes dating, secret paramours and experimental living together. As these are regarded as heavy sins, they carry severe penalties.(See Holy Qur’an, 24:3-4).
Those who find no means of marriage should safe guard their chastity, until God grants them means out of His bounty. (Ch.24:V.34)
Also in Chapter 2, the Holy Qur’an has provided the means for maintaining chastity. It directs believing men and women to restrain themselves from looking at each openly so as not to be sexually excited by them. It further directs them to restrain their ears from listening to flirtatious and tempting talk and to avoid occasions which might lead to temptation.
Marriage with an idolater is totally forbidden (see Holy Qur’an, 2:222)
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said:
“Some people marry for beauty, others for rank, and others for wealth; but you should marry a good and pious woman.”
On the matter of spouse The Holy Qur’an, 2:188 says: They are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them…”
Garment or clothing is worn for protection, adornment and to hide defects. In the same way, man and woman should protect each other’s honor and morals, and make each other feel secure with love, support and understanding. They should keep each other’s secrets and should not air each other’s shortcomings in public.
Islam totally forbids taking or giving of dowry.
It’s the word of lord, obey it, it’s very good for you, if only you knew.
God / Islam / Quran on Wife:
Men are especially enjoined to be good to their wives. The equal rights that women enjoy in Islam cannot be taken away even by their husbands. The Holy Prophet (saw) stressed the good treatment of wives by saying:
The most perfect of believers in the matter of faith is he whose behavior is best; and the best of you are those who behave best towards their wives. (Tirmidhi)
Then there is the direction:
“Arrange the marriages of widows from among you, and of the righteous from among those under your control, male and female. If they be poor, Allah will grant them means out of His bounty.” (24:33-34)
“There shall be no blame on you in hinting at a proposal of marriage to divorced or widowed women, or in contemplating the possibility in your minds. Allah knows that you will think of them in that connection; but do not enter into any secret engagement with them, beyond conveying some indication to them of your inclination. Do not, however, resolve on the marriage tie until after the expiry of the period of waiting. Be sure Allah knows what is in your minds, so be mindful of Him. Know also that Allah is Most Forgiving, Forbearing. “(2:235)
“Those of you who die leaving behind surviving widows, the legacy for their widows would be provision for a year without being turned out of the marital home. Should they depart there from on their own, after the expiry of the period of waiting, there shall be no blame upon you with regard to any proper thing which they do concerning themselves. Allah is Mighty, Wise. “(2:241).
Of the great faiths, Islam has been foremost in assigning to woman a position of economic independence. In Islam the independent economic position of woman has been established since the very beginning.
Any property that a woman might acquire by her own effort, or might inherit as an heir or receive as a legacy or gift, belongs to her independently of her husband. She may ask her husband to manage it, but if she chooses to manage or administer it herself, he cannot interfere in her management or administration of it.
Abu Shuraih Khuwailad ibn Amr Khuzai relates that the Holy Prophet said: Allah, I declare sinful any failure to safeguard the rights of two weak ones: orphans and women. (Nisai)
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Allah / Islam / Quran on children:
Muslims are enjoined to take good care of their children, both boys and girls, to educate them all in the best way, and to respect them.
As for daughters there is a hadith of the Holy Prophet (saw) that:
‘A person who is blessed with a daughter or daughters and makes no discrimination between them and his sons and brings them up with kindness and affection, will be as close to me in Paradise as my forefinger and middle finger are to each other.’ (Muslim II, Section Beneficence).
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I know prophet Mahavira (pbuh) of the Jainism (6th century BC) also had tried to abolish the caste system (high caste/low caste) found in Hinduism which is in practice till today found in few of the old tribes in India. Mahavira taught that men and women are spiritual equals.
I leave this point with wish to have a response from Christian & Jewish women explaining the rights which the Holy Bible & Torah gives them? Are women considered equal in status with men in terms of spirituality, inheritance, rights, roles & responsibilities? Please enlighten me… Jazakallah.
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You might find this an interesting reading: Concept of Veil in Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism & Islam
Or
Continue reading the Story of Prophet Muhammad (saw): Islam & Jihad
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