The
Status of Woman in Islam
The status of women in
Islam is not a new issue. The position of Islam on this
issue is hotly debated. In what follows we provide a brief
and authentic exposition of what Islam stands for in this
regard.
The status of woman in
Islam constitutes no problem. The attitude of the Qur'an
and the early Muslims bear witness to the fact that
woman is, at least, as vital to life as man himself, and
that she is not inferior to him nor is she one of the
lower species. Had it not been for the impact of foreign
cultures and alien influences, this question would have
never arisen among the Muslims. The status of woman was
taken for granted to be equal to that of man. It was, of
course, a matter of fact, and no one, then, considered
it as a problem at all.
In order to understand what Islam has established for
woman, there is no need to deplore her plight in the
pre-Islamic era or in the modern world of today. Islam
has given woman rights and privileges, which she has
never enjoyed under other religious or constitutional
systems. This can be understood when the matter is
studied as a whole in a comparative manner, rather than
partially. The rights and responsibilities of a woman
are equal to those of a man but they are not necessarily
identical with them. Equality and sameness are two quite
different things. This difference is understandable
because man and woman are not identical but they are
created equals. With this distinction in mind, There is
no problem. It is almost impossible to find even two
identical men or women.
This distinction between equality and sameness is of
paramount importance. Equality is desirable, just and
fair; but sameness is not. People are not created
identical but they are created equals. With this
distinction in mind, there is no room to imagine that
woman is inferior to man. There is no ground to assume
that she is less important than he just because her
rights are not identically the same as his. Had her
status been identical with his, she would have been
simply a duplicate of him, which she is not. The fact
that Islam gives her equal rights - but not identical -
shows that it takes her into due consideration,
acknowledges her, and recognizes her independent
personality.
It is not the tone of Islam that brands woman as the
product of the devil or the seed of evil. Nor does the
Qur'an place man as the dominant lord of woman who has
no choice but to surrender to his dominance. Nor was it
Islam that introduced the question of whether or not
woman has any soul in her. Never in the history of Islam
has any Muslim doubted the human status of woman or her
possession of soul and other fine spiritual qualities.
Unlike other popular beliefs, Islam does not blame Eve
alone for the Original Sin. The Qur'an makes it very
clear that both Adam and Eve were tempted; that they
both sinned; that Allah's pardon was granted to both
after their repentance; and that Allah addressed them
jointly. Allah Almighty says:
(And We said: O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the
Garden, and eat ye freely (of the fruits) thereof where
ye will; but come not nigh this tree lest ye become
wrongdoers. But Satan caused them to deflect therefrom
and expelled them from the (happy) state in which they
were; and We said: Fall down, one of you a foe unto the
other! There shall be for you on earth a habitation and
provision for a tune. Then Adam received from his Lord
words (of revelation), and He relented toward him. Lo!
He is the Relenting the Merciful. We said: Go down, all
of you, from hence; but verily there cometh unto you
from Me a guidance; and whoso followeth My guidance,
there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they
grieve.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 36-38)
In fact the Qur'an gives the impression that Adam was
more to blame for that First Sin from which emerged
prejudice against woman and suspicion of her deeds. But
Islam does not justify such prejudice or suspicion
because both Adam and Eve were equally in error, and if
we are to blame Eve we should blame Adam as much or even
more.
The status of woman in Islam is something unique,
something novel, something that has no similarity in any
other system. If we look to the Eastern Communist world
or to the democratic nations, we find that woman is not
really in a happy position. Her status is not enviable.
She has to work so hard to live, and sometimes she may
be doing the same job that a man does but her wage is
less than his. She enjoys a kind of liberty which in
some cases amounts to libertinism. To get to where she
is nowadays, woman struggled hard for decades and
centuries. To gain the right of learning and the freedom
of work and earning, she had to offer painful sacrifices
and give up many of her natural rights. To establish her
status as a human being possessing a soul, she paid
heavily. Yet in spite of all these costly sacrifices and
painful struggles, she has not acquired what Islam has
established by a Divine decree for the Muslim woman.
The rights of woman of modern times were not granted
voluntarily or out of kindness to the female. Modern
woman reached her present position by force, and not
through natural processes or mutual consent or Divine
teachings. She had to force her way, and various
circumstances came to her aid. Shortage of manpower
during wars, pressure of economic needs and requirements
of industrial developments forced woman to get out of
her home - to work, to learn, to struggle for her
livelihood, to appear as an equal to man, to run her
race in the course of life side by side with him. She
was forced by circumstances and in turn she forced
herself through and acquired her new status. Whether all
women were pleased with these circumstances being on
their side, and whether they are happy and satisfied
with the results of this course is a different matter.
But the fact remains that whatever rights modern woman
enjoys fall short of those of her Muslim counterpart.
What Islam has established for woman is that which suits
her nature, gives her full security and protects her
against disgraceful circumstances and uncertain channels
of life. We do not need here to elaborate on the status
of modern woman and the risks she runs to make her
living or establish herself. We do not even need to
explore the miseries and setbacks that encircle her as a
result of the so-called rights of woman. Nor do we
intend to manipulate the situation of many unhappy homes
which break because of the very "freedom" and
"rights" of which modern woman is proud. Most
women today exercise the right of freedom to go out
independently, to work and earn, to pretend to be equal
to man, but this, sadly enough, is at the expense of
their families. This all known and obvious. What is not
known is the status of woman in Islam.
An attempt will be made in the following passages to sum
up the attitude of Islam with regard to woman:
1- Woman is recognized by Islam as a full and equal
partner of man in the procreation of humankind. He is
the father; she is the mother, and both are essential
for life. Her role is not less vital than his. By this
partnership she has an equal share in every aspect; she
is entitled to equal rights; she undertakes equal
responsibilities, and in her there are as many qualities
and as much humanity as there are in her partner.
To this equal partnership in the reproduction of human
kind Allah says:
(O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female,
and have made `you nations and tribes that ye may know
one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of
Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower,
Aware.) (Al-Hujurat 49: 13)
2- She is equal to man in bearing personal and common
responsibilities and in receiving rewards for her deeds.
She is acknowledged as an independent personality, in
possession of human qualities and worthy of spiritual
aspirations. Her human nature is neither inferior to nor
deviant from that of man. Both are members of one
another. Allah Almighty says:
(And their Lord hath heard them (and He saith): Lo! I
suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be
lost. Ye proceed one from another…) (Aal `Imran 3:
195)
3- She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and
knowledge. When Islam enjoins the seeking of knowledge
upon Muslims, it makes no distinction between man and
woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad declared
that the pursuit of knowledge is incumbent on every
Muslim male and female. This declaration was very clear
and was implemented by Muslims throughout history.
4- She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as
man is. Her sound opinions are taken into consideration
and cannot be disregarded just because she happen to
belong to the female sex. It is reported in the Qur'an
and history that woman not only expressed her opinion
freely but also argued and participated in serious
discussions with the Prophet himself as well as with
other Muslim leaders. Allah Almighty says:
(Allah hath heard the saying of her that disputeth
with thee (Muhammad) concerning her husband, and
complaineth unto Allah. And Allah heareth your colloquy.
Lo! Allah is Nearer, Knower. Such of you as put away
your wives (by saying they are as their mothers) They
are not their mothers; none are their mothers except
those who gave them birth they indeed utter an ill word
and a lie. And lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Those
who put away their wives (by saying they are as their
mothers) and afterward would go back on that which they
have said; (the penalty) in that case (is) the freeing
of a slave before they touch one another. Unto this ye
are exhorted; and Allah is informed of what ye do.)
(Al-Mujadalah 58: 1-4)
Besides there were occasions when Muslim women expressed
their views on legislative matters of public interest,
and stood in opposition to the Caliphs, who then
accepted the sound arguments of these women. A specific
example took place during the Caliphate of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab,
may Allah be pleased with him.
5- Historical records show that women participated in
public life with the early Muslims, especially in times
of emergencies. Women used to accompany the Muslim
armies engaged in battles to nurse the wounded, prepare
supplies, serve the warriors, and so on. They were not
shut behind iron bars or considered worthless creatures
and deprived of souls.
6- Islam grants woman equal rights to contract, to
enterprise, to earn and possess independently. Her life,
her property, her honor are as sacred as those of man.
If she commits any offense, her penalty is no less or
more than of man's in a similar case. If she is wronged
or harmed, she gets due compensations equal to what a
man in her position would get. Allah Almighty says:
(O ye who believe! Retaliation is prescribed for you
in the matter of the murdered; the freeman for the
freeman, and the slave for the slave, and the female for
the female. And for him who is forgiven somewhat by his
(injured) brother, prosecution according to usage and
payment unto him in kindness. This is alleviation and a
mercy from your Lord. He who transgresseth after this
will have a painful doom.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 195)
7- Islam does not state these rights in a statistical
form and then relax. It has taken all measures to
safeguard them and put them into practice as integral
articles of Faith. It never tolerates those who are
inclined to prejudice against woman or discrimination
between man and woman. Time and again, the Qur'an
reproaches those who used to believe woman to be
inferior to man. Allah Almighty says:
(And they assign unto Allah daughters. Be He
glorified! and unto themselves what they desire; When if
one of them receiveth tidings of the birth of a female,
his face remaineth darkened, and he is wroth inwardly.
He bideth himself from the folk because of the evil of
that whereof he hath bad tidings, (asking himself):
Shall he keep it in contempt, or bury it beneath the
dust. Verily evil is their judgment.) (An-Nahl 16:
57-59)
8- Apart from recognition of woman as an independent
human being acknowledged as equally essential for the
survival of humanity, Islam has given her a share of
inheritance. Before Islam, she was not only deprived of
that share but was herself considered as property to be
inherited by man. Out of that transferable property
Islam made an heir, acknowledging the inherent human
qualifies in woman. Whether she is a wife or mother, a
sister or daughter, she receives a certain share of the
deceased kin's property, a share which depends on her
degree of relationship to the deceased and the number of
heirs. This share is hers, and no one can take it away
or disinherit her. Even if the deceased wishes to
deprive her by making a will to other relations or in
favor of any other cause, the Law will not allow him to
do so. Any proprietor is permitted to make his will
within the limit of one-third of his property, so he may
not affect the rights of his heirs, men and women. In
the case of inheritance, the question of quality and
sameness is fully applicable. In principle, both man and
woman are equally entitled to inherit the property of
the deceased relations but the portions they get may
vary. In some instances man receives two shares whereas
woman gets one only. This no sign of giving preference
or supremacy to man over woman. The reasons why man gets
more in these particular instances may be classified as
follows:
1- First man, is the person solely responsible for the
complete maintenance of his wife, his family and any
other needy relations. It is his duty by Law to assume
all financial responsibilities and maintain his
dependents adequately. It is also his duty to contribute
financially to all good causes in his society. All
financial burdens are borne by him alone.
2- Secondly, in contrast, woman has no financial
responsibilities whatsoever except very little of her
personal expenses, the high luxurious things that she
likes to have. She is financially secure and provided
for. If she is a wife, her husband is the provider; if
she is a mother, it is the son; if she is a daughter, it
is the father; if she is a sister; it is the brother,
and so on. If she has no relations on whom she can
depend, then there is no question of inheritance because
there is nothing to inherit and there is no one to
bequeath anything to her. However, she will not be left
to starve, maintenance of such a woman is the
responsibility of the society as a whole, the state. She
may be given aid or a job to earn her living, and
whatever money she makes will be hers. She is not
responsible for the maintenance of anybody else beside
herself. If there is a man in her position, he would
still be responsible for his family and possibly any of
his relations who need his help. So, in the hardest
situation her financial responsibility is limited, while
his is unlimited.
3- Thirdly, when a woman gets less than a man does, she
is not actually deprived of anything that she has worked
for. The property inherited is not the result of her
earning or her endeavors. It is something coming to them
from a neutral source, something addition-al or extra.
It is something that neither man or woman struggled for.
It is a sort of aid, and any aid has to be distributed
according to the urgent needs and responsibilities
especially when the distribution is regulated by the Law
of Allah.
4- Now, we have a male heir, on one side, burdened with
all kinds of financial responsibilities and liabilities.
We have, on the other side, a female heir with no
financial responsibilities at all or at most with very
little of it. In between we have some property and aid
to redistribute by way of inheritance. If we deprive the
female completely, it would be unjust to her because she
is related to the deceased. Likewise, if we always give
her a share equal to the man's, it would be unjust to
him. So, instead of doing injustice to either side,
Islam gives the man a larger portion of the inherited
property to help him to meet his family needs and social
responsibilities. At the same time, Islam has not
forgotten her altogether, but has given her a portion to
satisfy her very personal needs. In fact, Islam in this
respect is being more kind to her than to him. Here we
can say that when taken as a whole the rights of woman
are equal to those of man although not necessarily
identical. Allah Almighty says:
(Allah chargeth you concerning (the provision for)
your children: to the male the equivalent of the portion
of two females, and if there be women more than two,
then theirs is two-thirds of the inheritance, and if
there be one (only) then the half. And to his parents a
sixth of the inheritance, if he have a son; and if he
have no son and his parents are his heirs, then to his
mother appertaineth the third; and if he have brethren,
then to his mother appertaineth the sixth, after any
legacy he may have bequeathed, or debt (hath been paid).
Your parents or your children: Ye know not which of them
is nearer unto you in usefulness. It is an injunction
from Allah. Lo! Allah is Knower, rise.) (An-Nisaa'
4: 11)
1- Woman enjoys certain privileges of which man is
deprived. She is exempt from some religious duties,
i.e., prayers and fasting, in her regular periods and at
times of confinement. She is exempt from all financial
liabilities. As a mother, she enjoys more recognition
and higher honor in the sight of Allah. Allah Almighty
says:
(And We have enjoined upon man concerning his
parents. His mother beareth him in weakness upon
weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Give thanks
unto Me and unto thy parents. Unto Me is the
journeying.) (Luqman 31: 14)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
acknowledged this honor when he declared that Paradise
is under the feet of the mothers. She is entitled to
three-fourths of the son's love and kindness with
one-fourth left for their father. As a wife she is
entitled to demand of her prospective husband a suitable
dowry that will be her own. She is entitled to complete
provision and total maintenance by the husband. She does
not have to work or share with her husband the family
expenses. She is free to retain, after marriage,
whatever she possessed before it, and the husband has no
right whatsoever to any of her belongings. As a daughter
or sister she is entitled to security and provision by
the father and brother respectively. That is her
privilege. If she wishes to work or be self-supporting
and participate in handling the family responsibilities,
she is quite free to do so, provided her integrity and
honor are safeguarded.
2- The standing of woman in prayers behind man does not
indicate in any sense that she is inferior to him.
Woman, as already mentioned, is exempt from attending
congregational prayers which are obligatory on man. But
if she does attend she stands in separate lines made up
of women exclusively. This is a regulation of discipline
in prayers, and not a classification of importance. In
men's rows the head of state stands shoulder to shoulder
to the pauper. Men of the highest ranks in society stand
in prayer side by side with other men of the lowest
ranks. The order of lines in prayers is introduced to
help every one to concentrate in his meditation. It is
very important because Muslim prayers are not simply
chanting or the sing-a-song type. They involve actions,
motions, standing, bowing, prostration, etc. So if men
mix with women in the same lines, it is possible that
something disturbing or distracting may happen. The mind
will become occupied by something alien to prayer and
derailed from the clear path of mediation. The result
will be a loss of the purpose of prayers, besides an
offense of adultery committed by the eye, because the
eye-by looking at forbidden things - can be guilty of
adultery as much as the heart itself. Moreover, no
Muslim man or woman is allowed during prayers to touch
the body of another person of the opposite sex. If men
and women stand side by side in prayer they cannot avoid
touching each other. Furthermore, when a woman is
praying in front of a man or beside him, it is very
likely that any part of her dressed body may become
uncovered after a certain motion of bowing or
prostrating. The man's eye may happen to be looking at
the uncovered part, with the result that she will be
embarrassed and he will be exposed to distraction or
possibly evil thoughts. So, to avoid any embarrassment
and distraction to help concentrate on mediation and
pure thoughts, to maintain harmony and order among
worshippers, to fulfill the true purposes of prayers,
Islam has ordained the organization of rows, whereby men
stand in front lines, and women behind the children.
Anyone with some knowledge of the nature and purpose of
Muslim prayers can readily understand the wisdom of
organizing the lines of worshippers in this manner.
3- The Muslim woman is always associated with an old
tradition known as the "veil". It is Islamic
that the woman should beautify herself with the veil of
honor, dignity, chastity, purity and integrity. She
should refrain from all deeds and gestures that might
stir the passions of people other than her legitimate
husband or cause evil suspicion of her morality. She is
warned not to display her charms or expose her physical
attractions before strangers. The veil, which she must
put on, is one that can save her soul from weakness, her
mind from indulgence, her eyes from lustful looks, and
her personality from demoralization. Islam is most
concerned with the integrity of woman, with the
safeguarding of her morals and morale and with the
protection of her character and personality
4- By now it is clear that the status of woman in Islam
is unprecedentedly high and realistically suitable to
her nature. Her rights and duties are equal to those of
man but not necessarily or absolutely identical with
them. If she is deprived of one thing in some aspect,
she is fully compensated for it with more things in many
other aspects. The fact that she belongs to the female
sex has no bearing on her human status or independent
personality, and it is no basis for justification of
prejudice against her or injustice to her person. Islam
gives her as much as is required of her. Her rights
match beautifully with her duties. The balance between
rights and duties is maintained, and no side overweighs
the other. The whole status of woman is given clearly in
the Qur'an. Allah Almighty says:
(Women who are divorced shall wait, keeping
themselves apart, three (monthly) courses. And it is not
lawful for them that they should conceal that which
Allah hath created in their wombs if they are believers
in Allah and the Last Day. And their husbands would do
better to take them back in that case if they desire a
reconciliation. And they (women) have rights similar to
those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a
degree above them. Allah is Mighty, Wise.) (Al-Baqarah
2: 228)
This degree is not a title of supremacy or an
authorization of dominance over her. It is to correspond
with the extra responsibilities of man and give him some
compensation for his unlimited liabilities. The
above-mentioned verse is always interpreted in the light
of another. Allah Almighty says:
(Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath men
the one of them to excel the other, and because they
spend of their property (for the support of women). So
good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that
which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear
rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart,
and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way
against them. Lo! Allah is ever High Exalted, Great.)
(An-Nisaa' 4: 34)
It is these extra responsibilities that give man a
degree over woman in some economic aspects. It is not a
higher degree in humanity or in character. Nor is it a
dominance of one over the other or suppression of one by
the other. It is a distribution of Allah's abundance
according to the needs of the nature of which Allah is
the Maker. And He knows best what is good for woman and
what is good for man. Allah is absolutely true when He
says:
(O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who
created you from a single soul and from it created its
mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude
of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah
in Whom ye claim ( your rights ) of one another, and
toward the wombs (that bare you ). Lo! Allah hath been a
Watcher over you.) (An-Nisaa' 4: 1)
Excerpted from Islam in
Focus by Hammuda `Abdul-Ati with slight modifications.
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