ideal role and place. Their social status and importance in the
family, whether or notthey should work, and other social issues have
been discussed seemingly forever. For Muslims, theseissues were
settled by the Qur'an: Men and women are equal. The facts that men and
women have different physical builds and that women are generally
weaker than men are irrelevant and cannot be used to reduce women's
value.
What truly matters in Islamic morality is not whether someone is male
or female, but whether or not he or she is a believer who fears and
respects Allah. Each believer is expected to strive to live by the
Qur'an's morality, for the results of this struggle are what Allah
values and will measure inthe Hereafter. Allah revealsthe qualities
that all Muslims, male or female, should have:
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong, keep up prayer and
give the alms [ zakat ], and obey Allah and HisMessenger. They are the
people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Surat at-Tawba: 71)
As Allah reveals, all Muslims, regardless of their gender, have the
same responsibilities: to worship Allah, live according to the
Qur'an's morality, command good and prevent evil, and abide by the
Qur'an's rules.Allah promises everyone who fears and respects
thelimits that He has established for humanity that He will give them
the ability to distinguish right from wrong:
O you who believe! If you have fear of [and respect] Allah, He will
give you discrimination, erase your bad actions, and forgive you.
Allah's favor is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal:29)
Any man or woman who acts on the impulses of theintellect derived from
belief can achieve success in many areas. This depends on their will,
motivation, and persistence. Believers never rest on their laurels,
for it is part of Islamic morality to always strive to be more
intelligent, talented, responsible, and virtuous, as well as to seekto
always improve upon their character. Allah reveals that believers
prayto Him for a character thatwill make them role models for those
around them:
Those who say: "Our Lord, give us joy in our wives and children, and
make us a good examplefor those who guard against evil. " (Surat
al-Furqan: 74)
Islam states that men and women are totally equal. For both of them,
it all depends on their ability toexceed what is expected of them by
realizing the full potential of their character and personality, and
by fulfilling their responsibilities. For this reason, believing women
do not struggle for equality with men, but exert themselves in the
race to do good, defined inthe Qur'an as the effort to win Allah's
good pleasure. For this end, they race to become the person most loved
by Allah so that theymay win His good pleasure and be the nearest to
Him. Allah reveals that these efforts determine the Muslim's
superiority over others in this life as well as in the Hereafter:
Such people are truly racing toward good things, and they are the
first to reach them. (Surat al-Mu'minun: 61)
Then We made Our chosen servants inherit the Book. But some of them
wrong themselves,some are ambivalent, and some outdo each other in
good by Allah's permission. That is the great favor. (Surah Fatir: 32)
The equality between menand women is also seen inthe fact that Allah
gives them equal rights in this world:
We made everything on Earth adornment for it sothat We could test them
to see whose actions arethe best. (Surat al-Kahf: 7)
Every soul will taste death. We test you with both good and evil as a
trial. And you will be returned to Us. (Surat al-Anbiya': 35)
In the above verses, Allah reveals that He tests men and women so that
they can show who is better. Inanother verse, He says that He will
test men and women with various trials until the day they die, and
that those who show patience will be rewarded with His mercy:
We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger, as well as
loss of wealth, life, and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast.
(Surat al-Baqara: 155)
Allah gave each man and woman a fixed number of years, holds them both
responsible for their choices, gave them a senseof right and wrong,
and made their base instincts and Satan their enemies. And whoever
shows strength of character and works for good in the face of these
realities here on Earth will receive the best rewards from Allah in
bothworlds:
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