2] Ramadan 2012, The 13th Day

2]
I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go towaste, male or
female—you are both the same in that respect. Those who have left
their homes and were driven from their homes, and [who] sufferedharm
in My Way and fought and were killed, I will erase their bad
actionsand admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, as
a reward from Allah. The best of all rewards is with Allah. (Surah Al
'Imran, 195)
Whoever meets Allah, without associating partners with Him, will enter
Paradise; and whoever meets Him as one who associated anything with
Him, will enter the Fire. (Muslim)
A woman and a man are both lower selves. They are souls. They are both
beings that come into being by Allah's breathing into them.
Consequently they have both the very same rights. A woman divorces as
she wishes, if she considers him to be abnormal and insincere. If he
is far removed from faith and religion, she divorces him. Even if she
does not divorce, their marriage becomes legally invalid. (A9 TV,
February 20, 2012)
The Qur'an Addresses Men And Women In The Same Manner
Every society knows all of the traditional arguments about women's
ideal role and place. Their social status and importance in the
family, whether or not they should work, and other social issues have
been discussed seemingly forever. For Muslims, these issues 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 ofone another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong, keep up prayer and
give the alms [zakat], and obey Allah and His Messenger. 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 pray
to Him for a character that will make them role models for those
around them.
Islam states that men and women are totally equal. For both of them,
it all depends on their ability to exceed what is expected ofthem by
realizing the full potential of their characterand 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 pleasureand be the nearest to Him.
The equality between menand women is also seen in the fact that Allah
gives them equal rights in this world:
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)
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. He also reminds
men and women that no one will be treated unjustly as regards the
rewards they are to receive on Earth as well as in the Hereafter:
"Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will
give them a good life and will recompense them according to the best
of what they did" (Surat an-Nahl, 97)

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