The Status of Woman in Islam

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, atleast, as vital to life as man himself, and that sheis 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 a matter 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
would 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, Thereis no problem. It is almostimpossible to
find even two identical men or women.
This distinction between equality and sameness is of paramount
importance. Equality is desirable, just, fair; but sameness is not.
People are not created identical but they are created equals. With
this distinction in mind, thereis 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 equalrights - 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 thequestion 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 alonefor the First Sin. The Qur'an makes it very
clearthat both Adam and Eve were tempted; that they both sinned; that
God's pardon was granted to both after their repentance; and that
Godaddressed them jointly. (2:35-36;7:19, 27; 20:117-123). 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 worldor to the democratic nations, we find
that woman is not really in a happy position. Her status is not
enviable. Shehas 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 hasnot 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, tolearn, 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 turnshe 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 hereto
elaborate on the statusof modern woman and the risks she runs to make
her living or establish herself. We do not even need to explore the
miseries and setbacksthat 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 modernwoman 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 expenseof 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 passagesto
sum up the attitude of Islam with regard to woman.
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 forlife. 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 equalpartnership in the reproduction of human
kind God says:
O mankind! Verily We have created your from asingle (pair) of a male
and a female,m and made you into nations and tribes that you may know
each other... (Qur'an, 49:13; cf. 4:1).
She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsibilities
and in receiving rewards for her deeds. She is acknowl-edged 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. God says:
And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them
(saying): 'Never will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he
maleor female; you are members, one of another... (3:195; cf
9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21).
She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge. When
Islam enjoins the seekingof knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no
distinction between man and woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago,
Muhammad declared thatthe pursuit of knowledgeis incumbent on every
Muslim male and female. This declaration was veryclear and was
implemented by Muslims throughout history.
She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. Her sound
opinions are takeninto 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 Muslimleaders (Qur'an, 58:1-4;
60:10-12). Besides there were occasions when Muslim women
expressedtheir 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
Califate of Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
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. Theywere not shut
behind iron bars or considered worthless creatures and deprived of
souls.
Islam grants woman equal rights to contract, to enterprise, to earn
andpossess independently. Her life, her property, herhonor are as
sacred as those of man. If she commits any offense, her penalty is no
less or morethan of man's in a similar case. If she is wronged
orharmed, she gets due compensations equal to what a man in her
position would get (2:178;4:45, 92-93).
Islam does not state theserights in a statistical formand 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 womanor discrimination between man and
woman. Time and again, the Qur'an reproaches those who used to believe
woman to be inferior to man (16:57-59,62; 42:47-59; 43:15-19;
53:21-23).
Apart from recognition ofwoman 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 notonly
deprived of that share but was herself considered as property tobe
inherited by man. Out of that transferable property Islam made an
heir, acknowledging the inherent human qualifiesin 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 questionof
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 portionsthey 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:
*.
First man, is the person solely responsible for the complete
maintenance of his wife, his family and any other needy relations.
Itis his duty by Law to assume all financial responsibilities and
maintain his dependents adequately.It is also his duty to contribute
financially toall good causes in his society. All financial burdens
are borne by him alone.
*.
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 theprovider; 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 besides herself. If there is a manin 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 responsi-bility is limited, while his is unlimited.
*.
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
issomething 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 regulatedby
the Law of God.
*.
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 andaid
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 notforgotten her altogether, but has given
her a portion to satisfy her very personalneeds. 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(see Qur'an, 4:11-14, 176).
In some instances of bearing witness to certain civil con-tracts, two
men are required or one man and two women. Again, this is no
indication of the woman being inferior to man. It is a measure of
securing the rights of the contracting parties, because woman as a
rule,is not so experienced in practical life as man. This lack of
experience may cause a loss to any party in a given contract. So the
Law requires that at least two women should bear witness with one man.
if a woman of the witness forgets something, the other onewould remind
her. Or if she makes an error, due to lack of experience, theother
would help to correct her. This is a precautionary measure to
guarantee honest transactions and proper dealings between people. In
fact, it gives woman a role to play in civil life and helps to
establish justice. At any rate, lack of experience in civil life does
not necessarily mean that women is inferior to manin her status. Every
human being lacks one thing or another, yet no one questions their
human status (2:282).
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 God (31:14-15;46:15). The Prophet
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
sheis entitled to demand of her prospective husband a suitable dowry
that willbe 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.
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 fromthe clear path of mediation. The
result willbe 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 manor beside him,
it is very likely that any part of herdressed 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 beembarrassed and he will be exposed to distractionor
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 ofworshippers in this
manner.
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
herphysical attractions before strangers. The veilwhich 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 (cf. Qur'an, 24:30-31).
By now it is clear that thestatus 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'anic verse which may be translated as
follows:
And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them,
according to what is equitable; but man have a degree (of advantage as
in some cases of inheritance) over them (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 isalways interpreted
in thelight of another (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 God's abundance according
to the needs of the nature of which God is the Maker. And He knows
best what is good for woman and what is goodfor man. God is absolutely
true when He declares:
mankind! reverence yourGuardian-Lord, Who created you from a
singleperson, and created of like nature his mate, and from them twain
scattered (like seeds) countless men and women (4:1).

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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