The issue of women in Islam, is topic of great misunderstanding and
distortion due partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due
to misbehavior of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the
teachings of Islam. We speak here about what Islam teaches, and that
is that standard according to which Muslims are to be judged. As such,
my basis and source is the Quran--the words of Allah, and the sayings
of the Prophet, his deeds and his confirmation. Islamic laws are
derived from these sources. To facilitate our discussion we can
discuss the position of women from a spiritual, economic, social, and
political standpoint.
From the spiritual aspect, there are seven points to remember:
According to the Quran, men and women have the same spirit, there is
no superiority in the spiritual sense between men and women. [Noble
Quran 4:1, 7:189, 42:11]
The Quran makes it clearthat all human beings (and the phraseology
doesn't apply to men or women alone, but to both) have what you might
call a human; He
"breathed some of My spirit into divine touch. When God created
him"(or her in this sense). [Noble Quran 15:29 See also 32:9]
Some of His spirit here means not in the incarnational sense, but the
pure, innate spiritual nature that God has endowed her or him with.
The Quran indicates again that one of the most honored positions of
human, is that God created the human, and as I referred to Surah 17
earlier, it means both sexes, as His trustee and representative on
earth. There are many references in the Quran that reaffirm this.
Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming Eve
for the first mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree.
Nowhere,even though the Quran speaks about Adam, Eve, and the
forbidden tree, but in a totally different spirit. The story is
narrated in 7:19-27, and it speaks about both of them doing this, both
of them are told that both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered
the consequences of their disobedience, both of them seek repentance
and both of them are forgiven. Nowhere in theQuran does it say woman
is to be blamed for the fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran
speaks about the suffering of women during the period of pregnancy and
childbirth, nowhere doesit connect it with the concept of original
sin, because there is no concept of original sin in Islam. The
suffering is presented not as a reason to remind womanof the fall of
man, but as a reason to adore and love woman or the mother. In the
Quran, especially 31:14, 46:15, it makes it quite clear God has
commanded upon mankind to be kind to parents and mentions,
"His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering."
[Noble Quran 31:14, 46:15]
The Quran makes it clearagain to remove any notion of superiority andI
refer you again to 49:13. I must caution you that there are some
mistaken translations, but if you go to the original Arabic, there is
no question of gender being involved.
In terms of moral, spiritual duties, acts of worship, the requirements
of men andwomen are the same, except in some cases when women have
certain concessions because of their femininenature, or their health
or the health of their babies.
The Quran explicitly, in more than one verse, 3:195, 4:124, specified
that whoever does good deeds, and is a believer and then specifies
"male or female" God will give them an abundant reward.
In the area of economic rights, we have to remember that in Europe
until the 19th century, women did not have the right to own their own
property. When they were married, either it would transfer to the
husband or she would not be able to dispense of it without permission
of her husband. In Britain, perhaps the first country to give women
some property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known as"Married
Women Property Act." More than 1300 years earlier, that right was
clearly established in Islamic law.
"Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and whatever women earn,
they have a share in that." [Noble Quran 4:32]
Secondly, there is no restriction in Islamic law that says a woman
cannot work or have a profession, that her only place is in the home.
In fact, by definition, in a truly Islamic society, there must be
women physicians, women nurses, women teachers, because it's
preferable also to separate teenagers in the volatile years in high
school education. And if she chooses to work, or if she's married with
the consent of her husband, she's entitled to equal pay, not for equal
work, but for work of equal worth.
Thirdly, when it comes to financial security, Islamic law is more
tilted in many respects towards women. These are seven examples:
During the period of engagement, a woman isto be on the receiving side of gifts.
At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the
bride's family. He is supposed to pay for a marital gift. TheQuran
called it a gift, and it is exclusively the right of the woman. She
doesn't have to spend it on the household, she doesn't have to give it
to her father or anyone else.
If the woman happenedto own any property prior to marriage, she
retains that property after marriage. It remainsunder her control.
Also, in most Muslim countries,the woman keeps her own last name, and
her own identity.
If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of
investments of her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have
tospend one penny of that income on the household, it is entirely
hers.
The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire
responsibility of her husband, even though she might be richer than he
is. She doesn't have tospend a penny.
At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the
waiting period and even beyond for a woman's support.
If the widow or divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.
In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic
laws pertaining to inheritancegive men a higher share. From the social
standpoint, as a daughterwe find that credit goes to Islam for
stopping the barbaric practice of pre-Islamic Arabs of female
infanticide. These ignorant people used to bury female daughters
alive. The Quran forbade the practice, making it a crime. Surah 81
Additionally, the Quran condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some
people who used togreet the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness
in the case of a girl.
The duty, not the right, the duty of education, as the Prophet said,
is a duty on every Muslim, male and female.
As far as treatment of daughters is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) said, "Anyone who has two daughters, and
did not bury them, did not insult them and brought them up properly,
he and I will be like this," holding his twofingers close together.
Another version adds, "And also did not favor his sons over
daughters." One time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was
seated. A companion was sitting with him. The companion's son came. He
kissed his son and put him on his lap. Then his daughter came, and he
just sat her by his side. The Prophet told the man, "You did not do
Justice," meaning he should have treated the daughter equally, kissed
her and put her in his lapalso. Indeed, whenever the Prophet's
daughter Fatimah came to him, in front of everyone, he stood up,
kissed her and let her sit in his favorite place where he'd been
sitting.
From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates in Surahs
30:20 and 42:11 that marriage is not just an inevitable evil, marriage
is not somebody getting married to his master or slave, but rather to
his partner.
"Among His Signs is this, that he created for you mates from among
yourselves, that they maydwell in tranquility with them, and He has
put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for
those who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]
There are numerous verses in the Quran to thesame effect.
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