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 sheis a believer who fears and
respects Allah. Each believer is expected to strive to live by the
Qur'an's morality, for theresults of this struggle are what Allah
values and will measure in the Hereafter. Allah reveals the 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 His Messenger. They are
the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Suratat-Tawba: 71)
As Allah reveals, all Muslims, regardless of their gender, have the
same responsibilities: to worship Allah, live according to the
Qur'an'smorality, command good and prevent evil, and abide by the
Qur'an's rules. Allah promises everyone who fears and respects the
limits that He has established for humanitythat 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 the intellect 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
seek to always improve upon their character. Allah reveals that
believers pray to Him fora character that will 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 to exceed 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 in the Qur'an as the effort to win Allah's
good pleasure. For this end, they race to become the person mostloved
by Allah so that they may win His good pleasure and be the nearest to
Him. Allah reveals that these effortsdetermine 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 men and women is also seen in the fact that Allah
gives them equal rights in this world:
We made everything on Earth adornment for it so that We could test
them to see whose actions are the 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 sothat
they can show who is better. In another 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 andwoman a fixed number of years, holds them both
responsible for their choices, gave them a sense of right and wrong,
and made their base instincts and Satan their enemies. And whoever
shows strengthof character and works for good in the face of these
realities here on Earth will receive the best rewards from Allah in
both worlds:
I will not let the deeds ofany doer among you go to waste, male or
female—you are both the samein that respect. Those who have left their
homes and were driven from their homes, and [who] suffered harm in My
Way and fought and were killed, I will erase their bad actions and
admit them into Gardenswith rivers flowing under them, as a rewardfrom
Allah. The best of all rewards is with Allah. (Surah Al 'Imran: 195)
He also reminds men andwomen 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).
The Qur'an Addresses Men and Women in the Same Manner
Looking at the Qur'an in general, we see that men and women are
addressed in the same manner. This is yet another indication that
Allah is concerned only with a person's true and heart-felt belief and
not his or her age or gender.In this respect, the Qur'an addresses men
and women together and reminds them that they have the same
responsibilities. There are many such verses, among them: "Anyone,
male or female, who does right actions and believes, will enter the
Garden. They will not be wronged by so much as the tiniest speck"
(Surat an-Nisa: 124).
When revealing things about unbelievers, Allah also addresses them in
the same manner. He reveals that unbelievers and hypocrites of both
genders will be treated alike. For example:
The men and women of the hypocrites are as bad as one another. They
command what is wrong and forbid what is right, and they keep their
fists tightly closed. They have forgotten Allah, so He has forgotten
them. The hypocrites are deviators.(Surat at-Tawba: 67)
Allah has promised the men and women of the hypocrites and unbelievers
the Fire of Hell, remaining in it timelessly, forever. It willsuffice
them. Allah has cursed them. They will have an everlasting punishment.
(Surat at-Tawba: 68)
This was so that Allah might punish hypocritical men and women as well
as the associating men and women—those who think bad thoughts about
Allah, and turn toward the men and women of the believers. Allah is
Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Ahzab: 73)
And so that He might punish hypocritical men and women as well as
associating men and women—those who think bad thoughts about Allah.
They will suffer an evil turn of fate. Allah is angry with them, has
cursed them, and prepared Hell for them. What an evil destination!
(Surat al-Fath: 6)
As these verses make clear, men and women are equal in their trial on
Earth as well as in thereward they receive in the Hereafter.
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