What the Quran Says about Women’s Rights

about Women's Rights
Prior to the advent of Islam, women were widely regarded as
non-entities in many societies around the world. Indeed, it has taken
centuries for women to gain rights equal to those of men, at least in
theory, if not in practice. But the strugglefor complete gender
equality has not ended.
Within this struggle, many fingers point to Islam as one of the
biggest hurdles to women's rights. But, when we consult the Quran,
this does not appear to be the case. Traditionally conservative
customs embedded in society do not live up to the Quran'svision of
dignity for women.
The Quran says: "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who
created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from
them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful
of your duty toward God in Whom ye claim (your rights) of one another,
and toward the wombs (that bear you)" (Quran 4:1).
This verse clearly demonstrates that men and women in Islam are equal
to each other both intrinsically – within the very act of creation –
andextrinsically, with respectto both their relationshipwith one
another and their duties before God. In fact, the singling out of
women at the end of this verse for special reverence as de facto
mothers is the only indication of relative inequality, albeit in
favour of women.
In pre-Islamic Arabia, parents would often commit female infanticide
because they considered the birth of a daughter an inauspiciousomen
for the family. The Quran condemned feelings of shame at the birth of
a girl, and said ofthose who commit such acts: "He hideth himself from
the folk because of the evil of that whereof he hath had tidings,
(asking himself): Shall he keep it in contempt, or bury it beneath the
dust. Verily evil is their judgment" (Quran 16:58-59).
Fourteen centuries after Islam's beginnings and the progress,
development, education and enlightenment that followed, we still
observethe stigma attached to having a daughter in certain parts of
the world, like in much of South Asia, for example. In a society where
men often support the entire family, the birth of a son is seen as
greater cause for celebration.
Though the empowerment of women, resulting from better education and
employment, is changingsocietal structures, we must do more to honour
the gender equality expounded by the Quran.Forced marriages,"honour"
killings, and women's confinement to the home by culture, tradition
and societal norms have no endorsement from Islam.
Political and religious leaders in some of the more traditionally
conservative Muslim societies, such as the tribal areas in Pakistan,
should respect the Quranic view of women'sstatus and rights and work
to build on that dictum.
Islam granted rights of inheritance to women 12centuries before they
were granted to European women: "Unto the men (of a family) belongeth
a share of thatwhich parents and nearer kindred leave, and unto the
women a share of that which parents and near kindredleave, whether it
be little or much – a legal share" (Quran 4:7).
Islam was revealed at a time and in a society in which women
themselves had been inherited as property; it was nothing short of
revolutionary for them tohave their own inheritance rights recognised.
In Muslim discourse, the debate over women's rights, or any rights for
that matter, is always understood in the context of rights and
responsibilities from an Islamic perspective. To respect these rights
and responsibilities and to understand our role in the development of
a society, we must educate ourselves. Education and knowledge are
mandatory upon men and women in Islam.
After all, it is education that serves as a catalyst for change. "Say
(unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know
not? But only men of understanding will pay heed" (Quran 39:9).
The teachings of Islam must take precedence over the cultures and
customs with embedded bias against women's constructive role in
manyMuslim societies, ironically in the name of the very religion that
hasgranted women far greater rights than these social structures are
willing to accept. Any empowerment efforts in accordance with the
Quran's vision, which upholds women's status before the law, must be
fully supported. To those who would deny women such rights, we ask,
"Will they not then ponder on the Quran?" (4:82).