exposed to diverse kinds of humiliation prior to the mission of the
Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him). They were treated like
material property to be disposed of at the whim of the male guardian.
They were not entitled to inherit from their parents or husbands.
Arabs believed inheritance should only be granted to those who had
martial abilities, like being able to ride a horse, fight, gain war
booties and help protect the tribe and clan territory.
Since women in the pagan Arab society did not generally have these
qualities, they were themselves inherited like any moveable commodity
after the death of an indebted husband. If the deceased husband had
adult sons from other marriages, the oldest son amongst them had the
right to add her to his household, just as a son inherits other
chattels of his deceased father. She was unable to leave the house of
her stepson unless she paid a ransom. As a general practice, men had
the freedom toacquire as many wives as they desired with no set
limits. There was no system of law and justice that would forbid a man
from committing any injustice towardshis wives. Women had no right
tochoose, or even consent to being chosen as a partner for
marriage;they were simply given away. Women were forbidden to remarry
if a husband divorced them.
In the pre-Islamic era of Arabia, fathers commonly became extremely
angry and disgraced with the birth of a female child into their
family. Some considered it an evil omen. Allah, the Exalted, describes
the father'sreception of the news about the birth of a daughter:
(When the news of (the birth of) a female is brought to any of them,
his face becomes dark, andhe is filled with inward grief! He hides
himself from the people because of the evil (and shame) of that which
he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor, or bury her in
the dirt? Certainly, evil is their decision...)
[16:59]
Women were not even able to practice some of the most natural of
rights. For instance eating certain types of foods was allowed only
for males. Allah, the Exalted, records this in the Glorious Qur'an:
(And they say: What is in the bellies of such cattle (whether milk or
fetus) is for the male alone, and forbidden from our females, however,
if it was born dead, then all have shares therein...)
[6:139]
The hatred of female babies prompted Arabs to bury them alive. Allah,
the Exalted, states in the Glorious Qur'an with reference to the Day
of Requital:
(And when the female buried alive shall be questioned: for what sin
was she killed?)
[81:8-9]
Some fathers used to bury their female children alive if the child was
leprous, lame or with birth defect. Allah (The Almighty) states in the
Glorious Qur'an:
(And kill not your children for fearof poverty. We provide for them
and you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin.)
[17:31]
The one honor afforded to women during the pre-Islamic era was the
protection of her person, family and tribe, and the revenge against
any who humiliated or dishonored her, but even this was more for male
pride, dignity and tribal honor than a concern for the female gender.
This situation of women in the Arab society led Umar ibn al-Khattab,
the second Caliph of the Muslims (may Allah exalt theirmention) to
say, as reported by Muslim:
"By Allah, we didn't use to think that women had anything until Allah
revealed about them what He revealed in the Qur'an, and distributed to
them what He distributed..."
[Bukhari #4629 & Muslim #31]
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