Women site, - The Inherent Differences Between Man and Woman - II

Here is a set of features with which men and women have been characterized:
From among the rulings assigned to men, a mention may be made of the following:
• Men are in charge of the household in general and of preserving,
caring and safeguarding virtue, holding back vice and protecting those
under their guardianship from evil. They are also in charge of the
household in terms of earning a living and spending upon it. In
confirmation of this, Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Men are
in charge of women by ]right of[ what Allaah has given one over the
other and what they spend ]for maintenance[ from their wealth. So
righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in ]the husband's[
absence what Allaah would have them guard.{]Quran 4:34[
Consider the effect of that responsibility in the word "under" in the
Grand Quran as stated by Allaah The Almighty in Soorat
At-Tahreem:}Allaah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the
wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous
servants.{]Quran 66:10[
"Under" in this context tells us that they had no authority over their
husbands; rather, it was their husbands who had authority over them.
The woman is, therefore, not to be regarded as equal to or above the
man in this regard.
• Prophethood and the delivering of Allaah's message are the domain of
men and not women. In confirmation of this, Allaah The Almighty Says
)what means(:}And We sent not before you ]as messengers[ except men to
whom We revealed from among the people of cities.{]Quran 12:109[
According to scholars of Tafseer )Quranic exegesis(, Allaah The
Almighty has never sent as a prophet a woman, an angel, a jinn, or a
Bedouin.
• As for public guardianship and the jobs done under it like the
judiciary, public administration, and so on, and all other forms of
guardianship like that in marriage, are also the domain of men.
• Men are specifically assigned, to the exclusion of women, many acts
of worship such as the obligatory duty of Jihaad, Jumu'ah )Friday
prayer in the mosque( prayer, congregational prayers )in the mosque(,
pronouncement of the Athaan and Iqaamah )calls to prayer(, and so on.
Divorce also is made in the hand of the man and not the woman, and the
custody of the children are given to the man and not the woman.
• The man's share of inheritance, blood-money and his witness is twice
that of the woman.
These and other rulings assigned exclusively to men explain the
meaning of what is mentioned by Allaah The Almighty at the end of the
Noble Verse of Divorce in which He Says )what means(:}But the men have
a degree over them ]in responsibility and authority[. And Allaah is
Exalted in Might and Wise.{]Quran 2:228[
On the other hand, there are many rulings that Allaah The Almighty
assigned to women in acts of worship, social interaction, marriage and
its ramifications, judgments, and so on. They are well-known in the
Quran and Sunnah as well as in the writings of jurists. Many books, in
the past as well as the present, have been dedicated to this purpose
in particular.
Some of these pertain to her Hijaab and guarding her virtue.
That Allaah The Almighty has assigned to each sex a set of rulings has
three implications:
First, to have faith in and acknowledge the physical, mental and
Sharee'ah-determined distinction between men and women. Each should be
satisfied with what has been decreed by Allaah The Almighty for
him/her. Perfect justice lies in these distinctions, and through
observing them, order is achieved in the life of human society.
Second, it is impermissible for a male or a female Muslim to hope for
what was assigned by Allaah The Almighty to the other. To do so would
be to be displeased with the decree of Allaah The Almighty and
dissatisfied with His command and ordinance. Rather, let each slave
ask Allaah The Almighty out of His bounty for that is from
Sharee'ah-recommended politeness and which removes envy, disciplines
the believing soul and habituates it to be pleased with what is
decreed by Allaah The Almighty.
Allaah The Almighty forbade wishing for what is assigned to others in
His statement )which means(:}And do not wish for that by which Allaah
has made some of you exceed others. For men is a share of what they
have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And
ask Allaah of His bounty. Indeed Allaah is ever, of all things,
Knowing.{]Quran 4:32[
The occasion on which this verse was revealed is what is narrated on
the authority of Mujaahid, may Allaah have mercy upon him, that Umm
Salamah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, "O Messenger of Allaah,
will men take part in Jihaad and we ]women[ not do so? Why should we
have only half their inheritance?" On that Allaah The Almighty
revealed )what means(:}And do not wish for that by which Allaah has
made some of you exceed others.{]Quran 4:32[ ]At-Tabari, Ahmad,
Al-Haakim and others[
According to At-Tabari, may Allaah have mercy upon him, "Allaah The
Almighty means here, 'Desire not that with which Allaah has favored
some of you over others'. It is mentioned that it was revealed in
connection with some women who wished to be in the same position of
men and have what they have, but Allaah The Almighty forbade His
slaves to have such false wishes and commanded them to ask Him for His
Bounty, as such wishes always draw envy and transgression with no just
cause."
Third, if mere wishing is forbidden as stated by the Quran, then what
about those who actually deny the Sharee'ah-determined distinctions,
call for their cancellation, and claim equality, to which they invite
in the name of equality between man and woman?
Undoubtedly, this is an atheistic theory for it contradicts the
universal norm of Allaah The Almighty that decreed these physical and
moral distinctions between men and women and seeks to disregard Islam
with its Sharee'ah-related texts which determine, in many rulings, the
differences between the male and the female.