Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that the
women's liberation movement began in the 20th century. Actually, the
women's liberation movement was not begun by women but was revealed by
God to a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad (peace be
upon him), who is known as the last Prophet of Islam. The Qur'an and
the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith or Sunnah) are the sources from
which every Muslim woman derives her rights and duties.
I. HUMAN RIGHTS
Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to God
in glorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her moral
progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her humanity
with men. In the Qur'an, in the first verse of the chapter
entitled"Women," God says, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your
Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it its mate and from
them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful
of your duty toward Allah in Whom you claim (your rights) of one
another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah has been a
Watcher over you." (4:1) Since men and women both came from the same
essence, they are equal in their humanity. Women cannot be by nature
evil (as some religious believe) or then men would be evil also.
Similarly, neither gender can be superior because it would be a
contradiction of equality.
II. CIVIL RIGHTS
In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom of choice and expression based
on recognition of her individual personality. First, she is free to
choose her religion. The Qur'an states: "There is no compulsion in
religion. Right has been made distinct from error." (2:256) Women are
encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas. There are
many traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) which indicate women would pose
questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning
religion, economics and social matters. A Muslim woman chooses her
husband and keeps her name after marriage. A Muslim woman's testimony
is valid in legal disputes. In fact, in areas in which women are more
familiar, their evidence is conclusive.
III. SOCIAL RIGHTS
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every
Muslim (male and female)." This includes knowledge of the Qur'an and
the Hadith as well as other knowledge. Men and women both have the
capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their
obligation to promote good behaviorand condemn bad behavior in all
spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education
to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and
interests. While maintenance of a home, providing support to her
husband, and bearing, raising and teaching of children are among the
first and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the
skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may
do so as long as her family obligations are met. Islam recognizes and
fosters thenatural differences between men and women despite their
equality. Some types of work are more suitable for men and other types
for women. This in no way diminishes either's effort nor its benefit.
God willreward both sexes equally for the value of their work, though
it may not necessarily be the same activity. Concerning motherhood,
the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Heaven lies under the feet of mothers." This
implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers
that raised it. The firstand greatest influence on a person comes from
the sense of security, affection, and training received from the
mother. Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and
conscientious in order to be a skillful parent.
IV. POLITICAL RIGHTS
A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is the right to
vote. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion and
participate in politics. One example, narrated in the Qur'an (60:12),
is thatMuhammad (pbuh) is told that when the believing women come to
him and swear their allegiance to Islam, he must accept their oath.
This established the right of women to select their leader and
publicly declare so. Finally, Islam does not forbid a woman from
holding important positions in government. Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf
consulted many women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan to be the
Caliph.
V. ECONOMIC RIGHTS
The Qur'an states: "By the creation ofthe male and female; Verily,
(the ends) ye strive for are diverse." (92:3-4) In these verses, God
declaresthat He created men and women to be different, with unique
roles, functions and skills. As in society, where there is a division
of labor, so too in a family; each member has different
responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that women are entrusted
with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role. Therefore,
women are given the right of financial support. The Qur'an states:
"Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them
to excel others and because they spend of their wealth (for the
support of women)." (4:34) This guardianship and greater financial
responsibility is given to men, requires that they provide women with
not only monetary support but also physical protection and kind and
respectful treatment. The Muslim woman has the privilege to earn
money, the right to own property, to enter into legal contractsand to
manage all of her assets in any way she pleases. She can run her own
business and no one has any claim on her earnings including her
husband. The Qur'an states:
"And in no wise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed His
gifts more freely on some of you than on others; to men is allotted
what they earn, and to women, what they earn;but ask Allah of His
bounty, for Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32)
A woman inherits from her relatives. The Qur'an states: "For men there
is ashare in what parents and relatives leave, and for women there is
a share of what parents and relatives leave, whether it be little or
much - an ordained share." (4:7)
VI. RIGHTS OF A WIFE
The Qur'an states: "And among His signs is that He created for you
matesfrom among yourselves that you maylive in tranquillity with them,
and He has put love and mercy between you;Verily, in that are signs
for people who reflect." (30:21) Marriage is therefore not just a
physical or emotional necessity, but in fact, a sign from God! It is a
relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine
guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures, and in
the Qur'an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious
interaction between the sexes. "...They are your garments andyou are
their garments." (2:187) Clothing provides physical protection and
covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed
this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments
the characteristics of the spouse. To foster the love and security
that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first
of the wife's rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband which
is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the
marriage. The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any
wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with
food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond
his capability and his wife is not entitledto make unreasonable
demands. TheQur'an states:
"Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose
resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has
given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given
him." (65:7)
God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the
leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends
to guiding his family to obey God at all times. A wife's rights also
extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The most perfect believers are the best in
conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives."
God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy, and tranquillity
between them. Both men and women have a need for companionship and
sexual needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs. For one
spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, temptation exists to
seek it elsewhere.
VII. DUTIES OF A WIFE
With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives have certain
obligations to their husbands. The Qur'an states: "The good women in
the absence of their husbands guard their rights as Allah has enjoined
upon them to be guarded." (4:34) A wife is to keep her husband's
secrets and protect their marital privacy. Issues of intimacy or
faults of his thatwould dishonor him, are not to be shared by the
wife, just as he is expected to guard her honor. A wife must also
guard her husband's property. She must safeguard his home and
possessions, to the best of her ability, from theft or damage.
Sheshould manage the household affairswisely so as to prevent loss or
waste. he should not allow anyone to enter the house whom her husband
dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband disapproves. A
Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her husband. There
cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is disobedient to God.
She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her to do something
unlawful. A husband also should not take advantage of his wife, but be
considerate of her needsand happiness.
VIII. CONCLUSION
The Qur'an states:
"And it becomes not a believing man or a believing women, when Allah
and His Messenger (Muhammad) have decided on an affair (for them),
that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso
is rebellious to Allah and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in
error manifest." (33:36)
The Muslim woman was given a role,duties and rights 1400 years ago
thatmost women do not enjoy today, even in the West. These are from
Godand are designed to keep balance in society; what may seem unjust
or missing in one place is compensated for or explained in another
place. Islam is a complete way of life.
Mary Ali and Anjum Ali
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'' Our Lord ! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire '' [Ameen]
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{in Arab} :->
Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wafil aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'athaaban-naar/-
(Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 201)
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