Women's Liberation Through Islam

Today people think that women are liberated in the west and that the
woman's liberation movement began in the 20 th century. Actually, the
women's liberation movement was not begun by women but women but was
revealedbuy 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 orSunnah)
are the sources from which every Muslim women derives her rightsand
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 ofyour duty to your Lord who created you from a
single soul and from it its mate and from them both have spread broad
a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah
inwhom 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 come from the sameessence, they are equal
intheir humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil (as some religions
believe) or them 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 freedoms 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 (p) which indicate women
would pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions
concerning religion, economics and social matters.
A Muslim woman choosesher husband and to keep her name after
marriage.A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legaldisputes. In
fact, where women are more familiar, their evidence isconclusive.
III. SOCIAL RIGHTS:
The Prophet (s) 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. Sinceit is also their
obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all
spheres of life Muslim women must acquire the oppropriate education
toperform 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 women, if she has the skills to work
outside the home for the good of thecommunity, she may do so as long
as her family obligations are met.
Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between menand
women despite theirequality. 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. Godwill reward both sexes equally for the
value of their work though it maynot 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
tracedto the mothers that raised it. The first and greatest influence
on a person comes from the sense of security affection and training
received from the mothertherefore 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)
MUHAMMAD [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 womanfrom holding
important positions in government. Abdurrahman 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 of the male and female: Verily
[the ends] ye strive for are diverse"(92:3-4)
In these verses, God declares that he created men and women to be
different, with unique roles, functions and skills.As in society,
where thereis a division of labor so too in a family, each member has
different responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that woman are
entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role.
Therefore woman are given the right of financial support.
The Qur'an states: "Men are the maintainers of woman because Allah
hasmade some of them to excel others and because they spend of their
wealth (for the support of woman" (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.
Muslim woman have the privilege to earn money, the right to own
property, to enter into legal contracts and 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 Quran 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 woman what theyearn: but ask Allah of his bounty
for Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32)
A woman inherits from her relatives .The Quran 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
mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them
and he has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are sings
for people who reflect". (30:21)
Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity but
in fact a sign from God! Itis 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 supportharmonious interaction between the sexes "they are your
garments and you are their garments." (2:187)
Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults
of the body. Likewise, 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 you and security that
comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first ofthe
wife's rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband which is
part of the marriage contract and required forthe legality of the
marriage.
The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may
have, her husband isobligated to provide her with food, shelter and
clothing. He is not forced,however, to spend beyond his capability
andhis wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur'an
states: "Let the man of means spend according to his means and the
manwhose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what
Allah has given him. Allah puts.No burden on any personbeyond 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. Go"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 tranquility 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 oftheir 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 of faults of his that would 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, tothe best of her ability, from theft or damage.
She should manage the household affairs wisely so as to prevent loss
or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house that 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 cooperationwith 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 herneeds and happiness.
VIII. CONCLUSION:
The Qur'an states: "And it becomes not a believing man or a believing
woman, 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 whoseis 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
that most women do not enjoy today even in the west. These are from
Godand are designed to keepbalance 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.
Source: http://www.alazhr.com/