In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
The status of woman in Islam is something unique, something novel, something that has no similarity in any other system. If we look to the Eastern Communist world or to the democratic nations, we find that woman is not really in a happy position. Her status is not enviable. She has to work so hard to live, and sometimes she may be doing the same job that a man does but her wage is less than his. She enjoys a kind of liberty which in some cases amounts to libertinism. To get to where she is nowadays, woman struggled hard for decades and centuries. To gain the right of learning and the freedom of work and earning, she had to offer painful sacrifices and give up many of her natural rights. To establish her status as a human being possessing a soul, she paid heavily. Yet in spite of all these costly sacrificeqs and painful struggles, she has not acquired what Islam has established by a Divine decree for the Muslim woman.
The rights of woman of modern times were not granted volun- tarily or out of kindness to the female. Modern woman reached her present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual consent or Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various circumstances came to her aid. Shortage of manpower during wars, pressure of economic needs and requirements of industrial developments forced woman to get out of her home - to work, to learn, to struggle for her livelihood, to appear as an equal to man, to run her race in the course of life side by side with him. She was forced by circumstances and in turn she forced herself through and acquired her new status. Whether all women were pleased with these circumstances being on their side, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the results of this course is a different matter. But the fact remains that whatever rights modern woman enjoys fall short of those of her Muslim counterpart. What Islam has established for woman is that which suits her nature, gives her full security and protects her against disgraceful circum- stances and uncertain channels of life. We do not need here to elaborate on the status of modern woman and the risks she runs to make her living or establish herself. We do not even need to explore the miseries and setbacks that encircle her as a result of the so-called rights of woman. Nor do we intend to manipulate the situation of many unhappy homes which break because of the very "freedom" and "rights" of which modern woman is proud. Most women today exercise the right of freedom to go out independently, to work and earn, to pretend to be equal to man, but this, sadly enough, is at the expense of their families. This all known and obvious. What is not known is the status of woman in Islam. An attempt will be made in the following passages to sum up the attitude of Islam with regard to woman.
1. Woman is recognized by
Islam as a full and equal partner of man in the procreation of humankind. He is the
father; she is the mother, and both are essential for life. Her role is not less vital
than his. By this partnership she has an equal share in every aspect; she is entitled to
equal rights; she undertakes equal responsibilities, and in her there are as many
qualities and as much humanity as there are in her partner. To this equal partner- ship in
the reproduction of human kind God says: O mankind! Verily We have created your from a
single (pair) of a male and a female,m and made you into nations and tribes that you may
know each other... (Qur'an, 49:13; cf. 4:1).
2. She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsi- bilities and in receiving rewards for her deeds. She is acknowledged as an independent personality, in possession of human qualities and worthy of spiritual aspirations. Her human nature is neither inferior to nor deviant from that of man. Both are members of one another. God says:
And their Lord has
accepted (their prayers) and answered them (saying): 'Never will I cause to be lost the
work of any of you, be he male or female; you are members, one of another... (3:195; cf
9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21).
3. She is equal to man in
the pursuit of education and knowledge. When Islam enjoins the seeking of knowledge upon
Muslims, it makes no distinction between man and woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago,
Muhammad declared that the pursuit of knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim male and
female. This declaration was very clear and was implemented by Muslims throughout history.
4. She is entitled to
freedom of expression as much as man is. Her sound opinions are taken into consideration
and cannot be disregarded just because she happen to belong to the female sex. It is
reported in the Qur'an and history that woman not only expressed her opinion freely but
also argued and participated in serious discussions with the Prophet himself as well as
with other Muslim leaders (Qur'an, 58:1-4; 60:10-12). Besides there were occasions when
Muslim women expressed their views on legislative matters of public interest, and stood in
opposition to the Caliphs, who then accepted the sound arguments of these women. A
specific example took place during the Califate of Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
5. Historical records
show that women participated in public life with the early Muslims, especially in times of
emergencies. Women used to accompany the Muslim armies engaged in battles to nurse the
wounded, prepare supplies, serve the warriors, and so on. They were not shut behind iron
bars or considered worthless creatures and deprived of souls.
6. Islam grants woman
equal rights to contract, to enterprise, to earn and possess independently. Her life, her
property, her honor are as sacred as those of man. If she commits any offense, her penalty
is no less or more than of man's in a similar case. If she is wronged or harmed, she gets
due compensations equal to what a man in her position would get (2:178;4:45, 92-93).
7. Islam does not state
these rights in a statistical form and then relax. It has taken all measures to safeguard
them and put them into practice as integral articles of Faith. It never tolerates those
who are inclined to prejudice against woman or discrimination between man and woman. Time
and again, the Qur'an reproaches those who used to believe woman to be inferior to man
(16:57-59, 62; 42:47-59; 43:15-19; 53:21-23).
8. Apart from recognition
of woman as an independent human being acknowledged as equally essential for the survival
of humanity, Islam has given her a share of inheritance. Before Islam, she was not only
deprived of that share but was herself considered as property to be inherited by man. Out
of that transferable property Islam made an heir, acknowledging the inherent human
qualifies in woman. Whether she is a wife or mother, a sister or daughter, she receives a
certain share of the deceased kin's property, a share which depends on her degree of
relationship to the deceased and the number of heirs. This share is hers, and no one can
take it away or disinherit her. Even if the deceased wishes to deprive her by making a
will to other relations or in favor of any other cause, the Law will not allow him to do
so. Any proprietor is permitted to make his will within the limit of one-third of his
property, so he may not affect the rights of his heirs, men and women. In the case of
inheritance, the question of quality and sameness is fully applicable. In principle, both
man and woman are equally entitled to inherit the property of the deceased relations but
the portions they get may vary. In some instances man receives two shares whereas woman
gets one only. This no sign of giving preference or supremacy to man over woman.The
reasons why man gets more in these particular instances may be classified as follows:
First man, is the person
solely responsible for the complete maintenance of his wife, his family and any other
needy relations. It is his duty by Law to assume all financial responsibilities and
maintain his dependents adequately. It is also his duty to contribute financially to all
good causes in his society. All financial burdens are borne by him alone.
Secondly, in contrast,
woman has no financial responsibilities whatsoever except very little of her personal
expenses, the high luxurious things that she likes to have. She is financially secure and
provided for. If she is a wife, her husband is the provider; if she is a mother, it is the
son; if she is a daughter, it is the father; if she is a sister; it is the brother, and so
on. If she has no relations on whom she can depend, then there is no question of
inheritance because there is nothing to inherit and there is no one to bequeath anything
to her. However, she will not be left to starve, maintenance of such a woman is the
responsibility of the society as a whole, the state. She may be given aid or a job to earn
her living, and whatever money she makes will be hers. She is not responsible for the
maintenance of anybody else besides herself. If there is a man in her position, he would
still be responsible for his family and possibly any of his relations who need his help.
So, in the hardest situation her financial responsi- bility is limited, while his is
unlimited.
Thirdly, when a woman
gets less than a man does, she is not actually deprived of anything that she has worked
for. The property inherited is not the result of her earning or her endeavors. It is
something coming to them from a neutral source, something addition- al or extra. It is
something that neither man or woman struggled for. It is a sort of aid, and any aid has to
be distributed according to the urgent needs and responsibilities especially when the
distribution is regulated by the Law of God.
Now, we have a male heir,
on one side, burdened with all kinds of financial responsibilities and liabilities. We
have, on the other side, a female heir with no financial responsibilities at all or at
most with very little of it. In between we have some property and aid to redistribute by
way of inheritance. If we deprive the female completely, it would be unjust to her because
she is related to the deceased. Likewise, if we always give her a share equal to the
man's, it would be unjust to him. So, instead of doing injustice to either side, Islam
gives the man a larger portion of the inherited property to help him to meet his family
needs and social responsibilities. At the same time, Islam has not forgotten her
altogether, but has given her a portion to satisfy her very personal needs. In fact, Islam
in this respect is being more kind to her than to him. Here we can say that when taken as
a whole the rights of woman are equal to those of man although not necessarily identical
(see Qur'an, 4:11-14, 176).
9. In some instances of
bearing witness to certain civil con- tracts, two men are required or one man and two
women. Again, this is no indication of the woman being inferior to man. It is a measure of
securing the rights of the contracting parties, because woman as a rule, is not so
experienced in practical life as man. This lack of experience may cause a loss to any
party in a given contract. So the Law requires that at least two women should bear witness
with one man. if a woman of the witness forgets something, the other one would remind her.
Or if she makes an error, due to lack of experience, the other would help to correct her.
This is a precautionary measure to guarantee honest transactions and proper dealings
between people. In fact, it gives woman a role to play in civil life and helps to
establish justice. At any rate, lack of experience in civil life does not necessarily mean
that women is inferior to man in her status. Every human being lacks one thing or another,
yet no one questions their human status (2:282).
10. Woman enjoys certain
privileges of which man is deprived. She is exempt from some religious duties, i.e.,
prayers and fasting, in her regular periods and at times of confinement. She is exempt
from all financial liabilities. As a mother, she enjoys more recognition and higher honor
in the sight of God (31:14-15;46:15). The Prophet acknowledged this honor when he declared
that Paradise is under the feet of the mothers. She is entitled to three-fourths of the
son's love and kindness with one-fourth left for their father. As a wife she is entitled
to demand of her prospective husband a suitable dowry that will be her own. She is
entitled to complete provision and total maintenance by the husband. She does not have to
work or share with her husband the family expenses. She is free to retain, after marriage,
whatever she possessed before it, and the husband has no right whatsoever to any of her
belongings. As a daughter or sister she is entitled to security and provision by the
father and brother respectively. That is her privilege. If she wishes to work or be
self-supporting and participate in handling the family responsibilities, she is quite free
to do so, provided her integrity and honor are safeguarded.
11. The standing of woman
in prayers behind man does not indicate in any sense that she is inferior to him. Woman,
as already mentioned, is exempt from attending congregational prayers which are obligatory
on man. But if she does attend she stands in separate lines made up of women exclusively .
This is a regulation of discipline in prayers, and not a classification of importance. In
men's rows the head of state stands shoulder to shoulder to the pauper. Men of the highest
ranks in society stand in prayer side by side with other men of the lowest ranks. The
order of lines in prayers is introduced to help every one to concentrate in his
meditation. It is very important because Muslim prayers are not simply chanting or the
sing-a-song type. They involve actions, motions, standing, bowing, prostration, etc. So if
men mix with women in the same lines, it is possible that something disturbing or
distracting may happen. The mind will become occupied by something alien to prayer and
derailed from the clear path of mediation. The result will be a loss of the purpose of
prayers, besides an offense of adultery committed by the eye, because the eye-by looking
at forbidden things - can be guilty of adultery as much as the heart itself. Moreover, no
Muslim man or woman is allowed during prayers to touch the body of another person of the
opposite sex. If men and women stand side by side in prayer they cannot avoid touching
each other. Furthermore, when a woman is praying in front of a man or beside him, it is
very likely that any part of her dressed body may become uncovered after a certain motion
of bowing or prostrating. The man's eye may happen to be looking at the uncovered part,
with the result that she will be embarrassed and he will be exposed to distraction or
possibly evil thoughts. So, to avoid any embarrassment and distraction to help concentrate
on mediation and pure thoughts, to maintain harmony and order among worshippers, to
fulfill the true purposes of prayers, Islam has ordained the organization of rows, whereby
men stand in front lines, and women behind the children.Anyone with some knowledge of the
nature and purpose of Muslim prayerscan readily understand the wisdom of organizing the
lines of worshippers in this manner.
12. The Muslim woman is
always associated with an old tradition known as the "veil". It is Islamic that
the woman should beautify herself with the veil of honor, dignity, chastity, purity and
integrity. She should refrain from all deeds and gestures that might stir the passions of
people other than her legitimate husband or cause evil suspicion of her morality. She is
warned not to display her charms or expose her physical attractions before strangers. The
veil which she must put on is one that can save her soul from weakness, her mind from
indulgence, her eyes from lustful looks, and her personality from demoralization. Islam is
most concerned with the integrity of woman, with the safeguarding of her morals and morale
and with the protection of her character and personality (cf. Qur'an, 24:30-31).
13. By now it is clear
that the status of woman in Islam is unprecedentedly high and realistically suitable to
her nature. Her rights and duties are equal to those of man but not necessarily or
absolutely identical with them. If she is deprived of one thing in some aspect, she is
fully compensated for it with more things in many other aspects. The fact that she belongs
to the female sex has no bearing on her human status or independent personality, and it is
no basis for justification of prejudice against her or injustice to her person. Islam
gives her as much as is required of her. Her rights match beautifully with her duties. The
balance between rights and duties is maintained, and no side overweighs the other. The
whole status of woman is given clearly in the Qur'anic verse which may be translated as
follows:
And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but man have a degree (of advantage as in some cases of inheritance) over them (2:228).
This degree is not a title of supremacy or an authorization of dominance over her. It is to correspond with the extra responsibil- ities of man and give him some compensation for his unlimited liabilities. The above mentioned verse is always interpreted in the light of another (4:34).
It is these extra responsibilities that give man a degree over woman in some economic
aspects. It is not a higher degree in humanity or in character. Nor is it a dominance of
one over the other or suppression of one by the other. It is a distribution of God's
abundance according to the needs of the nature of which God is the Maker. And He knows
best what is good for woman and what is good for man. God is absolutely true when He
declares:
O mankind! reverence your
Guardian-Lord, Who created you from a single person, and created of like nature his mate,
and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women (4:1).