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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
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Women's Rights
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"Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to their actions." (Qur'an 16:97)
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In Islam, women are equal to men in
the sight of God but they have in some respects different roles
in life to men because of their different natures.
Women differ psychologically, physiologically, and biologically from men. This makes them more suitable than men for certain responsibilities and less suitable than men for others.
Islam recognises these differences.
For Muslim men and women - for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God's praise - for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward.
. Oppression of women is the result
of removing their rights. There are some 'Islamic' countries
where women's rights are being stepped on, but this is the law of
the people, it is not the religion of Islam.
Islam gives men & women rights that are different in some aspects to those they have in the western world. The main difference in the way these rights came about is also important. In the West, rights became part of the law only after women had been through great political struggles and also partly due to the necessity of women working in factories during wars.
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In a truly
Islamic society women have the following rights in Islam:
. The Qur'an has much to say both about
women, and to women. One Surah (Chapter in the Qur'an)
is called `Women', another is named after Maryam the mother of
Jesus (peace be upon him). Women appear in many other parts. In
stories of the prophets we have:
It is noteworthy that the four women mentioned as examples are presented to both male and female Muslims to show how it is possible to be true believers in difficult circumstances, and disbelievers in favourable circumstances.
- The two good examples believed in spite of the attitudes of those close to them, Pharaoh's wife saving Moses from her husband's wicked command to kill all the Hebrew firstborn sons, and Maryam confronting accusations of immorality when she brought home her baby after the virgin birth.
- The two bad ones disbelieved in spite of being married to prophets of Allah.
In neither case do these examples show the traditional picture of the `submissive' woman.
Then there are the contemporary women of Prophet Muhammads (peace be upon him) household, his wives and daughters. One of his wives, Umm Salamah, complained to him that the Qur'an was addressed only to men, and then a long passage was revealed to the Prophet* addressed clearly to men and women in every line, which states clearly the equal responsibilities and rewards for Muslim men and women.
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Aishah,
Prophet Muhammad's wife, caused a scandal when she went out
into the desert to look for a necklace she had lost there and got
left behind by the caravan. She was rescued by a young man and
came back with him and rumours spread that she had been dallying
with him. This caused great pain to her and to the Prophet and it
was a long time before they were relieved by another revelation (24:4),
demanding that people making such accusations against chaste
women must produce four eye witnesses to the act or suffer a
flogging themselves and have their evidence rejected ever after.
There are passages specifically addressed to the wives of the Prophet as a group. For example:
"O Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women. If Ye do fear (Allah) be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire, but speak Ye a speech (that is) just.
And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like those of the former times of ignorance, and establish regular prayer, and give zakat (welfare due) and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, Ye members of the family, and to make you pure and spotless.
And recite what is rehearsed to you in your houses of the Signs of Allah and His Wisdom, for Allah is All-Subtle, All-Aware." (Qur'an 33:32-34)
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Other verses of the
Qur'an were revealed in answer to questions from ordinary women,
like the one concerning the practice of divorce by abstinence
within the marriage (zihar). A woman complained to the Prophet
about this practice, which left the woman with no sexual
satisfaction, but still not free to marry another husband and a
verse was revealed condemning this practice.
"Allah has indeed heard (and accepted) the statement of the woman who pleads with thee concerning her husband and carries her complaint (in prayer) to Allah..."(Qur'an 58:1)
Another passage was revealed in answer to a woman's complaint about the way her husband wanted to have intercourse with her (2:223).
So the Qur'an is a book which has a lot to say TO women and ABOUT women. It does not condemn all women in the image of Eve as Christianity has been known to do; that it is often on the side of women who complain about injustice, in marriage, divorce and in false accusation.
Women are made
of the same soul as men. Their capacity for good and evil is
identical with that of men. In 49:13, of the Qur'an we find that
it is good deeds and awareness of Allah which make the believer,
male or female, noble in the sight of Allah:
Indeed the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious. (Qur'an 49:13)
and also in the Qur'an:
Whoever does right, whether male or female, (all) such will enter the garden (Qur'an 40:40)
The works of male and female are of equal value and each will receive the due reward for what they do:
"Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any one of you, male or female..."(Qur'an 3:195)
"Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to their actions." (Qur'an 16:97)
The same duties are incumbent on men and women as regards their faith:
"For Muslim men and women - for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God's praise - for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward. "(Qur'an 33:35)
Under normal
circumstances women are allowed to do all the things that men do.
Women are given exemption from certain duties, some of which are:
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Islamic law makes no
demand that women should confine themselves to household duties.
In fact the early Muslim women were found in all walks of life.
The first wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Khadijah, mother of all his surviving children, was a businesswoman who hired him as an employee, and proposed marriage to him through a third party; women traded in the marketplace, and the Khalifah Umar, not normally noted for his liberal attitude to women, appointed a woman, Shaff'a Bint Abdullah, to supervise the market.
Other women, like Laila al-Ghifariah, took part in battles, carrying water and nursing the wounded, some, like Suffiah bint Abdul Muttalib even fought and killed the enemies to protect themselves and the Prophet and like Umm Dhahhak bint Masoud were rewarded with booty in the same way as the men.
The Qur'an even speaks favourably of the Queen of Sheba and the way she consulted her advisors, who deferred to her good judgement on how to deal with the threat of invasion by the armies of Solomon:
She (the Queen of Sheba) said, "O chiefs, advise me respecting my affair; I never decide an affair until you are in my presence.' They said, `We are possessors of strength and possessors of mighty prowess, and the command is Thine, so consider what thou wilt command.' She said, `Surely the kings, when they enter a town, ruin it and make the noblest of its people to be low, and thus they do. And surely I am going to send them a present, and to see what (answer) the messengers bring back." (Qur'an 27:32-35)
A much vaunted Hadith that the Prophet said, `A people who entrust power to a woman will never prosper', has been shown to be extremely unreliable on several counts. It is an isolated and uncorroborated one, and therefore not binding in Islamic law, and in addition there is reason to believe it may have been forged in the context of the battle which Aishah the Prophet's widow led against the fourth Khalifah Ali. In view of the examples set by women rulers in history, it is also clearly untenable and false.
To sum up, the qualifications of women for work of all kinds are not in doubt, despite some spurious ahadith to the contrary. Women can do work like men, but they DO NOT HAVE to do it to earn a living. They are allowed and encouraged to take the duties of marriage and motherhood seriously and are provided with the means to stay at home and do it properly.
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The
Muslim woman has always had the right to own and manage her own
property, a right that women in this country only attained in the
last 100 years. Marriage in Islam does not mean that the man
takes over the woman's property, nor does she automatically have
the right to all his property if he dies. Both are still regarded
as individual people with responsibilities to other members of
their family - parents, brothers, sisters etc. and inheritance
rights illustrate this.
The husband has the duty to support and maintain the wife, as stated in the Qur'an, and this is held to be so even if she is rich in her own right. He has no right to expect her to support herself, let alone support his children or him. If she does contribute to the household income this is regarded as a charitable deed on her part.
Because of their greater financial responsibilities, some categories of male relations, according to the inheritance laws in the Qur'an, inherit twice the share of their female equivalents, but others, whose responsibilities are likely to be less, inherit the same share -mothers and fathers, for instance are each entitled to one sixth of the estate of their children, after bequests (up to one third of the estate) and payment of debts. (Qur'an 4:11)
For parents a sixth share of the inheritance to each if the deceased left children; If no children, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth...
Women are thus well provided for: their husbands support them, and they inherit from all their relations. They are allowed to engage in business or work at home or outside the house, so long as the family does not suffer, and the money they make is their own, with no calls on it from other people until their death.
Women are NOT expected to do the housework. If they have not been used to doing it, the husband is obliged to provide domestic help within his means, and to make sure that the food gets to his wife and children already cooked. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself used to help with the domestic work, and mended his own shoes. Women are not even obliged in all cases to suckle their own children. If a divorcing couple mutually agree, they can send the baby to a wet-nurse and the husband must pay for the suckling. If the mother decides to keep the baby and suckle it herself, he must pay her for her trouble! This is laid down in the Qur'an itself,
The mothers shall give suck to their offspring for two whole years, if the father desires to complete the term, but he shall bear the cost of their food and clothing on equitable terms...If they both decide on weaning, by mutual consent, and after due consultation, there is no blame on them. If Ye decide on a foster-mother for your offspring, there is no blame on you, provided Ye pay what Ye offered on equitable terms ...(Qur'an 2:233)
Nevertheless the
womanly state in marriage is given full respect in Islam. No
Muslim woman could feel ashamed to say she was only a housewife.
She is the head of her household, although the husband has the
final say in major decisions. According to a Hadith:
The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his subjects, a husband is a shepherd and is responsible for his family, a wife is a shepherd and is responsible for her household, and a servant is a shepherd who is responsible for his master's property. (Hadith: Bukhari)
The wife must defer to her husband in respect for the fact that he maintains and protects her out of his means (Qur'an 4:34), but not if he tries to make her break the laws of Allah. If the husband wilfully fails to maintain his wife, she has the right to divorce him in court.
Women are also entitled to respect as mothers. Allah says:
And we have enjoined on man (to be good to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him...(Quran 31:14)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Paradise lies at the feet of mothers...
and in another Hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) told a man
that his mother above all other people, even his father, was
worthy of his highest respect and compassion.
Although the Islamic marriage contract is a civil agreement between the two parties, not a sacrament like the Christian one, it is not just a relationship of material convenience. The words used to describe marriage in the Qur'an are poetic and beautiful:
And among His signs is this: that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that Ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts, verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. (Qur'an 30:21)
They are your garments and Ye are their garments (Qur'an 2:187)
Love, mercy, intimacy and mutual protection and modesty are the qualities expected of an Islamic marriage. Even in Paradise marriage remains as one of the great joys:
Verily the Companions of the Garden shall that day have joy in all that they do; they and their spouses will be in groves of (cool) shade reclining on thrones of (dignity); fruit will be there for them, they shall have whatever they call for; `Peace', a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful. (Qur'an 36:55-57)
Husbands are expected to treat their wives kindly during marriage and even during and after divorce. Allah says:
... Live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If Ye take a dislike to them, it may be that Ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good. (Qur'an 4:19)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and the best of you are those who are best to their wives." (Hadith: Ibn Hanbal)
To conclude,
these are the ideals to which Muslim women can aspire and
frequently have done in the past. In a truly Islamic society,
they are guaranteed:
and much more! Is there any other religion that offers such rights for women?
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