 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 Allah's praise, for them
has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. [Holy
Qur'an 33:35]
Continuing from where we left off in the article
titled "Women in Christianity",
let us now look at what Islam teaches us about women.
So what is the standpoint of the Qur'an with regard to women?
Women are indeed commanded by Allah to cover their heads and
wear modest clothing, however, in Islam this is not a sign of
denigration or subjugation to men, rather, it is a sign of
chastity, modesty, and the fear of God. It also designates this
woman to all men who might deal with her that she is to be dealt
with respect. This could be compared to the situation in the
West when one meets a nun or priest, how the nun's habit and the
priest's robes signal those who meet them that this person does
not condone vulgarity of speech or evil actions. This is made
apparent in the Qur'an in Al-Ahzab:
"O prophet!
tell thy wives and daughters and the believing women that they
should cast their outer garments over their persons (when
abroad): that is closer to their being recognized so
that they shall not be abused, and Allah is ever Forgiving,
Merciful" [Al-Ahzab(33):59].
See also [Noor(24):31]
What about the rights of women in Islam? Are they indeed, as
the popular propaganda would have us believe, "second class
citizens"? Let us read the Qur'an:
"And they (women) have
rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner"
[The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):228]
"And their Lord has
heard them (and He says): Verily! I suffer not the work of any
worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from
another. So those who fled and were driven forth from their
homes and suffered damage for My cause, and fought and were
slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds from them and
verily I shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers
flow. A reward from Allah. And with Allah is the fairest of
rewards." [The
noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):195]
"And covet not the
thing in which Allah has made some of you excel others. Unto men
a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a
fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another)
but ask Allah of His bounty. Verily! Allah is Knower of all things."
[The
noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):32.]
"Unto the men (of a
family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred
leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near
kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal
share." [The
noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):77]
"And whoso does good
works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is a believer,
such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint
in a date stone." [The noble Qur'an,
Al-Nissa(4):124]
"And the believers,
men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they
enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish
worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His
messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo!
Allah is Mighty, Wise." [The noble
Qur'an, Al-Tauba(9):71]
"Whosoever does right,
whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily We shall
quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in
proportion to the best of what they used to do." [The
noble Qur'an, Al-Nahil(16):97]
"And of His signs is
this: He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might
find tranquillity in them, and He ordained between you love and
mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who reflect."
[The noble Qur'an, Al-Room(30):21]
"Whoso does an ill
deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso does
right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such
will enter the Garden, where they will be nourished without
stint." [The noble Qur'an, Mumin(40):40]
The Bible blames Eve for
deceiving Adam. In the Qur'an, both
Adam and Eve
share the blame for eating from the tree. This can
be seen in the Qur'an in such verses as Al-Baqarah(2):36,
Al-A'araf(7):22-24. They were also both forgiven by God Almighty
for this mistake. Actually, in one verse of the Qur'an
(Taha(20):121), Adam is specifically blamed.
Islam encourages spouses to take each other's council and to
seek mutual agreement in matters which affect them, for example,
in the Qur'an, Al-Bakarah(2):233 we read:
"Mothers shall suckle
their children for two whole years; (that is) for those who wish
to complete the suckling. The duty of feeding and clothing
nursing mothers in a seemly manner is upon the father of the
child. No one should be charged beyond their capacity. A
mother
should not be made to suffer because of her child, nor should he
to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of his
child. And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that
(which was incumbent on the father). If they desire to wean the
child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, it is no sin
for them; and if you wish to give your children out to nurse, it
is no sin for you, provided that you pay what is due from you in
kindness. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is
Seer of what you do."
Husbands are commanded to treat their wives with kindness and
respect. In Al-Nissa(4):19 we read
"..But consort with
them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you
hate a thing wherein Allah has placed much good."
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
"The best believers
are the best in conduct, and the best of you are those who are
best to their wives."
When Muhammad (pbuh) first became the prophet of Islam, the
Pagans of Arabia had inherited a similar disregard for women as
had been passed down among their Jewish and Christian neighbours.
So disgraceful was it considered among them to be blessed with a
female child that they would go so far as to bury this baby
alive in order to avoid the disgrace associated with female
children.
When
news is brought to one of them of (the birth of) a female
(child) his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief!
With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the
bad news he has had! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and)
contempt or bury it in the dust? Ah! what an evil (choice) they
decide on! [Holy Qur'an 16:58-59].
Through the teachings of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) put a swift
and resounding end to this evil practice. Allah tells us that on
the Day of Judgment, the female child will be questioned for what
crime she was killed:
When
the female (infant) Buried alive is questioned - For what crime
she was killed; [Holy Qur'an 81:9]
Not only did Muhammad
(pbuh) severely discourage and condemn this act but he also used to
teach them to respect and cherish their daughters and mothers as
partners and sources of salvation for the men of their family:
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated:
"The Prophet (pbuh)
said: If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them,
marries them, and does good by them, he will enter
Paradise." (Narrated by Abu-Dawood)
Abdullah the son of Abbas narrated:
"The Prophet (pbuh)
said: If anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive,
or slight her, or prefer his male children over her, Allah will
bring him into Paradise." (Narrated by Abu-Dawood)
Muhammad (pbuh) is also sited in "Sahih Muslim" as
saying:
"Whoever maintains two
girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day
of Resurrection like this; and he joined his fingers".
In other
words, if one loves the messenger of Allah and wishes to be with
him on the day of resurrection in heaven, then they should do
good by their daughters.
Question
- Don’t you agree with me that Islam's attitude towards women
is reactionary? Polygamy, seclusion at home, the veil, man's
monopoly of the right to divorce, man's right to beat and desert
his wife's bed, the issue of intercourse with the slave-girls
'you may own', man's famous 'authority' (Kowama)
over his wife, and, finally, the favouring of males with double
share compared to that of females when inheritances are
distributed.
Answer
- The charges are many and needing lengthy
replies. Let us however, begin at the beginning - before Islam.
I think you know perfectly well that Islam was revealed in the
midst of a Jahili (barbaric and heathen) environment which
condemned new-born girls to be buries alive while allowing men
to marry up to twenty women and to force their slave-girls to
prostitution and keep the ‘proceeds’ to themselves.
Islam’s licence for men to marry up to four wives was, in
effect, a kind of restriction not of abandon. Its teachings
saved women from death, servitude, humiliation, and the stigma
of shame.
Are European
women in a happier lot now amid the prevailing sexual
‘permissiveness’ and the extra-marital relations that plague
most marriages? Wouldn’t it be more honourable for a woman to
become a second wife to a person she loves and enjoy all the
rights and respect of matrimony rather than to be a secret
mistress stealing pleasure behind closed doors?
In Islam,
however, polygamy is only a LICENSE impossible to be
utilised because it is conditional upon a proviso very difficult
to fulfil:
"But
if thou fear that you cannot maintain equality among them (the
wives) marry only one." [Holy Qur’an, Women: 3]
"Try
as you may, you cannot treat all your wives impartially."
[Holy Qur'an, Women:129]
God, thus,
makes it clear that even the most scrupulous will not be able to
treat his wives equally. The only men who can fulfil this
proviso, those who are really super-conscientious, are the
prophets, the ‘men of God’, and those who follow their path.
As for
the charge of seclusion, it concerns the Prophet’s wives who,
as the supreme ideals, were enjoined by God to ‘stay
in your homes’ [Holy Qur'an, The Clans(33):33].
This is an indication that the ideal position for women is to be
a mother and a housewife completely devoted to her home and
children. We can imagine the state of a nation whose women are
in the streets and offices while the children are sent to
orphanages and nurseries. Would such a nation be in a better
condition than one whose women are devoted mothers and
housewives and where the children are brought up under their
mothers’ attention and in well for families? The answer is
quite obvious.
Islam, however,
is quite aware and tolerant of the reasons that oblige women to
go out of their homes and seek work. There were women
jurisprudents and poetesses throughout the periods of Islamic
history. Women went out to war and for study. The injunction to
stay at home was addressed to the Prophet’s wives, as we said,
in the sense that they were higher examples. There are several
and separate levels for ideal, the possible, and the actual. The
prophet’s wives accompanied him in his battles, this entails
that going forth to aid the husband in an honourable struggle is
a blameless affair.
As for the veil
(Hijab), it is in women’s favour. Islam permitted them to
reveal their faces and hands (up to the wrists) and enjoined the
covering of all other parts of their bodies. It is well known
that what is forbidden is always desired and concealment of
alluring features enhances their attractiveness. On account of
total nudity among primitive tribes, the sexual passion of the
males lapses into abeyance with the lack of curiosity. A man in
such a tribe will only have intercourse with his wife once a
month and if she becomes pregnant, he does not come near her for
two years.
When naked
‘flesh’ abounds on beaches in summer and is available for
ogling eyes, the bare body loses its lure, novelty, and charm
becoming an ordinary spectacle that arouses no curiosity. It is
undoubtedly in a woman’s interest to be more desired or else
she would turn into a common, unexciting sight.
Man’s right
to divorce is countered on the other side by a similar right for
the woman. She can sue for divorce and get it if she advances
sufficient justifications. A woman can lay down a condition in
the marriage contract reserving to her the right of divorce
without a court case; in this way she would have the same right
to divorce as that of the man.
Islam gives
certain rights to the Muslim wife that wives in Europe, for
example, have not attained. She receives a Mahr
(obligatory marriage endowment) whereas in Europe she pays
a dowry. She has the right to manage her possessions as she
pleases whereas European wives lose that right as soon as they
marry with the husband becoming the guardian over their
property.
Beating and
desertion of the marriage bed are forms of treatment reserved
only for the disobedient or rebellious wife. A man is obliged to
treat his ‘normal’ wife with all kindness and love. See
below the commentary from A. Yusuf Ali's translation of the
Qur'an on the verse which refers to this.
The Bible
teaches that when a woman is on her period then anything that
she touches (e.g. the chair, the bed) becomes unclean, and
whoever touches that thing also becomes unclean.
"Among
the Jews, when women menstruated, they did not dine with them,
nor did they live with them in their houses. So the Companions
of the Apostle (peace be upon him) asked the Apostle (peace be
upon him) and Allah, the Exalted revealed:
"They
ask thee (O Muhammad) concerning menstruation. Say: it is an
illness, so let them alone at such time and do not approach them
(sexually) until they are clean. But when they have purified
themselves ye may approach them in any manner time or place
ordained for you by Allah. For Allah loves those who turn to Him
constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and
clean." [Holy Qur'an, 2:222].
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Do
everything except intercourse". The
Jews heard of that and said: This man does not want to leave
anything we do without opposing us in it..." (Bukhari)
Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) said in his final sermon before he left the
earth:
".
. .O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard
to your women, but they also have right over you. If they abide
by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and
clothed in kindness. DO TREAT YOUR WOMEN WELL AND BE
KIND TO THEM FOR THEY ARE YOUR PARTNERS AND COMMITTED HELPERS.
And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one
of whom you do not approve, as well as never to commit adultery
. . ." (For the
full sermon, see the page titled "Problem of Racism".)
Marriage
The
Holy Prophet said: "No widow should be married without consulting her, and no virgin should be married without her
consent.." (Imam
Muslim, Sahih Muslim)
The
Holy Prophet said: "When one of you seeks to marry a woman,
if he is able to have a look at the one he desires to marry, let
him do so." (Abu Dawud)
The
Holy Prophet said: "You have seen nothing like marriage for
increasing the love of two people"
(Mishkat al Masabih)
Muslims
were commanded by Allah to fast during the day and eat and drink
only at night. The month of fasting (Ramadan), is a blessed
month in which the Holy Qur'an was completely revealed. Allah
saw that it was difficult for the believers to stay away from
their wives during the nights of the month of fasting. So he
forgave them and made lawful to them that they can approach
their wives on the nights of fasts:
Permitted
to you on the night of the fasts is the approach to your wives.
They are your garments. And ye are their garments. Allah knoweth
what ye used to do secretly among yourselves; but He turned to
you and forgave you; so now associate with them and seek what
Allah hath ordained for you and eat and drink until the white
thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread;
then complete your fast till the night appears; but do not
associate with your wives while ye are in retreat in the
mosques. Those are limits (set by) Allah; approach not nigh
thereto. Thus doth Allah make clear His signs to men that they
may learn self-restraint. [Holy Qur'an 2:187]
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. [Holy Qur'an 30:21]
O ye
who believe! ye are forbidden to inherit women against their
will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness that ye may take
away part of the dower ye have given them except where they have
been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary 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 wherein Allah brings about
through it a great deal of good. [Holy Qur'an 4:19]
And
women shall have rights similar to the rights against them
according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of
advantage) over them and Allah is Exalted in Power Wise.
[Holy Qur'an 2:228].
That
degree is the degree of strength as stated in the verse below.
"Beating" your wives
Men
are the protectors and maintainers of women because Allah has
given the one more (strength) than the other and because they
support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are
devoutly obedient and guard in (the husband's) absence what
Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye
fear disloyalty and ill-conduct admonish them (first) (next)
refuse to share their beds (and last) beat them (lightly); but
if they return to obedience seek not against them means (of
annoyance): for Allah is Most High Great (above you all). [Holy
Qur'an 4:34]
(see notes 1-4 below).
If ye
fear a breach between them twain appoint (two) arbiters one from
his family and the other from hers; if they wish for peace Allah
will cause their reconciliation: for Allah hath full knowledge
and is acquainted with all things. [Holy Qur'an 4:35]
(see
note 5 below).
[1]
Arabic word "Qawwam" used in this verse means "one who
stands firm in another's business, protects his interests, and
looks after his affairs"- or it may be,
"standing firm in his own
business, managing affairs, with a steady purpose."
[2]
The sentence may be rendered: "and protect (the husband's
interests) in his absence, as Allah has protected them." If
we take the rendering as in the text, the meaning is: "the good
wife is obedient and harmonious in her husband's presence, and
in his absence guards his reputation and property and her own
virtue, as ordained by Allah." If we take the rendering as in the
note, we reach the same result in a different way: "the good
wife, in her husband's absence, remembering how Allah has given
her a sheltered position, does everything to justify that
position by guarding her own virtue and his reputation and
property."
[3]
In case of family jars four steps are mentioned, to be taken in
that order: (1) perhaps verbal advice or admonition may be
sufficient; (2) if not, sexual relations may be suspended; (3) if
this is not sufficient, some slight physical correction may be
administered: but Imam Shafii considers this inadvisable, though
permissible, and all authorities are unanimous in deprecating
any sort of cruelty, even of the nagging kind, as mentioned in
the next clause; (4) if all this fails, a family council is
recommended in the next verse (iv: 35).
[4]
Temper, nagging, sarcasm, speaking at each other in other
people's presence, reverting to past faults which should be
forgiven and forgotten,-all this is forbidden. And the reason
given is characteristic of Islam. You must live all your life as
in the presence of Allah, Who is high above us, but Who watches
over us. How petty and contemptible will our little squabbles
appear in His presence!
[5]
An excellent plan for settling family disputes, without too much
publicity or mud-throwing, or resort to the chicaneries of the
law. The Latin countries recognise this plan in their legal
systems. It is a pity that Muslims do not resort to it
universally, as they should. The arbiters from each family would
know the idiosyncracies of both parties, and would be able, with
Allah's help to effect a real reconciliation.
To learn more
about the rights of women in Islam, the issue of modest dress
codes, the issue of polygamy, and many other issues which can
not be covered here, I highly recommend the following books:
- Women in
Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The
Myth & The Reality, By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, World
Assembly of Muslim Youth.
- "The
Status of Women in Islam," by Dr. Jamal A. Badawi,
World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
- "Women's
rights in Islam," by Lea Zaitoun, World Assembly of
Muslim Youth.
- "Gender
Equity in Islam," by Dr. Jamal Badawi, World Assembly
of Muslim Youth.
Source:
"What
did Jesus really say", by Misha'al ibn Abdullah
(http://wings.buffalo.edu/sa/muslim/library/jesus-say/ch15.html)
"Dialogue with an Atheist", by Dr Mostafa
Mahmoud
See also the other article titled "Women
in Islam".
e-mail: prince_zedz@hotmail.com
© 2001 Zed.
All rights reserved.
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