Women in the
Quran
and the
Sunna
In Islam there is absolutely no
difference between men and women as far as their relationship to
Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same
reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil
conduct. The Qur'an says:
And for women are rights over men
similar to those of men over women. (2:226)
The Qur'an, in addressing the believers,
often uses the expression,
'believing men and women' to emphasize the equality of men and
women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and
merits. It says:
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, 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. (33:35)
This clearly contradicts the assertion of
the Christian Fathers that women do not possess souls
and that they will exist as sexless beings in the next life.
The Qur'an says that women have souls in exactly the same way as
men and will enter Paradise if they do good :
Enter into Paradise, you and your wives,
with delight. (43:70)
Who so does that which is right, and
believes, whether male or female, him or her will We quicken
to happy life. (16:97)
The Qur'an admonishes those men who
oppress or ill-treat women:
O you who believe! You are forbidden to
inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them
with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you
have given them - except when they have become guilty of open
lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of
kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be
that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through
it a great deal of good. (4:19)
Considering the fact that before the
advent of Islam the pagan Arabs used to bury their female
children alive, make women dance naked in the vicinity of the
Ka'ba during their annual fairs, and treat women as mere
chattels and objects of sexual pleasure possessing no rights or
position whatsoever, these teachings of the Noble Qur'an were
revolutionary. Unlike other religions, which regarded women as
being possessed of inherent sin and wickedness and men as being
possessed of inherent virtue and nobility, Islam regards
men and women as being of the same essence created from a single
soul. The Qur'an declares:
O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord,
who created you from a single person, created, of like nature,
his mate, and from this pair scattered (like seeds) countless
men and women. Reverence Allah, through Whom you demand your
mutual (rights), and reverence the wombs (that bore you); for
Allah ever watches over you. (4:1)
The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him)
said, "Women are the twin halves of men." The Qur'an emphasizes
the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile:
They (your wives) are your garment and
you are a garment for them. (2:187)
Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so
do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of
marriage, secure each other's chastity. The garment gives
comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his
wife's company and she in his. "The garment is the grace, the
beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their
husbands as their husbands are to them." Islam does not consider
woman "an instrument of the
Devil", but rather the Qur'an calls her muhsana - a fortress
against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him
keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason
that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said: "When a man
marries, he has completed one half of his religion." He
enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: "Marriage is part
of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me
(i.e. is not my follower)." The Qur'an has given the raison
d'�tre of marriage in the following words:
And among His signs is this, that He has
created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may
dwell in tranquillity with them; and He has put love and mercy
between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said:
"The world and all things in the world
are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a
virtuous woman. He once told the future khalif, 'Umar: "Shall
I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It
is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards
her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her."
On other occasions the Prophet said:
"The best property a man can have is a
remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a
believing wife who helps him in his faith." And again: "The
world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the
commodities of the world is a virtuous wife."
Before the advent of Islam women were
often treated worse than animals. The Prophet wanted to put a
stop to all cruelties to women. He preached kindness towards
them. He told the Muslims: "Fear Allah in respect of women."
And: "The best of you are they who behave best to their
wives." And: "A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if
he be displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased
with one that is good." And:"The more civil and kind a
Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was most
emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their women
when he delivered his famous khutba on the Mount of Mercy at
Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand
of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada
(Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he ordered those present, and
through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be
respectful and kind towards women. He said:
"Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you
have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their
bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights)
over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of
their food and clothing according to your means."
In Islam a woman is a completely
independent personality. She can make any contract or bequest in
her own name. She is entitled to inherit in her position as
mother, as wife, as sister and as daughter. She has perfect
liberty to choose her husband. The pagan society of pre-Islamic
Arabia had an irrational prejudice against their female children
whom they used to bury alive. The Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) was totally opposed to this practice. He showed them
that supporting their female children would act as a screen for
them against the fire of Hell:
It is narrated by the Prophet's wife, 'A'isha,
that a woman entered her house with two of her daughters. She
asked for charity but 'A'isha could not find anything except a
date, which was given to her. The woman divided it between her
two daughters and did not eat any herself. Then she got up and
left. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to the house,
'A'isha told him about what had happened and he declared that
when the woman was brought to account (on the Day of Judgment)
about her two daughters they would act as a screen for her
from the fires of Hell.
The worst calamity for a woman is when her
husband passes away and, as a widow, the responsibility of
maintaining the children falls upon her. In the Eastern World,
where a woman does not always go out to earn her living, the
problems of widowhood are indescribable. The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) upheld the cause of widows. Most of his
wives were widows. In an age when widows were rarely permitted
to remarry, the Prophet encouraged his followers to marry them.
He was always ready to help widows and exhorted his followers to
do the same. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said:
"One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is
like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who
stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day."
Woman as mother commands great respect in
Islam. The Noble Qur'an speaks of the rights of the mother in a
number of verses. It enjoins Muslims to show respect to their
mothers and serve them well even if they are still unbelievers.
The Prophet states emphatically that the rights of the mother
are paramount. Abu Hurairah reported that a man came to the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked: "O
Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right
on me with regards to kindness and attention?" He replied,
"Your mother." "Then who?" He replied, "Your
mother." "Then who?" He replied, "Your mother." "Then
who?" He replied, "Your father."
In another tradition, the Prophet advised
a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of
Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to
his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Mu'awiyah, the son
of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be
upon him) and said, " Messenger of Allah! I want to join the
fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your
advice." He said, "Then remain in your mother's
service, because Paradise is under her feet."
The Prophet's followers accepted his
teachings and brought about a revolution in their social
attitude towards women. They no longer considered women as a
mere chattels, but as an integral part of society. For the first
time women were given the right to have a share in inheritance.
In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and
became highly active members of society rendering useful service
during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging
Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed
them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It
became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the
fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going
out of their homes to satisfy their needs.
'A'isha reported that Saudah bint Zam'ah
went out one night. 'Umar saw her and recognized her and said,
"By God, O Saudah, why do you not hide yourself from us?"
She went back to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and told
him about it while he was having supper in her room, and he
said, "It is permitted by Allah for you to go out for your
needs." The predominant idea in the teachings of Islam with
regard to men and women is that a husband and wife should be
full-fledged partners in making their home a happy and
prosperous place, that they should be loyal and faithful to one
another, and genuinely interested in each other's welfare and
the welfare of their children. A woman is expected to exercise a
humanizing influence over her husband and to soften the
sternness inherent in his nature. A man is enjoined to educate
the women in his care so that they cultivate the qualities in
which they, by their very nature, excel.
These aspects were much emphasized by the
Prophet (peace be upon him). He exhorted men to marry women of
piety and women to be faithful to their husbands and kind to
their children. He said:
"Among my followers the best of men are
those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are
those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is
set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand
martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are
those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them
dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allah's
laws."
Once Mu'awiyah asked the Prophet (peace be
upon him), "What are the rights that a wife has over her
husband?" The Prophet replied, " Feed her when you take
your food, give her clothes to wear when you wear clothes,
refrain from giving her a slap on the face or abusing her, and
do not separate from your wife, except within the house."
Once a woman came to the Prophet with a complaint against her
husband. He told her: "There is no woman who removes
something to replace it in its proper place, with a view to
tidying her husband's house, but that Allah sets it down as a
virtue for her. Nor is there a man who walks with his wife
hand-in-hand, but that Allah sets it down as a virtue for him;
and if he puts his arm round her shoulder in love, his virtue is
increased tenfold." Once he was heard praising the women of
the tribe of Quraish, "...because they are the kindest to
their children while they are infants and because they keep a
careful watch over the belongings of their husbands."
The Shari'ah regards women as the
spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The main distinction
it makes between them is in the physical realm based on the
equitable principle of fair division of labor. It allots the
more strenuous work to the man and makes him responsible for the
maintenance of the family. It allots the work of managing the
home and the upbringing and training of children to the woman,
work which has the greatest importance in the task of building a
healthy and prosperous society.
It is a fact, however, that sound
administration within the domestic field is impossible without a
unified policy. For this reason the Shari'ah requires a man, as
head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have
the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must
not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. Any
transgression of this principle involves for him the risk of
losing the favor of Allah, because his wife is not his
subordinate but she is, to use the words of the Prophet (peace
be upon him), 'the queen of her house', and this is the
position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In
contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of
women, Western talk of women's liberation or emancipation is
actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body,
deprivation of her honor, and degradation of her soul!
Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi
Professor and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu
Bello University, Zaira, Nigeria
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