Prof. 'Abdur
Rahman I. Doi
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 Quran says:
"And for
women are rights over men similar to those of men over women." [Noble
Quran 2:228]
The Quran, 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." [Noble Quran 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 Quran
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." [Noble Quran 43:70]
"Who so
does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, him or her will
We quicken to happy life." [Noble Quran 16:97]
The Quran
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." [Noble Quran 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'bah 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 Quran 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 Quran 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." [Noble Quran 4:1]
The Prophet of
Islam (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Women are the twin halves
of men." The Quran 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." [Noble
Quran 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 Quran 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 and blessings 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 Quran has given the raison d'être 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 tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy
between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect." [Noble Quran
30:21]
The Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings 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 khalifah, '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 and blessings be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims
to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutbah 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 and blessings 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, Ayshah, that a woman entered her house with two of her
daughters. She asked for charity but Ayshah 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
and blessings be upon him) came to the house, Ayshah 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 and blessings 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 Hurayrah 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 Quran 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 Hurayrah
reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings 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 and blessings 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 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 Ummah. 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.
Ayshah 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 and blessings 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 and blessings 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 and blessings 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 and blessings 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!
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