لطفا منتظر باشید ...
In
the name of Allah, the Gracious the
Merciful
RIGHTS OF WOMEN UNDER ISLAM
Before the advent of Islam, woman had no position in society. They were at
the mercy and caprice of the menfolk and were treated as good and chattels. It
was Islam that, for the first time, vindicated the rights of woman and gave them
a status unknown and even unthought of this day. They are granted all the
fundamental rights. Islam is the unique religion in this respect to endow woman
with equal rights and to put her on the same level with man. The Holy Quran
emphasises that God in His perfect wisdom has created all species; as is
said:
"O mankind, be mindful of your duty to your Lord,
Who created you from a single soul and form it created its mate and from the two
spread many men and women." (4:2)
"He it is Who has created you from a single soul
and made there from its mate, so that the male might incline towards the female
and find comfort in Her." (7:190)
"Of His signs it is that He has created mates for
you of your on kind that you may find peace of mind through them, and He has put
love and tenderness between you. In that surely are Signs for a people who
reflect." (30:22)
These verses show that the Holy Quran has given woman the same status
which has been given to man as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him)
said:
"All people are equal, as equal as the teeth of a
comb. There is no claim of merit of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of white over a
black person, or of a male over a female. Only God-fearing people merit a
preference with God."
So Islam confers on women all the political and social rights, which man
enjoys. She is entitled to all the privileges bestowed upon man. Beside worldly
matters, women are also equal to men in the spiritual sense. As it says that
they are from the same origin as are men,and due to this fact they should not be
dealt with harshly and roughly, rather men Should deal with them in a very mild
and soft manner. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon Him) has been reported to have
said Alaikum bil Qawareer. The women should be taken care of as someone takes
care of glass products. Glass is liable to break very easily if it is not care
of, so is the delicacy in woman, and men must be careful not to injure her
delicacy, because in her delicacy lies her beauty.
Islam teaches that education of men and women is of equal importance. The
Holy Quran holds learning as priceless and tells that only the learned can
understand the signs of God and His wisdom, and come close to Him. The Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) has said:
"It is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to
seek knowledge." Islam denounced the assertion of the Christian Fathers that women do not
posses a soul . Woman's spiritual equality with man is repeatedly stressed in
the Holy Quran. For instance it is said:
"Enter into paradise ye and your wives, honoured
and happy. (43:71)"
"Whose acts righteously, whether male or female and
is a believer, we will surely grant him a pure life; and We will surely bestow
on such their reward according to the best of their work.
(16:98)"
"For men who submit themselves wholly to Allah, and
women who submit wholly to Him and men who believe and women who believe, and
men who obey Allah and women who obey Him, and men who are truthful and women
who are truthful, and men who are steadfast and women who are steadfast, and men
who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who
give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their chastity
and women who guard their chastity, and men who remember Allah and women who
remember Him, Allah has prepared forgiveness and great reward.
(33;36)"
These verses make it clear that Muslim women stand on the same level with
Muslim men and that they can attain to all those spiritual heights to which men
can attain. At several places in the Quran, believing men and believing women
are addressed in the same language and are made equally subject to the same
commandments and entitled to the same rights and privileges.
And again Holy Quran said:
"Allah will turn in mercy to believing men and
believing women; Allah is most forgiving, Ever Merciful. (33:74)"
Men and women are afforded equal protection. For instance, the Holy Quran
says:
"Those who malign believing men and believing women
for that which they have not done, shall bear the guilt of a false statement and
a manifest sin. (33:59)"
"Those who persecute the believing men and
believing women, and then do not repent, will surely suffer the chastisement of
burning.(85;11)"
Women being more vulnerable then men are accorded special protection. The
Holy Quran says.
"Those who calumniate chaste unwary believing women
are cursed in this world and the hereafter; and for them is a grievous
chastisement, on the day when their tongues and their feet shall bear witness
against them as to that which they used to do". (24:24-25)
Men and women are spiritually akin to one another and are equally the
recipients to God's favours and bounties, but their functions are not identical.
In view of this diversity there is a corresponding diversity between their
respective faculties and capacities. This is indicated in the Holy Quran:
"Our Lord is He who has endowed everything with its
appropriate faculties and then guided it to their proper use.
(20:51)"
"God has fashioned mankind according to the nature
designed by Him; there is no altering the creation of Allah.
(30:31)"
Islam believes in the principle of the division of labour. It allots the
strenuous work and hard outdoor life to man and makes him responsible for the
maintenance of the family. It regards home as the first concern of woman. It
allots the work of managing the home and upbringing and training of children to
woman- a work which forms the most important item in the task of nation
building. It exhort her to engage herself in the cultivation of learning and
allows her to participate when necessary, in social uplift and other schemes of
national reconstruction. The life of the office and factory, it considers as
uncongenial and unnatural for her, and is emphatic in its demand that women
should in no case step into the shoes of men, nor should man encroach upon her
sphere of activity. Vain and ruinous are all attempts to convert men into women
and to convert women into men. Each has his or her appropriate function, the due
discharge of which constitutes the dignity, enjoyment fulfilment and beauty of
life. A contemplation of the diversity of the faculties of males and females as
designed by nature. For instance, woman is well equipped for child bearing,
while man is incapable of it. On the other hand, man is well fitted to command
in the field; to give a woman a military command in the field would be an
invitation to disaster. This is not a question of superiority or inferiority; it
is a question of natural capacity and proper functioning.
Some Muslims scholars under the influence of the Western civilization, has
adopted an apologetic attitude. Such scholars have actually failed to understand
and appreciate the power of Islamic teachings under all situations and
circumstances. They have taken progress to mean Westernization and in this, they
are utterly wrong. Modern Westernization with its emphasis and materialism and
immorality is a force of destruction for the real social and moral progress.
Islam aims at reforming society in every way, therefore, it can never come to
term with this concept of progress. However, Islam opens up the avenues of
advancement for mankind. A good example of this paradox is provided by the
Islamic teaching versus the attitude of Western civilization on the issue of
chastity.
Unfortunately the West no longer considers chastity a virtue, indeed it
has become a reproach. Experimental living together and promiscuity have become
the norm. Perversion and sensuality, inside and outside wedlock, are deemed the
true purpose and object of sex. Woman has been degraded into a mere instrument
for sexual indulgence. According to Islam the relationship between husband and
wife should be characterized by grace. The Holy Quran says:
"Consort with them graciously. If you dislike them,
it may be that you dislike something in which Allah has placed much good.
(4:20)"
Husbands and wives have reciprocal obligation towards each other, but as
man is the breadwinner and has the responsibility of providing for the wife and
family and in the case of a difference in the matter of running the household he
has the final word, for that things should get out of hand and the family should
be faced with ruin. We read in the Holy Quran:
"Wives have rights corresponding to those which
husband have, in equitable reciprocity, through, in certain situations, men
would have the final word and they enjoy a preference, Allah is mighty, wise.
(2:229)"
On account of the physical weakness and delicacy of women and their
vulnerability, men are appointed guardians over women:
"Men are appointed guardians over women, because
the men which Allah has made some excel others, and because the men spend their
wealth. So virtuous women are obedient and safeguard, with Allah's help, matters
the knowledge of which is shared by them with their husbands. (4:35)
"
Most devastating in Western society is ever-increasing freedom for illicit
sex. No effort is spared to exploit and commercialize the female body. The
result can be seen in the skyrocketing rise in the number of divorces,
abortions, unmarried mothers. teenage pregnancies, illegitimate children, sex
crimes and cases of venereal diseases.
Finally, let us consider the dilemma about the Islamic law of inheritance
a male shall have as much as the share of two females. No doubt, he has lost
sight of the fact that it is the contrast with which the values of things are
analyzed and graded.
No other religion or society provides such considerate laws for the
welfare of women as does Islam. Non- muslim nations could benefit from them.
Other religions do not stipulate, for instance, entitlement of any share of
inheritance for women except in the case where they have no brothers. Islam
prescribes fixed percentage of inheritance for son and daughters and also for
near relatives. Western scholars object to the Quranic teaching granting males
double the share of females. It should be kept in mind, however, that in first
place, contrary to the other religions, Islam has apportioned a share for female
and secondly that the financial responsibility of maintaining the family rests
entirely upon the husband which is a sort of special position. Husbands should
not ask their wives to contribute towards the expenses of the home. Whatever
wives earn or posses is their own over which husbands have no control. As it is
the husband's responsibility to provide all the needs for his wife and home it
is not unfair that his share of inheritance should be double.
To summarise, a Muslim woman enjoys equal status with men. The object of
her creation, her duty to God and her duty to fellow human beings are the same.
A wife's rights are at equal with the husband and as a parent her status is
higher then that of the father. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said that
man's primary duty is to his mother and that paradise lies at the feet of the
mother.
I would like in the end to acknowledge that we women owe deep gratitude
and thanks to the Holy Prophet whose highly sensitive heart felt and appreciated
the miserable conditions of women and whose infinitely gentle and kind soul was
instrumental in the revelation of laws and teachings that have made women the
equal, nay in some respects, better than men. Let us forget that this was done
more then fourteen hundred years ago and not a single woman from any part of the
world has raised a voice against her Islamic rights.
An American Justice Pierre Craibites has rightly observed when he
writes:
"Muhammad (PBUH), 1300 years ago assured to the mothers, wives and
daughters of Islam a rank and dignity not yet generally assured to women by the
laws of the West." by Mrs. Dr. Muhammad Amjad
Tariq
