Such separate individuals are unable to form a certain society unless they come together and form well-organized ties to regulate their behavior and activities. These ties and relationships are the elements of the building of society. They are as follows:
1. Belief: Belief is regarded as one of the strongest human ties that connect the members of society to each other. It turns them into a unit as firm as one body. The Holy Prophetic tradition says: "You see believers show mercy toward one another, like each other, and feel pity for one another. (They are) like the body. When a part of it (the body) complains, all the body responds to it through (showing) sleeplessness and fever."6
Hence, belief has practical, behavioral, emotional, and psychological reflections and effects on all human links. Their effects begin from building to reform. Moreover, they preserve social structure. So, we find the Holy Qur'an explaining this link, says: "And the believer men and the believer women, they are guardians to one another; they enjoin good and forbid evil..." Holy Qur'an (Tawba, 9:71)
This blessed verse confirms that those who believe in Allah, the Glorified, and His message support each other. It also fixes a psychological and intellectual base, which is the strongest of all the bases of social building. In this concern, the holy verse regards the woman as a basic element in the circle of support. Thus, the woman shoulders the responsibility of social building, change, and reform. In this respect she is equal to the man.
2. Laws and regulations: Law is defined as: "A group of rules that regulate the behavior of individuals in society. General authorities force them to respect law."7
So, social law is a means to regulate the movement of society as natural law regulates the movement of the atom and the stars. Society cannot develop without law.
As for Islamic law, it is concluded from the Qur'an and the purified Sunnah. Hence, Islamic law regulates Islamic society according to Islamic precepts. Meanwhile it takes care of the biological and psychological nature of both man and woman.
According to this scientific principle, Islamic law is divided into three parts. They are as follows:
A. Laws and precepts that concern the woman.
B. Laws and precepts that concern the man.
C. General laws and precepts that concern both the man and the woman. They represent the wider area of Islamic laws and precepts.
This kind of regulation, which takes care of gender, urges both man and woman to move and be active in two areas of movement and activity. The first area concerns their gender. The other includes all society.
3. Islamic traditions and customs: Islamic society has traditions and customs. They are one of the distinguished elements of Islamic society. Hence, they should be preserved.
4. The need of services and exchangeable interests (production): This is clear through this holy verse: "...and We did raise some them above the others in ranks, so that some of them may take the others in sub-jection...". This verse shows that need moves individuals to form society to exchange interests as other creatures do in their natural enviornment. Through that, the individual secures his need and participates in developing human life.
The needs of the individual and society always develop. The man and the woman differ in their administrative, psychological, physical, and intellectual abilities and inclinations. So, functional specialization sometimes occurs spontaneously; it sometimes results from the individual when he chooses his social function, namely the work which he fulfills in society, such as agriculture, medicine, trade, education; the Islamic state sometimes achieves it intentionally, for it is responsible for regulating the abilities of society to satisfy the needs of the individual and to solve the problems that result from all kinds of need.
Now we will briefly discuss woman's role in this respect.
Biological and Psychological Differences between Man and Woman
Psychologists and doctors say that there are axiomatic scientific differences between man and woman. In other words they say that man and woman have different biological and psychological differences. Accordingly, the social function of the woman is different of that of the man. Hence, social life is righteous when man maintains his manhood and woman maintains her womanhood. Scientific studies have shown that the hormones of the ductless glands take part in forming the behavioral and psychological differences between the man and the woman. In the meantime, the nervous system participates in that too.
The Holy Qur'an has explained these differences between man and woman. It says: "And covet not that by which Allah has raised some of you above others; for men shall have of what they earn; and women shall have of what they earn; and ask Allah of His Grace; verily, Allah knows all things." Holy Qur'an (Nisa' 4:32)
Moreover, the purified Prophetic traditions (Sunnah) underline that both man and woman should preserve their gender. It prevents women from imitating men. Meanwhile, it prevents men from imitating women.
Psychological studies and experiments were applied on psychological deviation of both men and women. They have shown that some men try to imitate women, and some women try to imitate men. They have indicated that this state is a kind of deviation, and that this state may be controlled and treated through education, social measures, and reorganization of the character.
The holy traditions have scorned and cursed such people.
The great traditionist and jurist, Hurr Amily, may Allah have mercy on him, has mentioned numerous traditions under the title: "It is not permitted for women to imitate men and vice versa."
It was reported on the authority of Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) and Abu Hassan al-Rida (a.s.), who said: "I hate that men imitate women."8 The meaning of hatred here is prohibition or not permitted as it has been mentioned in the tradition cited above.
It was reported on the authority of Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.), on the authority of Allah's Apostle Muhammad (s.a.w.), who said: "Allah's Apostle scorned the man who imitates women, and prevented the woman who imitates men in her clothes."9
(It was reported) on the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said: "Allah's Apostle (s.a.w.) cursed the men who imitated women and the women who imitated men."10
These differences between man and woman force us to admit that there are functional differences in some of the vital fields and duties which the man and woman should perform.
According to this discussion, we are able to limit the differences between the man and woman in social function.
Woman and Material Civilization
To study the history of nations and societies throughout its ages, shows the sufferings of the woman and how has she exploited and persecuted.????????
No ideology or belief has saved the woman from persecution and sufferings like Divine principles represented in its perfect and prettiest form i.e. the immortal Islamic message.
Before talking about the value, rights and the notable position of the woman in Islam, it is necessary to mention some statistics about the persecution and sufferings of the woman in the material civilization headed by America and Europe that declare the rights of the woman.
The figures and statistics underline that the woman is persecuted and enslaved in these cultures.
French News Agency: "1.3 billion human beings lead a life of abject poverty in the world. 70% of them are women. There are about 2.3 billion illiterate women in the world.
"One-third of the women in Norway, America, Holland and Newsland are subject to sexual exploitation
"Every eight seconds one woman is mistreated. Every six minutes one woman is violated."
The News Agency added: "Half a million women die during pregnancy and its symptoms. 40% of them are young girls.
"The wages of 828 million women ranging from 30-40% less than those of men. 10% of bank considerations include them."
In another report announced by American Federal Police says: "According to a study made by American Ministry of Justice, 310 thousand women are raped every year."
According to the report of French News Agency from Washington, there are about half a million sexual assaults against women every year."
According to the latest figures issued by F.B.A. the police announced only the existence of 140 thousand attempts of violation in America.
The Iranian Newspaper, Ittila'at, No.20401, quoted a report from Rome as follows: "The wave of violence has increased among the Italian families. The instances of murdering fathers by sons and of sons by fathers have increased more than they had been before."
The Italian Newspaper, Larpoblika, wrote lately from the annual report of the Euro Union for Statistics, in the first ten months of the year 1994, 192 incidents of family violence were recorded in Italy; 129 of them ended to murders.
According to this report, this kind of violence led to 112 murders in 1993.
It is worth mentioning, 40.1% of these family murders occurred in the north of Italy; 43.8% occurred in the south of Italy; 16.1% occurred in the middle of Italy.
Most family murders in 1994 occurred in the Province of Lombardy, in the north of Italy.
Jumhuri Islami Newspaper, No.4485, Autumn of 1994, mentioned the following report:
"Epidemiology Magazine, affiliated to the World Health Organization (WHO), No.11, Summer of 1993, published the latest world figures concerning AIDS in various areas of the world.
"WHO has recorded that the number of AIDS cases was 718,894 in June, 1993.
"(371086) cases were in America; 247,577 cases were in Africa; 92,482 cases were in Europe; 4,188 cases were in Australia; 3,561 cases were in Asia.
"The number of cases per countries is as follows: 289320 cases were in the U.S.A.; 38,719 cases were in Tanzania; 36,481 cases were in Brazil; 31,185 cases were in Kenya; 34,611 cases were in Uganda; 26,955 cases in Britain; 24,226 cases in France; 21,008 cases in Zaire; 18,347 cases in Spain; 16,860 cases in Italy; 14,655 cases in Congo. Besides there are other cases in other countries.
"We see that the U.S.A. not only occupies the first position in Aids cases but also it is extremely differing from the counties that follow. Besides, if we take into consideration the percentage of the figures, we will find that those infected by AIDS in the U.S.A. constitute 40% of the infected in 150 countries in the world. Nevertheless, the population of the U.S.A. constitutes only 5% of the population."
The Iranian Newspaper, Ittilaat, No. 20482, May 21, 1995, conveying its correspondent in Madrid, reported:
"In the year 1960, 82% of the children lived under the care of their fathers. Nowadays, 60% of them live without fathers. Divorce and the stubbornness of mothers forced fathers to abandon their houses. After mentioning the above-mentioned figures, David Blink Horn, an American writer, said in his book America without Father': To have good fathers needs exemplary (righteous) women. This is the reason why fathers abandon their houses'
"In a report from America, the reporter of the Spanish Newspaper, Al-Payis, said: Being partial toward the woman in American society led to the damage of the fathers there. It has prevented children from the care of their fathers. So, it has become a difficult dream to secure fathers in America."
Concerning the conditions of the children in Britain, the Newspaper, Ittilaat, No. 20407, January 1995, reported the following account from IRNA News Agency, London: