1he SLaLus of Women ln lslam

Complled 8y 1urn1olslamCom

lslam ls Lhe message LhaL Allah senL Lo all manklnd Lhrough hls ropheLs 1he Message of lslam has
always been Lo worshlp Allah alone wlLhouL assoclaLlng any parLners wlLh hlm and Lo follow Lhe
Messengers LhaL he Lhe mosL Plgh senL Lo manklnd

1he LasL and flnal Messenger was Muhammad And lL ls hls example and guldance LhaL Musllms musL
seek Lo emulaLe and acL upon lslam ls perfecL and Lhere ls no need for lL Lo ever be changed or
Modernlsed lor lL ls a rellglon of ease and moderaLlon lnfacL Lhose Musllms who do noL acL
accordlng Lo Lhe Lrue sources of lslam are Lhe ones who are backwards AdvancemenL for manklnd ls
Lhrough Lhe pure lslam

1herefore Lhere ls absoluLely no need for people Lo dlfferenLlaLe and use Lhe Lerms ModeraLe or
lundamenLallsL lslam lslam ls one Lhe fundamenLals of lslam should be based upon Lhe Lrue sources
of lslam le Lhe Curan and Lhe Sunnah (way of Lhe ropheL) lf Lhe laLLer ls done Lhen Lhe Musllms llfe
wlll be Lhe one full of llghL undersLandlng compasslon and ease



1Pere wlll be some Musllms who do noL respecL women or who are crlmlnals and do bad !usL as
Lhere wlll be some counLrles whlch call Lhemselves lslamlc and call for women Lo be sLopped from
golng Lo school and geLLlng educaLlon eLc none of Lhese people are followlng lslam properly 1hey are
lgnoranL Lo Lhe Lrue Leachlngs of lslam Any person who has a falr and [usL mlnd can undersLand LhaL
Lhere are good and bad people ln all socleLles lslam ls noL aL faulL buL Lhose people who do noL follow lL
properly

?ou can noL slmply generallse and make wlde sweeplng sLaLemenLs agalnsL Musllms or lslam based
upon Lhe acLlons of a very few people


1here are lgnoranL and bad people ln all walks of llfe Alcohol and urug abuse hlgh levels of rape
guncrlme chlld abuse and Lhe beaLlng of women ls someLhlng of a huge problem ln Lhe uS and oLher
WesLern counLrles 1ake for example Lhe followlng SLaLlsLlcs

Lvery 9 seconds ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes a woman ls assaulLed and beaLen

8eLween 1979 and 2001 gunflre kllled 90000 chlldren and Leens ln Amerlca (Chlldrens uefense lund
and naLlonal CenLer for PealLh SLaLlsLlcs)

nearly oneLhlrd of Amerlcan women (31 percenL) reporL belng physlcally or sexually abused by a
husband or boyfrlend aL some polnL ln Lhelr llves accordlng Lo a 1998 CommonwealLh lund survey (1he
CommonwealLh lund PealLh Concerns Across a Woman's Llfespan 1998 Survey of Women's PealLh
May 1999)

Cne ln flve (21 percenL) women reporLed she had been raped or physlcally or sexually assaulLed ln her
llfeLlme

ln a naLlonal survey of more Lhan 6000 Amerlcan famllles 30 percenL of Lhe men who frequenLly
assaulLed Lhelr wlves also frequenLly abused Lhelr chlldren

So Lhe purpose of Lhese sLaLlsLlcs ls Lo sLop Lhose who keep hurllng abuse aL lslam and Musllms from
belng so superflclenL and lgnoranL 1o reallse LhaL Lhelr haLe Lowards Musllms ls lndeed uncalled
un[usLlfled and lL ls really Lhey who are Lhe lnLoleranL ones

lslam clearly sLaLes LhaL lL ls unlawful and slnful Lo use any vlolence agalnsL people lnfacL even shouLlng
and uslng profanlLles ls also a large sln lslam provldes guldellnes for Musllms so Lhey achleve greaL
respecL and love ln Lhe famlly A Lrue Musllm would know Lhe hlgh sLaLus LhaL women have ln socleLy as
well as Lhe hlgh emphasls on malnLalnlng a warm and lovlng famlly aLmosphere ln Lhe home

Cne musL recognlse Lhe dlfference Lo Lhe Lrue lSlamlc Leachlngs and Lhose of cerLaln culLures whlch
have lncorrecL and bad aLLlLudes Lowards women

lslam emphaslses womens rlghLs and Lhe whole lslamlc culLure ls one of ease undersLandlng and love
ln famlly llfe

1he ropheL sald l urge you Lo LreaL women well Sahlh Al bukharl

lslam honours women as daughLers and encourages us Lo ralse Lhem well and educaLe Lhem lslam
sLaLes LhaL ralslng daughLers wlll brlng a greaL reward lor example Lhe ropheL (peace and blesslngs of
Allaah be upon hlm) sald

Whoever Lakes care of Lwo glrls unLll Lhey reach adulLhood he and l wlll come llke Lhls on Lhe uay of
8esurrecLlon" and he held hls flngers LogeLher narraLed by Musllm 2631



1he SLaLus of Women ln lslam

8y !amal A 8adawl

CCn1Ln1S

8LlACL
ln18CuuC1lCn
PlS1C8lCAL L8SLC1lvLS
Women ln AnclenL ClvlllzaLlon
WCMLn ln lSLAM
1 1he SplrlLual AspecL
2 1he Soclal AspecL
(a) As a Chlld and AdolescenL
(b) As a Wlfe
(c) As a MoLher
3 1he Lconomlc AspecL
4 1he pollLlcal AspecL
CCnCLuSlCn
8l8LlCC8AP?

8LlACL
lamlly socleLy and ulLlmaLely Lhe whole of manklnd ls LreaLed by lslam on an eLhlcal basls
ulfferenLlaLlon ln sex ls nelLher a credlL nor a drawback for Lhe sexes 1herefore when we Lalk abouL
sLaLus of woman ln lslam lL should noL lead us Lo Lhlnk LhaL lslam has no speclflc guldellnes llmlLaLlons
responslblllLles and obllgaLlons for men WhaL makes one valuable and respecLable ln Lhe eyes of Allah
Lhe CreaLor of manklnd and Lhe unlverse ls nelLher ones prosperlLy poslLlon lnLelllgence physlcal
sLrengLh nor beauLy buL only ones Allahconsclousness and awareness (Laqwa) Powever slnce ln Lhe
WesLern culLure and ln culLures lnfluenced by lL Lhere exlsLs a dlsparlLy beLween men and women Lhere
ls more need for sLaLlng lslams poslLlon on lmporLanL lssues ln a clear way
l ln18CuuC1lCn

1he sLaLus of women ln socleLy ls nelLher a new lssue nor ls lL a fully seLLled one
1he poslLlon of lslam on Lhls lssue has been among Lhe sub[ecLs presenLed Lo Lhe WesLern reader wlLh
Lhe leasL ob[ecLlvlLy
1hls paper ls lnLended Lo provlde a brlef and auLhenLlc exposlLlon of whaL lslam sLands for ln Lhls regard
1he Leachlngs of lslam are based essenLlally on Lhe Curan (Cods revelaLlon) and PadeeLh (elaboraLlon
by ropheL Muhammad)
1he Curan and Lhe PadeeLh properly and unblasedly undersLood provlde Lhe baslc source of
auLhenLlcaLlon for any poslLlon or vlew whlch ls aLLrlbuLed Lo lslam
1he paper sLarLs wlLh a brlef survey of Lhe sLaLus of women ln Lhe prelslamlc era lL Lhen focuses on
Lhese ma[or quesLlons WhaL ls Lhe poslLlon of lslam regardlng Lhe sLaLus of woman ln socleLy? Pow
slmllar or dlfferenL ls LhaL poslLlon from Lhe splrlL of Lhe Llme whlch was domlnanL when lslam was
revealed? Pow would Lhls compare wlLh Lhe rlghLs whlch were flnally galned by woman ln recenL
decades?

ll PlS1C8lCAL L8SLC1lvLS

Cne ma[or ob[ecLlve of Lhls paper ls Lo provlde a falr evaluaLlon of whaL lslam conLrlbuLed (or falled Lo
conLrlbuLe) Loward Lhe resLoraLlon of womans dlgnlLy and rlghLs ln order Lo achleve Lhls ob[ecLlve lL
may be useful Lo revlew brlefly how women were LreaLed ln general ln prevlous clvlllzaLlons and
rellglons especlally Lhose whlch preceded lslam (re610 CL) arL of Lhe lnformaLlon provlded here
however descrlbes Lhe sLaLus of woman as laLe as Lhe nlneLeenLh cenLury more Lhan Lwelve cenLurles
afLer lslam

Women ln AnclenL ClvlllzaLlon


uescrlblng Lhe sLaLus of Lhe lndlan woman Lncyclopedla 8rlLannlca sLaLes
ln lndla sub[ecLlon was a cardlnal prlnclple uay and nlghL musL women be held by Lhelr proLecLors ln a
sLaLe of dependence says Manu 1he rule of lnherlLance was agnaLlc LhaL ls descenL Lraced Lhrough
males Lo Lhe excluslon of females
ln Plndu scrlpLures Lhe descrlpLlon of a good wlfe ls as follows a woman whose mlnd speech and
body are kepL ln sub[ecLlon acqulres hlgh renown ln Lhls world and ln Lhe nexL Lhe same abode wlLh
her husband ln ALhens women were noL beLLer off Lhan elLher Lhe lndlan or Lhe 8oman women
ALhenlan women were always mlnors sub[ecL Lo some male Lo Lhelr faLher Lo Lhelr broLher or Lo
some of Lhelr male kln
Per consenL ln marrlage was noL generally LhoughL Lo be necessary and she was obllged Lo submlL Lo
Lhe wlshes of her parenLs and recelve from Lhem her husband and her lord even Lhough he were
sLranger Lo her
A 8oman wlfe was descrlbed by an hlsLorlan as a babe a mlnor a ward a person lncapable of dolng or
acLlng anyLhlng accordlng Lo her own lndlvldual LasLe a person conLlnually under Lhe LuLelage and
guardlanshlp of her husband


ln Lhe Lncyclopedla 8rlLannlca we flnd a summary of Lhe legal sLaLus of women ln Lhe 8oman
clvlllzaLlon
ln 8oman Law a woman was even ln hlsLorlc Llmes compleLely dependenL lf marrled she and her
properLy passed lnLo Lhe power of her husband Lhe wlfe was Lhe purchased properLy of her husband
and llke a slave acqulred only for hls beneflL A woman could noL exerclse any clvll or publlc offlce could
noL be a wlLness sureLy LuLor or curaLor she could noL adopL or be adopLed or make wlll or conLracL
Among Lhe Scandlnavlan races women were under perpeLual LuLelage wheLher marrled or unmarrled
As laLe as Lhe Code of ChrlsLlan v aL Lhe end of Lhe 17Lh CenLury lL was enacLed LhaL lf a woman
marrled wlLhouL Lhe consenL of her LuLor he mlghL have lf he wlshed admlnlsLraLlon and usufrucL of her
goods durlng her llfe
Accordlng Lo Lhe Lngllsh Common Law
all real properLy whlch a wlfe held aL Lhe Llme of a marrlage became a possesslon of her husband Pe
was enLlLled Lo Lhe renL from Lhe land and Lo any proflL whlch mlghL be made from operaLlng Lhe esLaLe
durlng Lhe [olnL llfe of Lhe spouses As Llme passed Lhe Lngllsh courLs devlsed means Lo forbld a
husbands Lransferrlng real properLy wlLhouL Lhe consenL of hls wlfe buL he sLlll reLalned Lhe rlghL Lo
manage lL and Lo recelve Lhe money whlch lL produced As Lo a wlfes personal properLy Lhe husbands
power was compleLe Pe had Lhe rlghL Lo spend lL as he saw flL
Cnly by Lhe laLe nlneLeenLh CenLury dld Lhe slLuaLlon sLarL Lo lmprove 8y a serles of acLs sLarLlng wlLh
Lhe Marrled womens roperLy AcL ln 1870 amended ln 1882 and 1887 marrled women achleved Lhe
rlghL Lo own properLy and Lo enLer conLracLs on a par wlLh splnsLers wldows and dlvorcees As laLe as
Lhe nlneLeenLh CenLury an auLhorlLy ln anclenL law Slr Penry Malne wroLe no socleLy whlch
preserves any LlncLure of ChrlsLlan lnsLlLuLlons ls llkely Lo resLore Lo marrled women Lhe personal llberLy
conferred on Lhem by Lhe Mlddle 8oman Law ln hls essay 1he Sub[ecLlon of Women !ohn SLuarL Mlll
wroLe
We are conLlnually Lold LhaL clvlllzaLlon and ChrlsLlanlLy have resLored Lo Lhe woman her [usL rlghLs
Meanwhlle Lhe wlfe ls Lhe acLual bondservanL of her husband no less so as far as Lhe legal obllgaLlon
goes Lhan slaves commonly so called
8efore movlng on Lo Lhe Curanlc decrees concernlng Lhe sLaLus of woman a few 8lbllcal decrees may
shed more llghL on Lhe sub[ecL Lhus provldlng a beLLer basls for an lmparLlal evaluaLlon ln Lhe Mosalc
Law Lhe wlfe was beLroLhed Lxplalnlng Lhls concepL Lhe Lncyclopedla 8lbllca sLaLes 1o beLroLh a wlfe
Lo oneself meanL slmply Lo acqulre possesslon of her by paymenL of Lhe purchase money Lhe beLroLhed
ls a glrl for whom Lhe purchase money has been pald lrom Lhe legal polnL of vlew Lhe consenL of Lhe
glrl was noL necessary for Lhe valldaLlon of her marrlage 1he glrls consenL ls unnecessary and Lhe need
for lL ls nowhere suggesLed ln Lhe Law As Lo Lhe rlghL of dlvorce we read ln Lhe Lncyclopedla 8lbllca
1he woman belng mans properLy hls rlghL Lo dlvorce her follows as a maLLer of course 1he rlghL Lo
dlvorce was held only by man ln Lhe Mosalc Law dlvorce was a prlvllege of Lhe husband only


1he poslLlon of Lhe ChrlsLlan Church unLll recenL cenLurles seems Lo have been lnfluenced by boLh Lhe
Mosalc Law and by Lhe sLreams of LhoughL LhaL were domlnanL ln lLs conLemporary culLures ln Lhelr
book Marrlage LasL and WesL uavld and vera Mace wroLe
LeL no one suppose elLher LhaL our ChrlsLlan herlLage ls free of such sllghLlng [udgmenLs lL would be
hard Lo flnd anywhere a collecLlon of more degradlng references Lo Lhe female sex Lhan Lhe early Church
laLhers provlde Lecky Lhe famous hlsLorlan speaks of (Lhese flerce lncenLlves whlch form so
consplcuous and so groLesque a porLlon of Lhe wrlLlng of Lhe laLhers woman was represenLed as Lhe
door of hell as Lhe moLher of all human llls She should be ashamed aL Lhe very LhoughL LhaL she ls a
woman She should llve ln conLlnual penance on accounL of Lhe curses she has broughL upon Lhe world
She should be ashamed of her dress for lL ls Lhe memorlal of her fall She should be especlally ashamed
of her beauLy for lL ls Lhe mosL poLenL lnsLrumenL of Lhe devll) Cne of Lhe mosL scaLhlng of Lhese
aLLacks on woman ls LhaL of 1erLulllan uo you know LhaL you are each an Lve? 1he senLence of Cod on
Lhls sex of yours llves ln Lhls age Lhe gullL musL of necesslLy llve Loo ?ou are Lhe devlls gaLeway you are
Lhe unsealer of LhaL forbldden Lree you are Lhe flrsL deserLers of Lhe dlvlne law you are she who
persuades hlm whom Lhe devll was noL vallanL enough Lo aLLack ?ou desLroyed so easlly Cods lmage
man Cn accounL of your deserL LhaL ls deaLh even Lhe Sop of Cod had Lo dle) noL only dld Lhe church
afflrm Lhe lnferlor sLaLus of woman lL deprlved her of legal rlghLs she had prevlously en[oyed
lll WCMAn ln lSLAM

ln Lhe mldsL of Lhe darkness LhaL engulfed Lhe world Lhe dlvlne revelaLlon echoed ln Lhe wlde deserL of
Arabla wlLh a fresh noble and unlversal message Lo humanlLy C Manklnd keep your duLy Lo your Lord
who creaLed you from a slngle soul and from lL creaLed lLs maLe (of same klnd) and from Lhem Lwaln has
spread a mulLlLude of men and women (Curan 4 1)
A scholar who pondered abouL Lhls verse sLaLes lL ls belleved LhaL Lhere ls no LexL old or new LhaL
deals wlLh Lhe humanlLy of Lhe woman from all aspecLs wlLh such amazlng brevlLy eloquence depLh
and orlglnallLy as Lhls dlvlne decree


SLresslng Lhls noble and naLural concepLlon Lhem Curan sLaLes
Pe (Cod) lL ls who dld creaLe you from a slngle soul and Lherefrom dld creaLe hls maLe LhaL he mlghL
dwell wlLh her (ln love)(Curan 7189) 1he CreaLor of heavens and earLh Pe has made for you palrs
from among yourselves Curan 421 1
And Allah has glven you maLes of your own naLure and has glven you from your maLes chlldren and
grandchlldren and has made provlslon of good Lhlngs for you ls lL Lhen ln vanlLy LhaL Lhey belleve and ln
Lhe grace of Cod LhaL Lhey dlsbelleve? Curan 1672
1he resL of Lhls paper ouLllnes Lhe poslLlon of lslam regardlng Lhe sLaLus of woman ln socleLy from lLs
varlous aspecLs splrlLually soclally economlcally and pollLlcally
1 1he SplrlLual AspecL



1he Curan provldes clearcuL evldence LhaL woman lscompleLely equaLed wlLh man ln Lhe slghL of Cod
lnLerms of her rlghLs and responslblllLles 1he Curan sLaLes
Lvery soul wlll be (held) ln pledge for lLs deeds (Curan 7438) lL also sLaLes So Lhelr Lord accepLed
Lhelr prayers (saylng) l wlll noL suffer Lo be losL Lhe work of any of you wheLher male or female ?ou
proceed one from anoLher (Curan 3 193)
Whoever works rlghLeousness man or woman and has falLh verlly Lo hlm wlll We glve a new llfe LhaL ls
good and pure and We wlll besLow on such Lhelr reward accordlng Lo Lhe Lhelr acLlons (Curan 1697
see also 4124)
Woman accordlng Lo Lhe Curan ls noL blamed for Adams flrsL mlsLake 8oLh were [olnLly wrong ln Lhelr
dlsobedlence Lo Cod boLh repenLed and boLh were forglven (Curan 236 720 24) ln one verse ln
facL (20121) Adam speclflcally was blamed ln Lerms of rellglous obllgaLlons such as Lhe ually rayers
lasLlng oordue and llgrlmage woman ls no dlfferenL from man ln some cases lndeed woman has
cerLaln advanLages over man lor example Lhe woman ls exempLed from Lhe dally prayers and from
fasLlng durlng her mensLrual perlods and forLy days afLer chlldblrLh She ls also exempLed from fasLlng
durlng her pregnancy and when she ls nurslng her baby lf Lhere ls any LhreaL Lo her healLh or her babys
lf Lhe mlssed fasLlng ls obllgaLory (durlng Lhe monLh of 8amadan) she can make up for Lhe mlssed days
whenever she can She does noL have Lo make up for Lhe prayers mlssed for any of Lhe above reasons
AlLhough women can and dld go lnLo Lhe mosque durlng Lhe days of Lhe propheL and LhereafLer
aLLendance eL Lhe lrlday congregaLlonal prayers ls opLlonal for Lhem whlle lL ls mandaLory for men (on
lrlday)
1hls ls clearly a Lender Louch of Lhe lslamlc Leachlngs for Lhey are conslderaLe of Lhe facL LhaL a woman
may be nurslng her baby or carlng for hlm and Lhus may be unable Lo go ouL Lo Lhe mosque aL Lhe Llme
of Lhe prayers 1hey also Lake lnLo accounL Lhe physlologlcal and psychologlcal changes assoclaLed wlLh
her naLural female funcLlons

2 1he Soclal AspecL
a) As a chlld and an adolescenL


uesplLe Lhe soclal accepLance of female lnfanLlclde among some Arablan Lrlbes Lhe Curan forbade Lhls
cusLom and consldered lL a crlme llke any oLher murder
And when Lhe female (lnfanL) burled allve ls quesLloned for whaL crlme she was kllled (Curan 818
9)
CrlLlclzlng Lhe aLLlLudes of such parenLs who re[ecL Lhelr female chlldren Lhe Curan sLaLes
When news ls broughL Lo one of Lhem of (Lhe 8lrLh of) a female (chlld) hls face darkens and he ls fllled
wlLh lnward grlef! WlLh shame does he hlde hlmself from hls people because of Lhe bad news he has
had! Shall he reLaln her on (sufferance) and conLempL or bury her ln Lhe dusL? Ah! WhaL an evll (cholce)
Lhey declde on? (Curan 16 3839)
lar from savlng Lhe glrls llfe so LhaL she may laLer suffer ln[usLlce and lnequallLy lslam requlres klnd and
[usL LreaLmenL for her Among Lhe saylngs of ropheL Muhammad () ln Lhls regard are Lhe followlng
Whosoever has a daughLer and he does noL bury her allve does noL lnsulL her and does noL favor hls
son over her Cod wlll enLer hlm lnLo aradlse (lbn Panbal no 1937) Whosoever supporLs Lwo
daughLers Llll Lhey maLure he and l wlll come ln Lhe day of [udgmenL as Lhls (and he polnLed wlLh hls
Lwo flngers held LogeLher)
A slmllar PadeeLh deals ln llke manner wlLh one who supporLs Lwo slsLers (lbnPanbal no 2104) 1he
rlghL of females Lo seek knowledge ls noL dlfferenL from LhaL of males ropheL Muhammad () sald
Seeklng knowledge ls mandaLory for every Musllm (Al8ayhaql) Musllm as used here lncludlng boLh
males and females
b) As a wlfe
1he Curan clearly lndlcaLes LhaL marrlage ls sharlng beLween Lhe Lwo halves of Lhe socleLy and LhaL lLs
ob[ecLlves beslde perpeLuaLlng human llfe are emoLlonal wellbelng and splrlLual harmony lLs bases
are love and mercy


Among Lhe mosL lmpresslve verses ln Lhe Curan abouL marrlage ls Lhe followlng
And among Pls slgns ls Lhls 1haL Pe creaLed maLes for you from yourselves LhaL you may flnd resL
peace of mlnd ln Lhem and Pe ordalned beLween you love and mercy Lo hereln lndeed are slgns for
people who reflecL (Curan 302 1)
Accordlng Lo lslamlc Law women cannoL be forced Lo marry anyone wlLhouL Lhelr consenL lbn Abbas
reporLed LhaL a glrl came Lo Lhe Messenger of Cod Muhammad () and she reporLed LhaL her faLher
had forced her Lo marry wlLhouL her consenL 1he Messenger of Cod gave her Lhe cholce (beLween
accepLlng Lhe marrlage or lnvalldaLlng lL) (lbn Panbal no 2469) ln anoLher verslon Lhe glrl sald
AcLually l accepL Lhls marrlage buL l wanLed Lo leL women know LhaL parenLs have no rlghL (Lo force a
husband on Lhem) (lbn Ma[a no 1873)
8esldes all oLher provlslons for her proLecLlon aL Lhe Llme of marrlage lL was speclflcally decreed LhaL
woman has Lhe full rlghL Lo her Mahr a marrlage glfL whlch ls presenLed Lo her by her husband and ls
lncluded ln Lhe nupLlal conLracL and LhaL such ownershlp does noL Lransfer Lo her faLher or husband
1he concepL of Mahr ln lslam ls nelLher an acLual or symbollc prlce for Lhe woman as was Lhe case ln
cerLaln culLures buL raLher lL ls a glfL symbollzlng love and affecLlon
1he rules for marrled llfe ln lslam are clear and ln harmony wlLh uprlghL human naLure ln conslderaLlon
of Lhe physlologlcal and psychologlcal makeup of man and woman boLh have equal rlghLs and clalms
on one anoLher excepL for one responslblllLy LhaL of leadershlp 1hls ls a maLLer whlch ls naLural ln any
collecLlve llfe and whlch ls conslsLenL wlLh Lhe naLure of man



1he Curan Lhus sLaLes
And Lhey (women) have rlghLs slmllar Lo Lhose (of men) over Lhem and men are a degree above Lhem
(Curan 2228)
Such degree ls Culwama (malnLenance and proLecLlon) 1hls refers Lo LhaL naLural dlfference beLween
Lhe sexes whlch enLlLles Lhe weaker sex Lo proLecLlon lL lmplles no superlorlLy or advanLage before Lhe
law ?eL mans role of leadershlp ln relaLlon Lo hls famlly does noL mean Lhe husbands dlcLaLorshlp over
hls wlfe lslam emphaslzes Lhe lmporLance of Laklng counsel and muLual agreemenL ln famlly declslons
1he Curan glves us an example
lf Lhey (husband wlfe) deslre Lo wean Lhe chlld by muLual consenL and (afLer) consulLaLlon Lhere ls no
blame on Lhem (Curan 2 233)
Cver and above her baslc rlghLs as a wlfe comes Lhe rlghL whlch ls emphaslzed by Lhe Curan and ls
sLrongly recommended by Lhe ropheL () klnd LreaLmenL and companlonshlp 1he Curan sLaLes
8uL consorL wlLh Lhem ln klndness for lf you haLe Lhem lL may happen LhaL you haLe a Lhlng whereln
Cod has placed much good (Curan 4 l9)
ropheL Muhammad () sald
1he besL of you ls Lhe besL Lo hls famlly and l am Lhe besL among you Lo my famlly
1he mosL perfecL bellevers are Lhe besL ln conducL and besL of you are Lhose who are besL Lo Lhelr
wlves (lbnPanbal no 7396)
8ehold many women came Lo Muhammads wlves complalnlng agalnsL Lhelr husbands (because Lhey
beaL Lhem) Lhose (husbands) are noL Lhe besL of you
As Lhe womans rlghL Lo declde abouL her marrlage ls recognlzed so also her rlghL Lo seek an end for an
unsuccessful marrlage ls recognlzed 1o provlde for Lhe sLablllLy of Lhe famlly however and ln order Lo
proLecL lL from hasLy declslons under Lemporary emoLlonal sLress cerLaln sLeps and walLlng perlods
should be observed by men and women seeklng dlvorce Conslderlng Lhe relaLlvely more emoLlonal
naLure of women a good reason for asklng for dlvorce should be broughL before Lhe [udge Llke Lhe
man however Lhe woman can dlvorce her husband wlLh ouL resorLlng Lo Lhe courL lf Lhe nupLlal
conLracL allows LhaL More speclflcally some aspecLs of lslamlc Law concernlng marrlage and dlvorce are
lnLeresLlng and are worLhy of separaLe LreaLmenL
When Lhe conLlnuaLlon of Lhe marrlage relaLlonshlp ls lmposslble for any reason men are sLlll LaughL Lo
seek a graclous end for lL


1he Curan sLaLes abouL such cases
When you dlvorce women and Lhey reach Lhelr prescrlbed Lerm Lhen reLaln Lhem ln klndness and
reLaln Lhem noL for ln[ury so LhaL you Lransgress (Lhe llmlLs) (Curan 2231) (See also Curan 2229 and
3349)
c) As a moLher


lslam consldered klndness Lo parenLs nexL Lo Lhe worshlp of Cod
And we have en[olned upon man (Lo be good) Lo hls parenLs Pls moLher bears hlm ln weakness upon
weakness (Curan 3114) (See also Curan 4613 298)
Moreover Lhe Curan has a speclal recommendaLlon for Lhe good LreaLmenL of moLhers
?our Lord has decreed LhaL you worshlp none save Plm and LhaL you be klnd Lo your parenLs
(Curan 1723)
A man came Lo ropheL Muhammad () asklng
C Messenger of Cod who among Lhe people ls Lhe mosL worLhy of my good company? 1he ropheL ()
sald ?our moLher 1he man sald Lhen who else 1he ropheL () sald ?our moLher 1he man asked 1hen
who else? Cnly Lhen dld Lhe ropheL () say ?our faLher (Al8ukharl and Musllm)
A famous saylng of 1he ropheL ls aradlse ls aL Lhe feeL of moLhers (ln Alnlsal lbn Ma[ah Ahmad)
lL ls Lhe generous (ln characLer) who ls good Lo women and lL ls Lhe wlcked who lnsulLs Lhem

3 1he Lconomlc AspecL
lslam decreed a rlghL of whlch woman was deprlved boLh before lslam and afLer lL (even as laLe as Lhls
cenLury) Lhe rlghL of lndependenL ownershlp Accordlng Lo lslamlc Law womans rlghL Lo her money
real esLaLe or oLher properLles ls fully acknowledged 1hls rlghL undergoes no change wheLher she ls
slngle or marrled She reLalns her full rlghLs Lo buy sell morLgage or lease any or all her properLles lL ls
nowhere suggesLed ln Lhe Law LhaL a woman ls a mlnor slmply because she ls a female lL ls also
noLeworLhy LhaL such rlghL applles Lo her properLles before marrlage as well as Lo whaLever she acqulres
LhereafLer
WlLh regard Lo Lhe womans rlghL Lo seek employmenL lL should be sLaLed flrsL LhaL lslam regards her
role ln socleLy as a moLher and a wlfe as Lhe mosL sacred and essenLlal one nelLher malds nor baby
slLLers can posslbly Lake Lhe moLhers place as Lhe educaLor of an uprlghL complex free and carefully
reared chlldren Such a noble and vlLal role whlch largely shapes Lhe fuLure of naLlons cannoL be
regarded as ldleness


Powever Lhere ls no decree ln lslam whlch forblds woman from seeklng employmenL whenever Lhere ls
a necesslLy for lL especlally ln poslLlons whlch flL her naLure and ln whlch socleLy needs her mosL
Lxamples of Lhese professlons are nurslng Leachlng (especlally for chlldren) and medlclne Moreover
Lhere ls no resLrlcLlon on beneflLlng from womans excepLlonal LalenL ln any fleld Lven for Lhe poslLlon
of a [udge where Lhere may be a Lendency Lo doubL Lhe womans flLness for Lhe posL due Lo her more
emoLlonal naLure we flnd early Musllm scholars such as AbuPanlfa and Al1abary holdlng Lhere ls
noLhlng wrong wlLh lL ln addlLlon lslam resLored Lo woman Lhe rlghL of lnherlLance afLer she herself
was an ob[ecL of lnherlLance ln some culLures Per share ls compleLely hers and no one can make any
clalm on lL lncludlng her faLher and her husband
unLo men (of Lhe famlly) belongs a share of LhaL whlch arenLs and near klndred leave and unLo
women a share of LhaL whlch parenLs and near klndred leave wheLher lL be a llLLle or much a
deLermlnaLe share ((Curan 47)
Per share ln mosL cases ls onehalf Lhe mans share wlLh no lmpllcaLlon LhaL she ls worLh half a man! lL
would seem grossly lnconslsLenL afLer Lhe overwhelmlng evldence of womans equlLable LreaLmenL ln
lslam whlch was dlscussed ln Lhe precedlng pages Lo make such an lnference 1hls varlaLlon ln
lnherlLance rlghLs ls only conslsLenL wlLh Lhe varlaLlons ln flnanclal responslblllLles of man and woman
accordlng Lo Lhe lslamlc Law Man ln lslam ls fully responslble for Lhe malnLenance of hls wlfe hls
chlldren and ln some cases of hls needy relaLlves especlally Lhe females 1hls responslblllLy ls nelLher
walved nor reduced because of hls wlfes wealLh or because of her access Lo any personal lncome galned
from work renL proflL or any oLher legal means Woman on Lhe oLher hand ls far more secure
flnanclally and ls far less burdened wlLh any clalms on her possesslons Per possesslons before marrlage
do noL Lransfer Lo her husband and she even keeps her malden name She has no obllgaLlon Lo spend on
her famlly ouL of such properLles or ouL of her lncome afLer marrlage She ls enLlLled Lo Lhe Mahr
whlch she Lakes from her husband aL Lhe Llme of marrlage lf she ls dlvorced she may geL an allmony
from her exhusband
An examlnaLlon of Lhe lnherlLance law wlLhln Lhe overall framework of Lhe lslamlc Law reveals noL only
[usLlce buL also an abundance of compasslon for woman

4 1he ollLlcal AspecL

Any falr lnvesLlgaLlon of Lhe Leachlngs of lslam o lnLo Lhe hlsLory of Lhe lslamlc clvlllzaLlon wlll surely
flnd a clear evldence of womans equallLy wlLh man ln whaL we call Loday pollLlcal rlghLs
1hls lncludes Lhe rlghL of elecLlon as well as Lhe nomlnaLlon Lo pollLlcal offlces lL also lncludes womans
rlghL Lo parLlclpaLe ln publlc affalrs 8oLh ln Lhe Curan and ln lslamlc hlsLory we flnd examples of women
who parLlclpaLed ln serlous dlscusslons and argued even wlLh Lhe ropheL () hlmself (see Curan 38 14
and 60 1012)
uurlng Lhe CallphaLe of Cmar lbn alkhaLLab a woman argued wlLh hlm ln Lhe mosque proved her
polnL and caused hlm Lo declare ln Lhe presence of people A woman ls rlghL and Cmar ls wrong
AlLhough noL menLloned ln Lhe Curan one PadeeLh of Lhe ropheL ls lnLerpreLed Lo make woman
lnellglble for Lhe poslLlon of head of sLaLe 1he PadeeLh referred Lo ls roughly LranslaLed A people wlll
noL prosper lf Lhey leL a woman be Lhelr leader 1hls llmlLaLlon however has noLhlng Lo do wlLh Lhe
dlgnlLy of woman or wlLh her rlghLs lL ls raLher relaLed Lo Lhe naLural dlfferences ln Lhe blologlcal and
psychologlcal makeup of men and women
Accordlng Lo lslam Lhe head of Lhe sLaLe ls no mere flgurehead Pe leads people ln Lhe prayers
especlally on lrldays and fesLlvlLles he ls conLlnuously engaged ln Lhe process of declslonmaklng
perLalnlng Lo Lhe securlLy and wellbelng of hls people 1hls demandlng poslLlon or any slmllar one such
as Lhe Commander of Lhe Army ls generally lnconslsLenL wlLh Lhe physlologlcal and psychologlcal make
up of woman ln general lL ls a medlcal facL LhaL durlng Lhelr monLhly perlods and durlng Lhelr
pregnancles women undergo varlous physlologlcal and psychologlcal changes Such changes may occur
durlng an emergency slLuaLlon Lhus affecLlng her declslon wlLhouL conslderlng Lhe excesslve sLraln
whlch ls produced Moreover some declslons requlre a maxlmum of raLlonallLy and a mlnlmum of
emoLlonallLy a requlremenL whlch does noL colnclde wlLh Lhe lnsLlncLlve naLure of women
Lven ln modern Llmes and ln Lhe mosL developed counLrles lL ls rare Lo flnd a woman ln Lhe poslLlon of
a head of sLaLe acLlng as more Lhan a flgurehead a woman commander of Lhe armed servlces or even a
proporLlonaLe number of women represenLaLlves ln parllamenLs or slmllar bodles Cne can noL posslbly
ascrlbe Lhls Lo backwardness of varlous naLlons or Lo any consLlLuLlonal llmlLaLlon on womans rlghL Lo
be ln such a poslLlon as a head of sLaLe or as a member of Lhe parllamenL lL ls more loglcal Lo explaln
Lhe presenL slLuaLlon ln Lerms of Lhe naLural and lndlspuLable dlfferences beLween man and woman a
dlfference whlch does noL lmply any supremacy of one over Lhe oLher 1he dlfference lmplles raLher
Lhe complemenLary roles of boLh Lhe sexes ln llfe

lv CCnCLuSlCn

1he flrsL parL of Lhls paper deals brlefly wlLh Lhe poslLlon of varlous rellglons and culLures on Lhe lssue
under lnvesLlgaLlon arL of Lhls exposlLlon exLends Lo cover Lhe general Lrend as laLe as Lhe nlneLeenLh
cenLury nearly 1300 years afLer Lhe Curan seL forLh Lhe lslamlc Leachlngs ln Lhe second parL of Lhe
paper Lhe sLaLus of women ln lslam ls brlefly dlscussed Lmphasls ln Lhls parL ls placed on Lhe orlglnal
and auLhenLlc sources of lslam 1hls represenLs Lhe sLandard accordlng Lo whlch degree of adherence of
Musllms can be [udged lL ls also a facL LhaL durlng Lhe downward cycle of lslamlc ClvlllzaLlon such
Leachlngs were noL sLrlcLly adhered Lo by many people who profess Lo be Musllms
Such devlaLlons were unfalrly exaggeraLed by some wrlLers and Lhe worsL of Lhls were superflclally
Laken Lo represenL Lhe Leachlngs of lslam Lo Lhe WesLern reader wlLhouL Laklng Lhe Lrouble Lo make
any orlglnal and unblased sLudy of Lhe auLhenLlc sources of Lhese Leachlngs
Lven wlLh such devlaLlons Lhree facLs are worLh menLlonlng
1 1he hlsLory of Musllms ls rlch wlLh women of greaL achlevemenLs ln all walks of llfe from as early as
Lhe sevenLh cenLury (8C)
2 lL ls lmposslble for anyone Lo [usLlfy any mlsLreaLmenL of woman by any decree of rule embodled ln
Lhe lslamlc Law nor could anyone dare Lo cancel reduce or dlsLorL Lhe clearcuL legal rlghLs of women
glven ln lslamlc Law
3 1hroughouL hlsLory Lhe repuLaLlon chasLlLy and maLernal role of Musllm women were ob[ecLs of
admlraLlon by lmparLlal observers
lL ls also worLhwhlle Lo sLaLe LhaL Lhe sLaLus whlch women reached durlng Lhe presenL era was noL
achleved due Lo Lhe klndness of men or due Lo naLural progress lL was raLher achleved Lhrough a long
sLruggle and sacrlflce on womans parL and only when socleLy needed her conLrlbuLlon and work more
especlal! durlng Lhe Lwo world wars and due Lo Lhe escalaLlon of Lechnologlcal change
ln Lhe case of lslam such compasslonaLe and dlgnlfled sLaLus was decreed noL because lL reflecLs Lhe
envlronmenL of Lhe sevenLh cenLury nor under Lhe LhreaL or pressure of women and Lhelr
organlzaLlons buL raLher because of lLs lnLrlnslc LruLhfulness

lf Lhls lndlcaLes anyLhlng lL would demonsLraLe Lhe dlvlne orlgln of Lhe Curan and Lhe LruLhfulness of
Lhe message of lslam whlch unllke human phllosophles and ldeologles was far from proceedlng from
lLs human envlronmenL a message whlch esLabllshed such humane prlnclples as nelLher grew obsoleLe
durlng Lhe course of Llme and afLer Lhese many cenLurles nor can become obsoleLe ln Lhe fuLure AfLer
all Lhls ls Lhe message of Lhe AllWlse and allknowlng Cod whose wlsdom and knowledge are far
beyond Lhe ulLlmaLe ln human LhoughL and progress