The issue of women in Islam, is topic of great misunderstanding and
distortion due partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due to
misbehavior of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the
teachings of Islam. We speak here about what Islam teaches, and that is
that standard according to which Muslims are to be judged. As such, my
basis and source is the Quran--the words of Allah, and the sayings of
the Prophet, his deeds and his confirmation. Islamic laws are derived
from these sources. To facilitate our discussion we can discuss the
position of women from a spiritual, economic, social, and political
standpoint.
From the spiritual aspect, there are seven points to remember:
According to the Quran, men and women have the same spirit, there is no
superiority in the spiritual sense between men and women. [Noble Quran
4:1, 7:189, 42:11]
The Quran makes it clear that all human beings (and the phraseology
doesn't apply to men or women alone, but to both) have what you might
call a human; He
"breathed some of My spirit into divine touch. When God created him"(or her in this sense). [Noble Quran 15:29 See also 32:9]
Some of His spirit here means not in the incarnational sense, but the
pure, innate spiritual nature that God has endowed her or him with.
The Quran indicates again that one of the most honored positions of
human, is that God created the human, and as I referred to Surah 17
earlier, it means both sexes, as His trustee and representative on
earth. There are many references in the Quran that reaffirm this.
Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming Eve
for the first mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree. Nowhere,
even though the Quran speaks about Adam, Eve, and the forbidden tree,
but in a totally different spirit. The story is narrated in 7:19-27, and
it speaks about both of them doing this, both of them are told that
both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered the consequences of
their disobedience, both of them seek repentance and both of them are
forgiven. Nowhere in the Quran does it say woman is to be blamed for the
fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran speaks about the suffering of
women during the period of pregnancy and childbirth, nowhere does it
connect it with the concept of original sin, because there is no concept
of original sin in Islam. The suffering is presented not as a reason to
remind woman of the fall of man, but as a reason to adore and love
woman or the mother. In the Quran, especially 31:14, 46:15, it makes it
quite clear God has commanded upon mankind to be kind to parents and
mentions,
"His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering." [Noble Quran 31:14, 46:15]
The Quran makes it clear again to remove any notion of superiority and I
refer you again to 49:13. I must caution you that there are some
mistaken translations, but if you go to the original Arabic, there is no
question of gender being involved.
In terms of moral, spiritual duties, acts of worship, the requirements
of men and women are the same, except in some cases when women have
certain concessions because of their feminine nature, or their health or
the health of their babies.
The Quran explicitly, in more than one verse, 3:195, 4:124, specified
that whoever does good deeds, and is a believer and then specifies "male
or female" God will give them an abundant reward.
In the area of economic rights, we have to remember that in Europe
until the 19th century, women did not have the right to own their own
property. When they were married, either it would transfer to the
husband or she would not be able to dispense of it without permission of
her husband. In Britain, perhaps the first country to give women some
property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known as "Married Women
Property Act." More than 1300 years earlier, that right was clearly
established in Islamic law.
"Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and whatever women earn, they have a share in that." [Noble Quran 4:32]
Secondly, there is no restriction in Islamic law that says a woman
cannot work or have a profession, that her only place is in the home. In
fact, by definition, in a truly Islamic society, there must be women
physicians, women nurses, women teachers, because it's preferable also
to separate teenagers in the volatile years in high school education.
And if she chooses to work, or if she's married with the consent of her
husband, she's entitled to equal pay, not for equal work, but for work
of equal worth.
Thirdly, when it comes to financial security, Islamic law is more
tilted in many respects towards women. These are seven examples:
During the period of engagement, a woman is to be on the receiving side of gifts.
At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the bride's
family. He is supposed to pay for a marital gift. The Quran called it a
gift, and it is exclusively the right of the woman. She doesn't have to
spend it on the household, she doesn't have to give it to her father or
anyone else.
If the woman happened to own any property prior to marriage, she
retains that property after marriage. It remains under her control.
Also, in most Muslim countries, the woman keeps her own last name, and
her own identity.
If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of
investments of her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have to
spend one penny of that income on the household, it is entirely hers.
The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire
responsibility of her husband, even though she might be richer than he
is. She doesn't have to spend a penny.
At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the waiting period and even beyond for a woman's support.
If the widow or divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.
In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic laws
pertaining to inheritance give men a higher share. From the social
standpoint, as a daughter we find that credit goes to Islam for stopping
the barbaric practice of pre-Islamic Arabs of female infanticide. These
ignorant people used to bury female daughters alive. The Quran forbade
the practice, making it a crime. Surah 81 Additionally, the Quran
condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some people who used to greet
the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness in the case of a girl.
The duty, not the right, the duty of education, as the Prophet said, is a duty on every Muslim, male and female.
As far as treatment of daughters is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) said, "Anyone who has two daughters, and did
not bury them, did not insult them and brought them up properly, he and I
will be like this," holding his two fingers close together. Another
version adds, "And also did not favor his sons over daughters." One time
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seated. A companion
was sitting with him. The companion's son came. He kissed his son and
put him on his lap. Then his daughter came, and he just sat her by his
side. The Prophet told the man, "You did not do Justice," meaning he
should have treated the daughter equally, kissed her and put her in his
lap also. Indeed, whenever the Prophet's daughter Fatimah came to him,
in front of everyone, he stood up, kissed her and let her sit in his
favorite place where he'd been sitting.
From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates in Surahs
30:20 and 42:11 that marriage is not just an inevitable evil, marriage
is not somebody getting married to his master or slave, but rather to
his partner.
"Among His Signs is this, that he created for you mates from among
yourselves, that they may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put
love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for
those who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]
There are numerous verses in the Quran to the same effect.
Secondly, the approval and consent of the girl to marriage is a
prerequisite for the validity of marriage in Islam. She has the right to
say yes or no.
Husbands' and wives' duties are mutual responsibilities. They might not
be identical duties, but the totality of rights and responsibilities
are balanced. The Quran says:
"Women have the same rights (in relation to their husbands) as are
expected in all decency from them, while men stand a step above them."
[Noble Quran 2:228]
This only specifies the degree of responsibility, not privilege, in
man's role as provider, protector, maintainer, and leader of the family.
The same Surah speaks about divorce, about consultation between husband
and wife, even in the case of divorce. When there are family disputes,
first the Quran appeals to reason and the consideration of positive
aspects of one's spouse,
"Dwell with your wives in kindness for even if you hate them, you might
be hating someone in whom God has placed so much good." [Noble Quran
4:19]
If that appeal does not succeed, and problems between the husband and
wife continue, there are measures that can be applied. Some of these
measures are done privately between husband and wife. Some of them might
appear harsh, but there are qualifications to restrict excessive or
abusive use of these measures. These measures are considered an attempt
to save a marriage rather than break a family apart. If the situation
does not improve, even with the limitation and prevention of excesses,
the next step is a family council. One arbiter from his family and one
from her family should sit together with the couple and try to resolve
the problems.
If a divorce becomes necessary, there are many detailed procedures in
Islamic law that really knock down the common notion that divorce in
Islam is very easy and that it is the sole right of man. It is not the
sole right of man alone and neither is it true that all you have to say
is: "I divorce you three times," and that's it. Islam also has laws
regarding custody of children. I was very surprised to see newspapers
making the false claim that in all cases custody goes to the father.
Custody involves the interest of the child, and laws often favor the
mother of young children.
Polygamy has become so mythical in the minds of many people that they
assume being Muslim means having four wives. This is a false notion, of
course. A very renowned anthropologist, Edward Westermarck, in his
two-volume work, "History of Human Marriage," notes that there has been
polygamy in virtually every culture and religion, including Judaism and
Christianity. But the point here is not to say, "Why blame Islam?"
Actually, Islam is the only religion even among Abrahamic faiths, that
specifically limited the practice of polygamy that existed before Islam
and established very strict conditions for guidance. The question, "How
could any man have two wives? That's terrible!" reflects ethnocentrism.
We assume that because we're living in the West and it seems strange,
and we assume it must apply to all cultures, all times, under all
circumstances. This simply isn't true. Let me give you one current-day
example. In the savage attack on Afghanistan, genocide was committed on
the Afghani people. It is estimated that 1-1.5 million people lost their
lives, a great majority of whom were men of a marriageable age. Now,
with a great shortage of men, what will happen to their widows, their
orphans and their daughters of marriageable age? Is it better to leave
them in a camp, with a handout? Or better a man is willing to take care
of his fallen comrade's wife and children?
It is obvious that monogamy is the norm for Muslims. If we assume that
having four wives is the norm, then we assume a population of 80% female
and 20% male, which is an impossibility on the aggregate level. The
only verse in the Quran that speaks about polygamy, speaks about
limiting not instituting polygamy. The verse was revealed after the
Battle of Uhud in which many Muslims were martyred, leaving behind wives
and children in need of support. This verse shows the spirit and reason
of the revelation.
The Quran placed obedience to parents immediately after worship of God.
"We commanded mankind to be kind to his parents" [Noble Quran 31:14]
And then speaks of the mother. In a very succinct statement, Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Paradise is at the
feet of mothers." Once a man came to him and asked, "O, Messenger, who
among mankind is worthy of my kindness and love?" The Prophet answered,
"Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother."
Only after the third time he said, "And your father."
As a sister in faith, in blood, we find the Quran speaks about men and
women, that they should cooperate and collaborate in goodness. Surah
9:71 speaks about men and women as supporters and helpers of each other,
ordaining the good and forbidding the evil, establishing prayers and
doing charity. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) echoed
what the Quran said, "I command you to be kind to women." In one of his
last commands in his farewell pilgrimage before his death, he kept
repeating, "I command you to be kind and considerate to women." In
another hadith, he said, "It is only the generous in character who is
good to women, and only the evil one who insults them."
On the question of attire, the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet did
not say women must adopt a particular dress of a particular country. It
only gives basic boundaries, and for a committed Muslim woman, she
doesn't follow this simply because her father or husband tells her, but
because Allah already stated that as a requirement in the Quran, and was
explained through revelation given to Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) that this was not to restrict woman, but to
provide a virtuous society where sexual attraction is not the main
obsession of everyone. This forces everyone to respect the woman for
what she is as a human being, as an intellectual and a spiritual being,
rather than being diverted to her sexuality.
Finally, a few words about political involvement. The verse quoted
earlier, Surah 9:71, which speaks about men and women being supporters
and helpers of each other was taken by some jurists to mean that it
involves also public life. How could they ordain the good and forbid the
evil without women being active in the affairs of their society?
According to the Quran, I'm not talking about the practices of Muslims,
in Surah 60:12, we read about Muslim women making "bayy'ah" to the
Prophet. Bayy'ah as an Islamic term is somewhat analogous, to a degree,
to what we would call an election, or oath of allegiance. And that was
given in his capacity not only as a Prophet, but as a head of state, as
he was already the head of state in Medina.
During the rein of 'Umar, women participated in law making. 'Umar made a
proposal of a certain regulation concerning marriage. A woman in the
mosque stood up and said, "'Umar, you can't do that." 'Umar did not tell
her, "Shut up, you are a woman, you have nothing to do with politics,
etc." He asked, "Why?" She made her argument on the basis of Quran. In
front of everybody, he stood up and said, "The woman is right and 'Umar
is wrong," and he withdrew his proposal. That was the spirit in the
early days of Islam.
In the most authentic collection of Hadith, Hadith Bukhari, a section
is devoted to the participation of women, not only in public affairs,
but in the battlefield, too, and not only as logistical support. Women
carried arms, and when there was great danger to the Muslims, they
volunteered to participate even in the battlefield.
The problems presented here are not the problems of Islam. They are
problems of a lack of commitment, lack of application, or misapplication
of Islamic teachings by Muslims themselves. The topics I have tried to
cover here represent and exemplify the big gap that exists between the
true teachings of Islam as derived from its original sources and its
projected image in the West and the way some Muslims behave in the
disregard of those noble teachings.
There's no question that the Western media has played an important role
in perpetuating these misconceptions. But in fairness, we should not
blame the media alone. Western culture, in writings about other
religions, in particular Islam, have distorted images. From books,
novels, even in the academic circle, and sermons from the pulpit in
places of worship, these kinds of prejudices are perpetuated.
There are fair and honorable people in the media who are receptive to
correction of inaccuracies, and who present the facts, when the facts
become manifest, as we have seen in the coverage of the barbaric and
cruel treatment of the Palestinians n the Occupied Territories. What I
would suggest to the media is instead of depending on the distorted
information about Islam, they should keep in touch with educated
Muslims, and remember, the U.S. has between 5 and 6 million Muslims.
Only through correct representation and open communication with Muslims
in America can the media give a fair analysis of current events, given
the background of those conflicts, and provide a great service to
society.
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