Abdul Waheed M

39520006
Women in Islam
Islam is the true religion on the earth, it was chosen by Allah. Today
mankind is facing lot of problems everyone in search for its solutions.
But they are searching it in other than Islam.
One of the problems is women’s rights. People thinks that Islam does
not give women it’s rights, so are doing propaganda against Islam. If
we read Quran and Hadith, we find that Islam is the only religion which
give respect to women, and their rights according to their strength. In
this article I tried to shed light on the conditions of women before Islam
and how Islam honoured them.

Pre-Islamic condition:
Woman in the pre-Islamic era did not have any respect in the society,
she was treated like an animal, her rights were denied. If a girl born in
house people feel insult for them, girl babies were killed alive, Allah
says in the Quran: )‫وإذا الموؤدة ِسئلت (التكوير‬
If they get the news of girl their face shirks ُ‫ظ َّل َوجْ ُهه‬ َ ‫َو ِإذَا بُش َِر أ َ َحدُ ُه ْم ِب ْاْل ُ ْنثَى‬
ُّ ُ‫ُون أ َ ْم َيد‬
‫سهُ فِي‬ ٍ ‫علَى ه‬َ ُ‫وء َما بُش َِر ِب ِه أَيُ ْم ِس ُكه‬
ِ ‫س‬ُ ‫ارى ِمنَ ْالقَ ْو ِم ِم ْن‬
َ ‫ُمس َْودًّا َوه َُو َك ِظي ٌم * َيت ََو‬
َ ‫ب أ َ ََل‬
)‫سا َء َما َيحْ ُك ُمونَ (النحل‬ ِ ‫التُّ َرا‬

Women in other civilization:

The French held a conference in 586 CE to discuss whether women
had souls or not, and if they had souls, were these souls animal or
human? In the end, they decided that they were human! But they were
created to serve men only.
During the time of Henry VIII, the English Parliament issued a decree
forbidding women to read the New Testament because they were
regarded as impure.
Until 1805, English law allowed a man to sell his wife, and set a
wife’s price at six pennies.

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In the modern age, women were kicked out of the house at the age of
eighteen so that they could start working to earn a bite to eat. If a
woman wanted to stay in the house, she had to pay her parents rent for
her room and pay for her food and laundry. (See `Awdat al-Hijab,
2/47-56)(Islamqa.com)

Islam respect women:

Islam addresses men and women equally and treats them equally, and
the aim of Islamic law in general is protection. Legislation provides
women their rights and shows great interest in ensuring them. The
Qur’an and Sunnah encourage the treatment of women with justice,
kindness and compassion.

There is no doubt that Islam raised the status of women in Arab

countries and improved their condition. Indeed, the Prophet -
commanded wives to obey their husbands, and he commanded husband
to be kind with wives, and forbade girls to be forced into marriage and
to eat their money. In Ayyamul Jahiliyyah women did not have a share
in inheritance. Islam gave share in inheritance. Allah honoured women
by revealing a special chapter for them called Surat al-Nisa. In that
surah Allah explain the rules of inheritance, and how to treat a woman
in the event of her defiance, the Almighty said:
‫ض َو ِب َما أ َ ْنفَقُوا ِم ْن أ َ ْم َوا ِل ِه ْم‬ ٍ ‫علَى َب ْع‬ َ ‫ض ُه ْم‬ َ ‫َّللاُ َب ْع‬ َّ ‫ض َل‬ َّ َ‫اء ِب َما ف‬ِ ‫س‬ ِ ‫علَى‬
َ ‫الن‬ َ َ‫الر َجا ُل قَ َّوا ُمون‬
ِ
ُ
‫شوزَ ه َُّن فَ ِعظوه َُّن‬ ُ ُ‫الَّل ِتي تَخَافُونَ ن‬ َّ ‫َّللاُ َو‬َّ ‫ظ‬ َ ‫ب ِب َما َح ِف‬ ْ
ِ ‫ظاتٌ ِللغَ ْي‬ َ ِ‫صا ِل َحاتُ قَا ِنتَاتٌ َحاف‬
َّ ‫فَال‬
َ َ‫َّللا َكان‬
‫ع ِليًّا‬ ‫س ِب ا‬
َ َّ ‫يَّل ِإ َّن‬ َ ‫علَ ْي ِه َّن‬ َ َ ‫اج ِع َواض ِْربُوه َُّن فَإِ ْن أ‬
َ ‫ط ْع َن ُك ْم فَ ََّل تَ ْبغُوا‬ ِ ‫ض‬َ ‫َوا ْه ُج ُروه َُّن فِي ْال َم‬
)‫يرا (النساء‬ ‫َك ِب ا‬
Islam gave men and women right to end their marriage agreement. But
Islam encourage husband to look at in positives : ‫وف فَإِ ْن‬ ِ ‫عا ِش ُروه َُّن ِب ْال َم ْع ُر‬
َ ‫َو‬
‫َّللاُ ِفي ِه َخي اْرا َك ِث ا‬
)‫يرا (النساء‬ َّ َ ‫سى أ َ ْن تَ ْك َرهُوا‬
‫ش ْيئاا َو َيجْ َع َل‬ َ ‫َك ِر ْهت ُ ُموه َُّن فَ َع‬
over all Islam protected women in all aspect and gave its rights.

The Messenger - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him

said: [ Treat women well ] , and in another narration prophet said:
[ . And be kind to women, for they were created from a rib, and the
most crooked thing in the rib is the top, and if you go straighten it,

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you will break it, and if you leave it, it will still be crooked, so be
kind to women ] al-Bukhari

Islam honours women greatly. It honours women as mothers who

must be respected, obeyed and treated with kindness. Pleasing one's
mother is regarded as part of pleasing Allah. Islam tells us that
Paradise lies at the mother’s feet, i.e. that the best way to reach
Paradise is through one's mother.
And Islam forbids disobeying one’s mother or making her angry, even
by saying a mild word of disrespect. The mother’s rights are greater
than those of the father, and the duty to take care of her grows greater
as the mother grows older and weaker.
Honouring parents in the Quran
All of that is mentioned in many texts of the Quran and Sunnah
Prophetic traditions).
For example, Allah says:
“And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful ‫ووصينا اإلنسان بوالديه إحسانا‬
and kind to his parents” [al-Ahqaf 46:15]
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that
you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain
old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at
them but address them in terms of honor.
Al-Bukhari (5971) and Muslim (2548) narrated that Abu Hurayrah
(may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Messenger
of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: “O
Messenger of Alaah, who is most deserving of my good company?”
He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your
mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said:
“Then who?” He said: “Then your father.”
Obligation on sons to spend on their mothers

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One of the rights which Islam gives to the mother is that her son
should spend on her if she needs that support, so long as he is able
and can afford it. Hence for many centuries it was unheard of among
the people of Islam for a mother to be left in an old-people’s home or
for a son to kick her out of the house, or for her sons to refuse to
spend on her, or for her to need to work in order to eat and drink if her
sons were present.
Islam honours women as wives
Islam urges the husband to treat his wife in a good and kind manner,
and says that the wife has rights over the husband like his rights over
her, except that he has a degree over her, because of his responsibility
of spending and taking care of the family’s affairs.
Islam states that the best of the Muslim men is the one who treats his
wife in the best manner, and the man is forbidden to take his wife’s
money without her consent. Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“and live with them honorably” [al-Nisa 4:19]
“And they (women) have rights similar (to those of their husbands)
over them to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of
responsibility) over them. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise” [al-
Baqarah 2:228]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best
of you to my wives.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3895; Ibn Majah,
1977; classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih al-Tirmidhi)
Islam honours women as daughters
And Islam honours women as daughters, and encourages us to raise
them well and educate them. Islam states that raising daughters will
bring a great reward. For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever takes care of two girls until
they reach adulthood, he and I will come like this on the Day of

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Resurrection,” and he held his fingers together. (Narrated by Muslim,
2631)
Ibn Majah (3669) narrated that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever has three daughters
and is patient towards them, and feeds them, gives them to drink and
clothes them from his riches, they will be a shield for him from the
Fire on the Day of Resurrection.” (Classed as sahih by al-Albani in
Sahih Ibn Majah)
Islam honours women as sisters and aunts
Islam honours women as sisters and as aunts. Islam enjoins upholding
the ties of kinship and forbids severing those ties in many places. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “O people!
Spread (the greeting of) salam, offer food (to the needy), uphold the
ties of kinship, and pray at night when people are sleeping, and you
will enter Paradise in peace.” (Narrated by Ibn Majah, 3251; classed
as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih Ibn Majah)
All of these qualities may co-exist in a single woman: she may be a
wife, a daughter, a mother, a sister, an aunt, so she may be honored in
all these ways.
Women enjoy these rights in Islam
Islam raised the status of women, and made them equal with men in
most rulings. So women, like men, are commanded to believe in
Allah and to worship Him. And women are made equal to men in
terms of reward in the Hereafter. Women have the right to express
themselves, to give sincere advice, to enjoin what is good and forbid
what is evil, and to call people to Allah. Women have the right to own
property, to buy and sell, to inherit, to give charity and to give gifts. It
is not permissible for anyone to take a woman’s wealth without her
consent.

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Women have the right to a decent life, without facing aggression or
being wronged. Women have the right to be educated; in fact, it is
obligatory to teach them what they need to know about their religion.
Anyone who compares the rights of women in Islam with their
situation during the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic days of ignorance) or in
other civilizations will understand that women are given the greatest
honor in Islam.
Conclusion: Islam gave woman its right in every aspect of life but it
is very sad that followers of Islam because of their ignorance they
neglect the rights, they are not treating well. It is need of time that we
learn Islam and practice it in our life.
Despite the weakness of religious commitment among many Muslims
nowadays, women still enjoy a high status, whether as daughters,
wives or sisters, whilst we acknowledge that there are shortcomings,
wrongdoing and neglect of women’s rights among some people, but
each one will be answerable for himself.

References:
‫شبكة اْللوكة‬
Islamqa
Women in Islam
)‫حجاب مرأة المسلمة (الباني‬
Aazadi -e- Niswan