Woman's status in Islam

Women have a very important place in the Islamic society. Islam holds them in very high esteem. Their roles as mothers and wives have been clearly underlined by the Prophet (pbuh).

To know the dignified position of women in Islam a peep into the history of women will he helpful. Many societies have practised female infanticides. It was practised by the Romans until the fifth century AD. The Greeks considered woman as a commodity that could be bought and sold. In France, towards the end of sixth century AD, a meeting was held to decide whether woman could be truly be considered as a human being or not. Henry VIII in England forbade the reading of the Bible by women and throughout the Middle Ages the Catholic church treated women as second class citizens. In the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, male and female students were not given the same right until 1964! Before 1850, women were not counted as citizens in England and the English women had no personal rights until 1882! The pre­Islamic Arabs buried the infant girls alive and her birth was considered as a shameful thing. If we keep this picture in mind and evaluate the position of women in Islam could we find any justifications to the baseless allegations of the West against Islam that it prevents the freedom of women! But a sincere and unprejudiced study will definitely convince us that Islam never forbids the freedom for women but it has liberated them from the dark age of obscurity and inequality.

The Holy Qur'an regards men and women as equal in personal and basic values but they have different functions that are complimentary. For example let us examine some of the aspects.

1. Spiritual status: It is very clear that the five pillars of Islam, Belief, Prayer, Fasting, Poor due and the Pilgrimage are as important for women as for men, and there is no differentiation of reward.

2. Having established beyond question the spiritual status and equality of men and women let us see what about their intelligence, knowledge and education. The Prophet has indubitably declared that "Seeking of knowledge is compulsory for both Muslim males and females.

3. Rights and obligations: Islam considers the role of family as the unit of society. The Muslim marriage is a contract in which both wife and husband have rights and duties. Allah's Messenger (pbuh) even in his last public address at the Mount Arafat declared: O people, your wives have certain rights over you and you have certain rights over them. Treat them well and be kind of them, for they are your partners and committed helpers." He has also said: "The best among you are the one who are the best towards their wives.

It is the responsibility of the husband to support the family completely while the wife is responsible for the care of her home and welfare of the family. In the case of marriage, Islam urges that the guardian should take her permission and in case she is not able to adjust with her husband she has the right to divorce him. Another right of Muslim women worth mentioning is her right to inherit property. This is a part of Islamic law.

Apart from her role as a wife, the Muslim woman has a very important role as mother. The status and value attached to the parents in the Muslim world is very high. The Prophet (pbuh) has taught: "Paradise lies at the feet of mothers'. It is reported that once a man came to the Prophet and asked: O Messenger of Allah, who is the most deserving of the good care from me? The Prophet replied: Your mother. He asked: Then to whom and then to whom? The Prophet (pbuh) repeated the same answer. The fourth time the Prophet replied then to your father. In short we can see that Islam is a religion of common sense and is in perfect harmony with the human nature. It recognises the realities of life on earth. This does not mean that Islam has recognised the equality of men and women in every respect, rather it has defined their duties considering their biological structure and natural make up. Allah has not made man and woman identical so it would be against the nature to try to have a total equality between men and women. It would destroy the social balance. Society would not prosper but would instead have so many problems such as broken marriages, illegitimate children and the break­up of family life and consequently the ever increasing varieties of diseases. These problems are seriously active in the modern Western society. School girls pregnancies, increased abortions, increasing number of divorces and many other sociological and family problems have cropped up there because of their permissive outlook and the so called freedom of women.

Whereas in Islam as we observed, the Muslim woman is accorded with full spiritual and intellectual equality with man, and it encourages to practise her religion and develop intellectual faculties throughout her life. Her relation with her husband should be based on mutual love and compassion. She is responsible for the care of the home and the children's early training. She may own her own property, run her own business and inherit in her own right. She may not be married without being consulted and is able to obtain divorce under essential circumstances. Is it to forbid her freedom or to recognise her identity. Now think, whether Islam has forbidden the freedom for women or emancipated them from the bondage of slavery. - AV