Women
in a Qur'anic Society
| The topic of this paper was chosen out of the conviction
that humanity is suffering today from a number of serious social problems related to women
and to the interrelations of the two sexes in society. Although these problems may be more
pronounced, disturbing, more debilitating for some of us than for others, there are
probably few if any regions of the contemporary world whose citizens have not felt in some
way the repercussions of these problems. Therefore, there is a pressing need for exploring
possible solutions. The problem of women is linked, for the present study, with the
Qur'an, and what I have called the "Qur'anic society," out of strong conviction
that the Qur'an offers the most viable suggestions for contemporary social reform which
can be found in any model or any literature. Let us consider what the Qur'an has to teach us about the society towards which we should be striving, and ponder its effect on the position of women. What are the basic characteristics of a Qur'anic society which particularly affect women. Five characteristics - which seem basic crucial and incontrovertible – of Qur'anic society will be considered. Although they are presented in a series, each one rests upon the others and affects them. The interdependence of these five characteristics makes it difficult to speak of any one of them without mention of the others, and of course they do not and cannot exist in isolation from one another.
1. Equal Status and Worth of the Sexes The first of these characteristics of a Qur'anic society which affect women is that both sexes are held to be equal in status and worth. In other words, the Qur'an teaches us that women and men are all creatures of Allah, existing on a level of equal worth and value, although their equal importance does not substantiate a claim for their equivalence or perfect identity. This equality of male and female is documented in the Qur'an in passages pertaining to at least four aspects of human existence and interaction. A. Religious Matters The first of these Qur'anic confirmations of male-female equality are contained in statements pertaining to such religious matters as the origins of humanity, or religious obligations and rewards.
i. Origins of Humanity: The Qur'an is devoid of the stories found in the Old Testament which denigrate women. There is no hint that the first woman created by God is a creature of lesser worth than the first male, or that she is a kind of appendage formed from one of his ribs. Instead, male and female are created, we read, min nafsin wahidatin ("from a single soul or self") to complement each other (Qur'an 4:1; 7:189). Whereas the Torah or Old Testament treats Eve as the temptress of the Garden of Eden, who aids Satan in enticing Adam to disobey God, the Qur'an deals with the pair with perfect equity. Both are equally guilty of sinning; God equally punishes both with expulsion from the Garden; and both are equally forgiven when they repent.
ii. Religious Obligations and Rewards: The Qur’an is not less clear in command inequality for men and women in its directives regarding religious obligations and rewards. We read: "Lo!
Men who surrender unto Allah, and women who surrender, Al-Qur'an 33 : 35 iii. Ethical Obligations and Rewards Secondly, the Qur'an reveals to mankind the desired equality of the two sexes by establishing the same ethical obligations and rewards for women and men. " And
who so does good works, whether male or female, Al-Qur'an 4 : 124 "Whosoever
does right, whether male or female, Al-Qur'an 16 : 97 If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had not deemed the two sexes of equal status and value, such explicit statements of their equality in ethical obligations and rewards would not have been made in the Qur'an. iv. Education Although the more specific commands for the equal rights of women and men to pursue education can be found in the hadith literature, the Qur'an does at least imply the pursuit of knowledge by all Muslims regardless of their sex. For example, it repeatedly commands all readers to read, to recite, to think, to contemplate, and as well as to learn from the signs (ayah) of Allah in nature. In fact, the very first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (S) was concerned with knowledge. In a Qur'anic society, there can never be a restriction of this knowledge to one sex. It is the duty of every Muslim and every Muslimah to pursue knowledge throughout life, even if it should lead the seeker to China, we are told. The Prophet (S) even commanded that the slave girls be educated, and he asked Shifa' bint 'Abdillah to instruct his wife Hafsah bint 'Umar. Lectures of the Prophet (S) were attended by audiences of both men and women; and by the time of the Prophet's death, there were many women scholars. v. Legal Rights A fourth evidence in the Qur'an for the [Al-Qur'an 2 : 229 & 4 : 19-21,25] unless offered by the woman as a free gift [Al-Qur'an 4 : 44]. As with any privilege, these rights of women carry corresponding responsibilities. If she commits a civil offence, the Qur'an tells us, woman's penalty is no less or no more than that of a man in a similar case [Al-Qur'an 5 : 41 & Al-Qur'an 24 : 2]. If she is wronged or harmed, she is entitled to compensation just like a man. It is clear that the Qur'an not only recommends, but is even insistent upon, the equality of women and men as an essential characteristic of a Qur'anic society. The claim of the non-Muslim critics that Islam denigrates women is denied emphatically by the Qur'an. Similarly denied are the arguments of certain Muslims that women are religiously, intellectually and ethically inferior to men, as Jewish and Christian literatures had earlier maintained. by Lamya
'al-Faruqi
... To be continued, insha'Allah |