Women represent half of society and
no nation can really grow without the great help of its women. It’s important
to honor women rights because their stability is also the stability to the
whole society. Islam’s message was sent as a mercy to all mankind; Islam has
liberated women from oppression and empowered them by giving them their rights
(voting, owning property, access to knowledge, freedom of choice, work...etc),
placing them in a position of honor and respect since the early seventh
century. At the same time, the western world was in its darkest times and most
if not all the civilizations in the old world have oppressed women, an example
of that kind of oppression is:
“There seemed to be almost no end to the horrors of women's
lives in Greece and Rome that you could discover if you tried hard enough. It
was not just a question of there being no formal political rights for women
anywhere in classical antiquity (no Votes for Women in this world), but almost
every aspect of life even in the 'civilised' cities of Athens and Rome seemed
actively to disadvantage women. So, for example, it was the fate of the wives
of upperclass Athenians to be largely confined to the home - bearing children,
spinning and weaving, and maybe managing the domestic arrangements. No
wandering in the beautiful streets for them, no going down to business in the
Agora, or up to the splendour of the Acropolis - that was men's space. Not much
enjoyment of Athenian culture either. Women could not even go to the dramatic
festivals that presented the tragedies of Euripides or the comedies of
Aristophanes: at least, there is no clear evidence that they could attend -
and, given what we know of Athens, that almost certainly means they could not.” [1]
Women
in the west were denied their rights (voting and owning property) until about
the recent 150 years, and the earliest western nation to allow women to vote
was New Zealand in 1893. However, women in Islam were granted these rights and
more since the early seventh century. The Islamic was the first civilization in
history to honor women rights and apply it in a very sophisticated way to the
little details. In this article, I will mention with details how Islam’s
message honored women and acknowledge their fair rights in the most civilized
way. Retired Chief Justice of Delhi Court, Mr. Rajindar Sachar says:
“….Historically, Islam had been very liberal and progressive in granting
property Rights to women. It is a fact that here were no property rights given
to Hindu women until 1956, when the Hindu Code Bill was passed, whereas Islam
had granted these rights to Muslim women over 1400 years ago.” [2]
Some of the myths about Islam are that
women are considered inferior to men, they are treated as slaves to men, and
that the Islamic faith is full of laws that are sexiest towards women. We can
take a look at two examples of Prophet Muhammad’s – PBUH - wives Khadija
and Aisha, who were pioneers at their time. “Khadija was a successful business woman,
while Aisha was a renowned Hadith scholar and leader after the passing away of
the Prophet. About 2210 traditions of the Prophet were related by her, she was
also a jurist of high caliber and used to explain the wisdom and background of
each tradition that she described.” [3]
Another example that shows how men
looked up to women can be found in the writings of the twelfth century famous
Islamic philosopher and Judge, Ibn Rushd or as he is known in the west by the
name, ‘Averros’, said: “women were equal to men in all aspects, and thus had th
capacity to excel in times of trouble like war etc., or during times of peace.” [4] Looking
at these clear historical and philosophical examples on how women were
respected is enough to dismiss the idea that women are disrespected in Islam.
Perhaps, the image of veiled women gave
the impression that they were oppressed by harsh Islamic rules. Some people
argue that women in several Islamic countries are wearing hijab or are being
forced to wear it due to the traditions of those places. That can be true to
some degree, but the fact is that almost all the Muslim women that I’ve
encountered in the west always wore hijab, they are proud of it and they have
chosen to wear it. This is similar to how Roman Catholic nun's wear some kind
of veil, which is totally their choice, and people respect that decision. On
top of that, you won’t ever find any picture, painting or sculpture of the
Virgin Mary without some kind of veil and she’s the highest status of women in
the world to Muslims, as well. “And when the angels said, ’Mary, God has chosen thee, and
purified thee; He has chosen thee above all women.”
(The Quran 3:42).
Of course, these allegations about
disrespecting women in Islam are far from being true, as I mentioned, and the
best way to dismiss these false allegations is to look at the source of the
Islamic law and legislation; The Holy Quran, which has a chapter titled “The
Women” and “Mary”. Naming these chapters after women is one of the highest
honors in Islamic faith because Allah (God) Himself talked about it, therefore
many people will read it, honor it and follow it. These chapters and others do
talk in details about women rights or great women in history and that by itself,
is sufficient evidence of how much the message of Islam has honored women.
In fact, the first verse of the chapter
titled “The Women” says, “O
mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single
soul…” (The Quran 4:1), which means that men and women have the same root and are
therefore equal. To go into more details we can look into
a few verses that talked about women. “O mankind, we have created you male and
female, and appointed you races and tribes, that you may know one another.
Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most godfearing of you.
God is All-knowing, All-aware.” (The Quran 49:13).
“Spiritual equality, responsibility, and
accountability for both men and women are well-developed themes in the Qur'an.
Spiritual equality between men and women in the sight of God is not limited
purely to religious issues, but is the basis for equality in all aspects of
human endeavor” [5].
Mr. Al-Manani is right about the fact that when you view everyone as equals
then you them the same amount of responsibility and accountability.
Women’s
rights in Islam are clear and protected by Islamic law (Sharia);
Islam
liberated women from cruel prejudice and gave them dignity and the pride of
being female. Islam projected a woman as being comparable to a man, and
embodied the philosophy of being both equal and different. Fourteen hundred
years ago, Islamic women were given the right to run their own businesses, to
keep their financial autonomy after marriage, and, more importantly, the right
to learn, the key to emancipation. They do not need to change their name upon
marriage and thus are not made to feel as if they are a man’s possession[6].
Unfortunately,
even in some Islamic countries nowadays some of these rights are neglected due
to political or cultural issues that have nothing to do with the humane message
of Islam.
Culture has its effects on the
interpretation of the verses of the Qur’an and the Hadith. Opinions
and attitudes toward women in the Bedouin culture are different from more open
societies, especially in urban and agrarian societies. The main factors that have
a major impact on women’s roles in Islamic countries can be summarized in the
following: religion; culture; political factors—the relationship between
religious scholars and state; media; and stereotype[7].
Although
we are living in the digital age and many Islamic nations are developed, women
in some of those countries are not enjoying the same rights they would have
during the early Islamic centuries due to the cultural issues that I pointed
out, previously. However, one prominent piece of evidence that shows the
importance of women in the early Islamic centuries and reflects empowering
women in the Islamic society, is the establishment of the world’s first and
oldest university by a woman, the Al-Karaouine University that was established
by Fatima Al-Fihri in 859. The role that women played in the Muslim society in
general was essential and was encouraged, as I mentioned in the examples of Aisha
and Khadija. One can only wonder, how a woman can achieve this high honor in a
society that oppresses her!
One of the most common questions
today about Muslim women is polygamy. Many non-Muslims have asked me about it
and I felt it needed to be addressed. First of all, Islam did not initiate polygamy;
it was practiced by many of the older cultures such as Hindus, Persian,
Assyrians and Babylonians. Although Greece and Rome were not polygamous
societies, concubinage was a norm[8]. The great Hebrew
patriarchs equally revered by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Abraham,
Moses, Jacob, David, and Solomon, to name a few – were polygamous.
According to the Bible:
1.
Abraham had three wives (Genesis 16:1,
16:3, 25:1)
2.
Moses had two wives (Exodus 2:21,
18:1-6; Numbers 12:1)
3.
Jacob had four wives (Genesis 29:23,
29:28, 30:4, 30:9)
4.
David had at least 18 wives (1 Samuel
18:27, 25:39-44; 2 Samuel 3:3, 3:4-5, 5:13, 12:7-8, 12:24, 16:21-23)
5.
Solomon had 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3) [9].
The
Quran is the only scripture known in the world that places restrictions and
regulations to polygamy and it is the only religious book that says literally
“marry only one” and puts a limit up to four women. “… Marry women of your choice, two
or three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly
with them, then only one.” The Quran [4:3].
Islam reformed polygamy and put a
maximum limit on it up to four wives and put condition on it that the man must
be fair with all his wives and never differentiates between them in his
obligations to them. Also, the matter of marriage and polygamy in Islam must be
of a mutual consent, in plain simple words; Islam allows polygamy, it doesn’t
require it neither forces it. Besides, a woman can stipulate that her husband
may not marry another woman as a second wife in her marriage contract. Polygamy
is permitted in many Islamic countries but it is exaggerated in the western
media, some researchers estimate no more than 2% of the married males practice
polygamy[10]. One can safely say that the number
of polygamous marriages in the Muslim world is much less than the number of
extramarital affairs in the West. In other words, contrary to prevalent
notion, men in the Muslim world today are more strictly monogamous than men in
the Western world[11].
Dr.
Zakir Naik, a well-known Muslim scholar, mentions that Hindus are more
polygamous than Muslims. According to the report in 1975 of the 'Committee of
The Status of Woman in Islam', that mentions on page 66 and 67 “the percentage
of polygamous marriages between the year 1951 -1961 was 5.06 among the Hindus
and only 4.31 among the Muslims. According to Indian law, only Muslim men are
permitted to have more than one wife. It is illegal for any non-Muslim in India
to have more than one wife. Despite it being illegal, Hindus have more multiple
wives as compared to the Muslims”[12].
Therefore, it is clear to me that polygamy is not
the rule but an exception and that it is misunderstood in the west. Polygamy is
a common human behavior that was practiced by the best of people ever: God’s
Prophets, as well as in many other cultures. Polygamy is appropriate for the
society when it is regulated and organized and that’s what Islam exactly did to
polygamy.
The
following verse enforces the equality between men and women, “The
submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women,
the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the
steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the
charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men, the fasting women, the
chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate GOD frequently, and
the commemorating women; GOD has prepared for them forgiveness and a great
recompense.” The Quran [33:35].
Prophet Muhammad – PBUH – reaffirms respecting
women and treating them with gentleness and fairness. From reading his glorious
biography, I’m certain that he is the number one defender of women’s rights in
history. "It is only the honorable men who shall honor women; it
is only the dishonorable men who shall dishonor women." So said the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him), who set out to liberate women through his message of mercy[13].
In conclusion, women rights are not
just about hijab (veil), marriage or polygamy. They are definitely wider than
these subjects, but these are some of the most common questions often asked by
non-Muslims. At a time where women in most if not all culture had no rights
whatsoever, Islam guaranteed women’s rights to women and encouraged men to be
fair with them to the point that Prophet Muhammad – PBUH – said “he most
perfect of believers in belief is the best of them in character. The best of
you are those who are the best to their women.” [14].
So, being kind, caring and fair with women is not only a right to women but it
is a duty on men and it is a good way for them to get closer to Allah (God). We
must differentiate between the cultural obstacles put in Muslim women’s path
recently (even by some Islamic countries) and the humane Islamic law that
uplifted all these obstacles and honored women. The biography of Prophet
Muhammad – PBUH – has a lot of examples of respecting women. I highly recommend
reading Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) By Saifur Rahman
al-Mubarakpuri, which is the best biography of the Prophet – PBUH. May we all
continue respecting and honoring women because they are our mothers who carried
us to this world and nourished us with love and they are also our life
companions as sisters, aunties, nieces, wives and daughters.
[1] Beard, Mary. "The Classic Woman?." History
Today 43.7 (1993): 29. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Oct. 2013
.
[2] Statesman (New
Delhi) April 26, 1986. Web. October 28, 2013.
[3] Wahiduddin Khan ,
Maulana. p155 ‘Woman Between Islam and Western Society.’ Web. Oct. 28, 2013.
[4]Ahmed, Jamil
1994. Ibn Rushd. Monthly Renaissance IV. Retrieved 2008-10-14. Web. Oct. 28, 2013.
[5] Al-Mannai, Salah
S. "The Misinterpretation Of Women's Status In The Muslim World." DOMES:
Digest Of Middle East Studies 19.1 (2010): 82-91. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
[6] Al-Mannai, Salah S. "The Misinterpretation Of Women's
Status In The Muslim World." DOMES: Digest Of Middle East Studies
19.1 (2010): 82-91. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28
Oct. 2013.
[7] Al-Mannai, Salah S. "The Misinterpretation Of Women's
Status In The Muslim World." DOMES: Digest Of Middle East Studies
19.1 (2010): 82-91. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28
Oct. 2013.
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