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Today people think that women are liberated in the West
and that the Women�s liberation movement began in the 20th
century. Actually, the women�s liberation movement was not begun by women
but was revealed by God to a man in the seventh century by the name of
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), who is known as the last Prophet of Islam.
The Qur�an and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith or Sunnah) are the
sources from which every Muslim woman derives her rights and duties.
- HUMAN RIGHTS
Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally
accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping Him � setting no limits
on her moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman�s equality in her
humanity with men, In the Qur�an, in the first verse of the chapter
entitled "Women", God says, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty
toward your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it its mate
and from them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be
careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom you claim (your rights) of one
another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah has been a
Watcher over you." (4:1)
Since men and women both came from the same essence,
they are equal in their humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil (as
some religions believe) or then men would be evil, also. Similarly,
neither gender can be superior because it would be a contradiction to
equality.
- CIVIL RIGHTS
In Islam, a woman has the basic freedoms of choice and
expression based on recognition of her individual personality. First,
she is free to choose her religion. The Qur�an states: "There is no
compulsion in religion. Right has been made distinct from error."
(2:256)
Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their
opinions and ideas. There are many traditions of the
Prophet(S) which indicate women would pose questions directly
to him and offer their opinions concerning religion, economics and
social matters.
A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name
after marriage. A Muslim woman�s testimony is valid in legal disputes.
In fact, where women are more familiar, their evidence is
conclusive.
- SOCIAL RIGHTS
The Prophet(S) said, "seeking knowledge is a
mandate for every Muslim (male and female)". This includes knowledge of
the Qur�an and the Hadith as well as other knowledge. Men and women both
have the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their
obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all
spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to
perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and
interests.
While bearing, raising and teaching of children,
providing support to her husband, and maintenance of a home are among
the first and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the
skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may
do so as long as her family obligations are met.
Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences
between men and women despite their equality. Some types of work are
more suitable for men and other types for women. This in no way
diminishes either�s efforts or benefits. God will reward both sexes
equally for the value of their work, through, it may not necessarily be
the same activity.
Concerning motherhood, the Prophet(S) said,
"Heaven lies under the feet of mothers". This implies that the success
of a society can be traced to the mothers who raised it. The first and
greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security,
affection, and training received from the mother. Therefore, a woman
having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a
skillful parent.
- POLITICAL RIGHTS
A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is
the right to vote. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion
and participate in politics. One example, as narrated in the Qur�an
(60:12), Muhammad(S) is told that when the believing women
come to him and swear their allegiance to Islam, he must accept their
oath. This established the right of women to select their leader and
publicly declare so. Finally, Islam does not forbid a woman from holding
important positions in government. Abdurrahman Ibn Affan consulted many
women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan to be the Caliph.
- ECONOMIC RIGHTS
The Qur�an states: "By the creation of the male and
female; Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse." (92:3-4)
In these verses, God declares that He created men and
women to be different, with unique roles, functions and skills. As in
society, where there is a division of labor, so too in a family, each
member has different responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that
women are entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian
role. Therefore, women are given the right of financial support.
The Qur�an an states: "Men are the maintainers of
women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because
they spend of their wealth (for the support of women)." (4:34)
This guardianship and greater financial responsibility
given to men, requires that they provide women with not only monetary
support but also physical protection and kind respectful treatment.
Muslim women have the privilege to earn money, the
right to own property, to enter into legal contracts and to mange all of
her assets in any way she pleases. She can run her own business and no
one has any claim on her earnings, including her husband.
The Qur�an states: "And in no wise covet those
things in which Allah hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you
than on others; to men is allotted what they earn, and to women, what
they earn; but ask Allah of His bounty for Allah hath full knowledge of
all things." (4:32)
A woman inherits from her relatives. The Qur�an states:
"For men there is a share in what parents and relatives leave, and
for women there is a share of what parents and relatives leave, whether
it be little or much - an ordained share." (4:7)
- RIGHTS OF A WIFE
The Qur�an states: "And among His signs is that He
created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in
tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between you;
Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect." (30:21)
Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional
necessity but, in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual
rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and
women with complimentary natures and, in the Qur�an, He laid out a
system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes.
"�They are your garments and you are their
garments." (2:187)
Clothing provides physical protection and covers the
beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way.
Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the
characteristics of the spouse. To foster the love and security that
comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the
wife�s rights is to receive Mahr, a gift from the husband, which is part
of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.
The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any
wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food,
shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his
capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands.
The Qur�an states "Let the man of means spend according to his means,
and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to
what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what
He has given him." (65:7)
God tells us men are guardians over women and are
afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying
God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.
A wife�s rights also extend beyond material needs. She
has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet(S) said, "The
most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are
those who are the best to their wives." God tells us He created mates
and put love, mercy and tranquility between them.
Both men and women have a need for companionship and
sexual needs and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs. For one
spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, the temptation exists to
seek it elsewhere.
- DUTIES OF WIFE
With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives
have certain obligations to their husbands. The Qur�an states: "The good
women in the absence of their husbands guard their rights as Allah has
enjoined upon them to be guarded."(4:34)
A wife is to keep her husband�s secrets and protect
their marital privacy. Issues of intimacy of faults of his that would
dishonor him, are not to be shared by the wife, just as he is expected
to guard her honor.
A wife must also guard her husband�s property. She must
safeguard his home and possessions, to the best of her ability, from
theft or damage. She should manage the household affairs wisely so as to
prevent loss or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house
whom her husband dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband
disapproves.
A Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her
husband. There cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is
disobedient to God. She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her
to do something unlawful. A husband also should not take advantage of
his wife, but be considerate of her needs and happiness.
- CONCLUSION
The Qur�an states: "And it becomes not a believing man
or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad
(P) have decided on an affair (for them), that they should
(after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to
Allah and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest,"
(33:36)
The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400
years ago that most women do not enjoy today, even in the West. These are
from God and are designed to keep balance in society; what may seem unjust
or missing in one place is compensated for or explained in another place.
Islam is a complete way of life.
Mary Ali & Anjum Ali |