Woman and Her Rights in Islam

Women in Islam

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It is worse than life imprisonment and is certainly like the unendurable hell. In olden times a wise man said, "One of the great calamities is to live with someone who does not agree with you, but does not leave you. Of the distressing matters in the world for the freeman, Is to perceive the inevitability of befriending a foe. If that is said about a companion one meets one or more times a week, for perhaps an hour or several hours a day, what about a wife who stays at his home, who is very close to him and is the partner of his life?

Limiting the circle of divorce However, Islam has established a number of principles, teachings, and rules which, if followed and used with discretion, would lessen the need for divorce and limit its scope to a great extent. Some of these are considered: The Prophet blessings and peace be upon him said, "A woman is married for four attributes, for her money, her family name, her beauty and her religion.

Get the religious one and you will be comfortable". For that reason, the Messenger blessings and peace be upon him said to a man who intended to marry a certain woman, "Go and behold her, for it is more likely it will lead to harmony between you".

Women and Islam

This prophetic command, "Behold her," if it does not indicate obligation, it certainly indicates preference. The Hadiths prophetic traditions referring to the same meaning are numerous. Jabber said about the woman he married, "I used to hide underneath a tree till I saw of her what led me to marry her". Unfortunately, there are some Muslims, especially in the Gulf region, who perceive the man's beholding his intended fiancee as an unprincipled act.

In contrast, there are those who allow the man to sit alone with his intended fiancee and allow them to go out together and frequent cinemas, etc. Thus, what is correct is lost between two extremes of exaggeration and licentious behaviour. We have already mentioned the following Hadith, "If the man who satisfis you in faith and morals comes to you, let him marry your daughter. It is never allowed to force a woman to marry a person she does not want. The Prophet blessings and peace be upon him dissolved the marriage of a woman who was married by force.

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Such estrangement might also be reflected on her married life and have a great effect on it. It is transmitted that the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him said, "Ask women about their daughters," as has already been mentioned in the Hadith and in the speech of Imam Al-Khattb in his report.

The husband and wife each have duties in return for his or her rights. A Muslim is supposed to perform his or her duties before asking for his or her rights. If he dislikes one trait, he will find another to satisfy him. In the Hadith, "No believer should loathe a woman who believes in Allah; if he hates one of her manners, he is satisfied with another". He should not hasten to yield to his emotion and should hope Allah changes his urge to something good.

If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good".

The Almighty has said: If Muslims follow them and keep them, divorce will be greatly limited. When and how does divorce take place? Islam, however, does not decree divorce at all times nor in all cases. Divorce is permissible, according to the Qur'an and the Sunna prophetic traditions when the man is not hasty and chooses a suitable time.

For instance, he should not divorce his wife when she has her menstrual period, nor when she is purified of her menses if he has had intercourse with her. This will ensure she is not pregnant. Some jurisprudents have gone so far as to say the divorce is not valid then because it does not follow what the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him has commanded us to do.

In the authentic Hadith, "Whoever did what we did not command, his deed is invalid". If he is not fully conscious, or forced, or in a state of wrath which causes him go beyond his intention and imagination and utter what he does not want to say, it is not considered valid. He should have the intention to divorce his wife and to be actually separated from her. But if he makes of the divorce an oath to swear with, blackmail or threaten, it will be invalid, as some ancient scholars have said.

If such types of divorce are not valid, what remains is the intended, premeditated divorce which is reflected upon and studied by the husband before approaching it, and which he sees as the sole cure for an unbearable life. On the contrary, as mentioned in the Qur'an, divorce gives every divorced man two chances to go back and redeem the situation. If the divorces occur one after another, and if the two times do not succeed in changing their minds, the third divorce is the final and decisive one, after which the divorce cannot return to him unless she has first been married to another man and widowed or divorced from him.

Therefore, putting the three chances given by Allah in one utterance is against the decree of the Qur'an. That is what is indicated and illustrated by the Sheikh of Islam Ibn Taymeya and his disciple Al-Qayyim, and what the Islamic Law courts accept in several Arab countries. Its duration is usually a until she gives birth if she is pregnant, or b three menstrual cycles if she has regular periods, or three calendar months if she no menses. For details and exceptions, consult a book of Islamic jurisprudence Fiquh. During the iddah the woman is not free to marry anyone else.

If it is a reversible divorce, her husband may choose to take her back at any time during the iddah. If he does not take her back after the waiting period, the divorce is final and the woman is free to marry someone else, or she may go back to her husband with a new marriage contract, and he must Pay her a new dower. This is a duty on Al-Mutaqeen the pious ". It is a cure as it should be, at the right time, in the right measure, in the right style and with the right aim.

On the other hand, Christianity has totally forbidden divorce for Catholics; except in the case of adultery, it is also forbidden by the Orthodox Church. Their reason is that what is united by Allah whom they call God cannot be separated divorced by man. Allah makes Laws for His worshippers according to what is in their interest, and He is the One Who knows them better. It is no wonder that many now get divorced for the most trivial reasons, and their married lives have been subjected to degeneration and collapse. Why is divorce initiated by the man? They ask, "Why is divorce initiated by the man alone?

He is the one who pays the dower and what follows until the establishment of the family is built on his own shoulders. Therefore, it is very hard for him to destroy that establishment except for powerful reasons and inevitable necessities which would make him sacrifice all these expenses and absorb these losses. A man may be less hasty as he is less affected by emotions.

As for the woman, she can be very affected by emotions, especially during the menses. What is more, it may not be in the parties" interests to leave the divorce to a court because not all the reasons for divorce are meant to be public, to be transmitted by lawyers and writers to become the subject of gossip on everyone's tongue. Yet, in the West divorce is achieved through court.

This does not lessen divorce, nor does the court stand in the way of the man and woman who seek divorce. How can an averse wife divorce her husband? This is an important question for a great number of people: What is her way to get rid of the injustice of the husband if she loathes life with him for his harsh temper, his ill conduct, or for not performing his duties in an obvious way?

Or there could also be physical or financial impotence which prevents him from fulfilling these duties, or other reasons. The answer is that the Judicious Law-Maker i. Allah has made several outlets for the woman through which she can overcome her dilemma: In the authentic Hadith, "The truest condition is that which you made lawful, to have physical intercourse". A woman who dislikes her husband can ransom herself by repaying what she took as a dower and things like that. It is not fair of her to be the one who wishes for the divorce and the destruction of the marriage bond; and then the husband becomes the only loser.

The Prophet blessings and peace be upon him asked her, "Would you give back his orchard? He asked the husband to utter one irreversible repudiation". Some of the Prophet's Companions said to the arbitrators, "If you wish to unite them, then do so; and if you wish to divorce them, then do so.

If the husband has a weakness which deprives him of having sexual intercourse, the wife can raise the matter to court for a divorce in order to prevent any harm touching her. In Islam, there should not be harm or any harming effect on others. If the husband harmed his wife and hurt her, restricted her unfairly, such as by refusing to sustain her, for example, she can ask the judge to divorce her.

In such a case, the judge will force a divorce to put an end to harm and injustice on her. And some scholars of Islam have gone so far as to divorce a wife from her poor husband if he failed to sustain her and she asked for divorce. Islamic Law does not commit her to be patient when it comes to hunger with a poor husband if she does not accept it out of loyalty and nobility.

With these outlets, Islam has opened many doors for a woman to be liberated from the cruelty of some husbands and their being domineering without having the right to be. It is perfect justice: They have used it as an oath to swear with about everything great or small. Moreover, many jurisprudents have widened the scope of divorce, even to include the divorce of the drunkard and the one in wrath, and also the forced one, though the Hadith says, "No divorce in blind rage".

All on the authority of Abu Huraira. It is not valid except by a certain utterance, at a certain time, with a certain intention. We owe this to Allah; that is what Imam Al-Bukhari and other predecessors perceived, and which has been confirmed by Ibn Taymeya and Al-Qayyim and others.

This expresses the spirit of Islam. As to miscomprehension or misapplication of the rules of Islam, it is the responsibility of Muslims not of Islam. Polygamy Missionaries and orientalists treat the subject of polygamy as if it were one of the rites of Islam, or one of its duties, or at least a desirable practice in Islam. This is an inaccuracy or a misconception. The overwhelming norm of marriage, for a Muslim, is to marry one woman to be his solace, the joy of his heart, the keeper of his house, and the one to trust with his secrets. Thus, quietude, love, and mercy, the foundation of married life according to the Qur'an, would support them.

Therefore, the learned say, "It is disliked for a man who has a wife who is chaste and modest and who is enough for him to marry another. This will subject him to what is forbidden. He is forbidden to go to the one on the night devoted to the other except out of expedience such as a crisis or grave illness.

He is also forbidden to go there in the day time except for necessity such as a visit for a harmless illness, or to inquire about a certain matter he needs. If he does not stay long, there is no expiation because it is a slight matter. If he stays or has his lust consumed, he should expiate by going to the one he treated unfairly and staying at her place the same time he stayed with the first woman. That is what is decided as an elucidation of the obligatory justice. This is because Islam is the religion which conforms to sound naturalness and treats reality with out escape, exaggeration or fantasy.

Polygamy in olden times and in Islam Some people talk about polygamy as if Islam was the first to permit it. This is incorrect and a dismissal of history. Many nations and religions before Islam had allowed marrying a great number of women, tens of them, even a hundred, without any conditions or limitations. The Old Testament mentioned that David had three hundred women and that Solomon had seven hundred, some of whom were wives, while others were concubines.

With the advent of Islam, a condition and a limitation were laid on polygamy. The limitation made the maximum number of wives four. Ghilan Ibn Salma became a Muslim while he had ten women, so the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him said to him, "Choose four of them and leave divorce the others". As for the marriage of the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him to nine women, it was something restricted and specified by Allah for him for the Islamic call and for the nation's need of them after his passing away.

He lived most of his life with one wife, Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her. That was a glorification by Allah of the Prophet's wives, who chose the way of Allah, His Prophet blessings and peace be upon him and the afterlife. Therefore, Allah forbade him to marry any others nor to choose another instead of one of his wives. If one is not sure of his ability to fulfil such duties equitably and fairly, he is forbidden to marry more than one wife.

Do not blame me for what You have and I have not. Whenever he used to travel, he turned to drawing lots; the one whose arrow appeared would accompany him. He resorted to that in order to avoid jealousy and to satisfy them all. Islam is the last word of Allah by which all His messages are concluded sealed. Therefore, it came with a general and eternal Law to embrace all nations, all ages and all people. Islam has not made laws for the urban while overlooking the rural, nor for the cold regions and not the hot ones, or vice versa; nor for a certain age while ignoring the rest of the ages and the other generations.

Islam appreciates the importance of individuals as well as communities. A man could have a strong desire to have children but find him self married to a wife who is childless because of infertility or illness, or any other reason. Would it not be more respectable and better for her if he married another to realise his wish while at the same time keeping the first and ensuring her rights? Some men are more sexual and lusty, but one could be married to a wife who has little desire for men, or who is ill or has a long period of menstruation or whatever.

She does not satisfy the desire of his instinct nor fill his lustful eyes that seek other women. Would he not be allowed to marry another in a lawful manner instead of seeking another as a mistress, or instead of divorcing the first one? In addition, the number of eligible women for marriage might be more than the men able to marry, especially after wars that deplete the best of men and youth. It might be in the interest of the society and the women themselves who would prefer being second wives than living as spinsters all their lives, deprived of married life and what it has of quietude, love and protection, deprived of the bliss of the motherhood their instincts call for.

There are only three ways for these surplus women: This is in addition to what might happen afterwards of begetting illegitimate children, increasing the number of fatherless children deprived of physical and psychological rights who become unproductive citizens and tools of destruction and corruption.

Doubtless, this last alternative is the ideal, fair solution and a curing balm. That is what Islam has decreed: It is moral because it does not allow man to have intercourse with any woman he wishes, at any time he likes. He is not allowed to have intercourse with more than three women in addition to his first wife, and he cannot do that secretly, but must proceed with a contract and announce it, even among a limited audience.

The people in charge of the woman should know about this lawful intercourse and agree to it or at least should not object to it. It should be registered-according to the modern system-in a specialised court for marriage contracts.

It is desirable to have a special dinner for the occasion in which the man invites his friends. Dufoof hand drums may be played to express utmost joy and hospitality. It is human because through it a man lessens the burdens of the community by sheltering a woman who has no husband and transforms her to a chosen, protected wife. It is also human because he justifies his sexual intercourse based on a legal marriage for which the bridegroom provides a dower, furniture and expenses.

Also of social benefit is the establishment of a social unit family capable of producing working progeny. It is also human because he is not only responsible for the woman with whom he has intercourse, but he is responsible when she suffers from the troubles of pregnancy. He does not leave her to bear it alone, but he bears a part of it by paying for her sustenance and expenses during her pregnancy and for her delivery.

It is also that he recognizes the children begotten through sexual intercourse and presents them to the society as the fruits of a noble and honourable love, which are cherished by him and will be by the society in the future. Dr Mustafa El-Siba'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said of the system of polygamy, "Man distributes and lessens his lust to a certain extent, but he multiplies his burdens, troubles and responsibilities to an unlimited extent. The Western system of promiscuity is immoral and inhuman How different the Islamic system is from the actual promiscuity in the life of the Western society!

One Western writer insisted that no one on his death-bed could confess to the priest that he had not had intercourse with a woman other than his wife at least once in his life-time. This promiscuity of the West is without a law; moreover, it occurs while the law stands by. It does not happen in the name of wives, but in the name of friendships and mistresses. It is not limited to only four, but is unlimited. It is not announced in order to be celebrated by the family, but happens secretly without anyone knowing about it. In addition, it does not commit the doer to any financial responsibility towards the women he has intercourse with.

Suffice it for him to tarnish their honour and then leave them to scandal and poverty and to endure the troubles of pregnancy and delivery. Besides, he is not committed to recognise the children begotten as the outcome of the intercourse. They are considered illegitimate, bearing the stigma of being bastard children as long as they live. It is a legal promiscuity, but it is not called "polygamy". It is void of any moral behaviour, awakening of sensibility or human feeling. It is a promiscuity directed by lust and selfishness which flees from any responsibility.

Which of the two systems then is closer to morality, more allaying to lust, more honourable to women, more denotative of progress and more righteous to humanity? The failure is not in the Law itself but in the application due to misunderstanding, ill manners, or lack of the teachings of the religion.

We have seen some men marry more than one when the man is not certain of his fairness, which is a condition set by Allah for marrying another. Some of them marry more than one when they are unable to sustain both nor, in addition, what follows the marriage, i. Some men are able to sustain more but are unable to protect them. Frequently, the abuse of this right leads to harmful consequences for the family as a result of pampering the new wife and treating the old one unfairly.

He could totally end his inclination towards her until she is left hanging in the air, so to speak, neither married nor divorced. This frequently leads to envy among children who belong to one father because he is not fair to them in their rights, nor does he treat them equally in moral and financial dealings.

Whatever the transgression of some people in that realm, it will never reach the evil to which the Westerners have lowered themselves by considering the moral polygamy a crime while allowing the immoral promiscuity. However, polygamy is longer a problem in most Muslim societies, as marriage to one woman has now become a great problem. The call of westernized people to forbid polygamy Unfortunately, some people calling for Westernisation in our Arab and Islamic countries have made use of what has happened because of the Muslims who transgress; they raise their voices asking for polygamy to be abolished completely.

Day and night the disadvantages of polygamy are reiterated while silence is kept about the disadvantages of adultery and fornication, which is, unfortunately, allowed by local laws which rule over Muslim states nowadays. The mass media, especially films and serials, have played a serious role in spreading repulsive feelings toward polygamy, among women in particular, so that some of them would tolerate the husband when he commits adultery but not when he marries another.

The basis on which those who call for rejection of polygamy rely Such advocates have succeeded in some Arab and Islamic countries, and laws have been issued forbidding what God has ordained and made lawful, thus allowing the laws of the West. There are still others who call for these changes in other countries. The incredible thing in this case is they want to justify their system of polygamy in the name of Islamic Law and have proofs in the form of jurisprudence.

They have objected it is the right of the person in authority to prevent what is allowed when it is in the interest of the people, or to avoid harm. Such a pretext is unacceptable by Islamic Law. Some have even gone so far as to attempt, in a rude and audacious way, to use the Qur'an to justify their claims. The Qur'an has put a condition for the man who marries more than one to be sure of his fair treatment of the two or more wives, and whoever is afraid of not being fair should keep only one.

However, the Quran, they claim, has clarified in another verse in the same Surah that the conditioned fairness is not possible, in the verse: Each will be discussed. This is expressed in the Qur'an in the most eloquent and comprehensive phrases with the description of the Messenger blessings and peace be upon him , and addressing the people of the Book i.

All that is forbidden by Islamic Law must have pure harm or the harms must outweigh the benefits. This is clear in what is said in the Qur'an about alcohol and gambling: Say, "In them is great sin, and some benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit". It permits what the individual needs and is able to do as long as he is sure of his fairness, and is not afraid of being unjust or having a greater inclination towards one of them: To have half a husband, to live under his protection and be in his charge may be better than living as a spinster, widow or divorcee, in deprivation.

It is also in the interest of society to protect its men and women by legitimate marriage-in which each of them bears the responsibility for himself or herself and the spouse and for what Allah may give them of children-that is, instead of promiscuity, allowing the multiplicity of mistresses, which is immoral and inhuman, and in which each has the pleasure of a companion without any responsibility for what follows, even if a child is born of that illicit relationship.

In turn, the child is then considered a wild plant without a father to belong to, or a family to give him love and compassion or a heredity to cherish. Which harms should be avoided then? On the other hand, Islamic Law has reserved the first wife's right to equity between herself and the second wife concerning maintenance, housing, clothing and staying at her place. That is the equity put as a condition for polygamy. It is true that some husbands do not observe the justice commanded by Allah, but the misapplication does not mean the basic principle should be cancelled; otherwise the whole of Islamic Law and all other laws would be abolished.

Adherence of the law should be enforced. He should not generally or utterly prevent it forever because that would be like forbidding, which is only Allah's right, denied by the Qur'an to the People of the Book. Al-Termithy said this Hadith is ghareeb i. It is also similar to preventing the highest ranks of military officers or diplomats from marrying foreigners for fear of leaking state secrets through women to the enemies.

It is also like preventing men from marrying a Christian or a Jew out of fear that it would affect Muslim women, especially in the communities that have small Islamic minorities and limited Muslim expatriates. The meaning of You will never be able to do perfect justice between wives. It is a corruption of the order of words and carries within it an accusation against the Prophet Mohammed greetings and peace be upon him and his companions may Allah be pleased with them , implying they did not understand the Qur'an, or maybe that they did but intentionally deviated from its precept.

The verse quoted to illustrate the point also gives an answer if the meaning is perused; Almighty Allah has allowed polygamy on the condition of fairness, then highlights the fairness needed in the same chapter when He says: He may love one more than the other, incline towards one more than another.

Hearts are controlled and turned by Allah in the way He likes. Therefore, the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him used to say after dividing between his women the apparent affairs of maintenance, clothing and spending nights, "Allah, that is my division as it is in my power to do so. So not blame me for what You have and I have not". It is this inclination in which one cannot be fair that Allah has pardoned, as the Almighty does not rebuke man for something beyond his ability when it is not in his power to do it.

Therefore the noble verse says: The amazing thing is that some Arab countries adopt the forbiddance of polygamy, though in their legislation they do not forbid adultery, except in certain cases when one is forced rape , or in the case of the woman's marital infidelity if the husband does not drop the charge.

Adultery is described by Allah as a great sin: Verily, it is a fahshah a great sin , and an evil way". This is because the country's established law refused to authenticate or admit it and considered such a marriage a crime for which he would have to be punished.

Women and Islam - Oxford Islamic Studies Online

The man used to frequent the house of his second wife, so the police watched him and came to assume that she was his wife and that he had committed an offence against the law. One night they waited for him, arrested him at his wife's place and took him to court accusing him of marrying a second wife. The man was clever and asked those interrogating him, "But who told you she is my wife?

She is not a wife. She is a mistress whom I took as a companion and I call on from time to time " The interrogators were taken aback and told the man very politely, "We are awfully sorry for the misunderstanding. We thought she was a wife and did not know she was a companion. The Woman as Member of the Society Some biased people who are guided by personal interests propagate that Islam has forced the woman to be imprisoned at home and not to go out except to the grave! Has that verdict a true basis in the Qur'an or in the Sunna prophetic traditions or in the history of Muslim women in the first three centuries, which were the best?

The Qur'an makes the man and woman partners in bearing the heaviest responsibilities in Islamic life, and that is the responsibility of enjoining the right and forbidding the evil.

Chapter 4: Women In Society

She is obliged to know Allah's laws about what is allowed, what is forbidden, and her rights and duties. She could reach the highest stage of knowledge to achieve the grade of ijtihad independent judgement of religious matters. Her husband has no right to prevent her from seeking knowledge, which she is obliged to do, if he is not able to teach her or if he does not do it properly.

The wives of the Prophet's Companions used to go to the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him to ask him about issues that concerned them. They were not prevented by modesty shyness from knowing their religion well. Congregational prayer is not demanded of a woman, as it is demanded of a man. Her praying ahome could be better for her circumstances and calling. However, her husband cannot forbid her if she wishes to go to congregational prayer in a mosque. The Prophet blessings and peace be upon him said, "Do not forbid Allah's women to go to Allah's mosques". She said, "I used to carry date pits on my head from Al-Zubeir's land-my husband's-while I lived in Medina, and it was about two thirds of a league from Medina.

Ahmad and Al-Bukahri recounted on the authority of Al-Rubayyi' bint Muaawith of the Ansar who said, "We went to the battle with Allah's Messenger blessings and peace be upon him offering water to the men and doing them service and returning those killed and wounded to Medina". On the Day of Hunain Um Salm took a dagger, and when her husband asked her the reason, she said, "I took to so that if any of the polytheists came near me I would stab him in his abdomen". She returned with ten stab wounds. If in some ages the women are deprived of knowledge, isolated from life at home as if they were pieces of furniture, not taught by the husbands and not given the chance to learn-even going to the mosque is considered forbidden-if such a picture its prevalent, then it is a consequence of ignorance, exaggeration and deviation from the guidance of Islam.

It is then an exaggeration in rigidity, not allowed by Allah. Islam is not responsible for such absurd traditions of the past; likewise it is not responsible for other exaggerated conventions created at present. The nature of Islam is the gentle balance in every thing legislated and suggested concerning rules and morals. Islam does not grant one thing to forbid something else, nor does it exaggerate one side at the expense of the other.

It does not exaggerate in giving rights, nor in assigning duties. Thereupon, it was not the intention of Islam to pamper the woman at the expense of the man, nor to be intent on satisfying a woman's whims and diminishing her calling, nor satisfying the man while belittling her dignity. But we find that Islam's stance towards the woman illustrated as follows: Islam considers the home as the great kingdom of the woman. She is its mistress, its head and axis. She is the man's wife, his partner, the solace of his loneliness, and the mother of his children. Therefore, it resists every method or system that hampers her from fulfilling her task or that impairs her from performing her duty in the best way or that destroys her home.

Every method or system that attempts to remove the woman from her kingdom, to take her from her husband, or displace her from her children in the name of freedom, work, art, etc. Doubtless, it is rejected by Islam. Happy homes are established on confidence and certainty, not on doubts and suspicion. The family whose consistency is based on a couple exchanging suspicions and fears is a family on the edge of an abyss, a family for which life is an unbearable hell. Her work is legitimate within certain limits and certain conditions, especially when she or her family needs the outside work or when the society itself needs her work in particular.

The need for work is not merely limited to the financial aspect. It could be a psychological need such as the need of a specialised learned woman who is not married, or the married woman who has no children, or who has a lot of leisure time and to alleviate boredom. The matter is not as claimed by those who are for the woman 's work without any limitations or controls. We will deal with this topic in some details in the next pages, Allah willing. Those who exaggerate about woman's work and the misconceptions concerning them However, as the captives of intellectual invasion call for a mixed relationship between the man and the woman, and the melting of the barriers between the two sexes, we see the call to put the woman in any kind of job, whether she needs the job or not, and whether society needs such work or not.

This matter is a completion of the first, as it is fulfilling the goals of mixed relationships, melted differences, and the liberation of the injustice and darkness of the Middle Ages, as claimed. The cunning and slyness is frequently shown in not declaring outright what is wanted is woman to rebel against her nature, exceed the limits of her femininity and make use of that femininity for illicit pleasure or illicit earning. They appear in the image of pure and loyal people who do not seek anything but the general interest.

If they stay at home without employment, it is a waste, and it has harmful effects on the national economy. It is in the interest of the society for women to work. Coming into contact with people and life, with the society outside the home, polishes her personality and provides her with experiences she would never have obtained inside her home.

Her father might pass away, her husband might divorce her, or she might be neglected by her children. In that case, she would not be humiliated by poverty and need, especially at a time characterised by selfishness, widespread ingratitude, and cut-off blood relations in which everyone is merely concerned about himself. She is driven by the need of food and is obliged to earn her living after being rejected by man, who refuses to be in charge in a cruel and merciless society which does not have mercy for the young nor for the weak females.

Allah has provided us with the maintenance system in our Islamic Law, which makes such action unnecessary for the woman. Professor Mohammed Youssef Moussa, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned in his book Islam and Humanity's Need of it, while discussing Islam's care for the family: The best-known women rulers in the premodern era include Khayzuran , who governed the Muslim Empire under three Abbasid caliphs in the eighth century; Malika Asma bint Shihab al-Sulayhiyya and Malika Arwa bint Ahmad al-Sulayhiyya , who both held power in Yemen in the eleventh century; Sitt al-Mulk , a Fatimid queen of Egypt in the eleventh century; the Berber queen Zaynab al-Nafzawiyah r.

Nevertheless, the status of women in premodern Islam in general conformed not to Quranic ideals but to prevailing patriarchal cultural norms. As a result, improvement of the status of women became a major issue in modern, reformist Islam. Since the mid-nineteenth century, men and women have questioned the legal and social restrictions on women, especially regarding education, seclusion, strict veiling, polygyny, slavery, and concubinage.

Women have published works advocating reforms, established schools for girls, opposed veiling and polygyny, and engaged in student and nationalist movements. Nationalist movements and new states that emerged in the post—World War II period perceived women and gender issues as crucial to social development. State policies enabled groups of women to enter the male-dominated political sphere and professions previously closed to them, although these policies often caused popular and religious backlash. Debates continue over the appropriate level of female participation in the public sphere.

Women are typically viewed as key to either reforming or conserving tradition because of their roles in maintaining family, social continuity, and culture. Women's status has also been used as a means of defining national identity. Although governments of twentieth-century Muslim nation-states have promoted education for both boys and girls as a means of achieving economic growth, the percentage of girls enrolled in schools in developing countries with large and rapidly growing populations remains low.

Concern for men's jobs has given added incentive to the conservative call for women to adhere to traditional roles as housewives and mothers, although economic necessity has led women to undertake whatever work they can find, usually low-paid, unskilled labor. War and labor migration have increased the number of female-headed households.

Women today are active participants in grassroots organizations; development projects; economic, education, health, and political projects; relief efforts; charitable associations; and social services. Rabiah al-Basri is an important figure in Islamic Mysticism called Sufism. She upheld the doctrine of "disinterested love of God". There are a number of prominent female Islamic scholars. They generally focus on questioning gender-based interpretations of the Quran , the traditions of Muhammad and early Islamic history. Some notable Muslim women scholars are: Many classical Islamic scholars, such as al-Tabari , supported female leadership.

This historical record contrasts markedly with that of predominantly Taoist and Buddhist Chinese-majority nations, where there were no women rulers in the period between the reign of the fierce empress Wu Zetian at the turn of the eighth century , and the inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen as President of the Republic of China in Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah , an Islamic institute that advises Egypt's ministry of justice, had said women can both be rulers and judges in an Islamic state.

In the modern era, Pakistan became the first Muslim-majority state with an elected female head of government As well as elected heads of state, a number of other elected female politicians have attained exceptional levels of notability within the OIC in the twenty-first century. Several Muslim-majority nations have passed laws to incorporate more women in their parliaments and political processes.

In , among all regions of the world, the Gulf Arab region had the lowest overall percentage of women in parliament, and no women in the parliaments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. However, some Muslim countries gave women suffrage in the early 20th century. For example, Azerbaijan extended voting rights to women in , [] two years before it became part of Soviet Union. Females in Turkey similarly gained the right to vote in municipal and parliamentary elections in and respectively.

In the United States, Islamophobia, coupled with a recent presidential election which heightened anti-muslim sentiment has particularly impacted on Muslim American women. In the Islamic conception, every human being has a responsibility towards oneself. Since human life is sacred and initially created by divine rather than human agency, people are responsible for trying to keep their bodies and souls healthy, and not causing themselves spiritual or physical harm. In modern times, Muslim women have achieved some significant success in athletic arenas.

In the second decade of the twenty-first century, women's club volleyball has come to be dominated by teams from OIC member state Turkey, which have won six out of eight editions of the Women's CEV Champions League from through to Turkish clubs have also become a force in women's basketball, with at least one Turkish side having been present in the final four of the EuroLeague Women since the season; in , Galatasaray became the first Turkish team to win Europe's elite club tournament.

The Iran women's national futsal team are two-time champions of Asia, having won both editions to date of the AFC Women's Futsal Championship Malaysia , Thailand by beating Japan in the respective finals. Notable female tennis players from the OIC and its observer and applicant states include Dinara Safina , who achieved the coveted world number one ranking in and with Marat Safin is one half of the only brother-sister pair to both attain No.

Women's football has significantly increased its profile within the OIC bloc in the twenty-first century. At the same time, many Muslim women experience significant barriers to sports participation. These barriers include bans on the Islamic headscarf, commonly known as the hijab, cultural and familial barriers, and the lack of appropriate sports programs and facilities. The Islamic Solidarity Games is a large multi-sport event held every four years in which all qualifying athletes from Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries can compete, regardless of their religious affiliation.

The next edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games is scheduled to take place in Istanbul. From its inception, Islam has had contact and coexistence with other major world faiths, and this phenomenon intensified as the religion transcended its Arabian origins to spread over a wide geographical area: In the twenty-first century, a number of new factors have facilitated the comparison of spiritual traditions — and the place of women within them — to an unprecedented level.

Notwithstanding these developments, comparing the position of women in Islam with that of women in other faith traditions is complicated by the following determinants:. This means that Eve was not the cause of Adam's expulsion from paradise: This has a number of important implications for the Islamic understanding of womanhood and women's roles in both religious and social life. Moreover, the Biblical statement that Eve was created from Adam's rib the famous 'third rib' finds no echo in the Qur'anic account: In the Western world, polygamy has long been associated with Islam; the idea of Islam as — to quote Professor Akbar S.

Ahmed — some sort of 'man's paradise', with every man possessing at least four wives, remains a powerful one. This survey also found that a polygamous Hindu was likely to have as a statistical average 1. Like many other major world religions, [] [] [] Islam views extramarital sex as a great sin in the eyes of God; however, its general approach to sexuality is profoundly distinct to that of Christianity.

In Islam and the Destiny of Man , the Swiss-born diplomat Charles le Gai Eaton elaborates on the respective sexuality perspectives of the world's two most popular faiths:. It is in itself an unqualified good, however much it may need to be hedged about with restrictions. Women have played an integral part in the development and spiritual life of Islam since the inception of Islamic civilisation in the seventh century AD.

Khadijah , a businesswoman who became Muhammad's employer and first wife, [] was also the first Muslim. Women make up a disproportionately large or rising share of converts to Islam in numerous Western countries. Within the Muslim community, conservatives and Islamic feminists have used Islamic doctrine as the basis for discussion of women's rights, drawing on the Quran , the hadith , and the lives of prominent women in the early period of Muslim history as evidence. Conservatives reject the assertion that different laws prescribed for men and women imply that men are more valuable than women.

Ali ibn Musa Al-reza reasoned that at the time of marriage a man has to pay something to his prospective bride, and that men are responsible for both their wives' and their own expenses but women have no such responsibility. The nebulous revivalist movement termed Islamism is one of the most dynamic movements within Islam in the 20th and 21st centuries. The experience of women in Islamist states has been varied. Women in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan faced treatment condemned by the international community.

Liberal Muslims have urged that ijtihad , a form of critical thinking, be used to develop a more progressive form of Islam with respect to the status of women. Although rooted in Islam, pioneers of Islamic feminism have also used secular and western feminist discourses and have sought to include Islamic feminism in the larger global feminist movement. Islamic feminists seek to highlight the teachings of equality in Islam to question patriarchal interpretations of Islamic teachings. After the September 11, , attacks , international attention was focused on the condition of women in the Muslim world.

The Indonesian Islamic professor Nasaruddin Umar is at the forefront of a reform movement from within Islam that aims at giving women equal status. Among his works is a book The Qur'an for Women , which provides a new feminist interpretation. Some Muslim women exposed to the growth in civil rights accessible to secular or non-Muslim women have protested to strengthen their own rights within Islamic communities.

In , Marina Mahathir, the daughter of Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad , published an editorial in the Malaysia Star newspaper to denounce what she termed "a growing form of apartheid" for Malaysia's Muslim women:. Non-Muslim Malaysian women have benefited from more progressive laws over the years while the opposite has happened for Muslim women.

She pointed out that polygamy was illegal in Malaysia for non-Muslims but not for Muslims, and that child custody arrangements for Muslims were biased towards fathers as opposed to the shared-custody arrangements of non-Muslim parents. The Tribunal ordered that all future publicity materials for public events hosted by Hizb ut-Tahrir must clearly inform attendees that segregated seating arrangements are not compulsory.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Profession of faith Prayer Fasting Alms-giving Pilgrimage. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. Gender roles in Islam. Religious education of Women in Islam. Islamic economics in the world. Female figures in the Quran. Female labor force in the Muslim world. Sharia plays no role in the judicial system. Sharia applies to Muslims in personal status issues only. Sharia is also used in criminal law.

Regional variations in the application of sharia. Application of sharia by country. Women and inheritance in Islam. Rape in Islamic law. Status of women's testimony in Islam. Islam and domestic violence. Islamic marital jurisprudence and Polygyny in Islam. Rights and obligations of spouses in Islam and Islam and domestic violence. Female genital mutilation and Religious views on female genital mutilation. Islam and clothing and Intimate parts in Islam. This section relies too much on references to primary sources.

Please improve this section by adding secondary or tertiary sources. July Learn how and when to remove this template message. Gender segregation and Muslims and Women's mosques. Sultana title , Female political leaders in Islam and in Muslim-majority countries , and Timeline of first women's suffrage in majority-Muslim countries.

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