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| The Woman as Human Being Dr.Yusuf Al Qaradawy Islam was revealed at a time when a lot of
people denied the humanity of the woman; some were skeptical about it; and
still others admitted it, yet considered the woman a thing created for the
humble service of the man. With the advent of Islam, circumstances
improved for the woman. The woman's dignity and humanity were restored.
Islam confirmed her capacity to carry out Allah's commands, her
responsibilities and observation of the commands that lead to heaven.
Islam considers the woman as a worthy human being, with a share in
humanity equal to that of the man. Both are two branches of a single tree
and two children from the same father, Adam, and mother, Eve. Their single
origin, their general human traits, their responsibility for the
observation of religious duties with the consequent reward or punishment,
and the unity of their destiny all bear witness to their equality from the
Islamic point of view. Establishing this fact, the Noble Qur'an
says: That people all people men and women, were
created by their Lord from a single person or self, that this self is a
nucleus from which Allah created an integral counterpart that completes
this original self and is completed by it, is stated in another
verse: The man on this account is a brother to the woman and the woman is the other half of the pair. The Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) says, "Women are the sisters of men." [Transmitted on the authority of Aisha by Ahmad (6/256); Abu Dawud (236); Al-Termithy (113); Al-Doram(1/195) and others] The Qur'an, on its part, treats this issue
of fraternal equality from more than one perspective. On the purely
religious level for instance, the Qur'an says: On the basic social and religious
responsibilities, the Qur'an establishes equality by maintaining:
"The believers, men and women, are "Awliya" (helpers,
supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the
people) Al-Ma`ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one
to do); and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief
of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they offer their prayers
perfectly (lqamat-as-Salat), and give the Zakat and obey Allah and His
Messenger. Allah will have mercy on them. [Sūrah 9:71] In Adam's story, Divine Orders were made to
him and his wife, both and equally: Further still, some verses ascribe the
trespass to Adam: This implies that Adam was the one who
trespassed first and was followed by his woman. Whatever the case may be,
even accepting that Eve did commit a trespass, she, alone, would be
responsible without any transmission of accountability to her daughters. On the question of equality of punishment and reward and eligibility for Paradise, The Almighty says: "That was a nation who has passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned and you of what you earn. And you will not be asked of what they used to do. [Sūrah 2:134 and 2:141] Concerning the equality of men and women in
receiving rewards and the entry of paradise, God says: " So their
Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), "Never
will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or
female." [Sūrah 3:195] and Whoever works righteousness, whether male
or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism)
verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect,
contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a
reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in
the Hereafter). [Sūrah 16:97] When it comes to financial matters, the
rule of Islam abolished the conventions prevalent among many nations which
deprived the woman of the right of ownership, inheritance, and those which
created obstacles against her exercise of free and full control of her
holdings. As a rule, Islam acknowledges the woman's rights to all kinds of
ownership, spending and channeling of her money. It gives her the rights
of inheritance, selling, buying, renting, donating, lending, allocating
property for religious and charitable purposes, giving alms, legal
transfer and mortgage, as well as many other forms of contracts and
actions. The woman's right to seek education or
learning is basic and is also guaranteed by Islamic teachings. Islam actually
makes it incumbent on the woman to seek knowledge; the Prophet (blessings
and peace be upon him) says, `seeking knowledge is incumbent on every
Muslim," where "every Muslim" obviously involves men and
women on an equal footing as a rule formalised by all authorities of
jurisprudence . The woman is also required to perform
religious ordinances and forms of worship the way the man is. Praying,
fasting, Zakat (the alms sanctifying tax), pilgrimage and all the other
fundamental practices in Islam are required of Muslims in their capacity,
both men and women, as responsible humans. Again the woman's actions are
recompensed by Allah the way the man's actions are. The woman is not excluded from the area of social activity; Allah says: "The believers, men and women, are "Awliya" (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma`ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do);and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden). [Surah 9:71] For instance, she can give refuge for those who seek it. If she hosts a refugee, her action is to be respected and observed. This rule relates back to Um Hanibint Abi Talib's giving relief to a father in-law on the day of the Conquest of Mecca by Muslims. When her brother wanted to kill him because he was an infidel, she complained to Allah's Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) saying, "Allah's Messenger, my mother's son insists on killing my refugee, Ibn Hubayra."The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) replied, "We confer asylum on him that you give refuge to, Um Hani". [ Mutafaq aley (agreed upon) on the authority of Um Hani, The Pearl and the Coral (Al-Lu'lu' wal-Marjan) (193)] Source: Witness-Pioneer |