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Women's
Liberation Through Islam 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. I.
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 to 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 religious believe) or
then men would be evil also. Similarly, neither gender can be superior because
it would be a contradiction of equality. II.
CIVIL RIGHTS In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom 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 (pbuh) 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, in areas in which women are more
familiar, their evidence is conclusive. III.
SOCIAL RIGHTS The Prophet
(pbuh) 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 maintenance
of a home, providing support to her husband, and bearing, raising
and teaching of children 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 andother types for women.
This in no way diminishes either's effort nor its benefit.
God will reward both sexes equally for the value of their work,
though it may not necessarily be the same
activity. Concerning
motherhood, the Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Heaven lies under the feet
of mothers." This
implies that the success of a society can be traced to
the mothers that 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. IV.
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, narrated in the Qur'an (60:12), is that Muhammad
(pbuh) 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. Abdur-Rahman
Ibn Auf consulted many women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan
to be the Caliph. V.
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
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 is given to men, requires
that they provide women with not only monetary support but also physical
protection and kind and respectful treatment. The Muslim woman
has the privilege to earn money, the right to own property,
to enter into legal contracts and to manage 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: 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) VI.
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 tranquillity 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 (pbuh) said: "The
most perfect believers are the best in
conduct. And the best of you
are those who are best to their wives."
God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy, and tranquillity
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, temptation exists to seek it elsewhere. VII.
DUTIES OF A 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 or 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. VIII.
CONCLUSION The Qur'an
states: "And it becomes
not a believing man or a believing women,
when Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) 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 and
Anjum Ali The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E) is dedicated to the cause of Islam in North America through striving to elevate the image of Islam and Muslims by providing the correct information about Islamic beliefs, history and civilization from the authentic sources. Enquiries are welcome. For more
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