RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM
Nature & Needs
PROGRESS and evolution of society depends upon two basic
factors: proper human relationship and the inter-connection
of rights and duties. Oppression, exploitation and injustice are
detrimental to a progressive society which then begins to degenerate
and tumble headlong towards destruction. In a just and balanced
society, it is necessary that both men and women work together for
the betterment and upliftment of society; that they work in coherence,
completing and complementing each other. It is as much necessary
that all members of the society are granted their due share of rights,
that their duties too are well defined. In a just
society, the weaker sections are looked after
properly and compassionately while full care
is taken to ensure that they are not deprived
of their rights or oppressed in any way.
Women have all along belonged to the
category of the weaker section of humanity.
As such, a society that tries to uplift the status
of women and installs them on the pedestal
of dignity, looking after their welfare and
making provisions for their protection can
be considered a just society. Let us examine,
in short, whether we have tried to grant
women the rights that may lead them to a
better future and to a more peaceful, just and
dignified coexistence.
In a just and
balanced society, it is
necessary that both
men and women
work together for
the betterment
and upliftment of
society; that they
work in coherence,
completing and
complementing
each other.
The modern world may apparently be much concerned about women
and make very fair promises to them. It promises them freedom from
slavery, from male-domination, even from the established institution
of marriage, from the boredom of being a housewife to a much more
glamorous world. It promises them freedom from the burden of birth
pangs, and the pains of rearing a family. But instead, what does it
actually have in store? Nothing but exploitation, injustice, oppression,
aggression, harassment and indignity. In the name of emancipation,
women today have to bear with rape, mutilation, abuse, inequality,
discrimination and harassment.
Coming nearer home, we find that the apparent glamour of the feminist
movement has overawed us. We have our own roots in the culture and religion embedded in our soil, but we try to blindly imitate the
‘developed’ countries in as much of our activities as possible. On the
one hand, our women with their demure and bashful nature seem to us
symbols of virtue, on the other hand we try to instigate our women to
reveal as much of their bodies as possible. Then, when our women are
waylaid and their modesty torn, we shed crocodile tears. The present
scenario, with events of female harassment ever on the increase, is a
most pathetic sight. Even our workplaces (not to talk about our homes)
are not safe. Even those women holding higher bureaucratic posts
are not spared. Laws against sexual harassment and rape are being
moulded and remoulded but the escalation in gender related crimes
keeps rising unabated. Female foeticide is on the increase. Most dowry
deaths go unreported. In fact, with the present day status, who would
refuse to accept that women are poised on the brink of disaster? The
facts and figures showing deliberate women’s subjugation under the
cover of pleasure and entertainment cannot put them to sleep. There
is a wave of restlessness to be found everywhere.
Islam considers each
gender unique in
its own sphere of
activity and allots
roles to each gender,
best suited to them
and according to
their nature and
needs.
Many suggestions have been made to
improve the situation. For instance, it is being
felt at certain quarters that women need
rights, not power. At other places, education
is being recommended for women’s overall
development. Some recommend political
empowerment. Yet some say that women
can only be truly emancipated by becoming
economically independent. Whatever be the
case, we cannot isolate the various aspects
of women’s development into different
channels and work for any one or the other.
We have to devise a comprehensive system
which, while recognizing women as respectable human beings, may at
the same time lend them confidence, dignity, poise, self-respect and
freedom from exploitation of all kind. Only then could the human race
become stronger and of a superior breed, capable of taking up the
responsibility of spreading welfare, love, friendship and goodwill to
make this beautiful earth a better place to live in.
Till now, a dispassionate study of the position of women in Islam
has rarely been made. Orientatalists are in the habit of quoting and
misquoting, even misinterpreting the Quranic injunctions and the
Sunnah, which form the source of the Islamic system. The Muslim society is also by and large responsible for stultifying the dynamism
of Islam and creating misconceptions, because they have lost their
capacity to represent Islam in its true spirit. The Muslim culture that
we see around us is not truly the Islamic culture that the Prophet
had evolved, but a sad mixture of many cultures, where un-Islamic
infiltrations have altered the very essence of what should have been
the Islamic society. So while presenting these points regarding the
rights of women in Islam, one thing should be clear in our minds that
these are purely what should have been in Muslim society and not
what is existing today.
One significant point that we have to understand about Islam is that
it does nowhere raise the question of superiority or inferiority of any
gender, while talking about men and women. Islam considers each
gender unique in its own sphere of activity and allots roles to each
gender, best suited to them and according
to their nature and needs. Men and women
in Islam are not antagonists, but separate
entities created to complement and complete
each other. Each gender is given a definite set
of goals, to be achieved by their own individual
efforts. The unit of society is the family. As
such, the well-being of the family would mean
the well-being of the whole society.
During the era of
the Prophet and the
Caliphate, Muslim
women played an
indispensable role in
the construction of
society.
Islam makes the family the key social unit. All
the members of this unit play specific roles for its welfare and upkeep.
The position of women derives from the very premise that the family
is the cornerstone of the Muslim society. The Islamic system is very
sensitive about protecting and safeguarding the foundation of the
family. Hence there is strict prohibition of extramarital relations or
intimacy outside of marriage, as this weakens the base of the family.
Under the Islamic system, discrimination on grounds of gender, power
or wealth is not allowed. Indeed the Quran states very simply the origin
of mankind by rejecting any distinction or discrimination on account of
birth. The Holy Quran explicitly states:
O Mankind! Fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul.
He created its mate from it and from the two of them spread
countless men and women [throughout the earth]. ( 4: 1 )
While conceding equality of the genders, the Quran categorizes men
and women according to their deeds in this world. It states that all men
and women are answerable equally to God:
To whoever does good deeds, man or woman, and is a believer,
We shall assuredly give a good life; and We will bestow upon
them their reward according to the best of their works. ( 16: 97 )
Even while seeking the blessings of God, both men and women are
promised full returns of their labour, apart from the excessive bounties
showered by Him: “Men shall be rewarded according to their deeds, and
women shall be rewarded according to their deeds. You should rather ask
God for His bounty. God has knowledge of all things.” ( 4: 32 )
Islam does not have
any concept of dowry
or dehej. On the
contrary, the woman
receives the Mehr
(Dower) in marriage,
which is the bridemoney,
an exclusive
right of the bride.
The wisdom of the principles and laws of
nature have been employed in regulating
mutual relationship. The Quran states:
“All things We made in pairs” ( 51: 49 ). This
acknowledges men and women as distinctly
separate entities, yet relates the two mutually
making each the guardian of the other: “The
believers, both men and women, are friends to
each other; they enjoin what is good and forbid
evil, they attend to their prayers and pay the
alms and obey God and His Messenger.” ( 9: 71 )
Personal development, intellectual pursuits
and the acquisition of knowledge are human rights that should be
conceded to males and females alike, without discrimination. Islam
allows for equal opportunities to both the genders in the pursuit of
knowledge. There is no derision, no underestimation anywhere. Each
gender is encouraged to build up its individuality in every way. The
Prophet said, “It is essential for every Muslim man and woman to acquire
knowledge.”
Women’s guardians are advised not to obstruct their pursuits in
education but to encourage them and provide them with opportunities.
Examples exist of a number of educated women scholars during
the Prophet’s time and after, who have contributed to Quranic
interpretations, medicine, poetry and many other fields. The wives
and daughters of magnates and sovereigns have known to patronize
knowledge and give lavish endowments for the establishment of
institutes of learning and social service. All such actions undertaken for
the construction of society and building up righteousness will not go unrecognized. God says in the Quran: “If any do deeds of righteousness,
be they male or female and have faith, they will enter Heaven and not the
least injustice will be done to them.” ( 4: 124 )
Spiritual attainment is not exclusively for men. Women have as much
right over spiritual purification as men. The Quran is very explicit about
this. “Surely, for men and women who have surrendered to God—believing
men and believing women, truthful men and truthful women, patient men
and patient women, humble men and humble women, charitable men and
charitable women, fasting men and fasting women, men and women who
guard their chastity, men and women who are ever mindful of God—God is
ready with forgiveness and an immense reward.” ( 33: 35 )
Islam regards women in different roles: as a mother, as a daughter as a
wife and as a separate human being, and gives them rights accordingly.
Mothers contribute enormously to society. Their love and sacrifice for
the off-spring cannot possibly be ignored. The Quran recognizes the
pain and hardship the mother experiences while keeping the human
race alive and evokes, “In travail upon travail
did his mother bear him, and in two years
was his weaning” ( 31: 14 ). Keeping this noble
service in view, the mother is elevated to
the highest pedestal of human glory. Islam
makes it compulsory for children to obey
their mothers. A mother’s interest and
welfare must be preferred three times more
than a father’s interest and welfare. A mother
deserves gratitude, respect, love, kindness
and obedience.
Islam encourages
marriage and
prohibits any
deviated forms of
gratification.
As a daughter, women always belong to the paternal family. Marriage
does not break this bond. The Islamic social order makes elaborate
arrangements for the fair treatment of the daughter. They must receive
love and best maintenance. They have as much rights as the son in
educational, physical and mental upliftment. They have their share in
the father’s property, which is recognized and granted at every cost.
If, by chance, a woman becomes a widow or is divorced, Islamic law
reverts her back to the paternal home where she may be looked after
with love and affection. The Prophet said, “Should I not tell you what
is the best charity; That you should show kindness to that daughter who
(becoming a widow or having been divorced) has been returned to you, and
who has no other maintainer or supporter.” (Ibne-e-Majah)
Islam encourages marriage and prohibits any deviated forms of
gratification. Marriage helps men and women to develop along
natural lines and head towards development and success through
mutual co-operation. Marriage prevents immorality, licentiousness
and irresponsibility. The spouses in marriage agree to share rights
and responsibilities to develop a happy family. In this regard it is a
contract entered upon by both participants who vow to be ruled by the
established law of God. The consent of the woman is essential for the
completion of the marriage. What a contrast this is to the prevalent
system of marriage in our country where the women are given over
in the possession of greedy people who cannot be satisfied without
demanding for a handsome amount of monies as well as other items
of domestic luxury together with the girl.
Islam does not have any concept of dowry or dehej. On the contrary,
the woman receives the Mehr (Dower) in marriage, which is the bridemoney,
an exclusive right of the bride. This Mehr may be paid at once
after the solemnisation (Nikah) of marriage or
at any time in life. But if it is not paid during
the lifetime, it is considered a debt and like
all other debts must be paid from the legacy
of the deceased even before distribution of
property among the legal heirs. Apart from
the Mehr the wife is entitled to a share of the
deceased husband’s property also.
Women's guardians
are advised
not to obstruct
their pursuits in
education but to
encourage them and
provide them with
opportunities.
The educational system that is followed
completely ignores the moral and spiritual
guidance of human beings. This is the reason
why society itself is ignorant about how to
respect the women. Islam draws out the complete code of conduct and
provides for maintaining the honour and dignity of the women through
a modest dress code. All the exploitation and crimes regarding the
women generally centres around their physical charms. So, to put a full
stop on any such exploitation, believing women have been encouraged
to follow a modest dress code and come out of their houses only
when in need, not ramble aimlessly. Their safety is further ensured
by making it a rule that in long distance and overnight journeys, they
be accompanied by a male close relative with whom marriage is not
possible.
The rights of women in Islam are really God’s blessings. In this age of
violence, misogyny, subordination, exploitation and oppression, women
are frantically seeking fair ways and means of deliverance. They want the assertion of their motherhood, in whole, their womanhood. They
want to retain everything they own as their own, even their names.
But today, more often it is the women falling prey to the male dominated
society. Muslim women are not any the better. They have also remained
lagging behind particularly in education, and this is one reason why
they have misrepresented their religion. During the era of the Prophet
and the Caliphate, Muslim women played an indispensable role in the
construction of society. They took active part in opinion building and
decision-making. They delivered religious discourses, ventured outside
their homes for the pursuit of knowledge and carried out independent
trade.
But later on, Muslims themselves started to lose their mark of identity.
Stagnation set in, in their society, and with this the position of women
also gradually deteriorated. Today Muslim women, are in a deplorable
condition, deprived of their rights and opportunities and kept under
extremely rigorous conditions.
Hence, to improve the present status of Muslim women and to give
them their due share in what is their right, it is indispensable that
the Muslim organisations should come forward and make efforts to
improve the status of women. It is their duty to see that Muslim women
are not deprived of proper education. They have to see that more and
more educational institutions for girls are opened and run efficiently,
for the benefit of women. A fully planned
strategy must be chalked out for vocational
and professional training to make them selfsufficient,
so that they may stand on their own
feet when any such need arises. More centres
should be opened for training and guidance
for girls.
The Muslim culture
that we see around
us is not truly the
Islamic culture that
the Prophet had
evolved, but a sad
mixture of many
cultures.
It is generally thought that Muslim women
are only duty bound to their husband, family
and home and that they have no other activity
outside their home. This is a gross mistake
and against the spirit of Islam, which does not
restrict women within the four walls of their houses. Whenever there
is a need for their positive and constructive contribution outside the
home, they are allowed to do so. In doing so, their main motive should
be to obtain the pleasure of God and service to humanity.
It is a great responsibility for the educated Muslim women to speed
up their movement and work amongst all sections of society, be they educated, semi-educated or uneducated and awaken them to the true
knowledge of Islam, and to revolutionize their lives so that they can
stand as examples before all womenfolk. Islam presents solutions to
the problems of women. The need is to exert and express, to come out
with the message and to spread this message of a peaceful and free
existence that is in absolute conformity with the will of God.
