Rights of Women in Islam

[Surriya]

Rights of Women in Islam
Woman in Islam have an extensive range of specific rights:
1. Spiritual/Religious
2. Intellectual
3. Social
4. Economic
5. Political
(a) These rights are bestowed by Allah Almighty, safeguarded by the infallibility of the Quran and demonstrated by the example of the Prophet (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him).
(b) These rights were granted to women 1400 years ago, without their demands and without any
Liberation movement.


Rights of Women in Islam - Spiritual

1. Islam does not subscribe to the idea of original sin.
2. Women are not held responsible for Adam's first Khata (mistake).
3. Both men and women were jointly responsible, both repented and were forgiven.
4. Salah, Sawm, Zakah and Hajj are obligatory for both men and women, and they are promised the same
rewards.

Intellectual

1. Women, in Islam, have full rights to intellectual development.
2. Along with men they have an obligation to seek knowledge, as the Prophet
(PBUH) said: it is a duty for every Muslim, male and female, to seek knowledge.
3. Islam credits both women and men with the capacity for earning, understanding and teaching.
4. According to Islamic teaching, Muslim parents are expected to attach the same importance to the education of their sons and daughters.
5. Essentially men and women have different primary roles which they will have to take on in adult life.

Social
(A) Marriage

1. Muslim women cannot be forced to marry without their personal consent or without being consulted at an early stage in the negotiations.
2. Islam encourages parents to look for a suitable partner for their children and to assist them in making a wise decision.
3. Islam emphasises that the marriage partners should see one another before making a final decision.
4 In Islam marriage means, establishing a relationship with an entire extended family. Therefore common agreements of both parents and the couple,
contribute to the social cohesion of the Muslim community and eliminates the tensions and conflicts commonly found in Society.
5. The privacy of a young married couple
is assured.


(B) Divorce

1. Islamic teaching strongly disapproves of divorce
2. It recognises the existence of marital problems that are irreconcilable and in such cases divorce is allowed.
3. The wife can obtain a divorce from a court even against the will of her husband
4. A woman can also obtain the right to divorce her husband through a mutually agreed contract at the time of the marriage.
5- Divorce in Islam is a family affair, free from unwanted publicity and complicated legal procedures.

Economic
1. One of the most fundamental rights of Muslim women is the right of independent ownership.
2. This ownership is not subject to change by marriage.
3. Muslim women are absolutely free to buy, sell, exchange, mortgage or lease the whole or part of their properties independently without the prior consent of their husbands.
4. The whole of a woman's private income belongs entirely to her and without her and without her personal wish cannot be absorbed or used for general expenses related to the husband's sole responsibility (i.e. housekeeping, education of children,
maintenance).
5. A Muslim woman also has the right to
inherit.
6. A Muslim woman also has the right to accept employment which is compatible with her nature and dignity.
7. However her primary social role in the community is that of a wife and mother and this is regarded in Islam as sacred
and vital.

Political
1. A woman has the right to vote
2. She can be nominated for various Political offices.
3. She is allowed to participate in public affairs.
4. In Islam, many famous women have figured prominently in the affairs of state.

Sayings of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and Peace be Upon Him)

1. Paradise lies at the feet of your mother. (Musnad Ahmed)
2. 0 People, your wives have certain rights over you and you have certain rights over them. Treat them well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. (Tirmidhi)
3 The best among you is the one who is the best towards his wife. (Tirmidhi)

[safia]

I would like to say thank you Surriya for this section. I didn't know women had so many islamic rights on economic and political issues. It's interesting reading.

[Surriya]

The Eminence Islam Attaches To Women

HARUN YAHYA

The position of women in Islam has recently been an issue of debate. Some misconceptions arise, either from traditional practices which are thought to be "Islamic," but are not, or else from prejudices. However, the real issue is how women are regarded in the Islamic faith, and when we look at this, we see that Islam gives women great social value, freedom and comfort.



Women in the Qur'an

God's commandments about the status of women and the relations between men and women, which have been revealed to us through the Qur'an, consist of full justice. In this regard, Islam suggests equality of rights, responsibilities and duties between the two genders. Islam is based on sympathy, tolerance and respect for human beings, and does not discriminate against women in this matter.

The examples of good morals communicated to us in the Qur'an are universally compatible with human nature, and are valid for all stages of history.

Respect for women and women's rights fall within this. In the Qur'an God insists that the tasks and responsibilities of women are the same as those of men. Furthermore, while performing these tasks and responsibilities men and women must help and support each other:

The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish prayer and pay alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All Wise. (Qur'an, 9:71)

God emphasizes that believers will be rewarded in the same manner according to their deeds, regardless of their gender.

Their Lord responds to them: 'I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female - you are both the same in that respect... (Qur'an, 3:195)

Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Qur'an, 16:97)

In another verse, Muslim men and women are considered together, and it is stressed that both have the same responsibility and status in God's sight:

Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and women who are steadfast, men and women who are humble, men and women who give alms, men and women who fast, men and women who guard their private parts, men and women who remember Allah much: Allah has prepared forgiveness for them and an immense reward. (Qur'an, 33:35)

In the Qur'an there are many more verses stating that men and women are exactly equal in terms of their tasks and responsibilities and their rewards or punishments in return. There are a few differences in social issues, but these are for the comfort and protection of women. The commands of the Qur'an regard the congenital differences between the two genders resulting from their creation, and suggest a system maintaining equal justice for men and women in this light.

Islam does not see women as objects. Therefore, it is not seen appropriate that a woman of good morals should marry a man of bad morals. In the same way, it is not permitted for a woman of bad morals to marry a man of good morals:

Corrupt women are for corrupt men and corrupt men are for corrupt women, Good women are for good men and good men are for good women. The latter are innocent of what they say. They will have forgiveness and generous provision. (Qur'an, 24:26)

Also as regards marriage, the duties and responsibilities of couples towards each other require equality. God demands that both spouses be protective of and supervise each other. This duty is expressed in the Qur'an in the following words.

They are covers for you and you for them... (Qur'an, 2:187)

Many rules and commandments exist in the Qur'an regarding the protection of women's rights on marriage. Marriage is based on the free will of both parties; the husband has to provide economic support for his wife (4:4); the husband has to look after his ex-wife after divorce (65:6).



The Islamic Emancipation of Women

As the verses make clear, Islam brings justice to male-female relations and puts an end to harmful practices resulting from customs and traditions of pre-Islamic societies. One example is the situation of women in pre-Islamic Arab society. The pagan Arabs regarded women as inferior, and having a daughter was something to be ashamed of. Fathers of daughters sometimes preferred to bury them alive rather than announce their birth. By means of the Qur'an, Allah prohibited this evil tradition and warned that on the Judgment Day such people will definitely have to account for their actions.

In fact, Islam brought with it a great emancipation for women, who were severely persecuted in the pagan era. Prof. Bernard Lewis, known as one of the greatest Western experts on the history of Islam and the Middle East, makes the following comment:

In general, the advent of Islam brought an enormous improvement in the position of women in ancient Arabia, endowing them with property and some other rights, and giving them a measure of protection against ill treatment by their husbands or owners. The killing of female infants, sanctioned by custom in Pagan Arabia, was outlawed by Islam. But the position of women remained poor, and worsened when, in this as in so many other respects, the original message of Islam lost its impetus and was modified under the influence of pre-existing attitudes and customs. 1

Karen Armstrong, another Western expert on Islam, makes the following comment:

We must remember what life had been like for women in the pre-Islamic period when female infanticide was the norm and when women had no rights at all. Like slaves, women were treated as an inferior species, who had no legal existence. In such a primitive world, what Muhammad achieved for women was extraordinary. The very idea that a woman could be witness or could inherit anything at all in her own right was astonishing. 2

In fact, during the many centuries that followed Prophet Muhammad, women of the Islamic societies had a much higher social position than the women of Christendom. Karen Armstrong emphasizes that, during the Middle Ages;

... the Muslims were horrified to see the way Western Christians treated their women in the Crusader states, and Christian scholars denounced Islam for giving too much power to menials like slaves and women. 3

Anna King, a modern Muslim woman and a convert - or, better to say, a revert - to Islam, explains the Islamic emancipation of women as follows:

Islam first gave women their rights in a time when women were nothing but the property of men. Islam gave women the right to buy and sell on their own, own businesses and express her views politically. These were all basic rights which the American woman was not granted until relatively recently! It also encouraged women to study and learn Islamic knowledge, breaking a ban which several religions had stipulated, which forbid women to acquire any religious knowledge or touch religious texts... It also abolished the practice of marrying a woman without her consent. Thus, one would have to be very stubborn indeed to refuse such obvious facts and proofs that Islam was women's first liberator.

The tendencies to see women as "an inferior species" who has no right for education and that must be totally secluded from the society arose much later in the Islamic world, as a result of deviations from the right Qur'anic path.



Conclusion

Thus we can say that the mentality that despises women, excludes them from society and regards them as second class citizens is a wicked pagan attitude which has no place in Islam.

In fact, devout women are depicted as good examples for mankind in the Qur'an. One is Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Another is the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh who, despite her husband's wickedness, is also described as an ideal Muslim. (see, 66:11-12) The Qur'an also describes very gentle conversations between the Prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (27:42-44), and between Moses and two young ladies (28:23-26), which symbolize the civilized social relationship between the two genders.

Therefore, it is impossible for a Muslim to have a bigoted approach to women. In a society where true Islamic morals are practiced, immense respect and sympathy will be shown to women, and it will be ensured that they can live in freedom and comfort.

The fundamental rule in Qur'anic exegesis is ensuring that the derived meaning is in conformity with the integrity of the Qur'an. When this is considered, it is seen that all the rules mentioned to us by Allah regarding women form a social structure allowing them to live in the most comfortable and happiest way. In a society where all the moral values mentioned by Islam are practiced comprehensively, the social position of women becomes even more exalted than in societies that we today regard as modern.

[Surriya]

surriya said:

The pagan Arabs regarded women as inferior, and having a daughter was something to be ashamed of. Fathers of daughters sometimes preferred to bury them alive rather than announce their birth.

Our Daughters are a Blessing, Not a Burden

Children are a great gift from Almighty Allah to all parents. Parents must think of their children as such treasures that all the wealth and material resources are worthless as when compared to one’s children. We, as parents, should thank Almighty Allah for blessing us with children whether they are boys or girls. Today, it is quite disheartening to see that some parents rejoice
when the newborn child is a male and show their dissatisfaction when the child is a female. But, this should not be the attitude. Islam does not condone this type of behaviour, as such was the manner of the parents in the time of ignorance.

Daughters are without doubt a great blessing from Almighty Allah. They are a means of salvation and a path to Jannah for their parents. The Noble Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has stated that when a boy is born, then he brings one Noor (light) and
when a girl is born, then she brings two Noors. It has been narrated in a Hadith that the Noble Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has stated that if parents are kind and generous towards their daughters, then they will be so close to the Noble Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in Jannah, like one finger is to the next. The Noble Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has also stated that the person who is faced with hardship due to his daughters, and makes Sabr (is patient), then his daughters will be a Purdah (curtain) between him and Hell.

The crux of one narration states that one who loves his daughters and withstands the hardship of grooming and getting them married, then Almighty Allah makes Jannah Waajib (compulsory) on him and keeps him protected from the Fire of Hell.

Hazrat Khwaja Uthman Haaroni (radi Allahu anhu), the Peer-o-Murshid of Khwaja-e-Khwajegaan, Hazrat Sheikh Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaaz (radi Allahu anhu), states: "Daughters are a gift from Almighty Allah. Those parents who are kind towards them, then Almighty Allah is generous towards such parents. Those who are merciful to their daughters, Almighty Allah is Merciful towards them." The great Saint also said, "When a girl is born to a family, then between the parents and Hell, there shall be a distance of five hundred years."

It has been stated that when parents rejoice at the birth of a daughter, this is greater than making Tawaaf of the Kaaba seventy times. Muslims should also remember that the family of the Noble Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) is from his
beloved daughter Sayyidah Fatima Zahra (radi Allahu anha).

Dear brothers and sisters, rejoice on the birth of your daughters, love and guide them and give them that which is due to them from your belongings. Do not deprive them of their inheritance as they also have say in this. Remember! Daughters are a blessing and not a burden.

[Muslimah]

on Aug 22nd, 2004, 11:54pm, surriya wrote:The pagan Arabs regarded women as inferior, and having a daughter was something to be ashamed of. Fathers of daughters sometimes preferred to bury them alive rather than announce their birth.

This medieval practise still takes place in some Muslim third world countries(not the burying them alive i hope).

New baby daughters are discarded,or sold off.It is a tragedy because most of their parents are extremely poor and cant afford a dowry for their daughters.