Where does your (women) status lie?
Asalaam Wa Alykum Wa Rahmat Allah Hi Wa Barakat
History has witnessed the unfair treatment of women and the struggle for their rights in the west. And till date it still remains a man dominated society. In fact the west has gone from one extreme 2500yrs ago to another extreme. From considering women to not even be a human being to viewing women and men to be exactly the same having no differences. And they say Islam is extremist towards women lol. Lets look at where the major religions of the world and various societies place women.
Women in Christianity:
Pick up any religious manuscript and you will realise the status of women in Christianity. For instance, Genesis chapter 3 talks about how it was women’s fault to lead man astray and out of paradise (verses 6 and 12 says it more clearly). Furthermore, if the father dies, a woman can only inherit property if she has no brothers [Numbers 27:8]. Also, a women must be subjected to man and cannot teach him because Adam was created before Eve [Timothy 2:11-12].The Christian bible also claims that women are dirtier than man [Leviticus 12: 20 & 50]. A divorced women cannot remarry otherwise she is considered an adulteress [Matthew 5:32]. These are just a few listed here.
Women in Judaism:
Judaism is by far the closest religion to Islam than any other. It gives women some similar status as Islam but not completely. The role of women in Judaism is determined by the Hebrew Bible, the Oral Law (the corpus of rabbinic literature), by custom, and by non-religious cultural factors. Although the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature mention various female role models, religious law treats women differently in various circumstances. Avraham Grossman writes that "Throughout the middle ages, which continued for about a thousand years, we do not find so much as a single women of importance among the sages of Israel... Moreover, over a period of a thousand years, not a single Jewish woman wrote a halakhic, literary, theoretical, mystical, or poetic work, with the exception of a handful of poems written by Jewish women in Spain." Jewish women were generally prohibited from holding formal leadership roles with authority over men. Women were often discouraged from learning Talmud and other advanced Jewish texts.
Women in Hinduism:
This is a kind of religion that likes to play with fire. Women are burnt for the silliest reasons. Sati, also known as widow burning, is burning the wife alive after her husband’s death. This practise has become rare now. A Hindu-Aryan husband could at any time accuse his wife of infidelity. In case the wife protests her innocence, the council of village elders would then order an ordeal by fire. The accused wife would be required to pass through a blazing flame. Not just death, but any signs of burns would be taken as a sign of guilt and the wife would then have to undergo the penalty for infidelity [EB 8:986 `ordeal’]. Adultery carries the death sentence in Aryan law, so either way she would have to pay with her life for her husband’s or elders’ mere suspicions. The ideal role model for this custom was Sita, Ram’s wife. She was required by her spouse, the "ideal husband “of the Hindus, to pass through the fire ordeal after her return from Sri Lanka.
Women and Sudras can, in the Aryan-Vaishnava system, have no property right[Manu VIII.416-417].
The Vedas prescribe that a dowry be given by the bride’s family to the groom. The Rig Veda states that cows and gifts given by the father of the bride to the daughter accompanied the bride’s procession [Rg Ved X.85] [Apte 12]. The ancient custom of kanyadan, where the father presented his daughter with jewelry and clothes at the time of her marriage, and vardakshina where the father presented the groom with kith and kind are, in essence the dowry system.
Women were also declared to be unfit for study of their own sacred texts [Bhag.Pur. I.4.25] [Muir III,p.42].
Women in West:
The movement in the west is to eradicate any differences and consider men and women equal to each other in ALL aspects. This is a reaction to what they believed before (women not complete humans). Many famous Greek philosophers also considered women as inferior. Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men. Although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives mouth.
The French held a conference in 586 CE to discuss whether women had souls or not, and if they had souls, were these souls animal or human? In the end, they decided that they were human! But they were created to serve men only.
During the time of Henry VIII, the English Parliament issued a decree forbidding women to read the New Testament because they were regarded as impure.
Until 1805, English law allowed a man to sell his wife, and set a wife’s price at six pennies
All this played a part to the Women Liberation Movement. This movement was a disaster in itself, because it talked about ‘absolute equality’ among men and women. This is an unnatural type of equality. Absolute equality means that women can do each and everything that men can.
A survey in England was done as to how male/female reacts when the child cries at night. The overwhelming majority of men used to get annoyed and tell their wives to make the child quiet. This is coming from the society that says men and women have equal roles and responsibility.
Pick up any psychology book and it shows that men and women are emotionally different. Women are much more emotional than men and men are much more rational. Therefore women have been given the tender loving role of mother which requires this emotional side of her to shine.
In essence men among themselves are equal in status. But if they mean it in absolute equality that any man can take up any other man’s role then it will lead to adversity. This means a heavyweight boxing champion can take up a role of Einstein in a world science conference and Einstein can fight equally well in a boxing ring.
Even in the world cup you don’t find female teams competing men teams. Why? Because they themselves do not think it’ll be fair. Why do they think this? Because women and men are different.
Human equality means that everyone should be looked upon with the same respect and should be able to expect the same treatment legally and morally.
Allah knows he created man and women with different roles just like the sun and moon, day and night etc. Life on earth would cease to exist if it was night all the time. Just like the sun and moon, man and woman also complement each other. If we look at Islam, we are taught men and women are equal in status but different physically, emotionally etc and due to these differences both have different roles.
Women in Islam:
Islam on the other hand, is the religion of nature. The laws Islam requires us to follow are, in fact, our own instinctive human requirements expressed in legal terms. It is this fact of nature on which Islamic teachings have been based. Because of women’s delicate constitution, Islam teaches man to be gentle with them.
Numerous Hadiths can be found where the Prophet (PBUH) has commanded us to be kind to our women folks. I won’t be quoting them because this mail has already become too long.
It is very clear from the Quran/Hadith that Islam views man and women fully sharing in humanity. They are full human beings. Men and women are addressed equally and the reward is also given equal to both of them. However, it is a fact that women are physically not as strong as men but their physical weakness in no way implies their inferiority to men. Think of it this way, the eyes are very delicate part of the body whereas nails by comparison are extremely hard. That does not mean that nails are superior to the eyes.
Property right:
The rite of inheritance and owning property was given to women 1400 yrs ago by Islam. A woman has to receive Mahr from her husband (Mahr is not a bribe for the father lol). The man’s money belongs to his wife but the wife’s money doesn’t belong to her husband.
There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related, whether the property be small or large - a legal share. [An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #7---interpretation of the meaning)
Marriage rights:
Forced marriages are totally prohibited in Islam. Forcing one’s daughter to marry a guy is HARAAM. In Islam when a woman gets married she does not surrender her maiden name, but maintains her distinct identity. Some Muslim women have adopted the surnames of their husbands, but this is due to cultural influence, not Islam. Changing names were a roman tradition which was taken up by Christianity.
In a Muslim marriage the groom gives a dowry (Mahr) to the bride. This becomes her private property to keep or spend, and is not subject to the dictates of her male relatives. Any money she earns or receives is similarly her very own.
Under Islamic Law a woman cannot be married without her consent. She has final approval on a marriage partner and she can deny a marriage arranged without her consent. She also has the right to initiate a separation from marriage if her rights under marriage are not being granted.
O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will; and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the Mahr you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse; and live with them honourably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good. [An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #19---interpretation of the meaning]
Widows have the right to remarry, and they are in fact encouraged to do so.
Educational rights:
Women are the first teacher of children. If the women is neglecting of Islam, her kids will also be the same. So she has to have enough knowledge. If the woman is educated then the whole family is educated. You educate the man you educate the individual. You educate the mother and you are educating the children. If the Prophet (PBUH) has given women rights then who are we to take those rights away? Yet it is quiet common to see parents being really enthusiastic about a boy’s education but not for a girl’s.
Since Allah has obligated on male and females to worship Him, He has obligated them to gain knowledge of sha’riah. It is upon the Muslim men and women to gain more religious knowledge, especially women. It is the mother who will be taking care of kids.
Imam Bukhari, whose Al-Jami’as-Sahih is by far the most authentic source of Hadith learning, set off when he was 14 years of age, to acquire knowledge from far distant scholars. If he was in a position to appreciate the lesson given by the great teachers of the time, it was because his mother and sister had given him a sound educational background at home.
Family responsibilities:
Islam does recognise that men and women are different. Difference here doesn’t necessary means that one is better than other. Can someone argue that day is good and night is evil? Sun is better than moon? No. Neither one is evil nor are they the same. Allah has given women a greater duty of giving birth and bringing up a child, that’s one of the reasons why a mom is more deserving of her child’s love. If it was only night or only day, life would cease to exist on earth. Like sun and moon, man and woman both complement each other.
The Qur’an places on men the responsibility of protecting and maintaining their female relatives. This relieves women of the need to earn their own living. It also means that a man must provide for his wife even if she has money of her own. She is not obligated to spend her money in the maintenance of her family. Incidentally, a woman is also not required to cook for her family, although she may do so out of love and compassion. The example of our noble Prophet (PBUH) is that although he was such a great leader, he assisted in the housecleaning and mended his own clothes.
In return for the added responsibility, the Qur’an gives men the degree of leadership. This does not mean that men should dominate women, but rather that they should deal with them in kindness, mercy, and love.
“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them. And Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise” [al-Baqarah 2:228---interpretation of the meaning]
If Allah has given man an advantage, its not because he is a higher human being. Its because he has more responsibility and thus he will be answerable on the day of resurrection.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “I urge you to treat women well.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 331; Muslim, 1468)
And the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3895; Ibn Maajah, 1977; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi)
Despite the weakness of religious commitment among many Muslims nowadays, women still enjoy a high status, whether as daughters, wives or sisters, whilst I acknowledge that there are shortcomings, wrongdoing and neglect of women’s rights among some people, but each one will be answerable for himself.
Freedom of expression:
There were several examples of Muslim women’s intervention in religious matters, one of which occurred in the time of Umar ibn al Khattab (RAA). It concerned Mahr. In the Prophet’s (PBUH) lifetime this had been a very nominal amount. But with the increase in resources after the conquest of other countries, people had begun to apportion more substantial dowers. Feeling this was an unhealthy trend, Umar (RAA) once addressed an assembly of his people saying that he did not know who had increased the amount of dower to more than 400DHS. “The Prophet (PBUH) and his companions gave 400DHS or even less. Nobody should fix a dower of more than 400DHS. If it comes to my knowledge that anyone has exceeded this amount, I will confiscate the excess amount for the State treasury.”
A woman then got up from one corner and said, “O Chief of the faithful, is the book of God (Quran) to be followed or what you have to say?” Umar (RAA) replied that it is certainly the book of God that is to be followed. The women then retorted, “You have just forbidden the people to increase the amount of dower, where as Allah says: O believers, it is unlawful for you......to force them to give up a part of what you have given them..(Quran 4:20)”
The women had actually misquoted the text, but Umar (RAA) did not choose to assert himself and simply said, “Everyone knows more than Umar”
Here was a common women criticizing the ruler of an empire and the latter withdrawing his words.
Prove that Islam is better to women:
The greatest evidence is history itself. It tells us that humanity has seen many civilizations and in all civilizations women had no role. Ancient Greeks, Philosophers, great people, they were all men. But Islamic civilization is not a manmade one. Had it not been for Khadijah’s (RAA) support morally and materialistically, Islam couldn’t have been in Makkah. Among the 7 major narrators of Hadith we find Aisha (RAA). Among the few sahabah who gave Fatawa, Aisha (RAA) was a part. In many cases she corrected the fatawa of the sahabahs. Moreover, most major scholars like Imam Bukhari, Imam Shafi’i had among their teachers, women teachers too. Women played a great role in transmitting Islamic knowledge. Allah has honoured women greatly. He honours them as daughters, mothers and wives, and gives them rights and virtues, and enjoins good treatment in ways that are not shared by men in many cases.
The biggest example that illustrates the status of women is the Sa’i. While performing Umrah, one needs to do Sa’i (running back and forth seven times between Safa and Marwah, 2 hillocks near Ka’bah). This has to be done regardless one’s a king or commoner, rich or poor. This act is an imitation of the desperate quest of Hajar, Prophet Ibrahim’s wife, for water to quench the thirst of her crying infant when they arrived to Makkah. The performance of this ritual is a lesson in struggling for the cause of Allah. It is of utmost significance that, this was an act first performed by women. Perhaps there could be no better demonstration of a women’s greatness than Allah’s command to men, literally to follow in her footsteps.
References:
Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick, The Dilemma of Muslim women
Shaykh Ali Al Tamimi, Feminism and Islam
Shaykh Ali Al Tamimi, Muslim women facing Challenges
Abu Abdis Salaam, False portrait-Women in Islam and the West
Wahiduddin Khan, 2004, Women between Islam and Western Society
http://www.geocities.com/~abdulwahid/hinduism/hindu_women.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/emortals
www.searchtruth.com
www.islaminfo.com
www.islamqa.com
www.muftisays.com
