Many times we read or hear in the media about Muslim women. Usually there are horror stories about women being locked up, uneducated, abused, oppressed, etc. The following article is written to dispel such myths. But should any of these claims be true, they are the exception and are not to be confused with Islamic values. The article below is an excerpt from "The Status of Women in Islam" from Islam in Focus by Hammudah Abdalati.
1. Woman is recognized by Islam as a full and equal partner of man in the procreation of humankind. He is the father; she is the mother, and both are essential for life. Her role is not less vital than his. By this partnership she has an equal share in every aspect; she is entitled to equal rights; she undertakes equal responsibilities, and in her there are as many qualities and as much humanity as there are in her partner. To this equal partnership in the reproduction of human kind God says:
O mankind! Verily We have created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other...(Quran 49:13)
2. She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsibilities and in receiving rewards for her deeds. She is acknowledged as an independent personality, in possession of human qualities and worthy of spiritual aspirations. Her human nature is neither inferior to nor deviant from that of man. Both are members of one another. God says:
And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them (saying): 'Never will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female; you are members, one of another...(3:195)
3. She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge. When Islam enjoins the seeking of knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no distinction between man and woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (pbuh) declared that the pursuit of knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim male and female. This declaration was very clear and was implemented by Muslims throughout history.
4. She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. Here sound opinions are taken into consideration and cannot be diregarded just because she happens to be a female. It is reported in the Quran and history that women not only expressed their opinions freely but also participated in serious discussions with the Prophet (pbuh) himself as well as with other Muslim leaders.
5. Historical records show that women participated in public life with the early Muslims, especially in times of emergencies. Women used to accompany the Muslim armies engaged in battles to nurse the wounded, prepare supplies, serve the warriors, and so on.
6. Islam grants a woman equal rights to contract, to enterprise, to earn and possess independently. Her life, her property, her honor are as sacred as those of man. If she commits any offense, her penalty is no less or more than of man's in a similar case. If she is wronged or harmed, she gets due compensations equal to what a man in her position would get.
7. Islam does not state these rights in a statistical form and then relax. It has taken all measures to safeguard them and put them into practice as integral articles of Faith. It never tolerates those who are inclined to prejudice against woman or discrimination between man and woman. Time and again, the Quran reproaches those who used to believe woman to be inferior to man.
8. Apart from recognition of woman as an independent human being acknowledged as equally essential for the survival of humanity, Islam has given her a share of inheritance. This share is hers, and no one can take it away or diisinherit her. 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)*
9. Women enjoys certain privileges of which man is deprived. She is exempt from all financial libabiliies. As a mother, she enjoys more recognition and higher honor in the sight of God. The Prophet (pbuh) acknowledged this honor when he declared that Paradise is under the feet of the mothers. A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name after marriage.* As a wife she is entitled to demand of her prospective husband a suitable dowry that will be her own. She is entitled to complete provision and total maintenance by the husband. She does not have to work or share with her husband the family expenses. She is free to retain, after marriage, whatever she possessed before it, and the husband has no right whatsoever to any of her belongings. As a daughter or sister she is entitled to security and provision by the father and brother respectively, that is her privilege. If she wishes to work or be self-supporting and participate in handling the family responsibilites, she is quite free to do so, provided her integrity and honor are safeguarded.
* Ali, Mary and Anjum, WOMEN'S LIBERATION THROUGH ISLAM,The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E).