THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM
INTRODUCTION
The status of women in society is not a new problem and is not something that is completely solved.
The position of Muslims in this matter has been among the topics presented to a Western reader with little intention.
This paper is intended to provide a brief and accurate description of what Muslims say in this regard. The teachings of Islam are based on the Qur’an (the revelation of God) and Hadeeth (specified by Prophet Muhammad).
The Qur’an and Hadith well understood and impartially, provide a basic source of authenticity in any position or view held by Islam.
This paper begins with a brief study of the status of women in pre-Islamic times. Then focus on the big questions:
What is the position of Muslims in relation to the status of woman in society? How similar or different is the position of the “spirit of the times,” which dominated the Islamic era? How does this compare to the “rights” that have finally been enjoyed by women in recent
WOMEN IN ANCIENT SOCIETIES
Describing the condition of an Indian woman, The Encyclopedia Britannica states:
In India, humility was a major factor. Day and night women should be held hostage by their protectors in a state of dependence, Manu said. Inheritance law was agnatic, the decline being followed by men to exclude women.
In Hindu literature, the definition of a virtuous woman is as follows: “a sensible woman, speech and body are kept in subjection to her, she attains the highest honor in this world, and next, stays with her husband.”
In Athens, women were no better than Indian or Roman women.
Her consent to the marriage was not considered necessary and she was “obliged to submit to the wishes of her parents, and to obtain from her her husband and her master, though she knew him.”
The Roman woman was described by a historian as “a baby, a child, a ward, a person who could not do or do anything of his own free will, a man who continued to be controlled and supervised by her husband.”
In the Encyclopedia Britannica, we find a summary of the legal status of women in Roman culture:
Under Roman law a woman had even come to the point of historical dependence. If she is married she and her property go beyond the power of her husband. . . the wife was the purchase of her husband’s property, and as a slave obtained only for her own benefit. The woman was unable to use any public or private office. he will not be a witness, a witness, a pastor, or a steward; he could not accept or be taken, or make a will or an agreement. Among the Scandinavian races women were:
under constant teaching, whether you are married or single. Toward the end of the Christian V Code, in the late 17th century, it was established that if a woman married without the consent of her pastor she could, if she wished, manage and manage her property in her life.
WOMAN IN ISLAM
A mid the darkness that covered the earth, divine revelation echoed in the vast Arabian desert with a new, dignified, and universal message to mankind: “O mankind, keep your obligation to your old Lord with one soul. of men and women ”(Qur’an 4: 1).
“It is believed that there is no text, old or new, that speaks of feminism in all its aspects with astonishing brevity, elegance, depth and appearance like this divine proclamation.”
To emphasize this beautiful and natural concept, see the Qur’an saying:
He (God) created you with one soul, and therefore created your partner, that you may dwell with him (in love) … (Qur’an 7: 189)
The Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made you two and two between you … Qur’an 42: 1 1
And Allah has given you your natural partners, and He has given you from your partners, children and grandchildren, and He has done good things for you. Do they believe in the uselessness and grace of God that they may not believe? Qur’an 16:72
The whole paper describes the position of Muslims regarding the status of women in society in various spheres – spiritually, socially, economically and politically.
