From: Muslim  adam3@netcom.com
Subject: Re: THE KORAN & WOMEN.

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 The status of woman in Islam is something unique, something
novel, something that has no similarity in any other system. If we
look to the Eastern Communist world or to the democratic nations, we
find that woman is not really in a happy position. Her status is not
enviable. She has to work so hard to live, and sometimes she may be
doing the same job that a man does but her wage is less than his. She
enjoys a kind of liberty which in some cases amounts to
libertinism. To get to where she is nowadays, woman struggled hard for
decades and centuries. To gain the right of learning and the freedom
of work and earning, she had to offer painful sacrifices and give up
many of her natural rights. To establish her status as a human being
possessing a soul, she paid heavily. Yet in spite of all these costly
sacrificeqs and painful struggles, she has not acquired what Islam has
established by a Divine decree for the Muslim woman.
     The rights of woman of modern times were not granted volun-
tarily or out of kindness to the female. Modern woman reached her
present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual
consent or Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various
circumstances came to her aid. Shortage of manpower during wars,
pressure of economic needs and requirements of industrial developments
forced woman to get out of her home - to work, to learn, to struggle
for her livelihood, to appear as an equal to man, to run her race in
the course of life side by side with him.  She was forced by
circumstances and in turn she forced herself through and acquired her
new status. Whether all women were pleased with these circumstances
being on their side, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the
results of this course is a different matter. But the fact remains
that whatever rights modern woman enjoys fall short of those of her
Muslim counterpart. What Islam has established for woman is that which
suits her nature, gives her full security and protects her against
disgraceful circum- stances and uncertain channels of life. We do not
need here to elaborate on the status of modern woman and the risks she
runs to make her living or establish herself.  We do not even need to
explore the miseries and setbacks that encircle her as a result of the
so-called rights of woman. Nor do we intend to manipulate the
situation of many unhappy homes which break because of the very
"freedom" and "rights" of which modern woman is proud. Most women
today exercise the right of freedom to go out independently, to work
and earn, to pretend to be equal to man, but this, sadly enough, is at
the expense of their families. This all known and obvious. What is not
known is the status of woman in Islam. An attempt will be made in the
following passages to sum up the attitude of Islam with regard to
woman.

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 partner- ship in the reproduction of
human kind God says:
     O mankind! Verily We have created your from a single (pair) of
     a male and a female,m and made you into nations and tribes
     that you may know each other... (Qur'an, 49:13; cf. 4:1).

2.  She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsi-
bilities 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; cf 9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21).

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 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.  Her
sound opinions are taken into consideration and cannot be disregarded
just because she happen to belong to the female sex. It is reported in
the Qur'an and history that woman not only expressed her opinion
freely but also argued and participated in serious discussions with
the Prophet himself as well as with other Muslim leaders (Qur'an,
58:1-4; 60:10-12). Besides there were occasions when Muslim women
expressed their views on legislative matters of public interest, and
stood in opposition to the Caliphs, who then accepted the sound
arguments of these women. A specific example took place during the
Califate of Umar Ibn al-Khattab.

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. They were
not shut behind iron bars or considered worthless creatures and
deprived of souls.

6.  Islam grants 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 (2:178;4:45, 92-93).

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 Qur'an reproaches those who used to
believe woman to be inferior to man (16:57-59, 62; 42:47-59; 43:15-19;
53:21-23).

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. Before Islam, she was not only
deprived of that share but was herself considered as property to be
inherited by man. Out of that transferable property Islam made an
heir, acknowledging the inherent human qualifies in woman. Whether she
is a wife or mother, a sister or daughter, she receives a certain
share of the deceased kin's property, a share which depends on her
degree of relationship to the deceased and the number of heirs. This
share is hers, and no one can take it away or disinherit her. Even if
the deceased wishes to deprive her by making a will to other relations
or in favor of any other cause, the Law will not allow him to do
so. Any proprietor is permitted to make his will within the limit of
one-third of his property, so he may not affect the rights of his
heirs, men and women. In the case of inheritance, the question of
quality and sameness is fully applicable. In principle, both man and
woman are equally entitled to inherit the property of the deceased
relations but the portions they get may vary. In some instances man
receives two shares whereas woman gets one only. This no sign of
giving preference or supremacy to man over woman.The reasons why man
gets more in these particular instances may be classified as follows:
     First man, is the person solely responsible for the complete
maintenance of his wife, his family and any other needy relations.
It is his duty by Law to assume all financial responsibilities and
maintain his dependents adequately. It is also his duty to
contribute financially to all good causes in his society. All
financial burdens are borne by him alone.
     Secondly, in contrast, woman has no financial responsibilities
whatsoever except very little of her personal expenses, the high
luxurious things that she likes to have. She is financially secure and
provided for. If she is a wife, her husband is the provider; if she is
a mother, it is the son; if she is a daughter, it is the father; if
she is a sister; it is the brother, and so on. If she has no relations
on whom she can depend, then there is no question of inheritance
because there is nothing to inherit and there is no one to bequeath
anything to her. However, she will not be left to starve, maintenance
of such a woman is the responsibility of the society as a whole, the
state. She may be given aid or a job to earn her living, and whatever
money she makes will be hers. She is not responsible for the
maintenance of anybody else besides herself. If there is a man in her
position, he would still be responsible for his family and possibly
any of his relations who need his help. So, in the hardest situation
her financial responsi- bility is limited, while his is unlimited.
     Thirdly, when a woman gets less than a man does, she is not
actually deprived of anything that she has worked for. The property
inherited is not the result of her earning or her endeavors. It is
something coming to them from a neutral source, something addition-
al or extra. It is something that neither man or woman struggled
for. It is a sort of aid, and any aid has to be distributed
according to the urgent needs and responsibilities  especially when
the distribution is regulated by the Law of God.
     Now, we have a male heir, on one side, burdened with all kinds of
financial responsibilities and liabilities. We have, on the other
side, a female heir with no financial responsibilities at all or at
most with very little of it. In between we have some property and aid
to redistribute by way of inheritance. If we deprive the female
completely, it would be unjust to her because she is related to the
deceased. Likewise, if we always give her a share equal to the man's,
it would be unjust to him. So, instead of doing injustice to either
side, Islam gives the man a larger portion of the inherited property
to help him to meet his family needs and social responsibilities. At
the same time, Islam has not forgotten her altogether, but has given
her a portion to satisfy her very personal needs. In fact, Islam in
this respect is being more kind to her than to him. Here we can say
that when taken as a whole the rights of woman are equal to those of
man although not necessarily identical (see Qur'an, 4:11-14, 176).

9.  In some instances of bearing witness to certain civil con- tracts,
two men are required or one man and two women. Again, this is no
indication of the woman being inferior to man. It is a measure of
securing the rights of the contracting parties, because woman as a
rule, is not so experienced in practical life as man.  This lack of
experience may cause a loss to any party in a given contract. So the
Law requires that at least two women should bear witness with one
man. if a woman of the witness forgets something, the other one would
remind her. Or if she makes an error, due to lack of experience, the
other would help to correct her. This is a precautionary measure to
guarantee honest transactions and proper dealings between people. In
fact, it gives woman a role to play in civil life and helps to
establish justice. At any rate, lack of experience in civil life does
not necessarily mean that women is inferior to man in her
status. Every human being lacks one thing or another, yet no one
questions their human status (2:282).

10.  Woman enjoys certain privileges of which man is deprived. She is
exempt from some religious duties, i.e., prayers and fasting, in her
regular periods and at times of confinement. She is exempt from all
financial liabilities. As a mother, she enjoys more recognition and
higher honor in the sight of God (31:14-15;46:15). The Prophet
acknowledged this honor when he declared that Paradise is under the
feet of the mothers. She is entitled to three-fourths of the son's
love and kindness with one-fourth left for their father. 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
responsibilities, she is quite free to do so, provided her integrity
and honor are safeguarded.

11.  The standing of woman in prayers behind man does not indicate in
any sense that she is inferior to him. Woman, as already mentioned, is
exempt from attending congregational prayers which are obligatory on
man. But if she does attend she stands in separate lines made up of
women exclusively . This is a regulation of discipline in prayers, and
not a classification of importance. In men's rows the head of state
stands shoulder to shoulder to the pauper. Men of the highest ranks in
society stand in prayer side by side with other men of the lowest
ranks. The order of lines in prayers is introduced to help every one
to concentrate in his meditation. It is very important because Muslim
prayers are not simply chanting or the sing-a-song type. They involve
actions, motions, standing, bowing, prostration, etc. So if men mix
with women in the same lines, it is possible that something disturbing
or distracting may happen. The mind will become occupied by something
alien to prayer and derailed from the clear path of mediation. The
result will be a loss of the purpose of prayers, besides an offense of
adultery committed by the eye, because the eye-by looking at forbidden
things - can be guilty of adultery as much as the heart
itself. Moreover, no Muslim man or woman is allowed during prayers to
touch the body of another person of the opposite sex. If men and women
stand side by side in prayer they cannot avoid touching each
other. Furthermore, when a woman is praying in front of a man or
beside him, it is very likely that any part of her dressed body may
become uncovered after a certain motion of bowing or prostrating. The
man's eye may happen to be looking at the uncovered part, with the
result that she will be embarrassed and he will be exposed to
distraction or possibly evil thoughts. So, to avoid any embarrassment
and distraction to help concentrate on mediation and pure thoughts, to
maintain harmony and order among worshippers, to fulfill the true
purposes of prayers, Islam has ordained the organization of rows,
whereby men stand in front lines, and women behind the children.Anyone
with some knowledge of the nature and purpose of Muslim prayerscan
readily understand the wisdom of organizing the lines of worshippers
in this manner.

12.  The Muslim woman is always associated with an old tradition known
as the "veil". It is Islamic that the woman should beautify herself
with the veil of honor, dignity, chastity, purity and integrity. She
should refrain from all deeds and gestures that might stir the
passions of people other than her legitimate husband or cause evil
suspicion of her morality. She is warned not to display her charms or
expose her physical attractions before strangers. The veil which she
must put on is one that can save her soul from weakness, her mind from
indulgence, her eyes from lustful looks, and her personality from
demoralization. Islam is most concerned with the integrity of woman,
with the safeguarding of her morals and morale and with the protection
of her character and personality (cf. Qur'an, 24:30-31).

13.  By now it is clear that the status of woman in Islam is
unprecedentedly high and realistically suitable to her nature. Her
rights and duties are equal to those of man but not necessarily or
absolutely identical with them. If she is deprived of one thing in
some aspect, she is fully compensated for it with more things in many
other aspects. The fact that she belongs to the female sex has no
bearing on her human status or independent personality, and it is no
basis for justification of prejudice against her or injustice to her
person. Islam gives her as much as is required of her. Her rights
match beautifully with her duties. The balance between rights and
duties is maintained, and no side overweighs the other.  The whole
status of woman is given clearly in the Qur'anic verse which may be
translated as follows:
     And women shall have rights similar to the rights against
     them, according to what is equitable; but man have a degree
     (of advantage as in some cases of inheritance) over them
     (2:228). 
     This degree is not a title of supremacy or an authorization of
dominance over her. It is to correspond with the extra responsibil-
ities of man and give him some compensation for his unlimited
liabilities. The above mentioned verse is always interpreted in the
light of another (4:34).
     It is these extra responsibilities that give man a degree over
woman in some economic aspects. It is not a higher degree in humanity
or in character. Nor is it a dominance of one over the other or
suppression of one by the other. It is a distribution of God's
abundance according to the needs of the nature of which God is the
Maker. And He knows best what is good for woman and what is good for
man. God is absolutely true when He declares:

     O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, Who created you
     from a single person, and created of like nature his mate,
     and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and
     women (4:1).