Women in the Quran and Sunnah
Women in the Qur'an and the Sunnah
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Dr. 'Abdur Rahman I. Doi
Professor and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaire.
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In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as
far as their relationship to God is concerned, as both are promised
the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil
conduct. The Qur'an says:
And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women.
(2:226)
The Qur'an, in addressing the believers, often uses the
expression,'believing men and women' to emphasize the equality of
men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues
and merits. It says:
For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout
men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are
patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for
men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for
men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who
engage much in God's praise, for them has God prepared forgiveness
and great reward. (33:35)
This clearly contradicts the assertion of some the Christian
Fathers that women do not possess souls and that they will exist as
sexless beings in the next life. The Qur'an says that women have
souls in exactly the same way as men and will enter Paradise if
they do good :
Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70)
Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or
female, him or her will We quicken to happy life. (16:97)
The Qur'an admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women:
O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their
will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take
away part of the dowry you have given them - except when they have
become guilty of open lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a
footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it
may be that you dislike something and God will bring about through
it a great deal of good. (4:19)
Considering the fact that before the advent of Islam the pagan Arabs
used to bury their female children alive, make women dance naked in
the vicinity of the Ka'ba during their annual fairs, and treat women
as mere chattels and objects of sexual pleasure -- possessing no
rights or position whatsoever, these teachings of the Noble Qur'an
were revolutionary. Unlike other religions, which regarded women as
being possessed of inherent sin and wickedness, and men as being
possessed of inherent virtue and nobility, Islam regards men and women
as being of the same essence created from a single soul. The Qur'an
declares:
O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a
single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from this
pair scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence God,
through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and reverence the
wombs (that bore you); for God ever watches over you. (4:1)
The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, said, "Women are the twin
halves of men". The Qur'an emphasizes the essential unity of men and
women in a most beautiful simile:
They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them.
(2:187)
Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by
entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each other's
chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband
find comfort in his wife's company and she in his. "The garment is the
grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to
their husbands as their husbands are to them."
Islam does not consider woman "an instrument of the Devil", but rather
the Qur'an calls her muhsana - a fortress against Satan because a good
woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in
his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as a most virtuous act. He said:
"When a man marries, he has completed one half of his religion." He
enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: "Marriage is part of my way
and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my
follower)." The Qur'an has given the raison d'être of marriage in the
following words:
And among His signs is this, that He has created for you mates from
among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquillity with them; and
He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for
those who reflect. (30:21)
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was full of praise for
virtuous and chaste women. He said: "The world and all things in the
world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a
virtuous woman." He once told the future Caliph, 'Umar: "Shall I not
inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous
wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards
herself when he is absent from her." On other occasions the Prophet,
peace be upon him, said: "The best property a man can have is a
remembering tongue (i.e. which remembers God), a grateful heart and a
believing wife who helps him in his faith." And again: "The world, the
whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the
world is a virtuous wife."
Before the advent of Islam women were often treated worse than
animals. The Prophet wanted to put a stop to all cruelties to women.
He preached kindness towards them. He told the Muslims: "Fear God in
respect of women." And: "The best of you are they who behave best to
their wives." And: "A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if he be
displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one
that is good." And: "The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife,
the more perfect in faith he is."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was most emphatic in enjoining upon
Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous sermon
(Arabic: khutba on the Mount of Mercy, at Arafat, in the presence of
one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had
gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he
ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to
come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said:
"Fear God regarding women. Verily you have married them with the
trust of God, and made their bodies lawful with the word of God.
You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over
you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means."
In Islam a woman is a completely independent personality. She can make
any contract or bequest in her own name. She is entitled to inherit in
her position as mother, as wife, as sister and as daughter. She has
perfect liberty to choose her husband. The pagan society of
pre-Islamic Arabia had an irrational prejudice against their female
children whom they used to bury alive. The Messenger of God, peace be
upon him, was totally opposed to this practice. He showed them that
supporting their female children would act as a screen for them
against the fire of Hell:
It is narrated by the Prophet's wife, 'A'isha, that a woman entered
her house with two of her daughters. She asked for charity but
'A'isha could not find anything except a date, which was given to
her. The woman divided it between her two daughters and did not eat
any herself. Then she got up and left. When the Prophet, peace be
upon him, came to the house, 'A'isha told him about what had
happened and he declared that when this woman was brought to
account (on the Day of Judgment) about her two daughters, they
would act as a screen for her from the fires of Hell.
The worst calamity for a woman is when her husband passes away and, as
a widow, the responsibility of maintaining the children falls upon
her. In the Eastern World, where a woman does not always go out to
earn her living, the problems of widowhood are indescribable. The
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, upheld the cause of widows. Most
of his wives were widows. In an age when widows were rarely permitted
to remarry, the Prophet encouraged his followers to marry them. He was
always ready to help widows and exhorted his followers to do the same.
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: "One who makes efforts
(to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in
the path of God, or like one who stands up for prayers all of the the
night and fasts all of the day."
Woman as mother commands great respect in Islam. The Noble Qur'an
speaks of the rights of the mother in a number of verses. It enjoins
Muslims to show respect to their mothers and serve them well even if
they are still unbelievers. The Prophet, peace be upon him, states
emphatically that the rights of the mother are paramount. Abu Hurairah
reported that a man came to the Messenger of God, peace be upon him,
and asked: "O Messenger of God, who is the person who has the greatest
right on me with regards to kindness and attention?" He replied, "Your
mother." "Then who?" He replied, "Your mother." "Then who?" He
replied, "Your mother." "Then who?" He replied, "Your father."
In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the
war against the Quraish (i.e. the pagan disbelievers at that time) in
defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his
service to his mother would be a cause for his salvation. Mu'awiyah,
the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet, peace
be upon him, and said: "Messenger of God! I want to join the fighting
(in the path of God) and I have come to seek your advice." He said,
"Then remain in your mother's service, because Paradise is under her
feet."
The Prophet's followers accepted his teachings and brought about a
revolution in their social attitude towards women. They no longer
considered women as a mere chattels, but as an integral part of
society. For the first time women were given the right to have a share
in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered
themselves and became highly active members of society rendering
useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the
emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed
them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a
common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields,
carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their
homes to satisfy their needs.
'A'isha reported that Saudah bint Zam'ah went out one night. 'Umar saw
her and recognized her and said, "By God, O Saudah, why do you not
hide yourself from us?" She went back to the Prophet, peace be upon
him, and told him about it while he was having supper in her room, and
he said: "It is permitted by God for you to go out for your needs."
The predominant idea in the teachings of Islam with regard to men and
women is that a husband and wife should be full-fledged partners in
making their home a happy and prosperous place, and that they should
be loyal and faithful to one another, and genuinely interested in each
other's welfare and the welfare of their children. A woman is expected
to exercise a humanizing influence over her husband and to soften the
sternness inherent in his nature. A man is enjoined to educate the
women in his care so that they cultivate the qualities in which they,
by their very nature, excel.
These aspects were much emphasized by the Prophet, peace be upon him.
He exhorted men to marry women of piety and women to be faithful to
their husbands and kind to their children. He said: "Among my
followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and
the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of
such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand
martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who
assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for
everything, save what is a transgression of God's laws."
Once Mu'awiyah asked the Prophet, peace be upon him: "What are the
rights that a wife has over her husband?" The Prophet, peace be upon
him, replied: "Feed her when you take your food, give her clothes to
wear when you wear clothes, refrain from giving her a slap on the face
or abusing her, and do not separate from your wife, except within the
house." Once a woman came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, with a
complaint against her husband. He told her: "There is no woman who
removes something to replace it in its proper place, with a view to
tidying her husband's house, but that God sets it down as a virtue for
her. Nor is there a man who walks with his wife hand-in-hand, but that
God sets it down as a virtue for him; and if he puts his arm round her
shoulder in love, his virtue is increased tenfold." Once he was heard
praising the women of the tribe of Quraish, saying: " . . . because
they are the kindest to their children while they are infants and
because they keep a careful watch over the belongings of their
husbands."
The Shari'ah (Islamic Law) regards women as the spiritual and
intellectual equals of men. The main distinction it makes between them
is in the physical realm based on the equitable principle of fair
division of labor. It allots the more strenuous work to the man and
makes him responsible for the maintenance of the family. It allots the
work of managing the home and the upbringing and training of children
to the woman, work which has the greatest importance in the task of
building a healthy and prosperous society.
It is a fact, however, that sound administration within the domestic
field is impossible without a unified policy. For this reason the
Shari'ah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his
family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In
doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his
wife. Any transgression of this principle involves for him the risk of
losing the favor of God, because his wife is not his subordinate but
she is, to use the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 'the queen
of her house', and this is the position a true believer is expected to
give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in
respect of women, Western talk of women's liberation or emancipation
is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation
of her honor, and degradation of her soul!