From: bv8bv8bv8@gmail.com

Women's Rights in Islam

"And for women are rights over men, similar to those of men over women."Qur'an
2:228Women in Islam are thought to be subjugated, degraded, oppressed - but
are they really? Are millions of Muslims simply that oppressive or are these
misconceptions 
fabricated by a biased media?

Over fourteen hundred years ago, Islam gave women rights that women in the
West have only recently began to enjoy. In the 1930's, Annie Besant observed,
"It is only in the last twenty years that Christian England has recognised the
right of woman to 
property, while Islam has allowed this right from all times. It is a slander
to say that Islam preaches that women have no souls." (The Life and Teachings
of Mohammed, 1932).

Men and women all descended from a single person - the Prophet Adam (peace be
upon him). Islam does not accept for either of them anything but justice and
kind treatment.

Equal Reward & Equal Accountability
Men and women worship Allah in the same way, meaning they worship the same God
(Allah), perform the same acts of worship, follow the same scripture, and hold
the same beliefs. Allah (the Arabic word for the One true God of all
creation), judges all human 
beings fairly and equitably. Allah emphasises the just treatment and reward
due to both men and women in many verses of the Qur'an:

"Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, gardens under which
rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of
everlasting bliss."Qur'an 9:72
"Never will I allow the loss of the work of any worker amongst you, male or
female; you are of one another."Qur'an 3:195
These verses show that reward is dependent upon one's actions and not one's
gender. Gender does not play any part in how a person is rewarded and judged.

If we compare Islam to other religions, we see that it offers justice between
the sexes. For example, Islam dismisses the idea that Eve is more to blame
than Adam for eating from the forbidden tree. According to Islam, Adam and Eve
both sinned, they both 
repented and God forgave them both.

Equal Right to Knowledge
Both men and women are equally encouraged to seek knowledge. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said, "Education is compulsory for every Muslim."

Also, great female Muslim Scholars existed at and around the time of the
Prophet (peace be upon him). Some were from his family and others were his
companions or their daughters. Prominent amongst them was Aisha, the wife of
the Prophet (peace be upon 
him) through whom a quarter of the Islamic law has been transmitted.

Other females were great scholars of jurisprudence and had famous male
scholars as their students.

Equal Right to Choose a Spouse
Islam has honoured women by giving them the right to choose a spouse and keep
their original family name once married. Additionally, many have the
impression that parents force their daughters into marriage. This is a
cultural practice, and has no basis 
in Islam. In fact, it is prohibited.

At the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a woman came to him and
said, "My father has married me to my cousin to raise his social standing and
I was forced into it." The Prophet sent for the girl's father and then in his
presence gave the 
girl the option of remaining married or nullifying the marriage. She
responded, "O Messenger of Allah, I have accepted what my father did, but I
wanted to show other women (that they could not be forced into a marriage)."

Equal yet Different
While men and women have equal rights as a general principle, the specific
rights and responsibilities granted to them are not identical. Men and women
have complementary rights and responsibilities.

Aside from external and internal anatomical differences, scientists know there
are many other subtle differences in the way the brains of men and women
process language, information and emotion, just to mention a few.

A socio-biology expert, Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University, said that
females tend to be higher than males in verbal skills, empathy and social
skills, among other things, while men tend to be higher in independence,
dominance, spatial and 
mathematical skills, rank-related aggression, and other characteristics.

It would be foolish to treat both genders the same and to ignore their
differences. Islam teaches that men and women have complementary, yet
different, roles because it is best suited to their nature. God says:

"And the male is not like the female."Qur'an 3:36
"Does not the One who created, know? And He is the Most Kind, the All
Aware."Qur'an 67:14
The Family Unit
God created men and women to be different, with unique roles, skills and
responsibilities. These differences are not viewed as evidences of superiority
or inferiority, but of specialisation. In Islam, the family is of central
importance. The man is 
responsible for the financial well being of the family while the woman
contributes to the family's physical, educational and emotional well being.
This encourages cooperation rather than competition. By fulfilling their
mutual responsibilities, strong 
families are created and hence strong societies.

Also, emotionally, neither men nor women live a happy life without one
another. Allah describes this beautifully by saying:

"They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them."Qur'an 2:187
Clothing provides comfort, warmth and security as well as making one look good
- this is how the relationship between the husband and wife is defined in
Islam.

Love & Mercy in Spousal Relations
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also encouraged men to treat their spouses in
the best way, "The best of you are those who are best (in treatment) to their
wives."

"And among His signs is that He created or you wives amongst yourselves that
you may dwell in tranquillity with them; and He has put love and mercy between
your (hearts). Surely in this are Signs for people who reflect."Qur'an 30:21
Aisha (the Prophet's wife) was once asked how the Prophet's conduct was in his
home. She said,"He was like one of you at home, yet he was most lenient and
most generous ... He was ready to give a helping hand to his wives in the
ordinary work of the 
house, [he] sewed his own clothes and mended his own shoes." In general, he
helped in whatever work his wives did.

Lofty Positions of Mothers & Daughters

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