Woman between Islam & Jaahiliyyah

in islam, woman has a high status which no past nation ever achieved and which no subsequent nation has been able to attain, because the honour which islam gives to humanity includes men and women equally. they are equal before the rulings of allaah in this world and they will be equal with regard to his reward and punishment in the hereafter. allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“and indeed we have honoured the children of adam” [al-isra’ 17:70], {وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ}, transliteration: wa laqad karramnā banī 'Ādama

“there is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related” [al-nisa’ 4:7], {لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ الْوَالِدَانِ وَالْأَقْرَبُونَ وَلِلنِّسَاءِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ الْوَالِدَانِ وَالْأَقْرَبُونَ مِمَّا قَلَّ مِنْهُ أَوْ كَثُرَ ۚ نَصِيبًا مَّفْرُوضًا ﴿٧﴾}, transliteration: lilrrijāli naşībun mimmā taraka al-wālidāni wa al-'aqrabūna wa lilnnisā'i naşībun mimmā taraka al-wālidāni wa al-'aqrabūna mimmā qalla minhu 'aw kathura naşībāan mafrūđāan

“and they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable”[al-baqarah 2:228],{….. وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌ﴿٢٢٨﴾}, transliteration: …. wa lahunna mithlu al-ladhī `alayhinna bil-ma`rūfi wa lilrrijāli `alayhinna darajatun…

“the believers, men and women, are awliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another”[al-tawbah 9:71], {وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ}, transliteration: wa al-mu'uminūna wa al-mu'uminātu ba`đuhum 'awliyā'u ba`đin….

“and your lord has decreed that you worship none but him. and that you be dutiful to your parents. if one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.* and lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: ‘my lord! bestow on them your mercy as they did bring me up when i was young” [al-isra’ 17:23-24], {وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٢٣﴾ وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا ﴿٢٤﴾}, transliteration: wa qađá rabbuka 'allā ta`budū 'illā 'Īyāhu wa bil-wālidayni 'iĥsānāan 'immā yablughanna `indaka al- kibara 'aĥaduhumā 'aw kilāhumā falā taqul lahumā 'uffin wa lā tanharhumā wa qul lahumā qawlāan karīmāan(23) wa akhfiđ lahumā janāĥa adh-dhulli mina ar-raĥmati wa qul rrabbi arĥamhumā kamā rabbayānī Şaghīrāan(24)

and allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“so their lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), “never will i allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female” [aal ‘imraan 3:195], {فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى….}, transliteration: fāstajāba lahum rabbuhum 'annī lā 'uđī`u `amala `Āmilin minkum min dhakarin 'aw 'unthá…

“whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of islamic monotheism) verily, to him we will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and we shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. paradise in the hereafter)” [al-nahl 16:97], {مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٩٧﴾}, transliteration: man `amila Şāliĥāan min dhakarin 'aw 'unthá wa huwa mu'uminun falanuĥyiyannahu Ĥayāatan Ţayyibatan wa lanajziyannahum 'ajrahum bi'aĥsani mā kānū ya`malūna

“and whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a (true) believer [in the oneness of allaah (muslim)], such will enter paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a naqeera (speck on the back of a date stone), will be done to them” [al-nisa’ 4:124] , {وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ نَقِيرًا ﴿١٢٤﴾}, transliteration: wa man ya`mal mina aş-Şāliĥāti min dhakarin 'aw 'unthá wa huwa mu'uminun fa'ūlā'ika yadkhulūna al-jannata wa lā yužlamūna naqīrāan

there is nothing in any other religion, nation or law that can compare to the honour which woman gains in islam. the roman civilization decreed that woman was a slave who belonged to man, and had no rights at all. in rome a major synod met to discuss the case of woman, and decided that she was a being who had no soul, and that therefore she would not inherit life in the hereafter, and that she was evil.

in athens women were regarded as chattels; they were bought and sold, and were regarded as evil, the handiwork of the devil.

the ancient laws of india state that: disease, death, hell, snake venom and fire were all better than woman. her right to life came to an end when her husband’s – or master’s – life ended. when she saw his body burning she would throw herself into the flames; if she did not do so, she would be subject to curses.

with regard to woman in judaism, the ruling on her in the old testament is as follows:

“so i turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.
i find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare,
whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains…”

(ecclesiastes 7:25-26 – new international version)

it is known that the old testament is venerated and believed by both jews and christians.

this was the situation of woman in ancient times. with regard to her situation in the middle ages and in modern times, this will be explained by the following:

the danish writer wieth kordsten explained the view of the catholic church towards women. he said: “during the middle ages very little care was given to women, following the teaching of the catholic church which regarded woman as a second class creation.” in france, a council in 586 ce decided to research the case of woman and whether she was to be counted as human or not. after some discussion, they decided that woman was human, but she was created to serve man.

the 217th clause of the french law states the following: “a married woman – even if her marriage is based on the condition of separating what belongs to her and what belongs to her husband – is not permitted to give anything as a gift or to transfer any of her property or use it as collateral, or to take possession of anything whether in return for payment or otherwise, without her husband being a party to the contract or agreeing to it in writing.”

in england, henry viii forbade the english woman to read the bible. until 1850 ce women were not counted as citizens, and until 1882 ce they did not have any personal rights.

(silsilat maqaarinah al-adyaan, by dr. ahmad shalaby, vol. 3, p. 210-213)

as for contemporary woman in europe, america and other industrial nations, she is a creature which is degraded and abused for commercial purposes. she is a feature of advertising campaigns, and things have reached a stage where she takes off her clothes in order to advertise products on posters, and she sells and displays her body according to systems devised by men, so that she is no more than an object of pleasure for them in every place.

woman is cared for so long as she is able to give and contribute physically or mentally. when she becomes old and cannot give any more, society – individuals and institutions – forsakes her and she lives alone in her house or in a mental hospital.

compare this – and there is no comparison – with the teachings of the noble qur’aan, in which allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“the believers, men and women, are awliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another”[al-tawbah 9:71], {وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ}, transliteration: wa al-mu'uminūna wa al-mu'uminātu ba`đuhum 'awliyā'u ba`đin….

“and they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable”[al-baqarah 2:228],{….. وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌ﴿٢٢٨﴾}, transliteration: …. wa lahunna mithlu al-ladhī `alayhinna bil-ma`rūfi wa lilrrijāli `alayhinna darajatun…


“and your lord has decreed that you worship none but him. and that you be dutiful to your parents. if one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.*and lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: ‘my lord! bestow on them your mercy as they did bring me up when i was young” [17:23-24], {وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٢٣﴾ وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا ﴿٢٤﴾}, transliteration: wa qađá rabbuka 'allā ta`budū 'illā 'Īyāhu wa bil-wālidayni 'iĥsānāan 'immā yablughanna `indaka al- kibara 'aĥaduhumā 'aw kilāhumā falā taqul lahumā 'uffin wa lā tanharhumā wa qul lahumā qawlāan karīmāan(23) wa akhfiđ lahumā janāĥa adh-dhulli mina ar-raĥmati wa qul rrabbi arĥamhumā kamā rabbayānī Şaghīrāan(24)

since her lord has honoured her in this way, it is clear to all of mankind that he has created her to be a mother, a wife, a daughter and a sister, so he prescribed laws which apply exclusively to women and not men.

from al-islam usooluhu wa mabaadi’uhu by
dr. muhammad ‘abd-allaah ibn saalih al-sahyeem