Islam for Non-Muslims

• RELIGIOUS FAITHS VS IRRELIGIOUS IDEAS
• 1 The Present State of the World Religions
• 2 Religious System as a Historical Reality
• 3 The Evidences of God across the Universe
• 4 The Absolute Oneness of God
• 5 The Reality of the Afterlife
• 6 The Growth of Irreligious Ideas
• 7 Worshipping Natural Elements
• 8 Worshipping Imaginary Idols
• 9 Worshipping Human Beings
• 10 Inventing Relationship to God
• 11 Inventing the Idea of Reincarnation
• 12 Inventing the Theory of Evolution (Darwinism)
• 13 Inventing ‘Nature’ as the Creator of the Universe
• 14 Importance of Religion in this Secular World
• ISLAM AS A RELIGION
• 15 Addressing the Criticisms of Islam
• 16 Islam as a Magnet for the Non-Muslims
• 17 The Quran as the Original Divine Book
• 18 The Quranic Reality in Archeological Findings
• 19 Muhammad (pbuh) as the Great Prophet
• 20 Islam as the True Religion
• 21 Islam as the Universal Religion
• 22 Islam as the Eternal Religion
• 23 Islam as a Practicable Religion
• 24 Islam as an Enjoyable Religion
• 25 Islam as the Peaceful & Savior Religion
• 26 Islam as the Progressive & Rational Religion
• 27 Islam in Health & Hygiene
• 28 Islam in Promotion of Science
• 29 Muslims in Practices of Science
• 30 Islam & Other Monotheisms: Similarities & Differences
• 31 Islamic Tolerance for Other Religions
• 32 Islamic Rights for Non-Muslim Citizens
• ISLAM AS A WAY OF LIFE
• 33 Islamic System vs. Human Ideologies
• 34 Moral & Social Impacts of Islamic Rituals
• 35 Moral Discipline in Islam
• 36 Sinning of 3 W’s: Women, Wine and Wealth
• 37 Dignity & Equality of Man in Islam
• 38 Human Rights in Islam
• 39 Social Duties in Islam
• 40 Dignity & Rights of Labor in Islam
• 41 Dignity of Women in Islam
• 42 Rights of Women in Islam
• 43 Marriage & Family Life in Islam
• 44 Political Philosophy in Islam
• 45 Economic Principles in Islam
• 46 Islamic Economy vs. Capitalism & Communism
• 47 Patriotism & Internationalism in Islam
• 48 Understanding Controversial Issues in Islam
• 49 Conversion to Islam: Problems & Prospects
• 50 Conclusive Message to the Non-Muslims

41: DIGNITY OF WOMEN IN ISLAM

Introduction: This article attempts to analyze how Muslim women enjoy a position of dignity and honor, and how they are treated fairly and justly in an Islamic society. This, however, does not primarily cover their rights which is done in a separate article.

(A) Women in Non-Muslim Societies (Then &Now):

Historically, women most often suffered disgrace and deprivation from basic rights in the pre-Islamic societies as they still very often do in many non-Islamic societies.  Some examples are now cited.
(i)The pre-Islamic Arabian societies used to bury alive the new-born female babies whom they considered disgraceful.  Gender biased abortions in many contemporary societies (like 20th/21st century China) show similar pattern of injustice to women.
(ii) The ‘Sati’ culture (now outlawed) in traditional Hindu society inspired, pressured or even forced the widows to jump into the funeral pyre of their dead husband. The same society had also tradition of discouraging or even prohibiting marriage of the widows.
(iii) The medieval Church blamed the women for ‘original sins’, by linking to the first woman Eve’s instigation to her husband Adam to sinful eating of prohibited fruit. They labeled the women as “a necessary evil, a natural temptation” (Leinwand).
(iv) Historically, women were often deprived of or restricted from the rights of education and property inheritance from parents, husbands etc.
(v) In most modern societies, women are used like commercial goods in marketing industry and/or they are subjected to an environment that often makes them victims of adultery or rape.

(B) Women’s Equality in Islam: Islam offers historic opportunities for women to stay safe from the above problems and instead enjoy unprecedented dignity and rights in the society. The Quran, in a show of respect to the women, dedicated one chapter (‘Nisa’) exclusively named after them. Islamic emphasis on gender-based equality shines bright in the following verses: “God turns in Mercy to the believers, both men and women alike. I will never cause your work to be lost: be he male or female. For them God has prepared forgiveness and great reward. Righteous and believing man or woman will enter the Garden of Paradise with endless abundance” (33:73; 3:195; 33:35; 40:40). Based on the above, it is easy to conclude that the Western style feminist movement for women’s rights appears to be both needless and irrelevant in Islam.  Now details follow.

(1) Protection from Disgrace:  Islam took many practical steps to secure women from various past or present disgraces.  The Quran, for example, considers it an “evil” practice when parents consider female birth as a “bad news” and therefore they “hide” their face “with shame” (16: 59). With generic ruling that none else will “bear (the burden) of your faults” (29:12), the Quran protects the women from historic blame as instigator to sins for what was done by the first woman Eve.  To their advantage, “shameful deeds (adultery)” and “prostitution” are prohibited (6:151; 24:33) for ever with all toughness.  The Prophet upheld the value of women by encouraging marriage in general and widows in particular through examples set in his personal life. He used to get up as a mark of respect while being in front of daughter Fatima or milk mother Halima among others. He encouraged upbringing of daughters as an act of blessings as he himself raised 4 daughters. He also had 3 sons all of whom died, probably as an indication that God wanted him to give full attention to raising daughters.

(2) Safety from Cruelties:  Islam removes all threats to women’s lives by banning female infanticide, dying with a dead husband and so on. God condemns the deadly pre-Islamic Arabian custom of “burying the female (infant) alive” and warned everyone involved “will be questioned for what crime she was killed” (81:8; 81:9). He also told husband not to “annoy them, so as to restrict them”, “injure them” or anyway become cruel to them for any reason whatsoever (65:6; 2:231). If you subject women to cruelties “taking advantage” of their weaknesses, you will face justice of the Almighty.

(3) Not a Liability:  Islam aims to correct the misconception that women are inferior partners of the husband and a liability for the society.  The Quran bluntly criticizes the parents, who at the news of a female birth, have their “faces darkened” with a feeling of “grief”, “contempt” and hide themselves from people out of “shame” because of such news (16:58/59).  It is also warned “No mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her (female or disabled) child” (2:233). The Prophet broke the optimistic news “Those who patiently bring up 3 daughters will go to the Paradise”.

(4) Valued Partner of Husband: Islam enhanced the prestige of women by encouraging marriage in preference to disgracing them through adultery, rape or using them as commercial property in marketing industry. In matrimonial relations, women enjoy an honorable status for their very essential and complementary roles. The Quran claims, “They (wives) are your garments and you are also theirs. You are members one of other. Do not forget liberality between yourselves” (2:187; 3:195; 2:237).  The Prophet rightly commented that, “a pious wife is the most valuable asset in a man’s life”.

(5) Darling of God: Islam sets the stage of equal and uniform treatment of women and men, by disclosing that both the genders originated from the same original parents: Adam and Eve.  The Quran declared that women equalizes male in eligibility for divine blessings like “good and pure life”, “paradise” etc., depending upon their individual performance based on faith and good deeds (16:97; 4:124).  In respect of spirituality, the women are strongly competitive with men, with enough power to endear themselves to God. For example, the only woman cited in Quran by name is Mariam, the first person who accepted invitation to Islam was the Prophet’s wife Khadija and first martyr for Islam was a female believer named Sumaiya.  As a result, the prestige of women was well-established with God as appears from the following Quranic ruling in favor of the women.  Men are warned of “being flogged with 80 stripes” as an earthly penalty as well as “grievous penalty” in the Afterlife for bringing false charges against chastity of women (24:4; 24:23). God considers this sin as a “most serious” matter which “you may never repeat” (24:15; 24:17).

(6) When Women Get More:  Islam gives higher status to the mother than the father, with a reminder in the Quran about how painstakingly she “bears (the baby) facing weakness after weakness”, delivers and “breastfeeds (her baby) for 2 years” (31:14).  In a similar echo, the Prophet metaphorically proclaimed “Paradise lies at the feet of your mother”.  He also told “the right of the mother over her children is three times higher than the father’s”.  During pilgrimage to Mecca, the rite of fast walking between two hills (Safa and Marwah) to enact the historical event of Prophet Abraham’s wife (Hagar) is another sign of dignity accorded to women. Much to their advantage, the prayer of women is totally waived and fasting is postponed during menstrual period.  What’s more, they are specially privileged to wear nice silk clothes and gold ornaments which are off-limits to the Muslim men on austerity ground.

(7) When Women Get Less:  As the women often get more from God, they also sometimes get less than the men by way of a balancing act.  For example, two women equal one man for witness purpose basing on the verse “if there are not two men (witnesses), then a man and two women” (2:282). Though the real intention behind this is known only to God, we can assume that such provision aims to fit in with the reality that an average woman tends to be relatively more soft-hearted, emotional and vulnerable to any pressure for false witness. 

Similarly, questions also may arise about gifts of God (i.e. strength, height, bravery etc.) that are often biased in favor of the male. The answer is not far to seek that God also shows greater favor to the women in many other aspects, like beauty, charming nature, verbal power etc., under a design of their complementary relations with their male partners.  Examples of such apparent discrimination against women are very few and not without a divine purpose.  But critics sometimes unduly focus on this, bypassing the fact that Islamic treatment of the women is primarily based on equality and fairness and tailored to the overall goodness of the society.

Conclusion: The above analysis clearly suggests that Islam gives high status and dignity to the women and offers them an enviable package of rights based on fairness and equality that are elusive in other societies.