Men & Women
Question:-
In the West we have equality between the sexes. Women appear to be regarded as inferior to men in Islam. What is the status of women in Islam?
Answer:-
There is a tendency in the West to establish Western superiority by unfairly comparing the practices of one set of people with the teachings that inform another or vice versa, and also comparing the behaviour of people who are subject to completely different economic, political and cultural conditions.
In the West the status of women has only improved very recently owing to the fact that advances in technology, organisation and education has made possible the wider employment of women. This made them economically independent and gave them political power. The increase in population, advances in technology that have eased domestic labours and the pressure on resources has led to birth-control reducing the size of the family making women relatively redundant compared to earlier times, while making it necessary for them to go out to supplement the family income. This has not happened for many historical reasons in many other parts of the world, including many Muslim countries. This improvement cannot be attributed to Christian teachings - there is nothing about equality of the sexes in the New Testament. Despite the relief of economic pressures there continues to be a great amount of injustice, exploitation and violence against women in the West. Much of this appears to be aggravated by the resulting social conditions that have come into existence, namely the stresses and strains caused by the widespread sexual promiscuity and the breakdown of family life.
Islam improved the status of women many centuries before any idea of sexual equality was conceived of in the West. This is not to deny that in practice, there are abuses and mistreatment of women in Muslim countries, but this must be attributed to a failure by people to understand or adhere to Islamic standards. Muslim countries have not merely fallen behind the West in this respect but have degenerated in some ways. But there are certainly abuses of women in the West and in some ways the status of women has far from reaching the ideal, has not improved but degenerated there also.
The Quran certainly recognises the equality of the sexes but does not mistake this for similarity. It recognises the inherent differences between the sexes and respects these. It requires each to fulfil their natural functions and purposes and they are to be judged and will be judged accordingly.
There appears to be some confusion in many minds as to what is meant by "equality" between people. When this idea is applied as an ideal in the social or political context, it cannot mean that people have equal or similar physical characteristics, abilities, intelligence, talents, strength, health, knowledge, power, wealth, rank, circumstances and so on, but that they are equal before the Law in Justice.
Justice requires that people should be treated in proportion to their similarities and differences. To treat dissimilars similarly cannot be justice. In fact, it is a kind of oppression, because it ignores the differences and imposes the same standards on all. From an Islamic point of view the West pays lip service to the equality of the sexes but in practice judges women by, and requires them to adopt, male standards, forcing them to abandon their own virtues. This results in widespread social and psychological malfunctions from which all - men, women and the children inevitably suffer. This in its turn also has destructive effects on the environment because loss of social and emotional satisfaction leads to greed and materialism as a substitute.
Women are different from men in that women are physically and psychologically equipped for child bearing and rearing and that men being free of this can devote themselves to the business of making a living. There is, therefore, a division of functions and spheres of responsibility. There is an inner private home and an outer public area, which reflects the distinction in man (and all other organisms) between the inner world and the outer.
Islam does recognise that men have greater physical strength and that being free of the burden of child bearing, they also have control over the economic, political and cultural aspects of the world. Islam, therefore, puts men in charge of women. That is, the care of women is their responsibility. This does not imply their superiority but refers to their function. The conditions of life must obviously be taken into consideration when determining what kind of relationships will provide the most beneficial results for all. Some of these conditions have changed, but this should not cloud judgements about what was suitable in the past. For instance, there was very little possibility of commercial employment for women in the past. Their career was domestic. They could be regarded as having duties in return for financial maintenance - to be employed by their husbands. Islam gives wives a right to own their own property and to a portion of the husbands income (Quran 4:24). The idea that a woman should go out to work outside her home and family, at something that has no relevance to her and obey some employer not her husband who had no affection or interest in her welfare would seem rather bizarre. It still seems rather unnatural in that in the West where the employment of women is normal this very often entails illicit sexual relationships that lead to many social as well as professional problems. The idea and practice of one person being employed and controlled by another is a modification of slavery. In Islam, which requires the freeing of slaves, affairs are to be run through co-operation, mutual consultation, agreements, treaties, partnerships and contracts.
Men and women have an equal right to self-development and self-fulfilment. They have the same duties to fulfil the religious and moral obligations. They will be judged according to their faith and deeds. Men and women are expected to treat each other with modesty and mutual respect, justice and compassion. Marriages are contracts and each is required to fulfil their responsibilities with respect to each other and the children. Within certain guidelines that refer to mutual obligations, there is nothing in the Quran that prevents women from having a career or controls which jobs should be done by which sex.
As human beings are divided into two sexes, the condition of a community depends on the relationship between them. Obviously, if half the population is suppressed and disabled, then that community will inevitably suffer and remain at a disadvantage relative to others where this does not happen. In particular, it is the women who have the main function in bringing up the next generation. The quality of that generation will, therefore, depend on the knowledge, virtues and abilities of the mothers. Islam, therefore, gives the highest honour to mothers.
For Islam spiritual and psychological welfare and development has priority. The Social system is to be arranged so as to serve the spiritual system, and the economic system is to be arranged so as to serve the social system. Islam is in favour of the segregation of the sexes, each having their own sphere of responsibilities. They could have their own separate organisations, forming networks that join at all marital or professional points. In so far as the order of priorities in the West is the reverse of the Islamic one and all things have been sacrificed to economic and material development, a great number of environmental, social and psychological problems have arisen. To deal with these, a great amount of resources and a great number of people, a great proportion of them women, have been employed and paid for by much taxation. This appears to be a vicious circle that can be reversed. If the women were to fulfil their function with respect to bringing up and educating the next generation and the general social and psychological welfare there would be fewer problems. There would be neither a need for such employees nor the tax burden that necessitates that woman should abandon their families for material reasons.
The following verses of the Quran show that equality of the sexes is an integral part of Islam:-
"And all things have We created by pairs, that haply you may reflect. Therefore flee unto Allah" 51:49-50
"And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you to excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. Envy not one another but ask Allah for His Bounty. Lo! Allah is ever Knower of all things." 4:32
"Lo! men and women who surrender unto Allah, men and women who believe, men and women who obey, men and women who are true, men and women who persevere, men and women who are humble, men and women who give in charity, men and women who abstain, men and women who guard their chastity, and men and women who remember Allah much, Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward. And it becomes not a believing man or woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair for them, that they should after that claim a say in their affair; and whoso disobeys Allah and His messenger, he is indeed in manifest error." 33:35-36
"They (women) are raiments for you and you are raiments for them." 2:187
"I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. Ye proceed from one another." 3:195
"And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in equity, though men have a degree of responsibilities (or advantages) over them." 2:228
"And among His signs is this, that He created for you helpmates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Surely, in these are signs for those who reflect." 30:21
"And Allah has given you wives of your own kind, and has given you from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has made provision of good things for you.." 16:72
"But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allah has placed much good." 4:19
"So seek them with your wealth in honest marriage and not lust. But such of them from whom ye seek comfort, give them their portions as a duty; and there is no crime in what you do by mutual agreement after the duty has been done. Verily, Allah is ever Knower and Wise." 4:24
"Ye proceed from one another; so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness and equity, they being chaste and not lecherous, and not of loose conduct. " 4:25
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