.There are some misconceptions that have been widely propagated about
women and their rights in Islam. These misconceptions are often repeated
by some that maliciously seek to defame Islam and Muslims. Women
throughout the past centuries of Islam have been honored, respected, and
dignified. The crimes of some who deviate do not reflect upon the
principles and laws on which Islam is based. We shall present some
answers to these common misconceptions that have been publicized about
women's rights in Islam and the position of women in Islam in general.
Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a great many respects. The Quran states:
"And
among His signs is this: that He created mates for you from yourselves
that you may find rest and peace of mind in them, and He ordained
between you love and mercy. Certainly, herein indeed are signs for
people who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife." [Abu Dawud]
Muslims
believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same soul. Both were
equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and Allah forgave both.
Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that the
first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad,
whom he both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's
death, Ayshah, became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest
sources of Hadith literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished
great deeds and achieved fame, and throughout Islamic history there
have been famous and influential scholars and jurists.
We might
also mention that while many in the West criticize Islam with regard to
the treatment of women, in fact a number of Muslim countries have had
women rulers and presidents. To name a few: Turkey; Bangladesh and
Pakistan.
With regard to education, both women and men have the same rights and obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's saying:
"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer." [Ibn Majah]
This implies men and women.
A
woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to
be treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her
own property and earnings, enter into contracts, even after marriage.
She has the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so
chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and
husband. A very interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any
other religion, a woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for
a group of women.
A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the
laws and regulations pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage,
doing good deeds, etc., apply to women, albeit with minor differences
having mainly to do with female physiology.
Before marriage, a
woman has the right to choose her husband. Islamic law is very strict
regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent for marriage. The
groom gives a marriage dowry to the bride for her own personal use. She
keeps her own family name, rather than taking her husband's. As a wife, a
woman has the right to be supported by her husband even if she is
already rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and custody of
young children. She does not return the dowry, except in a few unusual
situations.
Despite the fact that in many places and times Muslim
communities have not always adhered to all or even many of the
foregoing in practice, the ideal has been there for 1,400 years, while
virtually all other major civilizations did not begin to address these
issues or change their negative attitudes until the 19th and 20th
centuries, and there are still many contemporary civilizations which
have yet to do so.
Enregistrer un commentaire