Women's Day

Islam has made it very clear that all human beings, no matter whether men or women, are all the slaves of Almighty Allah.  All of them are the children of Hadhrat Adam and Hadhrat Hawwa (May peace be upon them).  Men and women are not slaves of each other.  As human beings, both of them have equal status in the society.  However, they are different in terms of their creation.  For this reason, their domains of life are different.  Both of them constitute the society equally.  Men are to shoulder the economic responsibilities and women are to minister the home and hearth.

 

Islam informs us that a woman’s real place is her own home.

 

Translation: - And remain in your houses with calm and peace and do not display adornment like that of the days of ignorance.  Surah Ahzaab (33:33)

 

In the days of ignorance, women were meted out inhuman treatment.  Boys were preferred over girls.  Even in inheritance, only boys would have a share and girls would be deprived of it.  In their menses, women were treated like animals.  Even eating along with a woman in her periods was prohibited. Men would divorce a woman as many times as he wanted to and again take her back.  In every aspect of life, women were oppressed.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) declared all those rights of women which were their due and gave them such a high place to women that no other religion or philosophy of life had even approached it.

 

The following is the concise command of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) about women:

 

O people, your women have certain rights on you………… Hence be conscious of Allah Most High about them.

 

In our ages, women have been reduced to the demeaning status of a toy for the satisfaction of men.  It is doubly unfortunate that she has been made to do all this in the name of women’s freedom.

 

When the woman stays in her own house like a queen and takes up the responsibilities of caring for her husband, children, parents, brothers and sisters, then it is labeled as an imprisonment, but when the same woman goes out of the bounds of modesty to cook for other men, clean the rooms of non-Mahram (people with whom marriage is possible) people, serve unknown people in hotels and airplanes, welcomes customers in showrooms and supermarkets, gathers their necessary items, obeys the whims and caprices of the superior officer in offices, then it is called freedom and honor!

 

Given below are some rights of women granted first and foremost by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

Right to education

 

Islam is that religion of life, which prefers knowledge.  It does not tolerate ignorance even for a moment.  The first divine revelation (Wahi) was about knowledge. 

 

As given in Surah Alaq:

 

(O Beloved!) Read (commencing) with the Name of Allah, Who has created (everything).  Surah ‘Alaq (96:1)

 

Human life is not complete with only men.  Women are also a basic pillar of the society.  All the Shariah rules of the household, societal relations and the like are associated with women only.  If only men are given education and women are ignored, then not only will be an oppression on women, but a huge part of society will be forced to remain ignorant and will lose out on the benefits of education.

 

For this reason Islam has declared the education of women as also compulsory.  The daughters of the community can adorn themselves with both Islamic and worldly education and reform the exterior and the interior of the society.  Teaching women, educating them and making them aware, adorning them with the pearls of good character, making them aware of their role in raising children and many other tasks, only women can handle these tasks.  Within the framework of the Shariah and following the rules and guidelines of Hijab (veil), they can take social service as well.  There is a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:

 

Translation: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Rab’eea (May Allah be well pleased with her), she says that we, along with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would distribute water, wash and dress the wounds of the injured and would take the martyrs to Madina.  (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Pg. No. 403/404)

 

In the blessed era of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the lady Companions would take care of the injured, would distribute water during the wars and would take up many other responsibilities.  To summarize, the daughters of the community should acquire education in the Hijab, which includes worldly education as well and should serve the society in every possible way.  They should especially concentrate on medical field and become specialists in that field as well. 

 

The ladies in the era of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) were educated, as given in this Hadith of Sunan Abu Dawood:

 

Translation: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Shifa bint Abdullah (May Allah be well pleased with her), she says: I was there with Hadhrat Hafsa (May Allah be well pleased with her) when the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) came.  He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Why don’t you teach her the incantation (Ruqya) for ant the way you taught her calligraphy?  (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 3889)

 

Right to work

 

Islam lays a lot of stress on Hijab for women.  It is Haraam (forbidden) to remain without Hijab or to go before Non-Mahram people without Hijab.  The best and safest place for women is their house, which safeguards them and their modesty.  The Holy Quran orders women to stay in their houses.  Surah Ahzaab-32.

 

If there is no one to take up the responsibility for women or for some educational, Islamic or economic reason, then with complete Hijab and with absolute avoidance of corruption of any kind, it is permissible for them to go ahead and work.  At the place of work, they should practice Hijab, as prescribed by the Shariah, with the whole staff and should avoid unnecessary talk also.

 

Right to earn

 

The husband is the head of the family.  Supporting the wife is the responsibility of the husband.  As Almighty Allah says in Surah Nisa:

 

Men are guardians and managers over women, because Allah has made one superior to the other, and (also) because men spend their wealth (on them).  Surah Nisa (4:34)

 

Men are the guardians of women, because Allah Most High has distinguished one over the other and because the men spend their wealth on them.

 

The Shariah does not give the women any organizational or economic responsibility.  In light of this, husband has no right over the income of the wife. 

 

Women managing Waqf properties

 

If the woman is sane, wise, has the ability to manage the property as the laws of the Shariah through a deputy, as per the rules of Hijab, then as per the Shariah, she can be made the caretaker (Mutawwali) of any endowment (Waqf) property.  As given in Kitab Ul Is’aaf Fi Ahkamil Awqaaf, pg 14. 

 

Right to marry

 

Islam regards the consent of the girl also as necessary.  The consent of an adult and sane girl is also necessary for marriage. 

 

However, if a girl wants to marry someone below her (Gair-Kufu), then the parents can stop her and still if she ends up marrying, then they can get the marriage annulled.  Also, if the Mehr (alimony) is less than "Mehr Mithl” (the alimony of her mother/aunt), then the parents/guardian can demand it.  They can also demand a separation as given in Fatawa A’alamgiri, Vol. 1, Pg. No. 292/293/294.

 

Is polygamy a strike against women?

 

If we look at it from a statistical point of view, the number of women is proportionately more than the number of men.  Usually those kinds of work which are dangerous are by and large done by men, like for example fighting in wars.  Women rarely and negligibly participate in these kinds of works.  If men were to marry only woman, then the proportion of those women who have been widowed or have never been married would start climbing up in the society.

 

If a practical and just solution is not found for this, then the society will be ridden with moral diseases.  The only practical and just solution for this is polygamy for men.

 

For all these reasons, Islam has given permission to marry up to 4 women.  The condition is that the husband should be able to maintain justice between the wives and should fulfill all their rights (physical, economic, social, etc.) justly, as mentioned in Surah Nisa:

 

Then if you fear that you will not be able to treat (more than one wife) justly then (marry) only one woman …Surah Nisa (4:3)

 

Share in inheritance

 

If the parents are distributing their property in their life itself, then they should be just and give an equal share to all children.  If a son/daughter is financially weak, they may give an extra share as well.

 

However, if the property is distributed after their death, then the inheritance will be distributed as per the injunctions given in the Holy Quran and the Hadith only, i.e. girls, whether married or unmarried will receive their due share in the inheritance.