Women in the Qur'an and the Sunnah

by Dr. 'Abdur Rahman I. Doi, Professor and Director,

Center for Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, Nigeria.

In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and

women as far as their relationship to God is concerned, as
both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the
same punishment for evil conduct.

The Qur'an, in addressing the believers, often uses the

expression, 'believing men and women' to emphasize the
equality of men and women in regard to their respective
duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says:

For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women,
for devout men and women, for true men and women, for
men and women who are patient and constant, for men and
women who humble themselves, for men and women who
give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and
women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who
engage much in God's praise, for them has God prepared
forgiveness and great reward. (33:35)

This clearly contradicts the assertion of some the Christian

Fathers that women do not possess souls and that they will
exist as sexless beings in the next life. The Qur'an says that
women have souls in exactly the same way as men and will
enter Paradise if they do good :

Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70)
Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male
or female, him or her will We quicken to happy life. (16:97)

The Qur'an admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat

women:

O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against

their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you
may take away part of the dowry you have given them -
except when they have become guilty of open lewdness. On
the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and
equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike
something and God will bring about through it a great deal of
good. (4:19)

Considering the fact that before the advent of Islam the pagan
Arabs used to bury their female children alive, make women
dance naked in the vicinity of the Ka'ba during their annual
fairs, and treat women as mere chattels and objects of sexual
pleasure -- possessing no rights or position whatsoever, these
teachings of the Noble Qur'an were revolutionary. Unlike other
religions, which regarded women as being possessed of
inherent sin and wickedness, and men as being possessed of
inherent virtue and nobility, Islam regards men and women as
being of the same essence created from a single soul. The
Qur'an declares:

O mankind! Revere your Guardian-Lord, who created you from

a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from
this pair scattered (like seeds) countless men and women.
Revere God, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights),
and reverence the wombs (that bore you); for God ever
watches over you. (4:1)

The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, said, "Women are

the twin halves of men". The Qur'an emphasizes the essential
unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile:

They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment
for them. (2:187)

Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and

wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure
each other's chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body;
so does the husband find comfort in his wife's company and
she in his. "The garment is the grace, the beauty, the
embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands
as their husbands are to them." Islam does not consider
woman "an instrument of the Devil", but rather the Qur'an
calls her muhsana - a fortress against Satan because a good
woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of
rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was
considered by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as
a most virtuous act. He said: "When a man marries, he has
completed one half of his religion." He enjoined matrimony on
Muslims by saying: "Marriage is part of my way and whoever
keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my
follower)." The Qur'an has given the raison d'être of marriage
in the following words:

And among His signs is this, that He has created for you
mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in
tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between
you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21)

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was full of

praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said: "The world
and all things in the world are precious but the most precious
thing in the world is a virtuous woman." He once told the
future Caliph, 'Umar: "Shall I not inform you about the best
treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases
him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself
when he is absent from her." On other occasions the Prophet,
peace be upon him, said: "The best property a man can have
is a remembering tongue (i.e. which remembers God), a
grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith."
And again: "The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the
best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife."
Before the advent of Islam women were often treated worse
than animals. The Prophet wanted to put a stop to all cruelties
to women. He preached kindness towards them. He told the
Muslims: "Fear God in respect of women." And: "The best of
you are they who behave best to their wives." And: "A Muslim
must not hate his wife, and if he be displeased with one bad
quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good." And:
"The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more
perfect in faith he is." The Prophet, peace be upon him, was
most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their
women when he delivered his famous sermon (Arabic: khutba
on the Mount of Mercy, at Arafat, in the presence of one
hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who
had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage).
In it he ordered those present, and through them all those
Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind
towards women. He said:

"Fear God regarding women. Verily you have married them

with the trust of God, and made their bodies lawful with the
word of God. You have got (rights) over them, and they have
got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing
according to your means."

In Islam a woman is a completely independent personality.

She can make any contract or bequest in her own name. She
is entitled to inherit in her position as mother, as wife, as
sister and as daughter. She has perfect liberty to choose her
husband. The pagan society of pre-Islamic Arabia had an
irrational prejudice against their female children whom they
used to bury alive. The Messenger of God, peace be upon him,
was totally opposed to this practice. He showed them that
supporting their female children would act as a screen for
them against the fire of Hell:

It is narrated by the Prophet's wife, 'A'isha, that a woman

entered her house with two of her daughters. She asked for
charity but 'A'isha could not find anything except a date, which
was given to her. The woman divided it between her two
daughters and did not eat any herself. Then she got up and
left. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, came to the
house, 'A'isha told him about what had happened and he
declared that when this woman was brought to account (on
the Day of Judgment) about her two daughters, they would
act as a screen for her from the fires of Hell.

The worst calamity for a woman is when her husband passes

away and, as a widow, the responsibility of maintaining the
children falls upon her. In the Eastern World, where a woman
does not always go out to earn her living, the problems of
widowhood are indescribable. The Prophet Muhammad, peace
be upon him, upheld the cause of widows. Most of his wives
were widows. In an age when widows were rarely permitted to
remarry, the Prophet encouraged his followers to marry them.
He was always ready to help widows and exhorted his
followers to do the same. Abu Hurairah reported that the
Prophet said: "One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a
poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of God, or
like one who stands up for prayers all of the the night and
fasts all of the day."

Woman as mother commands great respect in Islam. The

Noble Qur'an speaks of the rights of the mother in a number
of verses. It enjoins Muslims to show respect to their mothers
and serve them well even if they are still unbelievers. The
Prophet, peace be upon him, states emphatically that the
rights of the mother are paramount. Abu Hurairah reported
that a man came to the Messenger of God, peace be upon
him, and asked: "O Messenger of God, who is the person who
has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and
attention?" He replied, "Your mother." "Then who?" He replied,
"Your mother." "Then who?" He replied, "Your mother." "Then
who?" He replied, "Your father."

In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join

the war against the Quraish (i.e. the pagan disbelievers at that
time) in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying
that his service to his mother would be a cause for his
salvation. Mu'awiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that
Jahimah came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said:
"Messenger of God! I want to join the fighting (in the path of
God) and I have come to seek your advice." He said, "Then
remain in your mother's service, because Paradise is under her
feet."

The Prophet's followers accepted his teachings and brought

about a revolution in their social attitude towards women.
They no longer considered women as a mere chattels, but as
an integral part of society. For the first time women were
given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new
social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became
highly active members of society rendering useful service
during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the
emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the
soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it
was necessary. It became a common sight to see women
helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and
business independently, and going out of their homes to
satisfy their needs.

'A'isha reported that Saudah bint Zam'ah went out one night.
'Umar saw her and recognized her and said, "By God, O
Saudah, why do you not hide yourself from us?" She went
back to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and told him about it
while he was having supper in her room, and he said: "It is
permitted by God for you to go out for your needs." The
predominant idea in the teachings of Islam with regard to men
and women is that a husband and wife should be full-fledged
partners in making their home a happy and prosperous place,
and that they should be loyal and faithful to one another, and
genuinely interested in each other's welfare and the welfare of
their children. A woman is expected to exercise a humanizing
influence over her husband and to soften the sternness
inherent in his nature. A man is enjoined to educate the
women in his care so that they cultivate the qualities in which
they, by their very nature, excel.

These aspects were much emphasized by the Prophet, peace

be upon him. He exhorted men to marry women of piety and
women to be faithful to their husbands and kind to their
children. He said: "Among my followers the best of men are
those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are
those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women
is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand
martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are
those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them
dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of God's
laws."

Once Mu'awiyah asked the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"What are the rights that a wife has over her husband?" The
Prophet, peace be upon him, replied: "Feed her when you take
your food, give her clothes to wear when you wear clothes,
refrain from giving her a slap on the face or abusing her, and
do not separate from your wife, except within the house."
Once a woman came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, with
a complaint against her husband. He told her: "There is no
woman who removes something to replace it in its proper
place, with a view to tidying her husband's house, but that
God sets it down as a virtue for her. Nor is there a man who
walks with his wife hand-in-hand, but that God sets it down as
a virtue for him; and if he puts his arm round her shoulder in
love, his virtue is increased tenfold." Once he was heard
praising the women of the tribe of Quraish, saying: " . . .
because they are the kindest to their children while they are
infants and because they keep a careful watch over the
belongings of their husbands."

The Shari'ah (Islamic Law) regards women as the spiritual and

intellectual equals of men. The main distinction it makes
between them is in the physical realm based on the equitable
principle of fair division of labor. It allots the more strenuous
work to the man and makes him responsible for the
maintenance of the family. It allots the work of managing the
home and the upbringing and training of children to the
woman, work which has the greatest importance in the task of
building a healthy and prosperous society.

It is a fact, however, that sound administration within the

domestic field is impossible without a unified policy. For this
reason the Shari'ah requires a man, as head of the family, to
consult with his family and then to have the final say in
decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his
prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. Any transgression
of this principle involves for him the risk of losing the favor of
God, because his wife is not his subordinate but she is, to use
the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 'the queen of
her house', and this is the position a true believer is expected
to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of
Islam in respect of women, Western talk of women's liberation
or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of
her body, deprivation of her honor, and degradation of her
soul!