The Status of Women in Islam
Important Rights that Islam Granted to Women
The woman remained oppressed, deprived of her rights, with broken wings and stripped of her will, until Islam came with its noble law and established the true balance in affirming the dignity of woman, her humanity, and her competence to perform a lofty mission in society. It granted her a high status so that she would find from those around her the appreciation and respect worthy of her as a mother raising generations, as a wife with rights and responsibilities, and as a young woman whose honor is safeguarded from the mischief of transgressors and those driven by lust. As the Prophet said: "Women are the counterparts of men." (Narrated by Abu Dawud)
Among the most important rights that Islam granted to woman, which had been denied to her throughout previous eras, are:
Among the most important rights that Islam granted to woman, which had been denied to her throughout previous eras, are:
- Right to life
Allah Almighty forbade burying girls alive, as the Arabs used to do before Islam, Allah said in Quran : "And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked" (81:8). "For what sin she was killed." (81:9).
"And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief." (16:58). "He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide." (16:59).
- The Right to Ownership and Disposal of Her Wealth
Islam granted women the right to own inheritance. It also gave them the right to manage their wealth; they may buy, sell, and donate from their wealth as they wish, as they possess full legal capacity. If she is employed, she can manage her earnings and spend from them in the manner she desires, in accordance with Islamic legal rulings.
- The Right to Accept or Reject a Suitor
Like men, women have the right to choose a righteous, believing spouse, and it is not permissible to compel her to marry a man she does not desire. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "A previously married woman has more right to decide about herself than her guardian, and a virgin's consent is sought, and her silence is her consent." (Narrated by Muslim).
The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: "A virgin should not be given in marriage until her permission has been sought, and a previously married woman should not be given in marriage until she has been consulted." It was said, "O Messenger of Allah, a virgin feels shy." He said: "Her permission is her silence." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
Al-Khansā' bint Khidām came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and informed him that her father had married her off while she was a previously married woman, and she disliked it. So, he annulled her marriage. (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: "A virgin should not be given in marriage until her permission has been sought, and a previously married woman should not be given in marriage until she has been consulted." It was said, "O Messenger of Allah, a virgin feels shy." He said: "Her permission is her silence." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
Al-Khansā' bint Khidām came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and informed him that her father had married her off while she was a previously married woman, and she disliked it. So, he annulled her marriage. (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
- The Right to Knowledge and Learning
Whether knowledge is acquired in the mosque, as was the case during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), or in schools and universities, as it is today, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Any man who has a young girl under his care and educates her well, teaching her excellently, and disciplines her with the best upbringing... will receive a double reward...” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari).
Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would set aside a special day for women to remind them, and enjoin upon them obedience to God Almighty.
- The Right to Separate from One's Husband
In addition to these rights, Islam has established that women and men are created from a single origin, Allah said in the Quran: "O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer." (4:1).
And Allah the Exalted has honored women as daughters, mothers, and wives. In His Majestic Book, He said regarding the rights of mothers: "And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, ‘My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve, and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims." (46:15).
- The Right to Political Participation
Islam permits women
to participate in electing the head of state, Allah said in The Quran: "And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it—his heart is indeed sinful, and Allah is Knowing of what you do." (2:283).
As Majid Abu Hijir said: "Testimony (shahadah) is an obligation for both men and women, and voting is a testimony of truth wherein one informs about who is fit to lead the nation. Voting is an exercise of independent judgment (ijtihad), which womanhood does not prohibit, just as issuing religious rulings (fatwa) is valid from a woman. Moreover, the election process in our time is organized and takes place within a short period, which does not prevent a woman from fulfilling her primary roles as a wife and a nurturing mother."
This is in contrast to if a woman wishes to nominate herself as a parliamentary representative. Islam takes a disapproving stance toward this, not due to any lack of qualification on the part of women, but because of the social harms that arise from it, the violations of Sharia rulings, Islamic etiquette and morals, and the severe infringement upon the stability and cohesion of the family, as well as the distraction of women from managing their affairs with complete tranquility and assurance.
As Majid Abu Hijir said: "Testimony (shahadah) is an obligation for both men and women, and voting is a testimony of truth wherein one informs about who is fit to lead the nation. Voting is an exercise of independent judgment (ijtihad), which womanhood does not prohibit, just as issuing religious rulings (fatwa) is valid from a woman. Moreover, the election process in our time is organized and takes place within a short period, which does not prevent a woman from fulfilling her primary roles as a wife and a nurturing mother."
This is in contrast to if a woman wishes to nominate herself as a parliamentary representative. Islam takes a disapproving stance toward this, not due to any lack of qualification on the part of women, but because of the social harms that arise from it, the violations of Sharia rulings, Islamic etiquette and morals, and the severe infringement upon the stability and cohesion of the family, as well as the distraction of women from managing their affairs with complete tranquility and assurance.
Muslim women in the early period of Islam possessed a range of qualities that enabled them to actively participate in public life. They were distinguished by strong character, intellectual capability, eloquence, sound understanding and expression, as well as the ability to endure and remain steadfast. These attributes led the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to encourage honoring women, elevating their status, and granting them the position they deserve in society. The foremost teacher of humanity (peace be upon him) himself educated his wives.
For instance, he once passed by his wife Juwayriyah bint Al-Harith, who was engaged in worship and devotion to Allah, and said to her: "Shall I not teach you words to say: Glory be to Allah according to the number of His creation, according to His pleasure, according to the weight of His Throne, and according to the extent of His words." (Narrated by Muslim)
Lady ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was a jurist, a narrator of Hadith, and also composed poetry. Al-Sha‘bi reported that it was said to ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "O Mother of the Believers, you received this Qur'an from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), as well as the rulings on what is lawful and unlawful; and this poetry, genealogy, and historical accounts you heard from your father and others. But what about medicine?" She replied: "Delegations used to come to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and a man would often complain of his ailment. He would ask about its remedy and would be informed, so I memorized and understood what he prescribed."
Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari said: "Whenever we, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), faced a difficult Hadith, we would ask ‘Aishah about it and would always find that she had knowledge of it." (Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi)
The number of narrations in her Musnad reached 2,210. Al-Zuhri said: "If the knowledge of all people and the Mothers of the Believers were combined, ‘Aishah would have been the most knowledgeable among them." (Narrated by Al-Hakim)
Al-Baladhuri mentioned in Futuh al-Buldan: "Umm al-Mu’minin Hafsa bint ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab learned writing in the pre-Islamic period from a literate woman named Al-Shifa’ al-‘Adawiyyah. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) married her, he asked Al-Shifa’ to teach her to improve and beautify her handwriting, just as she had taught her the basics of writing."
As for Umm al-Dardā’ al-Sughrā (Hujaymah bint Yaḥyā al-Waṣābiyyah), she transmitted a vast amount of knowledge from her husband Abū al-Dardā’, as well as from Salmān al-Fārisī, ‘Ā’ishah, and Abū Hurayrah. She recited the Qur’ān before Abū al-Dardā’ and became renowned for her knowledge and righteous deeds. She was pious and ascetic, living a long life until the caliphate of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān. Once, while ‘Abd al-Malik was sitting on a rock in Jerusalem, Umm al-Dardā’ was seated with him when the call for Maghrib prayer was made. He stood up, and she rose leaning on him until they entered the mosque together. She was a learned jurist, and men would sit with her to recite religious texts under her guidance. ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān himself would listen to her teachings.
For instance, he once passed by his wife Juwayriyah bint Al-Harith, who was engaged in worship and devotion to Allah, and said to her: "Shall I not teach you words to say: Glory be to Allah according to the number of His creation, according to His pleasure, according to the weight of His Throne, and according to the extent of His words." (Narrated by Muslim)
Lady ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was a jurist, a narrator of Hadith, and also composed poetry. Al-Sha‘bi reported that it was said to ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "O Mother of the Believers, you received this Qur'an from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), as well as the rulings on what is lawful and unlawful; and this poetry, genealogy, and historical accounts you heard from your father and others. But what about medicine?" She replied: "Delegations used to come to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and a man would often complain of his ailment. He would ask about its remedy and would be informed, so I memorized and understood what he prescribed."
Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari said: "Whenever we, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), faced a difficult Hadith, we would ask ‘Aishah about it and would always find that she had knowledge of it." (Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi)
The number of narrations in her Musnad reached 2,210. Al-Zuhri said: "If the knowledge of all people and the Mothers of the Believers were combined, ‘Aishah would have been the most knowledgeable among them." (Narrated by Al-Hakim)
Al-Baladhuri mentioned in Futuh al-Buldan: "Umm al-Mu’minin Hafsa bint ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab learned writing in the pre-Islamic period from a literate woman named Al-Shifa’ al-‘Adawiyyah. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) married her, he asked Al-Shifa’ to teach her to improve and beautify her handwriting, just as she had taught her the basics of writing."
Then there is Fāṭimah bint ‘Alā’ al-Dīn al-Samarqandī al-Ḥanafī, the daughter of the author of the book Tuḥfat al-Fuqahā’. She memorized the Tuḥfa and became a distinguished jurist. Many men sought her hand in marriage, but her father did not give her in marriage to any of them. When Abū Bakr al-Kāsānī authored his work Badā’i‘ al-Ṣanā’i‘, which is a commentary on the Tuḥfa, he presented it to her father—his teacher—who was immensely pleased with it. He then married his daughter to him, making the book itself her dowry. People remarked, “He commented on his Tuḥfa, so he married him to his daughter.”
Legal verdicts (fatwas) would be issued, and they would bear both her signature and her father’s. After she married the author of Badā’i‘, the fatwas would bear her signature, her father’s, and her husband’s.
Historical and biographical works have recounted women's intellectual capacity and intelligence. For example, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) emigrated from Mecca accompanied by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Abu Bakr took all his wealth with him. Asma bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: "My grandfather Abu Quhafah—who had gone blind—came to me and said, 'By Allah, he has left you bereft of his wealth and himself.' I replied, 'No, indeed he has left us much good.' I then gathered some stones, placed them in a niche in the house, and covered them with a cloth. I took his hand and placed it on the cloth, saying, 'This is what he left for us.' He said, 'If he has left this for you, then that is good.'"
Throughout Islamic history, women have joined men in the fields of jihad. Umm 'Umārah—Nusaybah al-Māziniyyah—said: "I saw myself when people had fled from around the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and no one remained except a small group of about ten. I, along with my two sons and my husband, were in front of him, defending him while people fled past him in defeat. He noticed I had no shield and saw a man retreating with a shield. He said to the man with the shield, 'Throw your shield to someone who is fighting.' He threw it, and I took it, shielding the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with it. Then a man on horseback charged at me and struck me, but I blocked his strike with the shield, and his sword did nothing. He turned away, and I struck his horse's leg, causing it to fall on its back. The Prophet (peace be upon him) called out, 'O Umm 'Umārah, strike him!' She said, 'I fought him until I brought him to the edge of death.'"And there is Ṣafiyyah bint 'Abd al-Muṭṭalib, the aunt of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), during the Battle of the Trench. She said: "I was the first woman to kill a man. Ḥassān ibn Thābit was with us when a Jew passed by, circling the fortress. I said to Ḥassān, 'I fear he may expose our vulnerabilities. Rise and kill him.' He replied, 'May Allah forgive you! You know I am not the one for such a task.' So I tightened my waist garment, took a tent pole, descended, and struck him until I killed him."