1.

Education
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) once said: "Acquiring knowledge is compulsory for every
Muslim. (At-Tabarani)
This narration applies equally to men and women. "Knowledge" in this context refers
primarily to knowledge of the Holy Quran and Sunnah as no Muslim should be ignorant of
his or her Faith, but it also covers other areas of general education, which can contribute to
the welfare of civilization. It is precisely the ignorance about their religion among Muslims
that has led to men oppressing women because they believe it is permitted, women not
demanding their God-given rights because they are ignorant of them, and children growing
up to perpetuate their parents' follies. Throughout Islamic history, men and women both
earned respect as scholars and teachers of the Faith. The books of Rijal (Reporters of
Hadith) contain the names of many prominent women, beginning with Aishah and Hafsah.
2. Worship
Both men and women are the slaves of Allah and have a duty to worship and obey Him. Men
and women have to pray, fast, give charity, go on pilgrimage, refrain from adultery, avoid
the prohibited, enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and so on. Because of women's roles as
mothers, a role which does not end at a specific time but is a round the-clock career, they
have been exempted from attending the Mosque for the five daily prayers or for Jumuah
(Friday) prayer. Nevertheless, if they wish to attend the Mosque, no one has the right to
stop them.
3. Charitable Acts
Men and women are both encouraged to give charity, and there is nothing to stop a woman
giving charity from her husband's income. Aishah reported that the Messenger of Allah said:
"A woman will receive reward (from Allah) even when she gives charity from her husband's
earnings. The husband and the treasurer (who keeps the money on the husband's behalf)
will also be rewarded, without the reward of any of them decreasing." Asmaa once said to
the Prophet "O Messenger of Allah, I have nothing except what Zubair (her husband) brings
home." The Prophet told her: O Asmaa give in charity. Don't lock it lest your subsistence is
locked."
4. The Right to Own Wealth and Property
A woman has the right to keep her property or wealth, whether earned or inherited, and
spend it as she may please.
This right was granted to Western women only very recently, and the women of India had to
wait until 1956 for a right which Muslim women have always taken for granted. Concerning
the right to one's earnings, the Holy Quran says:
"And wish not for the things in which Allah has made some of you excel the others. For men
there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for
what they have earned, and ask Allah of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knower of
everything." (V. 4:32)
5. Freedom to Express One's Opinion
Few societies exist in which the ordinary citizen can confront the ruler face to face and
challenge his policies. Even fewer societies allow women to be so bold, yet the Islamic ideal
has always been open and accessible. This freedom of expression is aptly demonstrated by
a famous incident involving Omar the second Rightly- Guided Caliph. Omar was once
standing on the pulpit, severely reprimanding the people and ordering them not to set
excessive amounts of dower at the time of marriage. A woman got up and shouted, "Omar,
you have no right to intervene in a matter which Allah the All-Mighty has already decreed in

Quran:
"But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a Qintar (of
gold, i.e., a great amount as Mahr bridal money), take not the least bit of it back; would you
take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin?" (V.4:20)
After being reminded of this Verse, Omar withdrew his order, saying, "I am in the wrong and
she is correct."
6. Participation in Jihad
The battlefield is a place, which frightens many men let alone women. Due to the aggressive
and violent nature of war, only men have a duty to participate in Jihad (holy fighting in
Allah's cause) while women are exempted. A woman once asked the Prophet to allow
women to go on Jihad with men because of its excellence and the unlimited reward
promised to Mujahideen (Muslim fighters) in the Hereafter. The Prophet replied: "For them is
a Jihad without fighting," which referred to the Hajj and Umrah. Nevertheless the Prophet
did permit women to nurse the injured and supply provisions to the Mujahideen at some
battles. A woman from the tribe of Ghifar came with a large group of women to the Prophet
when he was preparing to leave for the conquest of Khaibar. She said: "O Allah's Messenger,
we wish to accompany you on this journey so that we may nurse the injured and help the
Muslims." The Prophet responded, Come may Allah shower His blessings upon you. Umm
Atiyyah an Ansari woman once said:
"I have participated in seven battles with the Prophet. I used to guard the camels of the
Mujahideen in their absence, cook the food, treat the injured and care for the sick."
Muadh Bin Jabal reports that his cousin Asmaa Bint Yazid killed nine Roman soldiers with a
tent-pole during the battle of Yarmuk.
7. Freedom to Choose Her Husband
The guardian of the girl whether her father, brother or uncle plays an important role in her
marriage such as finding a suitable match for her. But under no circumstance does this allow
him to force his choice on her against her wishes. She is free to accept or reject his choice,
or make her own choice. A woman named Khansa Bint Khidam once came to the Prophet
and complained:
"My father has forced me to marry my cousin in order to raise his own status (in the eyes of
the people)." The Prophet told her that she was free to dissolve this marriage and choose
whomever she wished to marry. She replied, "I accept my father's choice, but my aim was
to let the women know that fathers have no right to interfere in the marriage." (Ahmad,
Nasa'i and Ibn Majah)
8. A Woman's Guarantee in War is Acceptable
If a woman gives surety to a war-captive or gives him shelter, her guarantee will be
accepted. Umm Hani, a cousin of the Prophet, said to him after the conquest of Makkah: "I
have given shelter to two of my in-laws." The Prophet said: O Umm Hani, we have given
shelter to whom you have given shelter." According to another narrative, Umm Hani gave
shelter to a man but her cousin Ali tried to kill the man. She complained to the Prophet who
endorsed her act of giving shelter to the man.
9. The Right to Custody of Children
Divorce is especially painful and difficult when the couple has had children, and awarding
custody to either party involves difficulties. According to Western law, both father and
mother have to prove to the Court that they are more capable of looking after the children,
and this often involves maligning the other party in order to strengthen their own claims to
custody. Islamic law has its own clear decision on this issue. Custody of young boys and

girls goes to the mother. The son stays with his mother until he is about seven or nine years
of age, after which he is looked after by the father. The daughter remains with her mother
until she gets married. The exception is when the mother herself re-marries, in which case
custody may be awarded to someone else such as the girl's grandmother or aunt. This is
based on the Prophet's words to the divorcee:
"Your right to custody of the child is greater as long as you do not remarry."
10. Participation in Extending Co-operation for the Promotion of Good and
Elimination of Evil.
The Holy Quran deals with this subject in clear terms:
"The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of
one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that
Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of
all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salat (Iqmat-as-Salat), and
give Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely,
Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise." (V. 9:71)

By: Shaikh Abdul Ghaffar Hasan

Women in Islam are thought to be subjugated, degraded, oppressed - but are they really? Are millions
of Muslims simply that oppressive or are these misco Women in Islam are thought to be subjugated,
degraded, oppressed - but are they really? Are millions of Muslims simply that oppressive or are these
misconceptions fabricated by a biased media?
Over fourteen hundred years ago, Islam gave women rights that women in the West have only
recently began to enjoy. In the 1930s, Annie Besant observed, It is only in the last twenty years
that Christian England has recognised the right of woman to property, while Islam has allowed this
right from all times. It is a slander to say that Islam preaches that women have no souls. (The Life
and Teachings of Mohammed, 1932).
And for women are rights over men, similar to those of men over
women
Men and women all descended from a single person - the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). Islam
does not accept for either of them anything but justice and kind treatment.

Equal Reward & Equal Accountability

Men and women worship Allah in the same way, meaning they worship the same God (Allah), perform
the same acts of worship, follow the same scripture, and hold the same beliefs. Allah (the Arabic word
for the One true God of all creation), judges all human beings fairly and equitably. Allah emphasises
the just treatment and reward due to both men and women in many verses of the Quran:
Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to
dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. Quran 9:72
Never will I allow the loss of the work of any worker amongst you, male or female; you
are of one another.Quran 3:195

These verses show that reward is dependent upon ones actions and not ones gender. Gender does
not play any part in how a person is rewarded and judged.
If we compare Islam to other religions, we see that it offers justice between the sexes. For example,
Islam dismisses the idea that Eve is more to blame than Adam for eating from the forbidden tree.
According to Islam, Adam and Eve both sinned, they both repented and God forgave them both.

Equal Right to Knowledge

Both men and women are equally encouraged to seek knowledge. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said, Education is compulsory for every Muslim.
Also, great female Muslim Scholars existed at and around the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Some were from his family and others were his companions or their daughters. Prominent amongst
them was Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) through whom a quarter of the Islamic
law has been transmitted.
Other females were great scholars of jurisprudence and had famous male scholars as their students.

Equal Right to Choose a Spouse

Islam has honoured women by giving them the right to choose a spouse and keep their original family
name once married. Additionally, many have the impression that parents force their daughters into
marriage. This is a cultural practice, and has no basis in Islam. In fact, it is prohibited
At the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a woman came to him and said, My father
has married me to my cousin to raise his social standing and I was forced into it. The Prophet sent
for the girls father and then in his presence gave the girl the option of remaining married or
nullifying the marriage. She responded,
O Messenger of Allah, I have accepted what my father did, but I wanted to show other women (that
they could not be forced into a marriage).

Equal yet Different

While men and women have equal rights as a general principle, the specific rights and responsibilities
granted to them are not identical. Men and women have complementary rights and responsibilities.
Aside from external and internal anatomical differences, scientists know there are many other subtle
differences in the way the brains of men and women process language, information and emotion, just
to mention a few.
A socio-biology expert, Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University, said that females tend to be higher
than males in verbal skills, empathy and social skills, among other things, while men tend to be higher
in independence, dominance, spatial and mathematical skills, rank-related aggression, and other
characteristics.
It would be foolish to treat both genders the same and to ignore their differences. Islam teaches that
men and women have complementary, yet different, roles because it is best suited to their nature. God
says:
And the male is not like the female.Quran 3:36

Does not the One who created, know? And He is the Most Kind, the All Aware.Quran
67:14

The Family Unit

God created men and women to be different, with unique roles, skills and responsibilities. These
differences are not viewed as evidences of superiority or inferiority, but of specialisation. In Islam, the
family is of central importance. The man is responsible for the financial well being of the family while
the woman contributes to the familys physical, educational and emotional well being. This
encourages cooperation rather than competition. By fulfilling their mutual responsibilities, strong
families are created and hence strong societies.
Also, emotionally, neither men nor women live a happy life without one another. Allah describes this
beautifully by saying:
They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Quran 2:187
Clothing provides comfort, warmth and security as well as making one look good this is how the
relationship between the husband and wife is defined in Islam.

Love & Mercy in Spousal Relations

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also encouraged men to treat their spouses in the best way, The
best of you are those who are best (in treatment) to their wives.
And among His signs is that He created or you wives amongst yourselves that you may
dwell in tranquillity with them; and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts).
Surely in this are Signs for people who reflect.Quran 30:21
Aisha (the Prophets wife) was once asked how the Prophets conduct was in his home. She
said, He was like one of you at home, yet he was most lenient and most generous ... He was ready to
give a helping hand to his wives in the ordinary work of the house, [he] sewed his own clothes and
mended his own shoes. In general, he helped in whatever work his wives did.

Lofty Positions of Mothers & Daughters

A mother has the greatest influence on a child especially in the earlier years through her affection,
care and love. Undoubtedly, the success of a society is due to mothers. Therefore, it is only right for
Islam to honour and raise their status.
Allah says in the Quran:
And we have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his Parents, His mother bears him
with hardship and she brings him forth with hardship.Quran 46:15
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was once asked, O Messenger of Allah, who among people is most
deserving of my good treatment? He said, Your mother. The man asked twice more, Then
who? and was given the same response. Only until the fourth time did the Prophet respond, Then
your father. Reward is not only given to the good and kind treatment towards mothers. In fact,
Islam has designated a special reward for raising daughters that is not granted for raising sons.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, Whoever Allah has given two daughters
and is kind towards them, they will be a reason for him entering Paradise.

Conclusion
Before Islam, women were considered shameful, female children were buried alive, prostitution was
rampant, divorce was only in the hands of the husband, inheritance was only for the strong, and
oppression was widespread. Islam came and abolished these practices. Even now, in developed
countries, women are not granted respect, dignity and honour, let alone equal pay for equal work.
Islam, however, regards women as precious and valuable, not to be disrespected or disgraced. The
mistreatment of women in some Middle-Eastern countries or Muslim families is due to cultural factors
that some Muslims wrongly follow, not because of Islam. Why would many women around the world
willingly enter Islam if it is an oppressive religion?
We end with the words of our Lord and your Lord, the Creator and Sustainer of all men and women:
Surely the men who submit and the women who submit, and the believing men and the
believing women, and the obedient men and the obedient women, and the truthful men
and the truthful women, and the patient men and the patient women, and the humble men
and the humble women Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great
reward.Quran 33:35
- See more at: http://www.iisna.com/articles/pamphlets/womens-rights-in-islam/#sthash.LVTo83Po.dpuf