Women in Islam: Full Rights and Independent Personality

The Status of Women Before Islam

When Islam arrived, women were neglected beings, without social standing or any rights whatsoever. In the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah), a man was not questioned as to why he killed a woman, or kept her from marriage, or humiliated her. These were merely customs sanctioned by those societies and inherited from generation to generation. Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah, in the pre-Islamic era, we did not consider women to be of any account until Allah revealed what He revealed about them and allotted to them what He allotted."

Islam's Revolutionary Stance

• First, Islam forbade female infanticide (wa'd al-banat):

"And when the girl buried alive is asked (8) For what sin she was killed?" (Quran, Surah At-Takwir)

• Then, it declared war on customs and traditions that incite hatred towards females, describing those who practiced them as dull-minded and illogical:

"And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face darkens, and he suppresses grief. (58) He hides himself from the people because of the ill of that which he has been informed. Should he keep it in [spite of] humiliation or bury it in the dust? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide." (Quran, Surah An-Nahl)

• It instilled love for daughters in its followers, gave glad tidings to those blessed with them, and warned against hating, oppressing, or mistreating them. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Do not hate daughters, for they are comforting and precious." (Narrated by At-Tabarani). He also said: "When a girl is born, Allah Almighty sends an angel who bestows blessings abundantly, saying: 'A weak one has emerged from a weak one. Her guardian is aided until the Day of Judgment.'" (Narrated by Ahmad).
• It prohibited discrimination between the two genders: male and female. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Deal justly between your children in gifts (i.e., giving) just as you like them to deal justly between you in righteousness and kindness." (Narrated by At-Tabarani).

Elevating Women's Dignity and Independence

Islam elevated the status of women, preserved their dignity, delicacy, and beauty, and granted them an independent personality. It abolished the dehumanizing, lustful view of them:

"And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought." (Quran, Surah Ar-Rum: 21)

It proclaimed their freedom and independence, granted them all human rights, and recognized their competence, which is no less than that of a man. The Holy Quran addresses many matters concerning women in more than 10 of its surahs, one of which is known as "Al-Nisa' Al-Kubra" (the Greater Women, i.e., Surah An-Nisa), and another as "Al-Nisa' As-Sughra" (the Lesser Women, i.e., Surah At-Talaq).

Woman's Place in Islamic Thought

• In the Islamic conception, women are one of the two halves of the human species. Allah Almighty says:

"And that He created the two mates – the male and female." (Quran, Surah An-Najm: 45) And one of the two halves of a single soul: "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." (Quran, Surah An-Nisa: 1) "...some of you are from others..." (Quran, Surah An-Nisa: 25) The Prophet (PBUH) also said: "Indeed, women are the counterparts of men." (Narrated by Abu Dawud).

• She is exactly like a man in religious obligations:

"Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do." (Quran, Surah An-Nahl: 97) "And their Lord responded to them, 'Indeed, I will not allow to be lost the work of [any] doer among you, whether male or female; you are of one another.'" (Quran, Surah Al-Imran: 195) "And due to them [wives] is a similar [right] to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable." (Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah: 228) With the exception of some obligations, not due to her unsuitability to perform them, for if she did, she would not be deprived of her reward. Rather, she was granted permission to forgo these obligations as an alleviation for her, to avoid competition with men, and to free her for the burdens of her family, such as in Friday prayers and Jihad. (Educational Rights of Women, Dr. Mona As-Salous).

Acquired Rights Established by Islam

• She has the right to inheritance, and her independent financial liability. She participates with men in social life, sharing hardships, difficulties, and crises. She participates with men in the battlefield. She has the right to choose her husband. As a wife, she has the right to be treated with kindness and goodness. She has the right to Khul' (dissolution of marriage), just as a man has the right to divorce. She has the right to seek knowledge. She has the right to lease and work outside the home according to Islamic guidelines, and in a way that aligns with her natural disposition and the welfare of society.
• She has full legal capacity and an independent personality. Islam appreciates her responsibilities:

"Every person is a pledge for what he has earned." (Quran, Surah At-Tur: 21) It also values her freedom. Ibn Abbas narrated that Barirah's husband was a slave named Mugheeth. He (Ibn Abbas) said: "It is as if I am looking at him following her and crying, his tears flowing down his beard." The Prophet (PBUH) said to Abbas: "O Abbas, aren't you amazed by Mugheeth's love for Barirah and Barirah's dislike for Mugheeth?!" The Prophet (PBUH) then said to her: "Why don't you take him back?" She said: "O Messenger of Allah, are you commanding me?" He said: "I am only interceding." She said: "I have no need for him." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari). Women's freedom in Islam is guaranteed, just like men's, starting from her freedom to choose her creed and ending with her freedom to express her opinion without fear of accountability or exclusion.

• She has a strong personality. She does not imitate men out of a feeling of inability or inadequacy. She maintains her chastity and purity, covers herself in her clothing and adornment, and does not struggle with life as a man does. She is proud of herself, cultivates her intellect with knowledge and reading, stays away from superstitions, is loyal to all people, and avoids harming them, backbiting them, or thinking ill of them.
• She is innocent of being responsible for Adam's (PBUH) disobedience to his Lord. Islam has refuted the impurity that previous scriptures spoke of. It states in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Leviticus: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstrual period."
• The Islamic call cannot stand except on its two wings: men and women. Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first of all beings to believe. She sacrificed everything she owned to support the religion of Allah. Sumayyah bint Khayyat was the first martyr of Islam. Muslim women played a fundamental role in the hardships faced by Muslims. Asmaa bint Abi Bakr, for example, set an example of enduring hardships and courage in truth, and steadfastness in adversity, by contributing to the success of the Prophet's (PBUH) migration plan.
• She is equal to a man in blood; the ruling for both is the same if retribution (Qisas) is due. Consequently, they are equal in blood money (Diyah). The Quranic verse regarding blood money is general and absolute, without distinguishing men from women in any way:

"And whoever kills a believer by mistake – then due to him is the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment presented to his family, unless they remit it as charity." (Quran, Surah An-Nisa: 92)