How Were Women Treated In Islam In Past And Present?

In the past men and women were never equal, even now sometimes there is still gender inequality. The Holy Quran has given the same status to men and women as it says that they are both from the same origin and due to this fact women should not be looked down upon men as lower creatures. In Islam, if you think about religion women and men were moral equals in God’s sight. They are equals in religion, but not identical – gender roles are precisely defined. Similarly, the rights, roles, and responsibilities of women are evenly balanced with those of men but are not necessarily the same. Islam considered the woman as a worthy human being, with a share in humanity equal to that of the man. They were expected to fulfil the same duties of worship, prayer, faith, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Islam improved women's status, compared to other cultures that came before or that were there at the same time as Islam. Women all across the world were deprived of inheritance of a property and it was given to men. The shari’a gave Muslim women specific legal rights concerning marriage, family, and property. Women are not forced to earn or spend any money on housing, food, or general expenses. When they go out in public, they were expected to be veiled. Their appearance was and still is really modest, it highlights a woman’s personality character instead of her physical figure and promotes a deeper appreciation for who she is or was as a person. Men and women, each played a unique role to mutually uphold social morality and societal balance. Islam gave women the right to education, to marry someone of their decision, to maintain their name after marriage, to divorce, to work, to own and sell a property, to seek protection by the law, to vote, and to participate in civic and political engagement. Nonetheless, Muslim women were still expected to submit to men and their responsibilities varied with the income of their husbands. In this essay, I am going to write about women as mothers, about their marriage, and their education.

Rich or poor, women were responsible for the raising of the children. Every mother had a and still have three outstanding qualities, deep love for her children, sacrifice and dedication, protection and security. Mothers are given priority over fathers in terms of special kindness, care, duty, help, and obedience. A mother understands the children’s problem even when they cannot express it. She can uniquely sense their needs, both physical and emotional. Mothers are the silent workers who are indispensable for building a character of the next generation. Both parents, in accordance with Islamic teachings and principles, are to be obeyed, respected and not differed with as long as they do not command or order their children to disobey their Creator. The mother’s rights are greater than those of the father, and the responsibility to take care of her grows larger as the mother grows older. Allah mentions all the sacrifices mothers make in bearing children to remind people to treat their mothers with love, respect, and care. After all, no child can be born without them. Emphasizing the importance of mothers, the Prophet Muhammad said, “Heaven lies under the feet of your mother.” Every mother has to go through the difficulties of pregnancy and severe pains of labour. This is why the Prophet has given more rights to the mother than anybody else. He said, 'Do good too and serve your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then the near relatives and then those who come after them.' All Prophets explained that a woman was a fighter, from the time she became pregnant up to the time she delivered, and from the moment she began breastfeeding till the moment she stopped. To raise a virtuous child is one of the greatest good deeds. It continues to bring reward even after death. In Islam women’s contributions as mothers, are acknowledged and appreciated by every. Parents must be respected, obeyed and offered financial assistance from their children, even if they have a different religion or faith, other than Islam. Disobeying parents, disrespecting them and failing to fulfil their rights is the greatest of sins.

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The basic foundation of the society is the family, and the husband and the wife are co-partners in that family. Dating was rare in majority-Muslim countries. What often happened is that a young man of marriageable age will be offered to a girl’s guardian as a prospect. The right time to get married is after you have completed your education and your personality has stabilised. Marriage is one of the strongest relationships which Islam encourages and considers as one of the prophets’ practices. In Islam, a wife should always obey her husband. A woman was not allowed to leave the house without her husbands' permission, whether she wants to go out for a personal or general need. Arrange marriages were allowed in Islam although, a woman has the power to accept or refuse marriage proposals and her permission is needed to complete the marriage contract. She cannot be forced to marry someone against her will and if this occurs for cultural reasons, it is in direct contradiction to Islam. When a man marries a woman, she becomes his ‘honour’ which he must stubbornly defend even if he gets killed in the process. If a woman is married, her husband must fully support her financially and if she’s not married, that responsibility belongs to her closest male relative. A woman is recommended to serve her husband in kindness by preparing meals for him and undertaking other household chores. Although marriage is considered a life-long commitment, a situation may arise where marriage ceases to fulfil its purpose. Women also have the right to solicit divorce if they are unhappy with their marriage. In Islam, men are often permitted to marry multiple women, but they were not permitted to marry more than one man, usually because of the difficulty of proving which man fathered which son. At the time of marriage, a woman is entitled to a dowry from her husband. This dowry is legally owned by her and cannot be managed by anyone else. In the case of divorce, she has the power to keep whatever she owned before the divorce and anything she personally earned after marriage. The former husband has no claim whatsoever to any of her belongings. This guarantees a woman’s financial security and independence, permitting her to support herself in the situation of divorce. When a husband wanted to divorce his wife, all he had to do was repeat three times, “I dismiss thee.” The divorce became final in three months.

In the early days of Islam, women could also participate in public life and gain an education. However, over time, Muslim women were forced to live increasingly isolated lives. Muslim women have always played a role in the spread of religious knowledge. No woman held religious titles in Islam, but many women held political power, some jointly with their husbands, others independent. Prophet Muhammad said, “Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim.” Women in Islam did have access to education, and among them were poets and scholars. Women participated in government, public affairs, lawmaking, scholarship, and teaching. To continue this tradition, women are encouraged to actively participate in improving, serving, and leading the different aspects of the community. Some girls of wealthy families received private education in the home. However, women were prohibited from formal education. Throughout the 1800s, schools for girls opened in several Muslim countries. They received guidance in such subjects as crafts and housekeeping. Occasionally, women have earned credit as Islamic scholars for their writings, not for earning a degree in Islamic studies. Because several Muslims did not believe that women have the ability to teach men, even women who had religious training may only serve the needs of other women. Although, for wealthier woman, their money and knowledge gave them the ability to ignore society's traditional expectations of women and to participate fully in the economic, political, and cultural life of their community. Throughout history, several Muslim women were involved in the founding of educational institutions. Most notable of these is Fatima al-Fihri, who established the University of Al-Karaouine. Islam promotes education, particularly girls’ education. Had it not been so, the world would not have seen the transformation of society becoming one enlightened with critical thinkers and scholars.

In conclusion, women in Islam were given better and bigger opportunities than in other cultures during those times or before them. In Islam men and women were equals in Allah’s sight. They were also highly respected and appreciated as mothers, since they gave birth to their children, took care of them, etc. Women could also study, which in some places nowadays they still can’t. They could get the education they needed and give other kids the opportunity to get an education. Women could not be forced to get married, although when they got married they still had to obey their husbands. The shari’a gave Muslim women specific legal rights concerning marriage, family, and property. Islam gave women the right to education, to marry someone of their decision, to maintain their name after marriage, to divorce, to work, to own and sell a property, to seek protection by the law, to vote, and to participate in civic and political engagement. Islam gave women lots of opportunities that maybe we wouldn’t have now if it wasn’t for them.