INTRODUCTION
Topic of my report is “Situation of women before Islam in Arab, Iran, India and Rome” related to the main topic “Current Social, Moral and Political Challenges of Muslims” as the situation of women before Islam was worse in these nations and relating it with situation of women after advent of Islam and current situation women in these nations. Before Islam women had not a good status they were degraded in most of the nations. They were not given respect as a common human being. They were buried alive because the people think that they are the source to sin or evil. Islam gives women a good status and respect that she can easily live in this world without any fear.
Before Islam the different nation civilizations the women rights were in dark period. The nations that were not civilized and not respect the women rights were detailed below which include: Arab, Iran, India and Rome.
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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
1) Situation of women in Arab (Before Islam):
Before Islam, the Arabs treat women as rubbish or piece of property. When the husband of women died she can’t marry until her husband guardian permitted her. The women can’t remarry until that young guardian grow up, either he will marry her or get her marry with anyone else and take dowry.
Women had no respect she was considered as a cause of shame or embarrassment. Arabs before Islam do not give inheritance to women and also deprived her from her life. When the Arabs come to know that any women give a birth to female child they usually dig a hole and throw that female child into it and cover it with dust. There was one incident in which one father was far travelling for some work and his wife give a birth to female child when he come back he throw his daughter in to the hole and cover with dust his wife was screaming but his heart do not become soften.
When that incident happens than during pregnancy the women think if there is daughter they will throw her in a hole or hide them. When the fathers came to know that there wife give a birth to daughter their faces become dark because of their hatred with the female child, they feel shame and embarrassed. They hate there female child because of two reasons:
- The female daughter can’t take part in wars with them.
- They considered their daughters as a source of shame
In Al-MADEENAH Abdullah bin UBAYY IBN SALOOL was the head of the hypocrites who get money by forcing the slave girls for being prostitutes. Than this thing was prohibited by mentioning in Quran verses than later he accepts the prohibition.
There is little question that Arabs committed infanticide before Islam. it absolutely was not a replacement issue nor was it restricted to at least one cluster of tribes. Young women were typically the victims of this dreadful follow, however, young boys could have additionally been killed once there have been no additional women left. it absolutely was aforementioned proverbially, 'The dispatch of daughters could be a kindness' and 'The burial of daughters could be a noble deed.' (Nicholson, p. 90) In Arabia, as among alternative primitive folks, child-murder was disbursed in such some way that no blood was shed, the kid was buried alive. typically the grave was prepared by the aspect of the bed on that the girl was born. (W. guard Smith, Kinship & wedding in Early Arabia. London, Adam and Charles Black, 1903, p. 293) though the follow of infanticide had once been general, it had nearly died out by the time of the prophet, except among a number of tribes, like the Tamim. Female infanticide was typically prompted by one among 2 reasons: concern of impoverishment or concern of disgrace. the primary reason is related to the frequent famines caused by lack of rain and therefore the concern of impoverishment that may result from providing for ladies WHO were viewed as less productive than boys.
Fathers were afraid that they'd have useless mouths to feed, since daughters were thought-about mere 'ornaments,' as detected within the Quran: ... if any of them is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] what he therefore promptly attributes to the foremost Gracious, his face darkens, and he's crammed with suppressed anger: What! [Am I to possess a daughter-] one WHO is to be reared [only] for the sake of ornament? - with that he finds himself torn by a imprecise inner conflict...(43:15-19) The sacred writing admonishes the Arabs against killing their youngsters for concern of impoverishment and guarantees sustenance for them: Hence, don't kill your youngsters for concern of poverty: it's we have a tendency to WHO shall offer sustenance for them moreover as for you. Verily, killing them could be a nice sin. (17:31) The second reason for infanticide could be a perverted sense of pride on the a part of the fathers WHO wished to avoid shame and disgrace, ought to their daughters be captured by the enemy in war, a typical prevalence at that point.
The murder of feminine youngsters for concern of disgrace began with Qais Bin Assem, a pacesetter of Tamim, as connected within the following story (Smith, p. 292): 'Mosharmaraj the Yashkorite raided the sa'd and carried off, among alternative girls, the girl of a sister of Qais, WHO was then married to the son of her capturer. once Qais came to ransom her, she refused to go away her husband. Qais was therefore angry that he killed all his women by burial them alive and nevermore allowed a girl to measure. One girl born in his absence was sent by the mother to her own kin and on Qais's come back he was told by his married person that she had been delivered of a dead kid. Years passed on until the lady grew up and came at some point to go to her mother. 'I came in,' therefore Qais himself told Muhammed, and saw the lady. Her mother had plaited her hair, and place rings within the side-locks, and set up them with sea-shells and placed on her a sequence of cowries, and given her a jewelry of dried dates. I said, 'who is that this pretty girl?' and her mother wept and aforementioned, 'She is your girl,' and told ME however she had saved her alive. therefore I waited until the mother ceased to be concerned concerning her, then I diode her out at some point and mamma a grave and arranged her in it, she crying, 'Father , what ar you doing with me?'
Then I lined her up with the world, and he or she still cried, 'Father, {are|ar|area unit|square MEasure} you progressing to bury me? ar you progressing to leave me alone and go away?' however I went on filling within the earth until I may hear her cries no loner; which is that the solely time that I felt pity after I buried a girl.' It is reportable that Qais's example found imitators till each chief destroyed his daughters for concern they could cause him shame. (Smith P. 292). It looks affordable to conclude that the murder of a girl to avoid shame, beneath the ugly circumstances delineate during this story, is altogether totally different from the standard style of infanticide practiced on newborn infants in primitive nations. this implies that the 2 motives for infanticide were unrelated. The insufficiency of food throughout famines had maybe additional to try to to with the origin of infanticide than family pride, since the nomads of Arabia suffered perpetually from hunger throughout most of the year. the sole persons WHO had enough to eat were nice men, and it absolutely was them WHO, following Qais’s precedent, killed their daughters out of pride. (Smith, p. 294) To the poor folks, daughters were a burden, and killing them was a natural suggests that of survival, because it was to alternative savage folks.
Situation of women in Arab (Current situation after advent of Islam):
If we go through the current situation of women in Arab we come to know that Islam had given great respect to women. Now women had right to get education in Arab region there are most of the women who are literate in Arab region. But there are most of the females illiterate also than men. In Arab they considerfemale first responsibilityis as housewife and mother. On other hand men had to support his family by working outside and that is his responsibility as mention in Islam. That’s why men education is favored most among the women.
Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates are those countries of Arab in which female literacy level is high. But in most of countries femaleright to employment is not fully accepted by the culture. But in Islamic history there were some of female judges who had a great influence. Many Arab countries also give females a chair of judge but later come to know that females are emotional and judge duty is stressful and also emotional decision cannot be made on that chair.
Most of the countries of Arab had given females political rights. Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia had neither given female a right to participate in politics and not a single female is elected.
2) Situation of women in India (Before Islam):
Hindu does not give rights to women. She was treated as a servant to the father and her husband. She was not given right of inheritance and she had no right to own anything. When any women husband died than she was buried with him or burnt alive, this act remains during the occupation of British later this custom was banned. But some of Hindus maintain that custom of burning the women’s alive in 20 century also.
Women were not given importance they were considered unlucky if there husband get dead the people of India think that they are responsible for that and then buried them or burnt them alive.
3) Situation of women in Iran (Before Islam):
Ancient Iranian culture had showed disturbing picture of women. In Iran women’s were forced to do marriage in early age. For early marriages of women’s their father marry them or their brother marry them.
In ACHAEMEIND Empire, the women have a right to participate in civil affairs but the participation was not fully granted to them it had a limit. After Herodotus visit to this Empire and noticed that men and women are working together for maintaining the state work. The women of royal houses had access to education etc.
In SASANIAN era women were treated as a piece of property and treated as slave. Father sell his daughter when cannot afford house expenditures. Women had the right to get divorce from his husband if she is married in adult age. Women had to marry the person that his father had decided at the age of nine years if she does not accept that than she has to die in any case.
Situation of women in Iran (Current situation after advent of Islam):
Current situation in Iran is that women rights are restricted they cannot watch the sports of men in stadiums. Women face serious discrimination on marriage, child custody and divorce etc. If some women talk about the equal rights of both men and women in front of government than she is taken in to jail, because the Iran government want that population should grow.
Some of the women’s are forced to wear hijabs. And the married women cannot leave the country without her husband permission.
5) Situation of women in Rome (Before Islam):
In Rome before Islam women were treated very badly by that Empire. They had no social or civil rights. In Rome if the men kill his wife no one take some action against him or given any punishment. Men had a right to marry as many women as he want. The women were sold and bought everywhere. Rome girls get marry at early age of 12 or even early than that. There was a woman named VETURIA get married at age of 11, there were six children of her and get died at the age of 27.
The women have no moral values in Rome they were considered as some property from which they can get benefit.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Before Islam there was no respect for women but at the advent of religion of Islam considered humanity of women. In current situation women has a right to get education, right in inheritance. They have given equal rights with men. Islam had given respect to women and right to live a safe life. They have right to work and had a right to vote. They had provided with dignity. There are some countries which don’t follow some rules and regulations of Islam regarding women and also not give rights to them regarding their education, marriage etc. But the most of countries should give respect to Muslim women, should allow them to avail there basic rights. Government of countries should take action against it to resolve this problem.