Liberty of Women in Islam

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WOMEN'S LIBERATION THROUGH ISLAM
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Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that
the women's liberation movement began in the 20th century.
Actually, the women's liberation movement was not begun by women
but was revealed by God to a man in the seventh century by the
name of Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is known as the last
Prophet of Islam.  The Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet
(Hadith or Sunnah) are the sources from which every Muslim woman
derives her rights and duties.

I.  HUMAN RIGHTS
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Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to
God in glorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her
moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her
humanity with men.

In the Qur'an, in the first verse of the chapter entitled
"Women," God says, "O mankind!  Be careful of your duty to your
Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it its mate and
from them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women.
Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom you claim (your
rights) of one another, and towards the wombs (that bore you).
Lo! Allah has been a Watcher over you."  (4:1)

Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are
equal in their humanity.  Women cannot be by nature evil (as some
religious believe) or then men would be evil also.  Similarly,
neither gender can be superior because it would be a
contradiction of equality.

II.  CIVIL RIGHTS
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In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom of choice and expression
based on recognition of her individual personality.  First, she
is free to choose her religion.  The Qur'an states:  "There is no
compulsion in religion. Right has been made distinct from error."
(2:256)

Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and
ideas. There are many traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) which
indicate women would pose questions directly to him and offer
their opinions concerning religion, economics and social matters.

A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name after
marriage.  A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legal disputes.
In fact, in areas in which women are more familiar, their
evidence is conclusive.

III.  SOCIAL RIGHTS
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The Prophet (pbuh) said:  "Seeking knowledge is a mandate for
every Muslim (male and female)."  This includes knowledge of the
Qur'an and the Hadith as well as other knowledge.  Men and women
both have the capacity for learning and understanding.  Since it
is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad
behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the
appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with
their own natural talents and interests.

While maintenance of a home, providing support to her husband,
and bearing, raising and teaching of children are among the first
and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the skills
to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may
do so as long as her family obligations are met.

Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men
and women despite their equality.  Some types of work are more
suitable for men and other types for women.  This in no way
diminishes either's effort nor its benefit.  God will reward both
sexes equally for the value of their work, though it may not
necessarily be the same activity.

Concerning motherhood, the Prophet (pbuh) said:  "Heaven lies
under the feet of mothers."  This implies that the success of a
society can be traced to the mothers that raised it.  The first
and greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of
security, affection, and training received from the mother.
Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and
conscientious in order to be a skillful parent.

IV.  POLITICAL RIGHTS
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A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is the right
to vote. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion and
participate in politics.  One example, narrated in the Qur'an
(60:12), is that Muhammad (pbuh) is told that when the believing
women come to him and swear their allegiance to Islam, he must
accept their oath.  This established the right of women to select
their leader and publicly declare so.  Finally, Islam does not
forbid a woman from holding important positions in government.
Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf consulted many women before he recommended
Uthman Ibn Affan to be the Caliph.

V.  ECONOMIC RIGHTS
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The Qur'an states:  "By the creation of the male and female;
Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse."  (92:3-4)

In these verses, God declares that He created men and women to be
different, with unique roles, functions and skills.  As in
society, where there is a division of labor, so too in a family;
each member has different responsibilities.  Generally, Islam
upholds that women are entrusted with the nurturing role, and
men, with the guardian role.  Therefore, women are given the
right of financial support.

The Qur'an states:  "Men are the maintainers of women because
Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they
spend of their wealth (for the support of women)."  (4:34)

This guardianship and greater financial responsibility is given
to men, requires that they provide women with not only monetary
support but also physical protection and kind and respectful
treatment.

The Muslim woman has the privilege to earn money, the right to
own property, to enter into legal contracts and to manage all of
her assets in any way she pleases.  She can run her own business
and no one has any claim on her earnings including her husband.
The Qur'an states:

"And in no wise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed
His gifts more freely on some of you than on others; to men is
allotted what they earn, and to women, what they earn; but ask
Allah of His bounty, for Allah hath full knowledge of all
things."  (4:32)

A woman inherits from her relatives.  The Qur'an states: "For men
there is a share in what parents and relatives leave, and for
women there is a share of what parents and relatives leave,
whether it be little or much - an ordained share."  (4:7)

VI.  RIGHTS OF A WIFE
=====================

The Qur'an states:  "And among His signs is that He created for
you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquillity
with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in
that are signs for people who reflect."  (30:21)

Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity,
but in fact, a sign from God!  It is a relationship of mutual
rights and obligations based on divine guidance.  God created men
and women with complimentary natures, and in the Qur'an, He laid
out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between
the sexes.

"...They are your garments and you are their garments."  (2:187)

Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and
faults of the body.  Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way.  Each
protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the
characteristics of the spouse.

To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim
wives have various rights.  The first of the wife's rights is to
receive mahr, a gift from the husband which is part of the
marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.

The second right of a wife is maintenance.  Despite any wealth
she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food,
shelter and clothing.  He is not forced, however, to spend beyond
his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable
demands.  The Qur'an states: "Let the man of means spend
according to his means, and the man whose resources are
restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him.
Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him."
(65:7)

God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the
leadership in the family.  His responsibility for obeying God
extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.

A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs.  She has the
right to kind treatment.  The Prophet (pbuh) said:  "The most
perfect believers are the best in conduct.  And the best of you
are those who are best to their wives."  God tells us He created
mates and put love, mercy, and tranquillity between them.

Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual
needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs.  For one
spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, temptation exists
to seek it elsewhere.

VII.  DUTIES OF A WIFE
======================

With rights come responsibilities.  Therefore, wives have certain
obligations to their husbands.  The Qur'an states: "The good
women in the absence of their husbands guard their rights as
Allah has enjoined upon them to be guarded."  (4:34)

A wife is to keep her husband's secrets and protect their marital
privacy. Issues of intimacy or faults of his that would dishonor
him, are not to be shared by the wife, just as he is expected to
guard her honor.

A wife must also guard her husband's property.  She must
safeguard his home and possessions, to the best of her ability,
from theft or damage.  She should manage the household affairs
wisely so as to prevent loss or waste. She should not allow
anyone to enter the house whom her husband dislikes nor incur any
expenses of which her husband disapproves.

A Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her husband.
There cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is
disobedient to God.  She should not fulfill his requests if he
wants her to do something unlawful. A husband also should not
take advantage of his wife, but be considerate of her needs and
happiness.

VIII.  CONCLUSION
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The Qur'an states:  "And it becomes not a believing man or a
believing women, when Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) have
decided on an affair (for them), that they should (after that)
claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah
and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest."
(33:36)

The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400 years
ago that most women do not enjoy today, even in the West.  These
are from God and are designed to keep balance in society; what
may seem unjust or missing in one place is compensated for or
explained in another place.  Islam is a complete way of life.