COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT ISLAM (PART 1 OF 7):
DOES
ISLAM REGARD MEN AND WOMEN AS EQUAL?
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
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FRIDAY 21ST SAFFAR 1439 AH- 10TH NOVEMBER 2017 CE
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu
Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu.
Praise be to Allaah; we seek His
help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own
souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led
astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness
that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi
Wasalam) is His slave and Messenger.
DOES ISLAM REGARD MEN AND WOMEN AS EQUAL?
Women are like
men in some aspects and they differ from them in others. Most of the rulings of
Islam apply to men and women equally. In cases where a distinction is made
between the sexes, the Muslim regards that as a mercy from Allaah and a sign of
His knowledge of His creation, but the arrogant kaafir (disbeliever) sees it as
oppression and injustice, so he stubbornly insists on claiming that men and
women are the same. So let kaafir (disbeliever) tell us how a man can carry a
foetus and breastfeed it? He stubbornly ignores the weakness of women and how
they bleed during their monthly period, and he stubbornly beat his head against
the rock of reality. But the Muslim is still at peace with his faith,
surrendering to the command of Allaah.
“Should not He Who has created know? And
He is the Most Kind and Courteous (to His slaves), All Aware (of everything)”
[Holy Quran Chapter al-Mulk 67:14 – interpretation of the meaning]
EQUALITY –THINKERS FROM BOTH THE EAST AND THE WEST
This word –
equality – which many thinkers in both the east and the west advocate in
various fields of life is a word which is based on deviation and a lack of
understanding, especially when the speaker attributes this idea of equality to
the Qur’aan and to Islam.
One of the
things that people misunderstand is when they say that “Islam is the religion
of equality”. What they should say is that Islam is the religion of justice.
Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Here we should
note that there are some people who speak of equality instead of justice, and
this is a mistake. We should not say equality, because equality implies no
differentiation between the two. Because of this unjust call for equality, they
started to ask, what is the difference between male and female?’ So they made
males and females the same, and then the communists said, ‘What difference is
there between ruler and subject? No one has any authority over anyone else, not
even fathers and sons; the father has no authority over his son,’ and so on.
But if we say
justice, which means giving each one that to which he or she is entitled, this
misunderstanding no longer applies, and the word used is correct. Hence it does
not say in the Qur’aan that Allaah enjoins equality, rather it says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, Allaah
enjoins Al ‘Adl (i.e. justice)”[Holy Quran Chapter al-Nahl 16:90]
“and that when
you judge between men, you judge with justice”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’
4:58]
Those who say
that Islam is the religion of equality are lying against Islam. Rather Islam is
the religion of justice which means treating equally those who are equal and
differentiating between those who are different.
No one who
knows the religion of Islam would say that it is the religion of equality.
Rather what shows you that this principle is false is the fact that most of
what is mentioned in the Qur’aan denies equality, as in the following verses:
‘Say: Are those
who know equal to those who know not?”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Zumar 39:9]
‘Say: Is the
blind equal to the one who sees? Or darkness equal to light?’[Holy Quran
Chapter al-Ra’d 13:16]
‘Not equal
among you are those who spent and fought before the conquering (of Makkah, with
those among you who did so later’[Holy Quran Chapter al-Hadeed 57:10]
‘Not equal are
those of the believers who sit (at home), except those who are disabled (by
injury or are blind or lame), and those who strive hard and fight in the Cause
of Allaah with their wealth and their live’[Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’ 4:95]
Not one single
letter in the Qur’aan enjoins equality, rather it enjoins justice. You will
also find that the word justice is acceptable to people, for I feel that if I
am better than this man in terms of knowledge, or wealth, or piety, or in doing
good, I would not like for him to be equal to me.
Every man knows
that he find it unacceptable if we say that the male is equal to the female.”
Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitah, 1/180-181
Based on this,
Islam does not regard men and women as equal in matters where regarding them as
equal would result in injustice to one of them, because equality that is
inappropriate is a severe form of injustice.
The Qur’aan
commands women to wear clothes that are different from those worn by men,
because of the differences in the ways each sex is tempted by the other. The
temptation posed by men is less than the temptation posed by women, so the
clothes that women should wear are different than the clothes that men wear. It
makes no sense to tell women to expose the parts of the body that men are
allowed to expose, because of the differences in the temptation posed by a
woman’s body and a man’s body – as we shall explain.
THERE ARE MATTERS IN WHICH MEN AND WOMEN ARE TREATED
DIFFERENTLY IN ISLAMIC SHAREE’AH, SUCH AS:
1 – QIWAAMAH (BEING IN CHARGE OF THE HOUSEHOLD)
Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Men are the protectors and maintainers of
women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they
spend (to support them) from their means”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’ 4:34]
Ibn Katheer
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Allaah says
‘Men are the protectors and maintainers of women’ meaning that the man is in
charge of the woman, i.e., he is the leader and head of the household, the one
who disciplines her if she goes astray.
‘because Allaah
has made one of them to excel the other’ i.e., because men are superior to
women and are better than women. Hence Prophethood was given only to men, as
was the position of khaleefah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, ‘No people shall ever prosper who appoint a woman as
their ruler.’ This was narrated by al-Bukhaari from the hadeeth of ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakrah from his father. The same applies to the position of
qaadi (judge), etc.
‘and because
they spend (to support them) from their means’ refers to the mahr and the
spending on women’s maintenance that Allaah has enjoined upon men in His Book
and in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
So a man is inherently better than a woman, and he is superior to her because
he spends on her. So it is appropriate that he should be in charge of her, as
Allaah says, ‘but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them’ [Holy Quran
Chapter al-Baqarah 2:228].
‘Ali ibn Abi
Talhah said, narrating from Ibn ‘Abbaas: ‘Men are the protectors and
maintainers of women’ means that men are the leaders of women and they should
obey them in areas where Allaah has enjoined obedience. Obedience may mean
treating his family kindly and protecting his wealth.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer,
1/490)
2 – TESTIMONY OR BEARING WITNESS. THE
QUR’AAN STATES THAT THE TESTIMONY OF ONE MAN IS EQUIVALENT TO THE TESTIMONY OF
TWO WOMEN.
Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “And get two witnesses out of your own men.
And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women, such as you
agree for witnesses, so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can
remind her”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah 2:282]
Ibn Katheer
said:
Two women are
to take the place of one man because women are lacking in reason, as Muslim
narrated in his Saheeh… from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “O women, give in charity and seek forgiveness a
great deal, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.”
A wise woman among them said, “Why is it, O Messenger of Allaah, that we are
the majority of the people of Hell?” He said, “Because you curse too much, and
you are ungrateful to your spouses. I have seen none lacking in common sense
and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise,
besides you.” The woman asked: “O Messenger of Allaah, what is wrong with our
common sense and our religion?” He said: “Your lack of common sense (can be
well judged from the fact) that the evidence of two women is equal to that of
one man, that is a proof of the lack of common sense, and you spend some nights
(and days) in which you do not offer prayer and in the month of Ramadan (during
the days) you do not observe fast, that is a failing in religion.” (Tafseer Ibn
Katheer, 1/336)
There may be
some women who are wiser than some men, but this is not the usual rule and such
women are not in the majority. Sharee’ah is based on what is general and most
common.
The fact that
women are lacking in reason does not mean that they are crazy, rather their
reason is often overtaken by their emotions, and this happens to women more
often than it happens to men. No one would deny this except one who is
arrogant.
3 – A WOMAN INHERITS HALF OF WHAT A MAN
INHERITS.
Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah commands you as regards your
children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females”[
Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’ 4:11]
Al-Qurtubi
said:
Because Allaah
knows better than they do what is in their best interests, He made the division
of inheritance based on differentiation, because He knows what is in their best
interests. Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 5/164
For example, a
man is obliged to spend more than a woman, so it is appropriate that he should
have a larger share of inheritance than a woman.
4 – Clothing:
A woman’s
‘awrah includes her entire body. The least that can be said is that she should
not uncover anything except her face and hands, and it was said that she should
not even uncover that.
Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters
and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their
bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the
way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable
women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft Forgiving, Most
Merciful”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Ahzaab 33:59]
The ‘awrah of a
man is the area from the navel to the knees.
It was said to
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ja’far ibn Abi Taalib, “Tell us what you heard from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and what you
saw of him, and do not tell us about anyone else, even if he was trustworthy.”
He said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say, ‘The area between the navel and the knee is ‘awrah.’” Narrated by
al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (6418); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 5583.
Other examples
include the following, which is not a comprehensive list.
THERE ARE OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SEXES, INCLUDING
THE FOLLOWING:
a) A man can marry four women, but a woman can only have one
husband.
b) A man has the right to issue a divorce and it is valid if
he does so, but a woman does not have the right to issue a divorce.
c) A man may marry a woman from among the People of the Book
(Jews and Christians), but a Muslim woman may not marry anyone but a Muslim.
d) A man may travel without his wife or any of his mahrams,
but a woman may not travel unless she is accompanied by a mahram.
e) Prayer in the mosque is obligatory for men, but not for
women; a woman’s prayer in her house is more beloved to Allaah.
f) A woman may wear silk and gold, but a man must not wear
them.
g) Everything that we have mentioned is based on the
difference between men and women, because the male is not like the female.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the male
is not like the female”[ Holy Quran Chapter Aal ‘Imraan 3:36]
The male is
different from the female in many ways, in his strength, in his body, in his
toughness and roughness, whereas women are soft and gentle.
And men are
different in intellectual terms, for men are known for their strength of
understanding and their memory as compared to women. Women are weaker than men
in memory and forget more than men do. This is well known, for most of the
reputable scholars in the world are men. There are some women who are more
intelligent and have better memories than some men, but this does not cancel
out the general rule. Most cases are as we have described above.
With regard to
emotions, men speak of them when they get angry or when they are happy, but
women are affected by the slightest emotional effects, so their tears flow at
the slightest emotional provocation.
Jihad is
obligatory for men, but jihad in the sense of fighting is not obligatory for
women. This is the mercy of Allaah towards them, and consideration for their
nature.
In conclusion
we may say that the rulings for men are not like the rulings for women.
ISLAM REGARDS MEN AND WOMEN AS EQUALLY OBLIGED WITH ACTS
OF WORSHIP AND INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS.
Islam regards
men and women as equally obliged with regard to many acts of worship and
interactions with others. For example, women do wudoo’ just as men do, they do
ghusl as men do, they pray as men do, and they fast as men do, except when they
are menstruating or bleeding following childbirth. Women pay zakaah as men pay
zakaah, and they do Hajj as men do, except for a few differences in the
rulings. It is permissible and acceptable to buy from a woman, and if a woman
gives charity, that is permissible. It is permissible for a woman to set free
the slaves that she owns, and there are many other similar cases because women
are the twin halves of men, as it says in the hadeeth:
It was narrated
that ‘Aa’ishah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was asked about a man who finds some wetness (on his clothes) but did
not have an erotic dream, and he said, “He should do ghusl.” He was asked about
a man who had an erotic dream but did not find any wetness, and he said, “He
does not have to do ghusl.” Umm Salamah said, “O Messenger of Allaah, if a
woman sees that, does she have to do ghusl?” He said, “Yes, for women are the
twin halves of men.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 113; Ahmad, 25663. Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 98)
And Allaah knows best.
SOURCES/FURTHER
READING
The way of
salafiyyah.com; Strive to Follow Manhaj-us-Salaf
2) Misconceptions about Women
-https://islamqa.info/en/cat/72
3) Why is the witness of one man considered to be equal to
the witness ..
https://islamqa.info/en/20051
& Islam Q&A, https://islamqa.info/en/1105
4) Why is the witness of one man considered to be equal to
the witness ...https://islamqa.info/en/cat/73
5) Are women equal with men in reward and punishment? -
https://islamqa.info/en/12840
6) The Status of Women in the Community -
https://islamqa.info/en/cat/62
7) Relationships between the two genders page 3 -
https://islamqa.info/en/cat/402?page=3
8) Differences in Prayer for Men and Women -
https://islamqa.info/en/1106
9) Differences in Prayer for Men and Women -
https://islamqa.info/en/cat/248
10) Sources for Islamic Rulings and Shariah - https://islamqa.info/en/122393
11) Does a woman get the reward for praying in congregation
if she ...https://islamqa.info/en/11199
12) Praying behind the row on one's own -
https://islamqa.info/en/21457
13) More Women in Hell Than Men?
-https://islamqa.info/en/21457
14) What is the daughter's share of inheritance?
-https://islamqa.info/en/12911
15) What is the daughter's share of inheritance?
-https://islamqa.info/en/128862
16) Does Islam regard non-Muslims with mercy and compassion
...https://islamqa.info/en/84306
17) Should he marry someone who is above him in terms of
social status ...
https://islamqa.info/en/14357
18) If a woman spends on the household, will her share of the
...https://islamqa.info/en/45618
19) The ruling on jihad for women -
https://islamqa.info/en/10680
20) What are the rights of the husband and what are the
rights of the wife ...
How can he treat his two wives fairly? -
https://islamqa.info/en/10091
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