Women in Islam

At a time when the rest of the world, from Greece and Rome to
India and China, considered women as no better than children or even slaves,
with no rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a
great many respects. The Quran states:

"And among His signs is this: that
He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest and peace of
mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Certainly, herein
indeed are signs for people who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]

Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"The most perfect in
faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife."
[Abu Dawud]

Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same
soul. Both were equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and Allah
forgave both. Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that
the first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, whom he
both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's death, Ayshah,
became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest sources of Hadith
literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished great deeds and achieved
fame, and throughout Islamic history there have been famous and influential
scholars and jurists.

We might also mention that while many in the West
criticize Islam with regard to the treatment of women, in fact a number of
Muslim countries have had women rulers and presidents. To name a few: Turkey;
Bangladesh and Pakistan.

With regard to education, both women and men
have the same rights and obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's
saying:

"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer." [Ibn
Majah]

This implies men and women.

A woman is to be treated as God
has endowed her, with rights, such as to be treated as an individual, with the
right to own and dispose of her own property and earnings, enter into contracts,
even after marriage. She has the right to be educated and to work outside the
home if she so chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother,
and husband. A very interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any other
religion, a woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for a group of
women.

A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the laws and regulations
pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, doing good deeds, etc.,
apply to women, albeit with minor differences having mainly to do with female
physiology.

Before marriage, a woman has the right to choose her husband.
Islamic law is very strict regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent
for marriage. The groom gives a marriage dowry to the bride for her own personal
use. She keeps her own family name, rather than taking her husband's. As a wife,
a woman has the right to be supported by her husband even if she is already
rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and custody of young children. She
does not return the dowry, except in a few unusual situations.

Despite
the fact that in many places and times Muslim communities have not always
adhered to all or even many of the foregoing in practice, the ideal has been
there for 1,400 years, while virtually all other major civilizations did not
begin to address these issues or change their negative attitudes until the 19th
and 20th centuries, and there are still many contemporary civilizations which
have yet to do
so.