The ManicaPost
The status and role of women in Islam has been generally misunderstood in the non-Muslim circles, because of general ignorance of the Islamic system and way of life as a whole, and because of the distortions of the media.
How does Islam look at the issue of women?
How women are understood in Islam cannot be properly understood – unless one understands exactly what we might call the philosophical basis or ideological understanding – since this is really a theological concept.
Well, first of all, we should understand that Muslims firmly believe that what they are taught, what they believe, what they practice, and all that is tied to this, is part of a Divine Revelation bestowed upon humanity by God Almighty.
The argument is that God knows best that which He has created. He created human beings, He is a God of wisdom and a God of all knowledge and so therefore He knows what is best – and He decrees that which is best for humanity, His creatures. Therefore, Muslims try to live by a code of law which is an expression of that belief.
Men and women share a single humanity
Islam which is based on the Divine Revelation known as the Holy Qur’aan, states very clearly that men and women share a single humanity – that they are equal in their humanity and that there is no difference in the amount of human nature in them.
The Holy Qur’aan in describing the origins of human beings, declares: “O mankind! Verily we have created you from a single male and a single female, and have made you into tribes and peoples so that you may know one another. Verily the most honourable of you are those who are most God-conscious.” (Ch 49 : v 13).
The indication here is that the male and female in terms of their human nature are at an equal level.
Likewise another verse, from a chapter which is known in the Holy Qur’aan as the chapter of “Women” – because most of the issues discussed there are laws dealing with women – starts off with the verse: “O mankind! Be conscious of your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul, and created therefrom, its mate” – this is a reference to Adam and Eve – “and from the two of them, gave rise to a multitude of men and women, scattered throughout the earth.” (Ch 4 : v 1).
So here again is the issue of men and women and all human beings coming from a single source, a single family, a single set of parents. This shows that women share in full, humanity with men.
Likewise in the sayings and declarations of the Last & Final Messenger of Allah Almighty, Muhammad (peace be upon him) we find that he said: “Indeed verily women are the twin halves of men.” The understanding is that there is a single humanity, a single essence which is shared, and there are twin halves of that – one is man and one is women. This is repeated often in the Qur’aan.
Women on equal level
The truth is, Islam brought sweeping changes of a truly revolutionary nature to women’s rights. For the first time, the souls of women were explicitly declared in a sacred book to be equal to those of men. Reward and obligations were equally bestowed on both.
(to be continued next week)
For further information on Islam please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
- O. Box W 93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 0242-614078 / 614004, Fax : 0242-614003
e-mail: [email protected].
