Women’s
Human Rights in Islam
Some of the rights that Muslim
women have!
1. The
RIGHT and duty to acquire education.
2. The
RIGHT to have her own independent property.
3. The
RIGHT to work [job or business] to earn money,
which she keeps it (condition apply).
4. The
RIGHT to equal reward for equal deed and/or
work.
5. The
RIGHT to express her opinion.
6. The
RIGHT to argue and/or advocate her cause or
opinion to be heard.
7. The
RIGHT to vote since 1,425 years.
8. The
RIGHT to provisions from her husband for all
her needs and more.
9. The
RIGHT to negotiate and stipulate marriage terms
of her choice.
10. The RIGHT to obtain
divorce from her husband, even on the grounds
that she simply doesn’t like him. In Islam divorce
is suppose to be last resort.
11. The RIGHT to keep
all her own money. [She is not responsible for
maintenance of family].
12. The RIGHT to get sexual
satisfaction from her husband.
13. The RIGHT to get custody
of her children in case of divorce [unless she
is unable to raise them for valid reasons]
14. The RIGHT to choose
husband of her choice.
15. The RIGHT to refuse
a proposed and/or arranged marriage.
16. The RIGHT to re-marry
after divorce or after becoming widow.
17. The
RIGHT to retain her maiden name.
The
advent of Islaam eradicated this cycle of abuse
and gave women the absolute human rights that
mankind has not seen before in history. The
Glorious Qur’aan repudiated the claim made by
the Bible, blaming woman {Eve} for man’s downfall
or man’s departure from Paradise. In the Glorious
Qur’aan and/or teachings of Islaam, woman is
not blamed for Adam’s first mistake as we read
in the Qur’aan that some Ayaat Adam آدم
عليه السلام
is specifically blamed.
Surah Ta-Ha 121
هُوَ
الَّذِي
خَلَقَكُمْ
مِنْ نَفْسٍ
وَاحِدَةٍ
وَجَعَلَ
مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَا
لِيَسْكُنَ
إِلَيْهَا
فَلَمَّا
تَغَشَّاهَا
In
the result, they both ate of the tree, and so
their nakedness appeared to them: they began
to sew together, for their covering, leaves
from the Garden; thus
did Adam disobey his Lord,
and allow himself to be seduced.
The
advent of Islaam eradicated the women’s abuse
and gave the women first ever human rights as
we read in the Glorious Qur’aan,
Surah An-Nisaa 1
هُوَ
الَّذِي
خَلَقَكُمْ
مِنْ نَفْسٍ
وَاحِدَةٍ
وَجَعَلَ
مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَا
لِيَسْكُنَ
إِلَيْهَا
فَلَمَّا
تَغَشَّاهَا
O
mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created
you from a single person (Adam), and from him
(Adam) He created his wife (Hawwâ (Eve)), and
from them both He created many men and women;
and fear Allâh through Whom you demand (your
mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations
of) the wombs (kinship) {1}
Surely, Allâh is Ever an All-Watcher
over you.
{1}
(V.4: 1) See the Ayaah (V.2: 27).
Surah Al-A'raf 189
هُوَ
الَّذِي
خَلَقَكُمْ
مِنْ نَفْسٍ
وَاحِدَةٍ
وَجَعَلَ
مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَا
لِيَسْكُنَ
إِلَيْهَا
فَلَمَّا
تَغَشَّاهَا
And
Allâh has made for you Azwâj (mates or wives) of your own kind, and has made for you,
from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has
bestowed on you good provision. Do they then
believe in false deities and deny the Favor
of Allâh (by not worshipping Allâh Alone).
Surah Ash-Shura 11
هُوَ
الَّذِي
خَلَقَكُمْ
مِنْ نَفْسٍ
وَاحِدَةٍ
وَجَعَلَ
مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَا
لِيَسْكُنَ
إِلَيْهَا
فَلَمَّا
تَغَشَّاهَا
And
among His Signs is this, that He created for
you wives from among yourselves, that you may
find repose in them, and He has put between
you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are
indeed signs for a people who reflect.
Surah Al-Hujurat 13
يَا أَيُّهَا
النَّاسُ
إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ
مِنْ ذَكَرٍ
وَأُنْثَى
وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ
شُعُوبًا
وَقَبَائِلَ
لِتَعَارَفُوا
O
mankind! We have created you from a male and
a female, and made you into nations and tribes,
that you may know one another. Verily, the most
honorable of you with Allâh is that (believer)
who has At-Taqwâ (i.e. he is one of the Muttaqûn
(the pious. See V.2: 2)). Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing,
All-Aware.
In
a nutshell Islaam does not differentiate between
men and women, but it is interesting to learn
that women in Islaam have certain advantages,
such as:
- A
woman is exempted of the daily prayers and
of fasting during her menstruation period,
and for forty days after childbirth. She does
not even have to make up for the missed prayers.
- A
woman has more protection for her testimony
for her financial matters.
- A
woman may not fast during her pregnancy if
there is a threat to her health or her baby.
She can make up missed fast after pregnancy
and before the next Ramadân رمضان.
Islaam took into the account woman’s physical
and psychological changes in the natural female
functions like a woman might be nursing her
baby or looking after her newborn etc.
- Islaam
made attending congregational prayers optional
for women, while it is compulsory for men.
- Islaam
made a marriage invalid without the girl’s
consent, thus, no marriage without the girl’s
consent.
**** Extracted from an article by:
Shahid Bin Waheed
