THE TESTIMONY OF WOMAN

4. The status of woman ~ 68 ~ superiority, the above-quoted verse only implies that man is the master in the home because of the additional attributes with which he has been endowed by nature. 58. Qur’an, 4:34. Faddala ba’dahum ‘ala ba’d is an Arabic expression meaning “excelled some on other,” which occurs several times in the Qur’an. For instance, various kinds of crops and fruits grow from the same soil and water. Of this the Qur’an says: “And in the land, there are adjoining plots: vineyards and corn fields and palm-groves, the single and the clustered. Yet We make some excel others in taste. Surely in this there are signs for men of understanding.”59 The following is an excerpt from a commentary on this verse by ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali, well known Commentator on the Qur’an: “The date palm, the crops of food grains, and the grape-vine are all fed by the same kind of water: yet how different to all vegetation. The fruit or eatable produce may vary in shape, size, colour, flavour, etc. in endless variety.”60