WOMEN IN ISLAM

force. But in Islam, a forced marriage is not considered lawful. According to the Shariah, the willingness of the bride-to-be is compulsory. Looked at from a practical angle, the above commandment of the Quran can be complied with only if that particular situation exists in the society in Madinah after the Battle of Uhud—that is, there is a disproportion in the ratio of men and women. In the absence of such a situation, this commandment of the Quran would be inapplicable. However, studies of human society and its history have shown that the situation in ancient Madinah did not exist only at a particular point in time. It is a situation that has almost always been prevalent worldwide. That emergency is, in fact, the general situation of humanity. This commandment is yet another proof of God’s omniscience. His commandment, seemingly elicited by an emergency, became an eternal commandment for the whole of our world. THE INEQUALITY IN NUMBERS Records show that male and female births are almost equal in number. However, a study of mortality shows that the rate is higher for men than for women. This disparity is evident from early childhood to extreme old age. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica: “In general, the risk of death at any given age is less for females than for males.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984), Vol. 7, p. 37)