Equal in Respect, Different in Role

the first man and the first woman. Looking at it this way, human beings are blood brothers and blood sisters. Another verse of the Quran reads: “It was He who created you from a single soul, and from it made its mate so that he may find comfort in her.” (7:189) This verse stresses what is common between man and woman; both are a source of comfort to one another. The word ‘comfort’ relates to all the activities of life, meaning thereby that God has created men and women in such a way that they assist one another in all matters so that life’s journey continues peacefully and successfully. In the early period of Islam, both sexes were fully active in different fields of life, from housework to agriculture and horticulture and from worship in the mosque to the battleground. Everywhere, women were visible and active. In Islamic history, there are many examples of women giving invaluable help to their husbands in critical situations. One of the most notable was Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet of Islam, who successfully brought the Prophet back from a state of fear and trembling to a state of normalcy after he received the first divine revelation in the solitude of the Cave of Hira from the Archangel Gabriel. She was able to reassure him that his life was not, as he feared, in danger, as she was emotionally detached from the incident. She observed: “God will surely never forsake you. You are kind to your kin; speak the truth; you always help the weak;