The Position of Women in Islam

Just as two different kinds of fruits will differ in colour, taste, shape, and texture, without one being superior or inferior to the other, so also do men and women have their different qualities that distinguish the male from the female without there being any question of superiority or inferiority. They are endowed by nature with various capacities to play their respective roles in life with greater ease and effectiveness. However, regarding innate talents, all individuals, be they men or women, differ. Yet their need for each other is equal. All are of equal value. One is not more important or less important than the other. Similarly, when it comes to establishing a home and raising a family, men and women have separate roles to play. But each is vital. Each is indispensable to the other. In Islam, therefore, a woman enjoys the same status as that of a man. But in ancient times, women were considered inferior and deprived, among other things, of the right to inherit property. Islam gave them their due legal rights over property for the first time in human history. Neither did it distinguish between men and women regarding status, rights, and blessings in this world and the Hereafter. Both were considered equal participants in carrying out the functions of daily living. As the Quran aptly puts it: “You are members, one of another.” (3:195)