Working Outdoors

RIGHTS AND PROGRESS OF WOMEN worked on the date orchard. Many such incidents in the early phase of Islam (the exemplary phase) show that women were certainly not confined indoors. They went out to attend to many necessary outdoor duties. However, one point should be made clear: these outdoor activities of women were not engaged in entertainment but as a matter of necessity. WOMEN IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION A study of the life of the Prophet Muhammad tells us that education, whose actual goal from the Islamic point of view is the awakening of human awareness, is as essential for women as it is for men. As women performed their role without going outdoors, there is a general impression that Islam has restricted women’s workplaces to performing only domestic chores. But this is not the truth. First, Islam encouraged them to receive education and then enthused them with a new zeal. Subsequently, they went out to impart this learning to the next generation. Let us take the instance of the Prophet’s wives, who were held up as role models for women in Islam. Preserving their femininity, they participated in various religious and worldly activities. For instance, the Prophet’s wife, Aisha, having gained full knowledge of Islam from the Prophet, was able, after the death of the Prophet, to perform the task of teacher and guide to the Muslim community. Such