WOMEN IN ISLAM

WOMEN IN ISLAM by Farida Khanam I N Islam, a woman enjoys the same status as that of a man. There is no difference between man and woman as regards status, rights and blessings, both in this world and in the hereafter. Both are considered equal participants in the carrying out of the functions of daily living. According to Islamic belief, both men and women are born as equal partners in life. In a fine expression of gender equality, the Quran declares: Never will I waste the work of any of you, be they male or female: You are members, one of another… THE QURAN, 3: 195 We find the same definition in one of the sayings of the Prophet of Islam, (the Hadith): Men and women are two equal halves of a single unit. (Al Tirmizi) We see that both the sacred scriptures of Islam make it clear that neither sex is inferior or superior to the other. However, studies in biology and psychology show that the sexes are different in nature, each being designed for a different purpose. So, the Islamic maxim for men and women runs as: Equal in respect, but different in role. Men and women being equal, each has a different sphere of action. That is, in making their contribution to social activity, the men undertake whatever is physically harder, while the women deal with whatever is lighter. Men and women can be likened to a cart running on two wheels. Each of the wheels contributes equally to the running of the cart. Even if only one of the wheels goes out of order, the cart will stop. The way a cart traverses its path with the help of the two wheels, exactly in the same way, with mutual cooperation of men and women, the system of life can be run efficiently.