RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM

society is also by and large responsible for stultifying the dynamism of Islam and creating misconceptions, because they have lost their capacity to represent Islam in its true spirit. The Muslim culture that we see around us is not truly the Islamic culture that the Prophet had evolved, but a sad mixture of many cultures, where un-Islamic infiltrations have altered the very essence of what should have been the Islamic society. So while presenting these points regarding the rights of women in Islam, one thing should be clear in our minds that these are purely what should have been in Muslim society and not what is existing today. One significant point that we have to understand about Islam is that it does nowhere raise the question of superiority or inferiority of any gender, while talking about men and women. Islam considers each gender unique in its own sphere of activity and allots roles to each gender, best suited to them and according to their nature and needs. Men and women in Islam are not antagonists, but separate entities created to complement and complete each other. Each gender is given a definite set of goals, to be achieved by their own individual efforts. The unit of society is the family. As such, the well-being of the family would mean the well-being of the whole society. Islam makes the family the key social unit. All the members of this unit play specific roles for its welfare and upkeep. The position of women derives from the very premise that the family is the cornerstone of the Muslim society. The Islamic system is very sensitive about protecting and safeguarding the foundation of the family. Hence there is strict prohibition of extramarital relations or intimacy outside of marriage, as this weakens the base of the family. Under the Islamic system, discrimination on grounds of gender, power or wealth is not allowed. Indeed the Quran states very simply the origin of mankind by rejecting any distinction or discrimination on account of birth. The Holy Quran explicitly states: O Mankind! Fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul. He created its mate from it and from the two of them spread countless men and women [throughout the earth]. (4: 1) During the era of the Prophet and the Caliphate, Muslim women played an indispensable role in the construction of society.