Women in Islam: What the Qur'an and Sunnah Say

Product Information

One of the most misogynist Islamic laws with respect to women is the requirement for complete veiling (hijab) in accordance with koranic tenets. The wearing of the veil was instituted by Mohammad in the early days of Islam. Within about one hundred years of his death, the institution of veiling and seclusion had been spread all over the Middle East. One and a half centuries after his death, the system was fully established.

I decided I didn’t want to belong to it, so the question became what do I belong to then? I had already been to university and done a Masters in politics but I made an even more conscious exploration of Western civilization. What does it stand for? There are tons and tons of books on that. But if I am to limit myself to just one, I found The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich Hayek to contain it all in a concise and a very clear way. And so if you say the Koran versus Hayek – that’s an easy choice for me. Al – Baqara 2: 223 “Your women are a tilt for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilt as ye will, and send (good deeds) before you for your souls, and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one day) meet Him. Give glad tidings to believers, (o Mohammad)” Maryam Jameelah’s significance [lies] in the manner with which she articulates an internally consistent paradigm for [Islamic] revivalism’s rejection of the West,” her entry in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World reads. “In this regard, her influence far exceeds [that of] the Jamaat [e-Islami] and has been important in the development of revivalist thought across the Muslim world.”For example, surat al-Baqara 282, is another of the commonly cited verses to claim male superiority in Islam. The verse, revealed in a business context, states that “when you enter a transaction involving a debt for a fixed period reduce it to writing and let a scribe write it down between you in fairness … and bring two witnesses from among your men. Should there not be two men, then a man and two women of the women you choose to be witnesses.” If taken out of context, this verse could be interpreted to suggest that a woman’s testimony is not equal to that of a man’s. However, considering the specific situation of a business transaction and the larger context in which women at the time were not involved or experts in business affairs, this verse should not be taken as evidence that women are not equal to men in Islam. In fact, in another instance, the second successor to the Prophet, Umar ibin Khattab, appointed a woman to manage the affairs of a market in Medina. 8 According to the Koran and Islamic law, a man has the right to terminate his marriage whenever and wherever he pleases. It is the absolute power of a Muslim male to repudiate his wife unilaterally at his discretion. He needs no reason for a divorce; a family quarrel or bad temper is sufficient. Divorce does not require any court, judge, lawyer, or counselor. One phrase from a husband is enough to break the marriage bond: “you are divorced.” An academic who has translated numerous religious works and Sufi texts, Camille Adams Helminski sheds light on the several women throughout history who have followed the Sufi path of Islam. Starting from the time of the Prophet Mohammed to the present day, these poets, scholars and saints hail from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and America. Helminksi introduces core principles of the Sufi path while describing the diverse traditions and practices championed by these profound, pious women. 'Women are the Future of Islam' by Sherin Khankan Women are the Future of Islam by Sherin Khankan published by Rider. Courtesy Penguin UK

And there will be Huris with wide, lovely eyes as wives for the pious.” 56: 35-36 “Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation. And made them virgins.”

Join Our Blog

Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield (Hardcover) A isha , fondly regarded as the Prophet Mohammed's favourite wife, the daughter of his companion Abu Bakr and the "Mother of the Believers", was arguably the most influential woman during the first few generations of Islam. She is believed to have narrated more than 2,000 Hadiths , and thus helped in transmitting and spreading Islamic knowledge after the Prophet Mohammed's death. In this book, scholar Resit Haylamaz chronicles the critical role that Aisha played in early Islamic history. 'Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge' by Asma Sayeed Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam by Asma Sayeed. Courtesy Cambridge University Press According to Dr. al-Hibri, the Islamic philosophy of change embraces gradual change, and is linked to the principle of shura where societal affairs are conducted in consultation. The Islamic philosophy of change is also linked to the important Qur’anic principle of no compulsion in the matters of faith. Gradualism, shura, and aversion to coercion are important Islamic principles that are most appropriate to advance the rights of Muslim women. Gradual stable change to the status and rights of Muslim women is therefore achievable through Islam. Two of the agreed upon principles of Islamic law: rationality (‘ illah; when a reason for a law disappears, so must the law) and public interest ( maslahah; Islamic laws must serve the public interests, including those of women) are important foundations for revising patriarchal laws and re-engaging in ijtihad. 11 As such, Muslim women’s rights can be attained through these Islamic jurisprudential principles and requirements. In them will be bashful virgins neither man nor Jinn will have touched before. Then which of favorites of your Lord will you deny?” The rigid laws of Islam have deprived half of the population of their basic human rights. The male is in charge of the female: Koran 4:34, and the subjugated half is led to believe, through Islamic teachings, that the supremacy of the man is the will of Allah, and it has been predestined for women to live as submissive, obedient wives.

According to Islamic law, woman cannot get custody of her children, even if their father dies. In the case of divorce or death, she surrenders her children to their father and /or his family. Women’s other Civil RightsA woman cannot fulfill her duties towards god without first having accomplished those that she owes her husband.”