Women and religion
Historical perspective of women
Women in Ancient Civilization
In India day and night must women be held by their protectors in a state of dependence says Manu. The rule of inheritance was traced through males to the exclusion of females.
In Hindu scriptures, the description of a good wife is as follows: "a woman whose mind, speech and body are kept in subjection, acquires high renown in this world, and, in the next, the same abode with her husband."
In Athens, women were not better off than either the Indian or the Roman women. "Athenian women were always minors, subject to some male - to their father, to their brother, or to some of their male kin. Her consent in marriage was not generally thought to be necessary and "she was obliged to submit to the wishes of her parents, and receive from them her husband and her lord, even though he was seen as a stranger."
A Roman wife was described by an historian as: "a babe, a minor, a ward, a person incapable of doing or acting anything according to her own individual taste, a person continually under the tutelage and guardianship of her husband.". Roman law was very patriarchal, in Roman Law a woman was completely dependent on males. If married she and her property passed into the power of her husband, the wife was the purchased property of her husband, and like a slave acquired only for his benefit. And by this she could not enter any profession therefore preventing her from working, but could on work in the home and bringing up children.
The position of the Christian Church until recent centuries seems to have been influenced by both the Mosaic Law and by the streams of thought that were dominant in its contemporary cultures. In their book, Marriage East and West, David and Vera Mace wrote:
Let no one suppose, either, that our Christian heritage is free of such slighting judgments. It would be hard to find anywhere a collection of more degrading references to the female sex than the early Church Fathers provide. Lecky, the famous historian, speaks of (these fierce incentives which form so conspicuous and ...
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The position of the Christian Church until recent centuries seems to have been influenced by both the Mosaic Law and by the streams of thought that were dominant in its contemporary cultures. In their book, Marriage East and West, David and Vera Mace wrote:
Let no one suppose, either, that our Christian heritage is free of such slighting judgments. It would be hard to find anywhere a collection of more degrading references to the female sex than the early Church Fathers provide. Lecky, the famous historian, speaks of (these fierce incentives which form so conspicuous and so grotesque a portion of the writing of the Fathers . . . woman was represented as the door of hell, as the mother of all human ills. She should be ashamed at the very thought that she is a woman. She should live in continual penance on account of the curses she has brought upon the world. She should be ashamed of her dress, for it is the memorial of her fall. She should be especially ashamed of her beauty, for it is the most potent instrument of the devil). One of the most scathing of these attacks on woman is that of Tertullian: Do you know that you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil's gateway: you are the unsealer of that forbidden tree; you are the first deserters of the divine law; you are she who persuades him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man. On account of your desert - that is death - even the Sop of God had to die). Not only did the church affirm the inferior status of woman, it deprived her of legal rights she had previously enjoyed.
Status of women in Islam
Spiritual Aspect
The Qur'an provides clear-cut evidence that woman are completely equated with man in the sight of God in terms of her rights and responsibilities. Woman according to the Qur'an is not blamed for Adam's first mistake. Both were jointly wrong in their disobedience to God, both repented, and both were forgiven.
In terms of religious obligations, such as the Daily Prayers, Fasting, Poor-due, and Pilgrimage, woman is no different from man, but while women are pregnant or going through their menstrual cycle, they can be excused. Although women can and did go into the mosque during the days of the prophet and thereafter attendance on the Friday congregational prayers is optional for them while it is mandatory for men (on Friday).
It is clear that the Islamic teachings for women are considerate of the fact that a woman may be nursing her baby or caring for him, and therefore may be unable to go out to the mosque at the time of the prayers. They also take into account the physiological and psychological changes associated with her natural female functions.
Social aspect
As a child/adolescent
It is well known that in Islamic society when a female is born, the child is often rejected but the Qur'an states:
When news is brought to one of them, of (the Birth of) a female (child), his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain her on (sufferance) and contempt, or bury her in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on?
Far from saving the girl's life so that she may later suffer injustice and inequality, Islam requires kind and just treatment for her.
As a wife
The Qur'an clearly shows that marriage is sharing between the two halves of the society, and that its objectives, besides creating human life, are emotional well-being and spiritual harmony. According to Islamic Law, women cannot be forced to marry anyone without their consent. But Ibn Abbas reported that a girl came to the Messenger of God, Muhammad, and she reported that her father had forced her to marry without her consent.
Besides all other rules for her protection at the time of marriage, it was specifically made known that the woman has the full right to her Mahr, a marriage gift, which is presented to her by her husband and is included in the nuptial agreement contract, and that such ownership does not transfer to her father or husband. The concept of Mahr in Islam is neither an actual or symbolic price for the woman, as was the case in certain cultures mainly in the Far East, but rather it is a gift symbolizing love and affection.
The rule for marriage life is simple in Islam, both the man and women have equal rights and claims on one another. The Qur'an thus states:
"And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them, and men are a degree above them."
It implies no superiority or advantage before the law. Yet, man's role of leadership in relation to his family does not mean the husband has dictatorship over his wife. Islam emphasizes the importance of taking counsel and mutual agreement in family decisions.
As a mother
Although women are seen as the weaker and less important sex in Islamic society. When it comes to women being pregnant and giving birth, women are given the up most respect. Islam considered kindness to parents next to the worship of God.
"And we have enjoined upon man (to be good) to his parents: His mother bears him in weakness upon weakness..." (Qur'an 31:14) (See also Qur'an 46:15, 29:8).
Moreover, the Qur'an has a special recommendation for the good treatment of mothers:
"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none save Him, and that you be kind to your parents. . ." (Qur'an 17:23).
A man came to Prophet Muhammad (P) asking:
O Messenger of God, who among the people is the most worthy of my good company? The Prophet (P) said, Your mother. The man said then who else: The Prophet (P) said, Your mother. The man asked, Then who else? Only then did the Prophet (P) say, Your father. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
A famous saying of The Prophet is "Paradise is at the feet of mothers." (In Al'Nisa'I, Ibn Majah, Ahmad).
"It is the generous (in character) who is good to women, and it is the wicked who insults them."
