Women's Rights in Islam

Before Islam, the birth of a daughter in a family was not an occasion for rejoicing, but was regarded with humiliation. The practice of killing female children was common and uncontrolled. Women were treated like slaves or property. They were used for one purpose, and then discarded. They had no independence as they could own no property and were not allowed to inherit. Their personal consent concerning anything related to their well-being was considered unimportant to the extent that they were never even treated as a party to a marriage contract.

With the advent of Islam more than 1400 years ago, many rights were granted to women by Allah. One of these rights id that Islam considers woman to be equal to man as a human being and as his partner in his life. The Qur'an makes it clear that woman has been created with a soul of the same nature as man's and Islam does not blame Eve alone for the First Sin. In Islamic law a woman is an independent, unique individual in her own right. She has the same responsibilities towards herself, towards Allah and towards other human beings as man. She will be rewarded or punished in the Hereafter without discrimination towards her female gender. On reality, in Islam, the rights and responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of a man, but they are not necessarily identical. In many societies, a woman is only valued and considered important if she performs the function of a man. In Islam, however, the value and importance of women in society is measured with a different criterion: their fear of Allah and obedience to Him, and fulfillment of the duties. Allah has entrusted them with, particularly that of bearing, rearing and teaching children. Islam is a practical religion, and responds to human needs and life situations. A woman may possess a needed skill such as teaching or nursing. While Islam does not prohibit woman working outside her home, it stipulates that the following restrictions shall be followed to safeguard her honor and dignity as well as the purity and stability of the Islamic society:

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a) outside employment should not seriously interfere with her responsibilities as a wife and a mother;

b) her husband's or her guardian's consent is required to eliminate disagreements;

c) her appearance, manner and tone of speech and behavior should follow Islamic guidelines;

d) her job should not be one in which mixing and associating with men is usual. It should not subject her to temptations;

e) a woman should try to seek employment in positions that require a woman's special skills to the needs of women and children.

Moreover, a Muslim woman has the right to seek divorce, if ...

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