"Verily for all men and women who have surrendered themselves unto God, and all believing men and believing women, and all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in adversity, and all men and women who humble themselves before God, and all men and women who give in charity, and all self-denying men and self-denying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for all of them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward."
[Quran 33:35]
Gender Equality in Islam
Islam gave women rights and privileges at a time when only barbaric manners and values dominated. Yet, some people argue that Islam has alienated women in some domains. In fact, this belief is a misconception. People who say so, may have read about it in a magazine or seen it on TV. A quick examination of the issues judged as unjust to women will certainly correct the misunderstanding.
Man as the head of the household:
Some people believe that a woman in Islam is regarded as inferior to man since Allaah Says (what means): ]
{Men have one degree above women.} [Quran 2: 228]
In fact, to understand this Quranic verse, you should see another one, related to the issue in question. It reveals the wisdom behind this concept.
Allaah also says
{Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has given the one more than the other and because men support them from their means.} [Quran 4:34]
This verse implies that it is a man's duty to support his wife, and not the reverse, but this, in no way, makes him superior to her.
The image of a woman wearing a veil from head to toe, a woman who gets unfair justice or a woman who is not allowed to drive is an all too familiar notion when it comes to women treatment in Islam. And while there are Muslim countries in the world that do implement many harsh rulings against women, this should not be portrayed as Islamic law. In this discussion, we will be focusing on three aspects of gender equality in Islam which are Human Rights, Civil Rights and Social Rights.
1) Human Rights
Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her humanity with men.
In the Qur'an, in the first verse of the chapter entitled "Women," God says, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it its mate and from them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah has been a Watcher over you." (4:1)
Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are equal in their humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil (as some religions believe) or then men would be evil also. Similarly, neither gender can be superior because it would be a contradiction of equality.
2) Civil Rights
In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom of choice and expression based on recognition of her individual personality. First, she is free to choose her religion. The Qur'an states: "There is no compulsion in religion. Right has been made distinct from error." (2:256)
Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas. There are many traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) which indicate women would pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning religion, economics and social matters.
A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name after marriage. A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legal disputes. In fact, in areas in which women are more familiar, their evidence is conclusive.
3) Social Rights
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female)." This includes knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith as well as other knowledge. Men and women both have the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and interests.
While maintenance of a home, providing support to her husband, and bearing, raising and teaching of children are among the first and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may do so as long as her family obligations are met.
Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men and women despite their equality. Some types of work are more suitable for men and other types for women. This in no way diminishes either's effort nor its benefit. God will reward both sexes equally for the value of their work, though it may not necessarily be the same activity.
Concerning motherhood, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Heaven lies under the feet of mothers." This implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers that raised it. The first and greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security, affection, and training received from the mother. Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a skillful parent.
Criticism on Feminism
1) Feminism is a good movement and very idealistic in trying to fight for women's right. However, they are too concern on fighting women's right that they also fail to see the importance of both gender. Some of the sub movement under Feminism also denied the very nature or fitrah of a human being. Example like Lesbianism whereby they fight for the freedom of having relationship with the same gender. They denied the nature that man is the companion of woman as what Islam promotes.
2) They also reject the idea that man should be a part of their life. Even some of the Feminists reject the idea that man is unimportant. They say that why do they need to reject the man, they should only fight for their right as women.
3) Despite that, Feminism do promote a good movement to protect the nature as in Eco-Feminism. They promotes the importance of keeping the environment clean and free from human destruction and ways to protect it. In Islam, human also have a responsibility to protect the world that Allah has created for us.
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