Equality of Men and Women
By: M Hathout, U Jamil and N
Ali
With the revelation of Islam in seventh century century Arabia came the
insistence that the value of a female life is no less than that of a
male life. This was exemplified most prominently in the prohibition on
female infanticide. According to societal custom at the
time, some female infants were left to die after birth, because they
were considered to be a vulnerable liability in a warring tribal
society. God expresses strong disapproval of this practice in the Quran.
"For, whenever any of them is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] a
girl, his face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger, avoiding
all people because of the [alleged ] evil of the glad tiding which he
has received, [and debating within himself:] Shell he keep this [child]
despite the contempt [which he feels for it] - or shall he bury it in
the dust? Oh, evil indeed is whatever they decide!"
(Surah al Nahl - The Bee, 16:58-59)
The verse ends by posing a rhetorical question, since both are evil
choices - treating female children with contempt or killing them. The
larger evil that is being condemned is the low esteem in which daughters
were held in Arab society of that time.
This condemnation is articulated again in Surah al Takwir - Shrouding in
Darkness,
(Quran 81:8-9),
which refers to Judgment Day,
"and when the girl-child that
was buried alive is made to ask for what crime she had been slain".
The verse refers to the fact that God will hold everyone accountable for
their actions on Judgment Day. In this context, it is not the female
child who is responsible for her own death. It is the parent who killed
his/her daughter who will be held accountable, based on the testimony of
the female infant. Thus, parents are strongly enjoined to be God-fearing
and to treat their daughters with the same esteem that they do their
sons.1
A hadith, attributed to the Prophet (pbuh), stresses the the
equality of male and female children. It states
"one who has two daughters and no son, and spends his life in their
proper upbringing and education will be closest to me in Heaven."2
All life is equally honored, and all beings are equal in rights and
obligations as the creation of God. The equality of man and woman is
mentioned in
Surah An Nisaa - Women, (Quran 4:1), "O Mankind! Be conscious of your
Sustainer, who has created you out of one living entity, and out of it
created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men
and women. And remain conscious of God, in whose name you demand [your
rights] from one another, and of those ties of kinship. Verily, God is
ever watchful over you!".
The first part of this verse discussed the fact that human beings all
originate from similar circumstances. In a general sense, this implies
common descent of the human race from Adam and Eve. But it also refers
to the fact that the granting of life is an act of God, and He does not
distinguish between man and women. The second part of the verse enjoins
people to remember their mutual rights and duties that have been granted
to them, as a part of their awareness of God. In particular, this
includes respect for women, as mothers and wives, since they are the
ones that bear children.
From a more biological perspective, the origins of both men and women
are also the same.
Surah al Qiyamah, (Quran 75:37-39)
states,
"Was he not once a [mere] drop of sperm that had been split, and
thereafter became a germ-cell - whereupon He created and formed [it] in
accordance with what [it] was meant to be, and fashioned out of it the
two sexes, the male and the female?"
There is no pre-judgment as to the value of creating a male or a female
in the process of conception. Both are equal.
The same theme of unity of origin and subsequent equality of status is
echoed in
Surah al Hujurat - The Private Apartments, (Quran 49:13), "O men!
Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have
made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one
another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is all-knowing ,
all-aware".
Differences based on gender, race, ethnicity, among others, exist merely
to allow for greater cooperation and harmony among individuals. It does
not necessarily mean that there is a hierarchy, of Muslims over
non-Muslims, or men over women, or vice versa. In addition, this verse
highlights the fact that the moral and spiritual standing of all is
equal before God. The only valid distinctions arise from the degree of
righteousness that an individual achieves, not from any
biologically-determined characteristic. Thus, a righteous woman would be
more honored in the eyes of God, then a relatively less righteous man.
The ultimate judgment is, of course, made by God.
Similarly, all of mankind has been favored by God, and bestowed inherent
dignity.
"Now, Indeed, We have conferred dignity on the children of Adam, and
borne them ever land and sea, and provided for them sustenance out of
the good things of life, and favored them far above most of Our
creation"
(Surah al Isra - The Night Journey, Quran 17:70).
Men are not necessarily more favored then women, or vice versa, in the
"provision of good things." The entire human race enjoys that privilege.
Excerpted from the book "In Pursuit of Justice".
Notes:
Asma Barlas, "Believeing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal
Interpretations of the Quran, (Austin: University of Texas Press,
2002), p.181.
Tahir Mahmood, ed., "The Islamic Law on Human Rights," Human Rights
in Islamic Law (New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies, 1993)
p.39.