WOMEN IN ISLAM

Can the human body function without a rib cage?

Is it not universally accepted that it provides protection to the heart and lungs, without whom life is not possible?

Man learns many things from the processes of nature. It is with this concept in mind that the Holy Prophetsa stated that women have been created from a rib, if you try to straighten it, it will snap but if you let it keep its shape it will be very beneficial for you. Hence the topic for this article is the status of women in Islam.

Let’s go back 1400 years before the advent of the Holy Prophetsa and take a look at how women were treated. Their rights only went as far as choosing their husbands, after this they had no rights at all; whereas a man was unrestricted in the number of wives he could keep.

Girls were seen as a burden and some would even bury them alive. This was the inhumane tradition of the Arabs against their women.

Comparing the status of women then and now, we see a colossal difference. Women are free to work, vote, divorce and enjoy many more rights than ever before.

Whilst Islam gave women the right to vote 1400 years ago, women in the UK were given this just over a 100 years ago.

Something as basic as having the right to divorce was granted to them as recently as 1937 whilst Islam also categorically gave them this right much earlier!

Does this not show how Islam was so ahead of its time, and how it protected women from the very onset?

Islam was the religion which prevented women and children from being slain in warfare, whereas in other religions no such exception was made!

The West, ‘leaders of the free world’, who have made it a habit to ridicule Islam, such as France banning the hijab, do not need to look too far back into their own history to realise that the very teachings they vilify today are the ones they have been forced to follow.

From its inception, Islam has always laid great emphasis on the importance of women in society.

An example of this is Hazrat Khadijara, the blessed wife of the Holy Prophetsa. She accompanied the Holy Prophet for 25 years through thick and thin. She was one of the very first people to accept Islam and was his companion in times of opposition. Then we have the example of Hazrat Aishara. Having married the Holy Prophetsa at a very young age, she spent most of her youth in this blessed marriage.

When asked about the behaviour of the Holy Prophetsa, She replied: “He excelled all men in gentle speech and temperament.”

What an astonishing display of how Islam has commanded women to be treated! Our beloved Imam, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V very beautifully said the following words: “Those men who are harsh in their treatment of their wives should always be mindful of being kind towards them, as woman has been created from the rib.

What a beautiful example this is. Two very important organs, the heart and lungs, are caged within the ribs and prevents them from being harmed.

Hence, the status of a woman is such that social life cannot breathe without her and beating pure hearts are under her protection.”

Now, is there any religion that has elevated the status of women so high?

Islam shows through its teachings that without fair treatment of women, society would be left without a heartbeat and what use is a body without a beating heart? Hence, no people can succeed unless they treat their women with respect.

The Holy Prophetsa said that whoever has three daughters and treats them well; they will be a shield for him from the hell fire. How beautifully does this Hadith reiterate the concept of women being protectors? Not only are they protectors of society but they also provide shelter to men from Hell. In an age where women still strive for equality, does Islam not give them superiority in this respect? Thus, it is Islam and only Islam that has given women an incomparable status in society. And that too in an era when women were deemed no more than commodities and there will never be any creed or faith that will be able to rival it.

May Allah the Almighty enable us to truly understand the status of women and follow the blessed footsteps of the Holy Prophetsa.