Like every other fields, Islam has not neglected or forgotten any points about the positions of woman, rights of woman as a wife as well and her place in the society. It takes all aspects into view to explain the status of woman in Islam. It shows woman as much important in the society as a man, but even she is in some way more important than man. Because it is she who brings up the children, grows them up and confronts them to the society. This is a great job and the most valuable one too. No distinction can you find between wife and her husband, because both are created by Allah Almighty from one person at the beginning and from the same material. Both are created for each other and they are to help one another in worldly life. Wives are equal to their husbands in their rights. They have right on their husband as well as their husbands had on them. A family is not a complete family without the existence of a woman and it is made of both man and woman, but ofcourse this is from Muslim point of view of the family and not according to the western concept of family, a family where is not more than a hotel in which the passengers come and spend there night in and in the morning every body leaves for his/her job to outside. In a western family every member of the family has to pay for his or her livelihood. But how nicely and greatly, Islam regulated and organizes a family which is a real family:
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Said : The Most Perfect Believer in Faith is the one whose character is finest and who is kindest to his Wife" Reference: ( Ahmad (5/282 ) Tirmidhee and ibn Majah from Thawabaan, Saheeh ul-Jaami 5355 )[1]
Man’s position in a family is to go out of the house and earn and spend his earnings on his family. He is to provide and protect the family, taking responsibility for its conducting and its affairs. His position in a family is as of a king’s in a state, and the wife’s position is that of a queen’s in a state. It is obligatory on all members of the family including the wife, children and all other members of the family to obey him, because he is the one who earns and spends on the family.
Although earning is the responsibility of the husband, yet it is the wife who has the responsibility to keep and run the house with the earning of her husband. There is a “Hadith” that has already been mentioned in the previous writings of mine, but I think it is not bad to mention it here once again. It has been reported in “Bukhari”, the woman is the ruler of the house of her husband and she is answerable for the conduct of her duties”.
It is an obligation on the wife not to go out of the house while her husband is not present. She should not go out without permission of her husband. Here again the western people find a place for criticism. They say that woman in Islam are not free and doesn’t have freedom, they are like prisoners and they can not go out without permission from their husbands. But here also we see that there is no place for criticism, If instead of criticizing they study the status of woman in Islam, would have been better.
Yes, I also agree that according to the principles of Islam, man is a degree higer than that of a woman or a wife. But what is the reason has not been thought and asked. The reason is that, if they thought a little deeper before criticising, they for sure would have come to the conclusion that man is an active partner and he is both naturally and physically stronger than woman and as to some extent the doctors have invented that men are mentally stronger than woman. He is to go and work and earn and woman is to stay in the house to do the household works which is mostly better duty for her than to work outside with men. They (man and woman) are both psychologically and biologically different as the doctors say. That is the reason that Islam gives man a degree higher than the place of woman. Thus Islam gives guiding principles regarding to the family.
Firstly, Islam enjoins that the authority of man which islam has given him, in relation between him and his wife, should not be abused by any member of the family including his wife.
Secondly, the woman should be afforded all opportunity to play her role effectively in the development of the society and civilization.
Thirdly, she should be given the highest rung of progress and advancement, as a woman.
But she should never try to become a man because she can neither be a man nor can be successful in the way of which man lives. Her economic right as we saw is so much high that no religion or legal system in the world has given woman or will give her in future except in Islam. That is why in European society, woman had not any honour or value.
As Islam gives the right of inheritance to woman in all other conditions, here also gives her such right. She is inherited in the property left by her death husband. Not only this, but besides these rights. Whatever she receives neither her husband nor her father can take that away from her. She can do whaterve she likes to do with her own property. If she wants to increase her money by investing, her husband not only avoids interference, but has to help her with her money also. Besides all these rights given, a woman has been given the right and choice to remarry if she wants, in case of the death of her husband or has been legally separated from him under an agreement or in a court.
A Muslim should not treat his wife, as were being treated at the time of ignorance. The “Holy Prophet” has adviced the Muslims at the more than one place that they should be good and kind to their wives. Man has been given authority by Islam that does not mean that he has been given all sorts of authority over her. She is not a slave of the time of ignorance, she is a wife and according to Islamic teachings has high place in the family, and if a husband is cruel and treats her badly, she has full right to recourse to the law. After her seperation from her husband, she has full right to remarry if she wants and neither her previous husband, nor her father and nor any other one of her relatives has the right to stand on her way and stop her from doing so.
In case of the death of her husband, she passes the right of inheritance in hder husban’d property.
“In what ye leave, their share (wives) is a fourth, if ye leave no child; But if ye leave a child, they get an eight; after the payment of legacies and debts” (4:12)”.[1]
It is observed from all the above evidencies from both “Quran and Sunnah” that Islam is the only religion in the world which gives all sorts of rights to the woman. No religion can be compared with Islam in this or any other matter than this.
