From: bv8bv8bv8@gmail.com   
      
   Women's Rights in Islam   
      
   "And for women are rights over men, similar to those of men over women."Qur'an   
   2:228Women in Islam are thought to be subjugated, degraded, oppressed - but   
   are they really? Are millions of Muslims simply that oppressive or are these   
   misconceptions    
   fabricated by a biased media?   
      
   Over fourteen hundred years ago, Islam gave women rights that women in the   
   West have only recently began to enjoy. In the 1930's, Annie Besant observed,   
   "It is only in the last twenty years that Christian England has recognised the   
   right of woman to    
   property, while Islam has allowed this right from all times. It is a slander   
   to say that Islam preaches that women have no souls." (The Life and Teachings   
   of Mohammed, 1932).   
      
   Men and women all descended from a single person - the Prophet Adam (peace be   
   upon him). Islam does not accept for either of them anything but justice and   
   kind treatment.   
      
   Equal Reward & Equal Accountability   
   Men and women worship Allah in the same way, meaning they worship the same God   
   (Allah), perform the same acts of worship, follow the same scripture, and hold   
   the same beliefs. Allah (the Arabic word for the One true God of all   
   creation), judges all human    
   beings fairly and equitably. Allah emphasises the just treatment and reward   
   due to both men and women in many verses of the Qur'an:   
      
   "Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, gardens under which   
   rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of   
   everlasting bliss."Qur'an 9:72   
   "Never will I allow the loss of the work of any worker amongst you, male or   
   female; you are of one another."Qur'an 3:195   
   These verses show that reward is dependent upon one's actions and not one's   
   gender. Gender does not play any part in how a person is rewarded and judged.   
      
   If we compare Islam to other religions, we see that it offers justice between   
   the sexes. For example, Islam dismisses the idea that Eve is more to blame   
   than Adam for eating from the forbidden tree. According to Islam, Adam and Eve   
   both sinned, they both    
   repented and God forgave them both.   
      
   Equal Right to Knowledge   
   Both men and women are equally encouraged to seek knowledge. The Prophet   
   (peace be upon him) said, "Education is compulsory for every Muslim."   
      
   Also, great female Muslim Scholars existed at and around the time of the   
   Prophet (peace be upon him). Some were from his family and others were his   
   companions or their daughters. Prominent amongst them was Aisha, the wife of   
   the Prophet (peace be upon    
   him) through whom a quarter of the Islamic law has been transmitted.   
      
   Other females were great scholars of jurisprudence and had famous male   
   scholars as their students.   
      
   Equal Right to Choose a Spouse   
   Islam has honoured women by giving them the right to choose a spouse and keep   
   their original family name once married. Additionally, many have the   
   impression that parents force their daughters into marriage. This is a   
   cultural practice, and has no basis    
   in Islam. In fact, it is prohibited.   
      
   At the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a woman came to him and   
   said, "My father has married me to my cousin to raise his social standing and   
   I was forced into it." The Prophet sent for the girl's father and then in his   
   presence gave the    
   girl the option of remaining married or nullifying the marriage. She   
   responded, "O Messenger of Allah, I have accepted what my father did, but I   
   wanted to show other women (that they could not be forced into a marriage)."   
      
   Equal yet Different   
   While men and women have equal rights as a general principle, the specific   
   rights and responsibilities granted to them are not identical. Men and women   
   have complementary rights and responsibilities.   
      
   Aside from external and internal anatomical differences, scientists know there   
   are many other subtle differences in the way the brains of men and women   
   process language, information and emotion, just to mention a few.   
      
   A socio-biology expert, Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University, said that   
   females tend to be higher than males in verbal skills, empathy and social   
   skills, among other things, while men tend to be higher in independence,   
   dominance, spatial and    
   mathematical skills, rank-related aggression, and other characteristics.   
      
   It would be foolish to treat both genders the same and to ignore their   
   differences. Islam teaches that men and women have complementary, yet   
   different, roles because it is best suited to their nature. God says:   
      
   "And the male is not like the female."Qur'an 3:36   
   "Does not the One who created, know? And He is the Most Kind, the All   
   Aware."Qur'an 67:14   
   The Family Unit   
   God created men and women to be different, with unique roles, skills and   
   responsibilities. These differences are not viewed as evidences of superiority   
   or inferiority, but of specialisation. In Islam, the family is of central   
   importance. The man is    
   responsible for the financial well being of the family while the woman   
   contributes to the family's physical, educational and emotional well being.   
   This encourages cooperation rather than competition. By fulfilling their   
   mutual responsibilities, strong    
   families are created and hence strong societies.   
      
   Also, emotionally, neither men nor women live a happy life without one   
   another. Allah describes this beautifully by saying:   
      
   "They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them."Qur'an 2:187   
   Clothing provides comfort, warmth and security as well as making one look good   
   - this is how the relationship between the husband and wife is defined in   
   Islam.   
      
   Love & Mercy in Spousal Relations   
   The Prophet (peace be upon him) also encouraged men to treat their spouses in   
   the best way, "The best of you are those who are best (in treatment) to their   
   wives."   
      
   "And among His signs is that He created or you wives amongst yourselves that   
   you may dwell in tranquillity with them; and He has put love and mercy between   
   your (hearts). Surely in this are Signs for people who reflect."Qur'an 30:21   
   Aisha (the Prophet's wife) was once asked how the Prophet's conduct was in his   
   home. She said,"He was like one of you at home, yet he was most lenient and   
   most generous ... He was ready to give a helping hand to his wives in the   
   ordinary work of the    
   house, [he] sewed his own clothes and mended his own shoes." In general, he   
   helped in whatever work his wives did.   
      
   Lofty Positions of Mothers & Daughters   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)