Islam and Women: Difference between revisions

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One of the most hotly debated issues in regards to [[Islam]] is its views and [[Islamic Law|laws]] concerning women. This page contains easy-to-read summaries of articles discussing Islam in relation to women.

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To hear groups like the Council of American-Islamic Relations or the Islamic Society of North America, one might be given the impression that Islam holds women in high regard. Indeed, Souad Saleh, a female professor at Al-Ahzar University in Cairo and a vocal proponent of women's rights in Egypt, recently stated, "Islam is pure and simple, and it holds women in high esteem."<ref> Gamal Nkrumah - [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/766/profile.htm "Soaud Saleh: Time to tear down the divides"] interview in Al-Ahram Weekly, online publication</ref> If women are treated equally in Islam, is there justification for it in the sacred writings of Islam, or is this 'equal treatment' in conflict with sacred directives? What does the Qur'an say about women? What does Muhammad say about women as recorded in the hadith, and what kind of example did he set in the way he treated the women in his life? Do the reports we hear of women being oppressed accord with sacred scripture, or are they rather anomalies having no foundation in Islam? What have women from an Islamic background actually experienced – what are their stories? These are some of the issues this article addresses.

(note that sunnah.com have since revised the original translator's English for the above hadith)

Muhammad's disrespect for women caused him to declare that the ''majority of the inhabitants of Hell are women''.<ref>{{Bukhari|1|6|301}}</ref> When asked why he said it was because they are deficient in intelligence and religion and because they are ungrateful to their husbands. Although Muslim apologists and female Muslims use a lot of creative arguments to explain away Muhammad's declarations about women, they don't stand up to scrutiny. This article will present evidence showing Muhammad's belief that ''all'' women are less intelligent than their male counterparts, as well as examine and refute the common Muslim claims about the ahadith in question.  

Perhaps Muhammad's view explains his sweeping statement about female heads of government:

If you ask a Muslim why Muslim females wears the Hijab (veil) the reason given is usually one of two (or a mixture of both):

*They are showing obeying a command from Allah as given in the Quran; it is a matter of piety.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The real reason that Muslim women wear the hijab today is not a spiritual one, nor a matter of piety. Covering the hair/face cannot be considered an act of modesty because Muslim men are not required to cover theirs. The sole reason they do it is because Umar bin Al-Khattab, a companion of Muhammad, wished that Muhammad would reveal verses from Allah requiring women to wear it. when Muhammad did not oblige, Umar did not bother praying to Allah for assistance. Umar knew he had to make it personal for Muhammad himself in order to bring the revelation down. He followed Muhammad's wives out when they went to go to the toilet and made his presence known. When Muhammad heard of this, the revelation that Umar had so wanted was sent down from Allah. Umar knew where these revelations were really coming from, which is why he pestered Muhammad and bothered his wives instead of asking Allah.  

The apologetic claim made for provision of a mahr is that it is a token of goodwill given by the husband to the wife as a demonstration that he will be able to support her financially throughout the nikah (Islamic marriage). However the Qur'an and ahadith make it clear that this is not its true purpose.

The purpose of the mahr as explained by the Islamic texts is clear - it is a payment from a man to a women; payment in full for the future sexual relations (nikah) he will have with her. This is illustrated by the requirement for a mahr in temporary "marriages", the statements of Muhammad, and the fact that a mahr cannot be taken back (except under extenuating circumstances) because the man has availed himself of the service for which it was payment. The apologetic claim that it is simply a demonstrative token of his ability to financially support his wife does not hold up to scrutiny once all of the evidence is examined. Even the Qur'an alone makes it clear this is incorrect.

While in hadiths and Islamic jurisprudence rape of free women and of slave women who are not owned by the man is a punishable crime, there is no equivalent term for ‘rape’ in the Qur'an. Likewise, there is not a single verse in the Qur'an which even remotely discourages forced sex. In contrast, there are several verses in this book which give the green light to rape women who are owned as slaves by the perpetrators, and hadiths demonstrate rape of captive women by Muhammad's companions and his failure to condemn such actions when made known to him.  

Qur'an chapter 4 verse 24 discusses lawful and forbidden women for pious Muslims.  

What we see in the beginning of this verse as “forbidden” refers to sexual intercourse. The Qur'an dictates, women already married are forbidden for Muslims except those whom their right hands possess (sex slaves). It is obvious from this verse, a Muslim can have sexual relations with his slave-woman. This, along with other verses, apologetic objections, and marital rape ({{Quran|2|223}}) is discussed in detail.

'''Al-'Azl''', (العزل) also known as ''coitus interruptus'', is the practice of having sexual intercourse with a woman but withdrawing the penis before ejaculation. Apparently this was a pretty important topic for Muhammad and his companions as evidenced by the abundance of Hadith material on the subject.

According to Muhammad, when having sex with (i.e. raping) a captive, it's better if you do not pull out the penis at the end.

Wife-beating in the Muslim world comes from the teachings of Islamic religious texts such as the Quran and the Hadiths. It has been an accepted part of Islam since its inception. Muhammad himself made attempts to limit the degree of violence, yet nevertheless declared "A man should not be asked why he beats his wife."<ref>{{Ibn Majah||3|9|1986}} (graded Hasan)</ref> and according to Aisha, "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!"<ref>"...''so when Allah's Apostle came, 'Aisha said, "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!"...''" - {{Bukhari|7|72|715}}</ref> Because of this, domestic violence has been used as a tool to maintain control and dominance over Muslim women, this has created an intensely patriarchal society where men rule women and women must submit to men. In this article we will explore how wife-beating is promoted in the Qur'an and Hadiths along with commentary from Muslim scholars, statistics on wife beating in the Muslim world and common apologetic arguments made by Muslims and responses to them.