Muslim Transgressors of Women’s Rights Should Reflect on the Verses of Qur’an Giving Equal Rights to Women
By Varsha Sharma, New Age Islam
04 May, 2014
It is common knowledge
that before the advent of Islam, women were treated as valueless
objects. It took long decades for womenfolk to acquire status equal to
men. Nevertheless, the age-old struggle for gender equality and women's
empowerment is yet to be accomplished in its true sense. Unfortunately,
many people engaged in this struggle wrongly perceive Islam as a
roadblock in the achievement of women's empowerment. On the contrary,
when we look into the verses of the Quran regarding women, we find the
reality just the opposite.
The holy Qur'an says:
"O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created
from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And
fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed
Allah is ever, over you, an Observer." (Qur'an 4:1).
This verse clearly
proves that men and women in Islam are completely equal to each other in
all respects and duties. Women’s status is no different or less than
that of men, intrinsically or extrinsically. Their relationship with
each other and duties towards God go hand in hand.
Before Islam, Arabs
were accustomed to bury their girl babies alive, because they believed
that giving birth to a girl child was a stigma. The holy Quran strongly
condemned this pernicious feeling of shame deeply embedded in Arab
psyche. It gave warning to those who indulged in this evil practice: "He
hides himself from the folk because of the evil of that whereof he hath
had tidings, (asking himself): Shall he keep it in contempt, or bury it
beneath the dust. Verily evil is their judgment" (Qur'an 16:58-59).
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