Before Islam, Women were maltreated in the different civilizations that existed. Romans considered women a possession and treated them like slaves. Persians also viewed them as public possessions. Arabs, on the other hand, denied women their right to inherit and felt ashamed of newborn girls to the extent that some even buried them alive. There were no laws to protect women. Husbands were imposed on them for various political and economic reasons.

With the advent of Islam, things changed dramatically.

The Qur’an, the sunnah or the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace be upon him) and early Muslim history, all bear witness to the fact that both woman and man are vital to life, and that one is not inherently superior or inferior.

The Qur’an says:

{And their Lord has responded to them: ‘I shall waste not the work of any of you, be he male or female; you are members, one another…’} (Qur’an 3:195)

In fact, Islam appreciates and honors women. Here are some facts and accounts that reflect this point:

v  First and foremost, Islam has recognized the humanity of women. Until recently, theories about nature of females were still debated.

Some people even considered them as different species. As the above Qur’anic verse indicates, Islam acknowledges the human characters in both sexes.

v  Islam has given women the right to choose their husbands. Changing the custom of that era, Islam made the girls’ consent a prerequisite for their marriages.

v  In addition, Islam gives women political rights such as voting or occupying a convenient public office. It is common knowledge, on the other hand, that women in Western developed countries did not acquire these privileges before the 20^th century.

v  Islam also gives women the right to inherit land, money and possessions, a practice that was left out before Islam. It also provides them with ownership rights.

Indeed, Muslim women can own property, and/or money and dispose of them as they please, independent of their spouses’ wishes.

v  Islam encourages women to seek high education. As Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace be upon him) said:

“Seeking knowledge is the duty of every Muslim.”

v  The Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) always respected his wives’ opinion and listened to their advice. Is not he the one who said:

“I recommended you to treat women well.”

One example: When the Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) and his troops could not enter Makkah and carry out the pilgrimage, he returned to his wife Umm Salamah for advice. She recommended him to break the pilgrim’s sanctity when his troops showed contempt about the issue. The Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) favored her suggestion and applied it and his Companions did the same.

v  To express his love and respect for his wife Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet labeled the year during which she died as “The year of sorrow.”

v  The first Muslim martyr was a woman, Sumayyah Umm ‘Ammar ibn Yaser (may Allah be pleased with her).

v  When a man asked the Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) who was the person that ever deserved the best treatment, he replied: “Your mother.” “And then?” asked the man, and he answered: “Your mother.” “And then?” he inquired, he said: “Your mother.” “And then?” he asked again. The Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) said: “Your father.”

v  A man carrying his old mother on his back and circumambulating the Holy Ka’bah performing pilgrimage asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): “Have I fulfilled my duty towards her?” The latter replied: “Whatever you do for her is not even comparable to one contraction she felt when she was giving birth to you.”

The above article is taken from a booklet “WHAT DOES SHE EXPECT BETTER”.