Her right to her life

[1]

Sadia Dehlvi [1]

Religion is often blamed as one of the reasons responsible for the subjugation of women, but it is usually cultural traditions to blame and not the religion. In the Islamic tradition, a woman is a legal entity with a right to a life of honour and dignity, to education and information, to own property; to marriage and divorce. Islam does not believe that the creation of Eve is an afterthought, recognising dualism as the primordial design for all creation. The Quran asserts, “And of everything we have created in pairs.”
In another verse, God says He created men and women as mates so they might find sakinah, tranquillity, in the relationship. Allah then tells us that these are signs to make humanity reflect deeply. The Quran makes clear that ranking with God is on the basis of piety and not gender. It explains, “And for women have rights over men, similar to those of men over women.”
A woman has the same responsibilities towards herself, towards God and other creations as men. Islam upholds the best of behaviour with women. Prophet Mohammed said, “The best believer is the best in character, and the best of you is the one who is best to his womenfolk.” He said that God ensures paradise to those who take good care of their daughters. Another famed saying is, “Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.” With these instructions it is a religious responsibility, a praiseworthy act, to respect and act justly with women.
Islam grants women the right to choose a spouse and keep their original family name after marriage. Three of the four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence consider domestic chores outside the scope of a woman’s legal responsibilities towards her husband.
Many have the wrong impression that Islam sanctions parents in forcing daughters into marriage. Once a woman came to the Prophet and said, “My father has married me to my cousin to raise his social standing — I was forced into it.” The Prophet sent for the girl’s father and 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.”
In the early days of Islam, Muslim women enjoyed leadership and community-building roles. Women excelled as scholars in the field of religious studies. One-fourth of Hadith, Prophetic sayings, that form the corpus of Muslim faith have been collected from women transmitters. There were many women jurists who gave fatwas or religious verdicts and no objections were raised when their opinions differed from those of their male contemporaries.
As exemplars of Islamic piety, Muslim women made their mark in history as scholars, poets, mystics, ascetics and founders of Sufi schools. They served as respected teachers and guides in the same way as Muslim men, often surpassing men in their understanding of the Quran. Despite outward male or female forms, in true spirituality there is no space for “I”, for all that exists is “Thou”, the One Divine reality.