“We Used to Have No Regard for Women”: Gender Equity & the Advent of Islam
Published: July 17, 2019 • Updated: July 22, 2024
Authors: Roohi Tahir, Dr. Omar Suleiman, Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy and Maryam Al-Dabbagh
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
For more on this topic, see Gender and Islam
Introduction
Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while a believer—We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. [Qur’an 16: 97]
Societal Regard
And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the evil of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably evil is what they decide. [Qur’an 16: 59]
And their Lord responded to them, ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed—I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah, and Allah has with Him the best reward. [Qur’an 3: 195]
Familial Regard
And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. [Qur’an 31:14]
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought. [Qur’an 30: 21]
Spiritual Regard
And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds. O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]. [Qur’an 3:42-43]
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "Oh, how I wish I had died before this and was left in oblivion, utterly forgotten!" But a voice called to her from below, "Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be content.” [Qur’an 19:23-26]
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, establish prayer, give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. On these, Allah will have mercy. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. [Qur’an 9: 71]
Conclusion
Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard them, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so—for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. [Qur’an 33: 35]
Appendix: The Qur’an’s Regard for Women
O humankind! We have created you from a single male and female, and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. [Qur’an 49: 13]
Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. That is the great attainment. [Qur’an 9: 72]
On the Day you see the believing men and believing women, their light proceeding before them and on their right, [it will be said], ‘Your good tidings today are [of] gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide eternally.’ That is the great attainment. [Qur’an 57: 12]
That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide therein eternally and remove from them their misdeeds—and ever is that, in the sight of Allah, a great attainment. [Qur’an 48: 5]
And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer —those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed. [Qur’an 4:124]
Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while a believer—We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. [Qur’an 16: 97]
Whoever does an evil deed will not be recompensed except by the like thereof, but whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while a believer—those will enter Paradise, being given provision therein without account. [Qur’an 40: 40]
And their Lord responded to them, ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed—I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah, and Allah has with Him the best reward. [Qur’an 3: 195]
And when the infant girl [who was] buried alive is asked, for what sin she was killed. [Qur’an 81: 8-9]
And do not kill your children out of poverty. We will provide for you and them… And do not kill the soul which Allah has made sacred… [Qur’an 6: 151]
And those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce four witnesses—lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony ever after. Those are the defiantly disobedient. [Qur’an 24: 4]
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. [Qur’an 9: 71]
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought. [Qur’an 30: 21]
It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. [Qur’an 7: 189]
Notes
1 Arabic for ‘the Age of Ignorance’—a term used in reference to the time prior to the advent of Islam.
2 Sahih al-Bukhâri; Kitâb al-Madhâlim; Bâb al-Ghurfa wal-‘Ulya; Hadith 5505
3 Sulaimani, F. (1986) ‘The Changing Position of Women in Arabia Under Islam During the Early Seventh Century.’ University of Salford, International Studies Unit. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/14814/1/361089.pdf
4 Brown, J. (2016) ‘Islam is not the Cause of Honor Killings. It’s Part of the Solution.’ Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. https://yaqeeninstitute.org/en/jonathan-brown/islam-is-not-the-cause-of-honor-killings-its-part-of-the-solution/
5 Sahih al-Bukhari 283 In-book reference: Book 5, Hadith 35, USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 281 https://sunnah.com/bukhari/5/35
6 Collected by Muslim (298), Abu Dawud (261), at-Tirmidhi (134), and an-Nasai (1/192)
7 Attributed to al-Bayhaqi’s al-Asmâ’ was-Sifat and to Ibn Abi Hâtim in ad-Durr al-Manthoor (6/179)
8 Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabeer At-Tabarani 785
9 Al-Ahad wal-Mathani 2860
10 Collected by Mâlik in al-Muwatta’ (2/596-598) in at-Talâq, Mâ Jâ’a ‘an al-Hidâd.
11 Collected by Ahmad (15577), an-Nasâ’i (3104), and Ibn Mâjah (2781), and deemed sound by al-Arna’oot.
12 Collected by al-Bukhâri (5971) and Muslim (2548)
13 Collected by al-Bukhâri (11) in al-Adab al-Mufrad, Ibn al-Mubârak in al-Birr was-Sila, al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Eemân (55).
14 Collected by al-Bukhâri (6050) and Muslim (1661)
15 Sahih al-Bukhari (3714)
16 Jami` at-Tirmidhi (1914)
17 Tuhfat al-Mawdood: (p. 26)
18 Sawn al-Mukramât Bi Ri’âyat al-Banât
19 Collected by Abu Dawud (2096) and deemed authentic by al-Albâni
20 Collected by al-Bukhâri (4845)
21 Collected by Ibn Mâjah (1874) and deemed authentic by al-Buwaysiri and al-Wâdi‘i
22 Sahih al-Bukhari (5273)
23 Sunan Abi Dawud 3533 Book 23, Hadith 3526
24 Sahih al-Bukhâri; Kitâb al-Madhâlim; Bâb al-Ghurfa wal-‘Ulya; Hadith 5505
25 Collected by al-Bukhâri (1/175) and Muslim (2633)
26 Nadwi, A. M. (2007). Al-Muhaddithat: Women Scholars in Islam. Interface Publications.
27 I’lām al-Muwaqqi’īn 3/11
28 Collected by Ahmad (2/256), Abu Dawud (236), and at-Tirmidhi (113)
29 Ibn Hajar Fath ul-Bari 4853
30 al-Tirmidhī, Muḥammad ibn ʻĪsá. Sunan al-Tirmidhī. (Bayrūt: Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī, 1998), v.3 p.204 #1597; deemed authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) by al-Tirmidhī in his commentary.
31 Collected by at-Tirmidhi (1/217-218), Ahmad (2/250 & 472), and Ibn Hibbân (1311). At-Tirmidhi deemed it hasan-sahih, and al-Albâni deemed it authentic in as-Sahihah (284).