Social and Economic Securities for Women in Islam

‘Observe your duty to Allah in respect to the women, and treat them well.’ (al-Hadith)

Islam has bestowed on women the numerous social and economic securities. Since its emergence, Islam always had advocated and protected the rights of women. Islamic teachings, obliterating the false customs regarding women, have granted them unprecedented prestige and honour. The inhumane practices like female infanticide and burying daughters alive are totally un-Islamic. This rightful religion has glorified the revered status of women in society.

Islam has granted women the freedom of expression as well as a right to have a dominant say in marital affairs. It has exhorted women to seek education. Denouncing the tyrannical customs and rituals, it has encouraged them to perform their contributory role in the society. To make them economically independent, Islam has made it obligatory to give them their share in inheritance. Moreover, it has supported women with dower, in case a woman’s husband dies. Women in an Islamic society have a right to independent ownership of any business or property and they are absolutely allowed to work for their sustenance.

In spite of the fact that Pakistan is an Islamic republic, its system is ineffective to ensure that women are provided with social and economic securities which Islam has provided to them. Even today’s ‘Enlightened’ Pakistan, women face inequality and discrimination in many parts of the country. They are being slaughtered at the altar of inhumane customs and draconian traditions i.e. Honour killing, vani, swara, forced marriage, marriage to Quran, etc. Their access to education is denied, share in inheritance is not given to them.

This is the culmination of the pre-Islamic mindset, where the birth of a daughter was an embarrassment to a family and where people were involved in burying their baby girls alive as they were considered a burden and they were buried just to get rid of the onus of their upbringing.

After the advent of Islam, this savage practice was abandoned. Islam has termed the birth of a daughter as a blessing. According to a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (PBUH):

‘A male child is a gift and female is a blessing from Allah’.

Islam has upgraded the stature of a woman as worthy for dignity as men. In times of ignorance, women were considered not more than an object or a low creature. They were treated below their dignity. It was a common belief that women are a source of evil.

But, Islamic teachings have spurned this sort of thinking. In this divine religion, women cannot be termed responsible for any malicious act of fate. According to Islamic teachings, no one would be blamed for the wrongdoings of others. Every person is responsible for his own act. Thus, Islam has rehabilitated the status of women.

Islam has guaranteed a reverence for women in every social role of theirs. Before the advent of Islam, women were deprived of their fundamental rights as daughter, mother, sister, wife etc. Daughters were reckoned as social and economic liabilities. There were no rights reserved for wives, injustice against women was omnipresent, widows were forced to live very degradable life.

In pre-Islamic world, there were many civilizations which didn’t reckon an equal based status for women. For instance, in Greek civilization, women were not allowed to enjoy equal status rather they were merely slaves. Similarly, in Roman civilization, the law of the society provided women a low status. A famous line of Cicero, which describes the status of Roman women:

‘Our ancestors, in their wisdom, considered that all women, because of their innate weakness, should be under the control of guardians.’

In Hinduism, too, a widow had no right to live after the death of her husband. She had to sacrifice her life in the name of so-called tradition ‘Sati’. If she had not become a part of this savage custom, she was forced to live a humiliated life. She was not even allowed to have a proper meal for herself. She had to seclude herself and abandon all the social activities. On the contrary, Islam has made them realize that a woman is worthy to be appreciated in every role may it be a mother, a daughter, a sister or a wife. They are to be treated with justice and gratitude. Islam has made them a source of peace and comfort for their guardians.

As mentioned earlier, Islam has given women the right to free will in marital affairs. It has recognized the rights of wilfully marrying, getting divorce and remarrying. Before the promulgation of Islam, women had no option but to abide by the decisions of their guardians. Nevertheless, Islamic teachings have altogether changed this thought. These teachings have fulfilled the terms of a marriage contract for which woman’s acceptance for marriage proposal is indispensable. If she is not willing to continue a marriage on genuine reasons, then Islam has allowed her to ask for divorce. Similarly, Islam has endorsed them a right to remarry whether they are divorced or a widow.

Moreover, Islam has secured a right to seek education for women and has emphasized that it is equally important for women to search for education as for man. According to a Hadith of Holy Prophet (PBUH):

‘Acquisition of knowledge is binding on all Muslims (both men and women without any discrimination).’

Islam has provided women with economic securities as well. It has pledged them with a share in inheritance. In the pre-Islamic world, the women’s right to inherit from a legacy was never recognized. In Judaism and Christianity, there were no provisions for share of inheritance for women. Similarly, in Hinduism, women were kept deprived of their share according to the law of Manu. In Islam, woman inherits a specific share in inheritance of her deceased parents as well as deceased husband. Similarly, if a deceased person had willed to give his legacy to any person just to deprive her wife from her share, Islamic teachings absolutely prohibit this kind of act. In this way, Islam has secured a right of inheritance for women.

It is a known fact that Islam has facilitated women with many social and economic securities. In Pakistan, laws and regulations’ ‘supposedly’ based on Islamic teachings’ are bound to come with such provisions. Despite the fact that Pakistan is an Islamic republic and it boasts to have laws and regulations pursuant to Islam, the prevalent system of law and justice has proved to be just inept and inefficient to provide such secure environment to women as endorsed by Islamic teachings. Even today, women are subjected to un-Islamic customs and traditions. They are being brutally slaughtered in the name of honour. In addition, underage marriages, marriage with Quran’ for not giving their due share in inheritance’ vani etc, mock the country’s claims of being an Islamic Republic. Men are practicing the polygamy without having a balance in the rights of their wives as ordained by Islam. Another shocking reality is the opinions adopted by the Council of Islamic Ideology, who had been assigned a role to interpret Islam and make recommendations to the government to make country’s laws Islamic. But, its recent decisions seem to be the representation of a patriarchal mindset based on misogynistic attitude. Every sane person questions the legality of the CII’s recommendations. Do remember that Islamic teachings emphasise on being affectionate towards women and to strive not to take Allah almighty’s wrath by disgracing them. It is clear from a Hadith of Holy Prophet: