WOMEN’S RIGHTS – A COMPARISON

AMEERAH
Houston, TX USA



Women comprise a little more than half the population of the world. But their rights and honor have not always been respected by the civilized society. Only recently was ‘equal right’ given to women in the western society but on paper only, and not in practice. Women are used mostly for physical pleasures and promotion of business. In the name of progress, equal rights and women liberation, gradually and gradually, they have been dragged down from the lofty and most respectable position given by God, to the most disrespectful position of ‘object of pleasure and lust’. They have been made to discard their graceful and honorable robes for something that is sometimes almost non-existent. They have been humiliated and med to undress in public by the so called civilized man! In one pretext to another, they have been lured out from the protection of their homes to the open field, infested with hungry wolves, who start devouring them at the earliest opportunity and continue to do so until their charm and usefulness last.

Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions of the world, with a combined following of over two billion people. We shall now see the position women occupy in these religions.



Status of Women:



The Holy Bible says: “there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The Holy Bible also says: “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” (I Corinthians 11:8-9).



The Holy Qur’an says: “And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above them” (Quran 2:228). “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because God had given the one more (strength) than the other” (Quran 4:34). Such a degree above is maintenance and protection of women by men, because of their physical and psychological makeup. From the legal standpoint it implies no superiority or advantage. Financial responsibility for the maintenance of his wife, children and needy relatives, especially women, rests on the men (Reference 5, Page 23)



The Holy Bible says: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church’ (I Corinthians 14:34-35) “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent’ (Timothy 2:12)



In Islam women can ask questions, even in the mosque. During the caliphate of Omar, a woman argued with him in the mosque, proved her point and caused him to declare in presence of the people: “The woman is right and Omar is wrong” (Reference 5, Page 24).

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was employed by a woman named Khadijah.



In the Holy Bible God said to women after Eve gave the forbidden fruit to Adam: “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing…. And he (husband) shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).



In Islam the blame for eating from the forbidden tree is put on both Adam and Even. God later forgave them. “Then learn Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord turned towards him; for He is Oft-returning, Most Merciful’ (Quran 2:37) In one verse, in fact, Adam was specifically blamed for not being more careful (Quran 20:121).



Holy Bible says: “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head… For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn (shaved)” (I Corinthians 11:5-6).



Holy Quran does not order women’s head to be shaved for not wearing the head cover. It says: “they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty” (Quran 24:30-31). Punishment for disobedience will be in the after life.



Marriage:



In the Mosaic Law, the wife was bethrothed: “To betroth a wife to oneself meant simply to acquire possession of her by payment of the purchase money; the betrothed is a girl for whom the purchase money has been paid” (Encyclopedia Biblica 1902, Volume 3, Page 2942).



The consent of the girl was not necessary for the validation of the marriage: “The woman being man’s property, his right to divorce her follows as a matter of course.” In the Mosaic Law divorce was a privilege of the husband only (Encyclopedia Biblica, 11th Edition, Page 782).



In Islam, women cannot be forced to marry anyone without their consent: “You are forbidden to inherit women against their will” (Quran 4:19) The Quran orders husbands: “Live with them (wives) on a footing of kindness and equity (Quran 4:19).



Property Rights:



According to English common law: “all real property which a wife held at the time of marriage became a possession of the husband” (Encyclopedia America, Intl. Edition, Volume 29, Page 108). Married women’s Property Act of England was passed in 1870 (Reference 5, Page 8). France made women eligible to make a contract in 1938, however the wife was still required to secure her husband’s permission before she could dispose of her private property (Reference 5, Page 21).



The Islamic Law recognizes women’s right to her money, real estate, or other properties. She has full rights to buy, sell, mortgage or lease any or all her properties (Reference 5, Page 21). Women have the right to inheritance (Quran 4:7). Her share is hers and no one can make any claim on it (Reference 5, Page 22).



Status of Mother:



The Holy Bible says: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” (Colossians 3:20). But the Bible also says: “And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus sath unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her (Mother), woman what have I to do with thee?? Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:3-4)



Islam considers kindness to parents next to worship of God: “your lord has decreed that you worship none save him, and that you be kind to your parents” (Quran 17:23).



Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also said: “Paradise is at the feet of mothers”. (Nasai 25:6, Reference 4, Page 80)



Polygamy:



The Holy Bible did not prohibit polygamy. Many of the prophets in the Holy Bible were polygamous. Prophet David had 100 wives and Prophet Solomon had 700 wives. Later regulations fixed the number of wives at 18 for kings and 4 for an ordinary man (Dictionary of the Holy Bible, James Hasting, Charles Scribner’s Sons, NY, 1963, Page 624).



Although the churches do not allow polygamy now, most of the Christians are not monogamous. Because of the absence of this safety-valve mechanism, most of the surplus women in post-world-war Germany indulged in adultery and fornication.



In Islam polygamy is allowed, but under special circumstances and with strict conditions. That is why, almost all Muslims one meets are strictly monogamous. It is interesting to note that although polygamy is allowed in Islam, Muslims are, in general, strictly monogamous, whereas the Christians, although preach monogamy, openly indulge in polygamy!





Views of Canonized saints of Christianity:



“Woman is a daughter of falsehood, a sentinel of Hell, the enemy of peace; through her Adam lost paradise.” (St. John Damascene, Reference 4, Page 79).

“Woman is the fountain of the arm of the Devil, her voice is the hissing of the serpent” (St. Anthony, Reference 4, Page 79)

“Woman has the poison of an asp, the malice of a dragon” (St. Gregory the Great, Reference 4, Page 79).



The status which women in Christian countries reached was not given by the Holy Bible. “It was achieved through long struggle and sacrifice on the part of women and when the society needed their contribution and work, more especially during the two world wars” (Reference 5, Page 26).





Special Status and Right of Women in Islam



Women are exempted from obligatory daily prayers during their monthly periods and forty days after childbirth. They do not have to observe the obligatory fasting during those periods, and during pregnancy and nursing of her baby if there is ANY threat to her health of her baby. But they will make up for the missed fasting days at a later date. Friday’s congregational prayer is mandatory for men but optional for women. (Reference 5, Pages 13-14).



Woman has the full right to her ‘Mahr’, a marriage gift, and such ownership does not transfer to her husband or father. The marriage gift symbolizes man’s respect, love and affection for the woman he is going to marry (Reference 5, Page 17). The Holy Quran says: “When you divorce a woman, do not take back anything that you have given her (however great it may be)” (Quran 4:20).

Islam emphasizes the importance of taking counsel and mutual agreement in family decisions:

“If they (husband and wife) decide … by mutual consent and (after) due consultation, there is no blame on them” (Quran 2:233).



Protection of women’s honor: The Holy Quran says: “And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and not produce four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes and reject their evidence even after” (Quran 24:4). When a wife is accused and no witness is presented, the witness of the women to defend her honor and chastity is greater than the witness of the male accuser (Quran 24:6-9).



The Holy Quran says: “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard heir modesty; that will make for greater purity for them: … And say to the believing women that they should lower their gazes and guard their modesty, that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosom and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers … (Quran 24:30-31).



Both men and women have equal right to seek an end to an unsuccessful marriage. To protect them from hasty decision out of temporary emotional stress, certain steps and waiting periods are observed (Reference 5, Page 19)

Holy Bible forbids divorce (Luke 16:18)



Advise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “You have certain rights over your women, but they also have rights over you… do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers.” (Prophet Muhammads (PBUH) Last Sermon)
“Best of you are those who are best with your wives ... it is the generous who is good to women, and it is the wicked who insults them” (Reference 5, Pages 18 and 21).


Under Islamic Law:

Women are far more secure financially: Women’s personal property does not get transferred to husband or father.
Her marriage gift is hers to keep, even if she divorces.
She bears no obligation to spend from her property on her family.
She bears no financial responsibility to maintain her children if the husband is alive.
If divorced, she may also get alimony from her ex-husband.
There is no law in Islam which forbids women to seek employment.






References:

Teachers Edition of the Holy Bible, 1955
Holy Bible Revised Standard Edition, 1980
The Holy Qur’an, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, 1988
Islam and Christianity, U. A. Samad, 1988
The Status of Woman in Islam, Dr. J. Badawi, 1972
Polygamy in Islamic Law, Dr. J. Badawi, 1976

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The Wives of the Prophet SAW (the mothers of the Believers [may Allah SWT be pleased with them]) Nov 11, '07 8:15 PM
for everyone

Question:
Can you pls tell me ,how many wives does our Propher(pbuh) had with names and exact prove like Hadith no. and book name with page no.There r lot of confusions .I ll be great full to u if u can help me out.

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married the following women:
1 – Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid (may Allaah be pleased with her)
She was the first of his wives. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her when he was twenty-five years old, and he did not take another wife until after she died. All his children were born from her, except Ibraaheem.
Al-Bukhaari entitled a chapter in his Saheeh: “The marriage of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to Khadeejah (may Allaah be pleased with her), and her virtues,” in which he narrated a hadeeth from ‘Aa’ishah who said: “I never felt jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as I did of Khadeejah, although she died before he married me, because of what I heard him say about her.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3815.
2 – Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her in the tenth year of his Prophethood. Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d, narrating from al-Waaqidi, 8/52-53; Ibn Katheer in al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 3/149
3 – ‘Aa’ishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with her)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her in Shawwaal of the tenth year of the Prophethood. Ibn Sa’d, 8/58-59. She herself said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3894; Muslim, 1422. Al-Bukhaari (5077) also narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (S) (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not marry any virgin apart form her.
4 – Hafsah bint ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with her)
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that Hafsah’s husband Khunays ibn Hudhaafah, who was one of the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and had been present at Badr, died in Madeenah. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: I met ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan and offered Hafsah to him in marriage. I said: If you wish, I will marry Hafsah bint ‘Umar to you. He said: I will think about it. Several nights passed, then he said: I think that I do not want to get married at this time. ‘Umar said: Then I met Abu Bakr and I said: If you wish, I will marry Hafsah bint ‘Umar to you. Abu Bakr kept quiet and did not give me any response. I was more upset about him than about ‘Uthmaan. Several nights passed, then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) proposed to her and I married her to him. Then Abu Bakr met me and said: Perhaps you felt upset when you offered Hafsah in marriage to me and I did not reply? I said: Yes. He said: Nothing prevented me from responding to your offer but the fact that I knew that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had mentioned her, and I did not want to disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). If he had decided not to marry her, I would have accepted your offer.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4005.
5 – Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (may Allaah be pleased with her)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her in Ramadaan, thirty-one months after the Hijrah. Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d, 8/115
6 – Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah (may Allaah be pleased with her)
Muslim (918) narrated that Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no person who is faced with a calamity and says Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon, Allaahumma ujurni fi museebati w'ukhluf li khayran minha (Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return; O Allaah, reward me in this calamity and compensate me with something better than it) but Allaah will reward him in his calamity and will compensate him with something better than that.” She said: When Abu Salamah died, I said what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had commanded me, and Allaah compensated me with someone better than him: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
According to another report: when Abu Salamah died, I said: Who is better than Abu Salamah, the companion of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? But Allaah decreed that I should say it. Then I got married to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
7 – Juwayriyah bint al-Haarith (may Allaah be pleased with her)
She fell prisoner to the Muslims during the battle of Banu’l-Mustalaq, and she came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to ask him to help her to manumit herself and buy her freedom. He offered to buy her freedom and marry her, and she accepted. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her and made her manumission her dowry. When the people came to know of that, they set free their own prisoners, so as to honour the in-laws of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). No woman brought a greater blessing to her people than she did. Narrated by Ibn Ishaaq with a hasan isnaad. Seerat Ibn Hishaam, 3/408-409.
8 – Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allaah be pleased with her)
Concerning her Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning):
“So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them)”
[al-Ahzaab 33:37]
She used to boast about this to the other wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), saying: “Your families arranged your marriages but Allaah arranged my marriage from above the seven heavens.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7420.
9 – Umm Habeebah bint Abi Sufyaan (may Allaah be pleased with her):
Abu Dawood (2107) narrated from ‘Urwah from Umm Habeebah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that she was married to ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn Jahsh, who died in Abyssinia. Then the Negus married her to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and gave her a mahr of four thousand on his behalf, and sent her to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with Shurahbeel ibn Hasanah. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
10- Maymoonah bint al-Haarith (may Allaah be pleased with her)
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married Maymoonah when he was in ihraam. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1832; Muslim, 1410.
The words “when he was in ihraam” are a mistake. In fact the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her after he exited ihraam following ‘Umrat al-Qada’.
See Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/113; Fath al-Baari, hadeeth no. 5114.
11 – Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab (may Allaah be pleased with her)
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set her free and married her after the battle of Khaybar. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 371.
These are the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with whom he consummated marriage. Two of them died during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), namely Khadeejah and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (may Allaah be pleased with them both). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) left behind nine wives when he died; there is no difference of scholarly opinion on this matter.
See Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/105-114
It was said that Rayhaanah bint ‘Amr al-Nadariyyah (or al-Quraziyyah) was also one of his wives. She was taken prisoner during the battle of Bani Qurayzah, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) chose her for himself and married her, then he divorced her then took her back. Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d , narrating from al-Waaqidi, 8/130
And it was said that she was a concubine. This was regarded as more likely by Ibn al-Qayyim in Zaad al-Ma’aad.
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Be in the World like a stranger... Nov 11, '07 8:04 PM
for everyone

Mu` meneen Brothers and Sisters, As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah`s Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
In the name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Gracious


Abdullah bin Umar (r.a.) reported: Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of my shoulders and said,

" Be in the world like a stranger or a wayfarer."



Ibn Umar (r.a.) used to say: "When you survive till the evening, do not expect to live until the morning; and when you survive until the morning, do not expect to live until the evening; (do good deeds) when you are in good health before you fall sick, and (do good deeds) as long as you are alive before death strikes."

Sahih Al Bukhari Hadith 471 Chapter 55 Excellence of Ascetic life

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By all Means... MARRY! Nov 9, '07 3:28 PM
for everyone

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry.
That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.
David Bissonette

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.
Sacha Guitry

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
Henny Youngman

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
Sam Kinison

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't."
Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Nash

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once...
Anonymous

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle



Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous

A son asked his Dad how much it costs to get married. His Dad replied: I don't know son, I'm still paying.


A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."