***STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM***

***STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM***

 MUSAIB SYED

 Women are vital to the very existence of all humans. After all, men are born from women, not the other way around. Allah tells us in the Quran that He has created both men and women, all from a single person, Adam a.s. From Adam, Allah created his mate EVE & from these two Allah brought forth many men & many women. Almighty also told us He created us all from a single soul & from him, brought forth his mate & from these two He created many tribes & nations & made us all different so that we might recognize one another.

Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property & earnings without any guardianship over her. She has the right to buy & sell, give gifts & charity, & may spend her money as she pleases. A study of the Quran & Hadith tells us that in Islam a woman enjoys the same status as that of a man. The Quran says:
 YOU ARE MEMBERS, ONE OF ANOTHER.(3:195)
 There is no difference between the two as regards status, rights & blessings both in this world & in the Hereafter. The first verse that we find in the Quran on this subject is as follows:'
Mankind, fear your God who created you from one soul & created man's mate from the same soul, from these two scattering on earth many men & women. Fear God, in whose name you entreat one another, & be careful not to serve your ties of kinship, God is watching over what you do. 4:1
  This verse tells us that God has created man & women from the same soul, that is from the same substance.

When we deeply go into the depths of quranic interpretations we find that the status of women is even higher than that of Men. A woman can be a 'Qawwam' over a man & the Quran has itself testified to it.
Women play many roles in society: they are daughters, sisters, mothers, & wives to men women are half of the Humanity. They are the cause of our very being & constitute the essential & integral part of our society. In the pre-Islamic Arabia Daughters were buried alive, women were not treated well, a person whose name was Qais bin Asim buried Ten of his daughters alive in a dreadful way which is called as child infanticide But Islam condemned such a crime in the Strongest terms. Prophet s.a.w defined it as a great virtue to look after daughters. He said that he, who has two daughters & takes care of them in a befitting manner, he & I will be in paradise like this ."He joined his two fingers to emphasize the point".

Islam is the only religion that has given women the status by her nature & determined her rights & duties according to the chemistry of her Personality. Islam gave women the dignity which no other ideology or faith has ever given.
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w raised women's status to a height which was never given to her before. She was empowered to lead a dignified life & commanded respect & honor.

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   Author: Musaib Syed

   Author presently doing P.G in Islamic studies at Kashmir university.