Women economic rights in Islam

Well this is a brief view, i don;t think I am covering it all , but this is just a small insight I got from a research on the net for those who are interested about having an overview of women economic rights in Islam.

Economic rights

Islam gives for the women the right of independent ownership, woman's right to her money, real estate, or other properties is fully acknowledged. This right undergoes no change whether she is single or married. She retains her full rights to buy, sell, mortgage or lease any or all her properties
Her assets remained hers, and marriage or divorce will not alter the fact.

No married woman is required to spend any amount at all from her property and income on the household.

However in some circumstances she may find it necessary to spend from her earnings or savings to provide the necessities for her family. While this is not a legal obligation, it is consistent with the mutuality of care, love and cooperation among family members.

The woman is entitled also to full financial support during marriage and during the waiting period in case of divorce or widowhood. Some jurists require , in addition, one year's support for divorce and widowhood (or until they remarry, if remarriage takes place before the year is over).
A woman who bears a child in marriage is entitled to child support from the child's father. Muslim wife is entitled to be supported by her husband, no matter how rich she may be in her own right; whilst she is a child, she is entitled to be supported by her father and in old age she is entitled to be supported by her children. The Muslim woman is relieved of the burden of having to earn a living, and she is allowed to dispose of her earnings in whatever manner she chooses.


The financial advantages accorded to women and not to men in marriage and in family have a social counterpart in the provisions that the Quran lays down in the laws of inheritance, which afford the male, in most cases, twice the inheritance of a female.
Her share in most cases is one-half the man's share, with no implication that she is worth half a man!
This variation in inheritance rights is only consistent with the variations in financial responsibilities of man and woman according to the Islamic Law.

Man in Islam is fully responsible for the maintenance of his wife, his children, and in some cases of his needy relatives, especially the females. This responsibility is not reduced because of his wife's wealth or because of her access to any personal income gained.
She has no obligation to spend on her family out of such properties or out of her income after marriage.

The Quran states: "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend of their wealth (for the support of women)." (4:34)

Does Islam Oppress Women ? (Part 2)

This is the second post , I will try to give brief views of the the social aspects of women in Islam , that I got from some researches , and will try to elaboratemore in the following posts ISA.

The Social Aspect of Women in Islam:]

A) As a Daughter:
(1) The Quran ended the cruel practice of female infanticide, which was before Islam. God said:
“And when the girl (who was) buried alive is asked, for what sin she was killed” (Quran, 81:8-9)

(2) The Quran went further to rebuke the unwelcoming attitude of some parents upon hearing the news of the birth of a baby girl, instead of a baby boy. God has said:

“ 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 ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Certainly, evil is what they decide. “ (Quran 16:58-59)

(3) Parents are duty-bound to support and show kindness and justice to their daughters. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “ Whosoever supports two daughters until they mature, he and I will come on the Day of Judgment as this (and he pointed with his fingers held together)”}

B) As a Wife:

(1) Marriage in Islam is based on mutual peace, love, and compassion, and not just the mere satisfying of human sexual desire. Among the most impressive verses in the Quran about marriage is the following:
“ 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.” (Quran, 30:21)

(2) The female has the right to accept or reject marriage proposals. According to the Islamic Law, women cannot be forced to marry anyone without their consent.

Ibn Abbas reported that a girl came to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and she reported that her father had forced her to marry without her consent. The Messenger of God gave her the choice . . . (between accepting the marriage or invalidating it). (Ibn Hanbal No. 2469). In another version, the girl said: "Actually I accept this marriage but I wanted to let women know that parents have no right (to force a husband on them)" (Ibn Maja, No. 1873)

3- The concept of Mahr, marriage gift , in Islam is neither an actual or symbolic price for the woman, as was the case in certain cultures, but rather it is a gift symbolizing love and affection

4- Islam encourages the husband to treat his wife well, as the Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH) said: “ The best among you are those who are best to their wives.”
Prophet Muhammad. (PBUH) said:
“The best of you is the best to his family and I am the best among you to my family. “
He also told the Muslims: "Fear Allah in respect of women." And: "The best of you are they who behave best to their wives."

5- The husband is responsible for the maintenance, protection, and overall leadership of the family, within the framework of consultation and kindness.

6- Islam emphasizes the importance of taking counsel and mutual agreement in family decisions. The Qur'an gives us an example:
"...If they (husband wife) desire to wean the child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, there is no blame on them..." (Qur'an 2: 233).

7- The Quran urges husbands to be kind and considerate to their wives, even if a wife falls out of favor with her husband or disinclination for her arises within him:
“...And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them, perhaps you dislike a thing and God makes therein much good. “ (Quran, 4:19)

Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said : "A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good." And: "The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is"

(8) Divorce is a last resort, permissible but not encouraged, for the Quran esteems the preservation of faith and the individual’s right -male and female alike- to felicity. Forms of marriage dissolution include an enactment based upon mutual agreement, the husband’s initiative, the wife’s initiative (if part of her marital contract), the court’s decision on a wife’s initiative (for a legitimate reason), and the wife’s initiative without a cause, provided that she returns her marital gift to her husband. When the continuation of the marriage relationship is impossible for any reason, men are still taught to seek a gracious end for it. The Quran states about such cases:
“ And when you divorce women and they have fulfilled their term (i.e. waiting period), either keep them in kindness or release them in kindness, and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress (against them). “ (Quran, 2:231)


C) As a Mother:
(1) Islam considered kindness to parents next to the worship of God.
The Quran elevates kindness to parents (especially mothers) to a status second to the worship of God:

“ Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If one of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, or scold them, but say a generous word to them. And act humbly to them in mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, since they cared for me when I was small.” (Quran, 17:23-24,)

"And we have enjoined upon man (to be good) to his parents: His mother bears him in weakness upon weakness..." (Qur'an 31:14)

In another tradition, the Prophet (PBUH) advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Mu'awiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, " Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice." He said, "Then remain in your mother's service, because Paradise is under her feet."

Mothers in Islam are highly honored. Islam recommends treating them in the best way. A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and said, “O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship?” The Prophet (PBUH) said: {Your mother.} The man said, “Then who?” The Prophet (PBUH) said: {Then your mother.} The man further asked, “Then who?” The Prophet (PBUH) said: {Then your mother.} The man asked again, “Then who?” The Prophet (PBUH) said: {Then your father.}

D) As a Sister in Faith (In General):

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught kindness, care, and respect toward women in general: {I commend you to be good to women.} It is significant that such instruction of the Prophet was among his final instructions and reminders in the farewell pilgrimage address given shortly before his passing away.

Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) encouraged his followers to marry the widows, because of the responsibility of maintaining the children and earning that falls upon them.
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: "One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day."

I will try to elaborate more in that in the next post ISA.

Does Islam Oppress Women ? (part 1)

I was in a debate with some foreigners in one of the fellow bloggers , and I found that there is a misconception of Women in Islam. The concept of women in Islam is misunderstood.

They view Muslim women as being oppressed a lot. What I would like them to know is that if Muslim women were oppressed, it’s because they forsake the true essence of Islamic guidelines and follow their country’s cultural practices.

It is important to know that Islamic law is derived solely from Quran and Sunnah.

The message of Islam is believed to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), about 610 AD through the angel Gabriel. All the revelations of Allah have been accordingly recorded in the Holy Quran. It is said that the Quran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. It is believed that not one word of its 114 chapters has been changed over the centuries, so that the Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago.

I will try to give very brief views in some posts of on women in Islam that I obtained from several researches, books and verses from Quran.

The first one is about the social aspects for women in Islam:

Women before Islam

To understand how the status and position of women improved by Islamic law, it is important to understand the conditions women were in before the Quran and Sunnah were introduced to humankind

Women in Ancient Civilizations:

Briefly how women were treated in general in previous civilizations and religions, especially those which preceded Islam (before 610 AD).

In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust The following examples from history illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity:

1. Babylonian Civilization: The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.
2. Greek Civilization: women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men.
3. Roman Civilization: When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.
4. Egyptian Civilization: The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.
Pre-Islamic Arabia: Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.

The history of human civilization testifies that the woman, who gives birth as a mother, was humiliated, treated harshly, and reduced to the position of being a “maid” rather than a dignified woman. Women were held in bondage to their husbands, who could keep them or divorce them at their will and pleasure. Women were viewed as the embodiment of sin, misfortune, disgrace, and shame, and they had no rights or positions in society whatsoever.
Hence, it is quite apparent men had absolute dominance over women in this time period.

The Arabs did not welcome the birth of a baby girl, and this was so because of the nature of their society.

Islam rehabilitate the status of women in society,

Islam has denounced the old myth of eve as a temptress and source of evil, as the cause of original sin and the fall of humankind. On the contrary, the Quran depicts Adam and Eve as equally responsible for their sin. The Quran describes,

“Did I not forbid you both that tree and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?” Quran 7: 19-27


Islam prohibited the practice of female infanticide and restored birth rights to women.

The Quran ended the cruel practice of female infanticide by stating,

“ When the female (infant) buried alive is questioned for what crime she was killed…”Quran 81:8-9


Equality of Women and Men in the way they are judged :


1- The Prophet (PBUH) reported to have said, “All people are equal, as equal as the teeth of a comb. There is no claim of merit of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a white over a black person, or of a male over a female,”

The Quran is quite clear about the issue of the claimed superiority or inferiority of any human, male or female. The sole basis for superiority of any person over another is piety and righteousness not gender, color, or nationality
Woman, declared the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), “are the twin halves of men.”
He inculcated respect for women in these words: “The most pious thing in the world is a virtual woman”


2- According to the Quran, men and women receive the same punishment for crimes such as theft (5:38), fornication (24:2), murder and injury (5:45).

3- According to Islam , men and women have the same religious and moral duties and responsibilities. Each human being shall face the consequences of his or her deeds:
“ And their Lord responded to them (saying): Never will I allow to be lost the work of (any) worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another... “Quran, 3:195

4- The Qur'an provides clear-cut evidence that woman incompletely equated with man in the sight of God in terms of her rights and responsibilities. The Qur'an states:
"Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds" (Qur'an 74:38). It also states:
“...So their Lord accepted their prayers, (saying): I will not suffer to be lost the work of any of you whether male or female. You proceed one from another
Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to the their actions. (Qur'an 16:97, see also 4:124).

5- According to the Holy Quran, men and women have the same human spiritual nature:
“ O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women... “ (Quran, 4:1 )

Muslim Women and Education

The Prophet (PBUH) moreover encouraged education for both males and females and even ordered that the slave girls should be educated.

He made it clear that seeking knowledge was a matter of religious duty binding upon every Muslim man and woman. Today, however, family circumstances, together with the traditions and customs of specific Muslim courtiers, may work to the detriment of the girl, in terms of depriving her of education, for reasons which have nothing to do with Islam. The Prophet ( PBUH) said:

"Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female)."

Men and women both have the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and interests.

I will try to make ISA in the second post some views of the social aspects of Women in islam