Women in Christianity and Islam
Salamu 'alaikum,
One of the primary misconceptions among non-muslims is women in Islam are oppressed and subjugated. Often ayaat [verses] are taken out of their Qur'anic context giving rise to common allegations such as in Islam, women are considered infirior to men. That Islam allows the beating of woman. It degrades the her by forcing her to cover up. A woman only gets half the inheritance compared to a man. Two female witnesses equal one male witness and so on. Generally, the people who are making these claims are Christians. So the purpose of this article is not only to refute false criticism but also, to raise a few concerns about Christianity (insha-allah).
Equality
We read in the Qur'an, considered by muslims to be a Divine revelation of GOD; 'And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: "Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of another: Those who have left their homes, or been driven out therefrom, or suffered harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain,- verily, I will blot out from them their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath;- A reward from the presence of Allah, and from His presence is the best of rewards.' [Al-Qur'an 3:195].
Another ayah[verse] reads;
'He that works evil will not be requited but by the like thereof: and he that works a righteous deed - whether man or woman - and is a Believer- such will enter the Garden (of Bliss): Therein will they have abundance without measure.' [Al-Qur'an 40:40]. A similar messages are repeated in;
[Al-Qur'an 16:97], [33:35],[57:12,18].
We clearly see in the Qur'an that both man and woman are indeed equal in the sight of GOD. The criteria for superiority is not sex(male or female) but rather righteous deeds and piety. Neither has any authority over the other though man has a greater responsibility in looking after the women.[1] The Qur'an describes man and woman as 'garments of each other' [2], both are assistants and protectors of each other. The Qur'an also describes both man and woman as of similar nature.[3]
In the Christian Bible however we see in the words of St.Paul how women is considered infirior to men; [1Tim 2:12] "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men." [1Co 11:3] 'But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.' In Islam no man has any authority over their female counterparts, The Qur'an states; 'O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will'
[Al-Qur'an 4:19] so women have a free will and aren't under men as the Bible states.
The Bible also states;"I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all" [Ecc 7:26-28].
The Qur'an never makes such a claim instead in Islam we have several examples of great and righteous women. The Qur'an relates to two of them in the following ayaat; 'And Allah sets forth, as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh: Behold she said: "O my Lord! Build for me, in nearness to Thee, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong"; And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).' [Al-Qur'an 66:11-12].
The Biblical notions that "The birth of a daughter is a loss" [4] and statements such as; "Keep a headstrong daughter under firm control, or she will abuse any indulgence she receives. Keep a strict watch on her shameless eye, do not be surprised if she disgraces you" [5] are repeatedly condemned in the Qur'an. It describes how people felt sorrow at the birth of a female child;
'With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news(female child) he has had! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? Ah! what an evil (choice) they decide on?' [Al-Qur'an 16:59].
In pre-islamic Arabia female infanticide was very common, The Qur'an put a halt on this evil practice; 'When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned - For what crime she was killed?' [Al-Qur'an 81:8-9]. Allah[GOD] further ordains; 'Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin.'
[Al-Qur'an 17:31].
Moreover the Prophet Muhammad[p] said "Anyone who up brings 2 daughters properly and takes good care and brings them up with love and affection, they will enter Paradise" [Ahmad].
'Hijab'
Its claimed that Islam degrades the women by hiding her behind a Hijab[covering].
It is true that 'Hijab' has been perscribed upon who every believing women [Al-Qur'an 24:31]. An ayah prior, the Qur'an talks about the 'Hijab' for men; 'Say [O Muhammad] to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do' [Al-Qur'an 24:30]. The reason for women's Hijab is also given in the Qur'an; 'O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful' [6] Thus the purpose of Hijab is not to degrade anyone. It is a sign of modesty for both man and a woman. To a muslim it sounds strange that people take the Hijab as a sign of oppression when its clearly stated in the Glorious Qur'an that Hijab prevents women from being molested. It is there to protect women from strange men who may carry a disease in their hearts. Muslims wonder, 'where do people get this idea of subjugation?'
When we look into the Christian Bible we fined the roots for this notion. St.Paul says in;
[1Co 11:7-10] 'For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man [8] (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man [9] Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man) [10] That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels.' Man need not cover his head since he is the image of GOD whereas the woman is the image of man so she should cover her head as a sign of her submission to man.
[1Ti 2:9] "Also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire." St.Paul talks about how women should be dressed up modestly. He also emphasises how women should not wear costly clothing. A few verses later St.Paul gives his reasons; "Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness [12] I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent [13] For Adam was formed first, then Eve; [14] and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor [15] Yet woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty" [1Ti 2:11-15].
So there we have a Pauline definition of modesty for the women. Being a modest woman in Christianity means to be in total submission to man. If women are not modest[submissive to men], they shall not be saved. This is contrary to modesty in Islam. Modesty in Islam means humbleness and simplicity, not just for women but also for men. [7] In Islam men and women are told to dress modestly not because either are being degraded but rather they may learn submission to GOD alone and not become arrogant. So the idea of woman's submission to man does not come from the Qur'an at all but rather the Christian Bible.
Inheritance
It is true that in most cases women only inherit half the amount compared to their men [8] but is that really unjust? A female in Islam does not have to worry about the financial aspects. She need not work for a living because that obligation is on the man. Thus even though the male is getting double the amount compared to the female, he ends up spending almost all of it on the female. By this method, women und up inheriting more than men.
What do or do women inherit anything in Christianity? We read in the Christian Bible:"And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter" [Num 27:8].
In other words, if there is no son, the daughter shall have nothing. Only if there is no son does the daughter ineherit. Moreover, in [Num 36:6], the daughter who inherits by this method is then forced to marry within her tribe. She cannot marry outside that tribe because the money she has inherited must remain in that tribe.
The last Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhamamd[p] forbade forcing women into disliked marriages; 'My father married me to his nephew and I did not like this match, so I complained to the Messenger of Allah. He said to me: "Accept what your father has arranged." I said, I do not wish to accept what my father has arranged. He said, "Then this marriage is invalid, go and marry whomever you wish." I said, I have accepted what my father has arranged but I wanted women to know that fathers have no right in their daughter�s matters (i.e. they have no right to force a marriage on them). [9]
Uncleanliness
In the Book of Leviticus it is mentioned that the period of menses is 'unclean' and that period of uncleanliness is doubled when she gives birth to a fermale child as compared to a male [Lev 12:2-5]. No such notions exists in Islam and both male and female children are equal in the sight of Allah[a] 'To Allah[GOD] belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female children to whomever He wills and bestows male children to whomever He wills' [Al-Qur'an 42:49]. And futher in the same book of Leviticus, anyone who touches a menstruating woman shall be unclean till the evening [Lev 15:19] which is not necessary according to Islam. A women during menses is not un-touchable nor contagious but caries on her daily life. Narated by Aisha[r] the wife of the Prophet[p]; "While in menses, I used to comb the hair of Allah's Apostle." [10] "The Prophet used to lean on my lap and recite Qur'an while I was in menses." [11]
Rape
In case of a man raping an un-married girl, we read in the Bible; [Deu 22:28-29] "If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her; he may not put her away all his days."
What we can say in light of the above passage is that a man raping a virgin girl is not much of a sin at all. True the man has to pay some pieces of silver to the girl's father and has to marry her but is this punishment suffice? Surely no women would like to marry the person who raped her and after that she cannot divorce him since according to the Jewish law, it is the husband alone who has that authority. Moreover, instead of punishing the rapist, you are rewarding him, the man goes and rapes a virgin of his liking, pays 50 shekels and has her in marriage.
In the religion of Islam however, the rapist does not go scot free just by paying a sum of money instead, the punishent for a rapist can be a capital one[death]. Neither is the lady forced to marry the rapist, infact in Islam, such a person is not fit to marry a chaste woman. The Qur'an prohibits such marriages in the following ayah;
'Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable.' [Al-Qur'an 24:26]
Witnesses:
Many critics of Islam claim that the witness of a woman in Islam is only worth half of the man and they quote; [Al-Qur'an 2:282], thus they feel Islam degrades the status of women.
However, this is not accually true. Yes in certian cases like dealing with the financial aspects, a male witness does equal two female witnesses but as a whole, woman witness equals that of the man. Infact according to the Qur'an, a woman witness can even cancel the witness of a man;
'And for those who launch a charge against their spouses, and have (in support) no evidence but their own,- their solitary evidence (can be received) if they bear witness four times (with an oath) by Allah that they are solemnly telling the truth; And the fifth (oath) (should be) that they solemnly invoke the curse of Allah on themselves if they tell a lie. But it would avert the punishment from the wife, if she bears witness four times (with an oath) By Allah, that (her husband) is telling a lie; And the fifth (oath) should be that she solemnly invokes the wrath of Allah on herself if (her accuser) is telling the truth' [Al-Qur'an 24:6-9].
Notice that if a man has no evidence agaisnt his wife, all she has to do is accuse her husband of not telling the truth. She does not have to give any apology or evidence for her innocence. Not only this but if a woman is known to be chaste and a man accuses her but cannot produce four witnesses in support of his accusations then that guy recieves 80 lashes and his testimony should never again be accepted. [12]
In contrast we read in the Christian Bible [13] that if a husband feels jealous of his wife or maybe is suspicious of her character, irrespective whether she is right or wrong, he can take her to a high priest and put her through a bitter water test to prove her innocence. Notice here the wife's witness is never asked for and she is presumed guilty until she can be proven innocent which is contrary to Islam as we've seen above. But what if the husband was wrong in doubting her? As we've read above, in Islam if a man accuses a modest woman and does not produce four witnesses he is lashed 80 times. But in the Bible the husband apparently goes scotfree; [Num 5:31] "The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity." In contrast the punishment for both man and woman is the same in Islam; [Al-Qur'an 2:178-179],[5:36],[24:2].
Furthermore, we read in [Num 30:5] that a father can change or cancel the vows of his daughter: "But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself, shall stand; and the LORD will forgive her, because her father opposed her."
A husband also can change or nullify the vows of the wife. The husband has full authority over his wife's pledges; [Num 30:8,12] "But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he expresses disapproval, then he shall make void her vow which was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips, by which she bound herself; and the LORD will forgive her..."But if her husband makes them null and void on the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning her pledge of herself, shall not stand: her husband has made them void, and the LORD will forgive her."
Still think it is Islam which degrades women? Its prescribed in the Holy Bible [14] what should happen when a man marries a woman but then accuses her of not being a non-virgin. Once again the woman is considered guilty before she is even proven guilty hence she has to come up with evidence for her innocence. But of course her witness cannnot be accepted so her father should produce the evidence which is the garment from the wedding night. But what if the father unable to produce that garment? According to the Bible, the lady is presumed an adultress and hence is stoned to death, astonishing!
Beating
Is it really true that Islam allows violent beating of women? One particular ayah of the Qur'an is often mis-quoted and presented as proof text [Al-Qur'an 4:34]. For the context we may go back to ayah 19; 'O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good' [Al-Qur'an 4:19].
Islam ordians muslims men to treate their women justly and with kindness except when they commit lewdness so when Allah[s] mentions in ayah 34; 'Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).' [Al-Qur'an 4:34].
He is refering to those wives who are disloyal, misbehaving and disrespectful to their husbands and are causing a rift between their relationship. But even so, the husband is not allowed to beat the hell out of her. First the husband is to admonish his wife, then if things don't improve, shun her bed and see if that brings a change in her behaviour. Even if that doesn't work and she is still disobedient and guilty of open lewdness then only does the husband have a right to lightly beat[Dharb] her. And the beating is not violent at all nor intented to hurt the woman, it is allowed only as a form of correction, it has nothing to do with torture. If the difficulties continue then both parties should appoint arbiters to resolve the issue. So all this efforts are to keep the marriage alive and fined some way of conciliation.
The Bible however has an easier solution, the husbands are encouraged to divorce their disobedient wives: 'Allow no outlet to water, and no boldness of speech in an evil wife. [26] If she does not go as you direct, separate her from yourself' [Sir 25:25-26].
The Prophet Muhamamd[p] is the best interpreter of the Qur'an and he reportedly said; 'Fear Allah regarding women, for they are your assistants. You have the right on them that they do not allow any person whom you dislike to step on your mat. However, if they do that, you are allowed to discipline them lightly. They have a right on you that you provide them with their provision and clothes, in a reasonable manner' [Sahih Muslim]. But what if the wife is noble and righteous, is her husband allowed to beat her? No, the husband does not have any authority to beat her or shun her bed or even admonish her.
Orignal Sin
The two religions have a contrasting views. As we've read above St.Paul considered woman as the root cause for sin [1Ti 2:14]. It is the woman who was decieved and sinned against GOD. Not only by Paul but throughout the Christian Bible the blaim is solely put on Eve[p]. In the book of Genesis we read: "The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate" [Gen 3:12]. Thus GOD punishes the woman and the curse of pregnancy is inflicted upon her: "To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" [Gen 3:16].
A similar accusations against the woman are repeated in; [Sirach 25:19,24] "No wickedness comes anywhere near the wickedness of a woman.....Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die."
We can clearly see how the fall of mankind is solely put on the shoulders of poor Eve[p] and consequently all of us are born in sin. The Islamic view on the other hand is rather simple and rational. In Islam there is no such thing as an orignal sin [15] and no where in the Qur'an is the blaim solely put on Eve[p]. Infact there is one passage where only Adam[p] is addressed. [16] According to the Qur'anic teachings, both Adam and Eve[p] disobeyed and both were forgiven by GOD. Allah Almighty in His Divine Wisdom knows that humans are bound to err thus He is always willing to forgive those who seek His forgiveness, read passages;
[Al-Qur'an [2:38],[7:10-27],[20:122],[53:32],[91:8]. So sin in Islam is not much of a problem thus there is no need for any substitutionary sacrifice.
Pregnancy
As we've read above, pregnancy is a punishment and a curse inflicted upon women for their dis-obedience [Gen 3:16].
In Islam pregnancy is not a curse or a punishment from GOD as seen in Christianity. Instead, muslims see it as an immense sign of GOD's Love and Mercy. Allah[s] commands the believer in the Glorious Qur'an; ' O mankind...(reverence) the wombs (That bore you)' [Al-Qur'an 4:1].
Another Ayah reads;
'And We have enjoined on humans (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal' [Al-Qur'an 31:14].
The same message is repeated in [Al-Qur'an 46:15].
And further the Prophet Muhammad[p] said; 'Narated By Abu Huraira : A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said. "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your father."' [17] So in short, a mother gets 75% of the love and companionship from her children, whereas, a father is only left with 25%. Moreover the Prophet[p] said; "Paradise lies at the feet of your mother" [Sunan Nisai, Kital-ul-Jihad, H.3106].
Paradise
According to the Qur'an, muslims will have female companions in paradise [17] where, they'll also be joined with their families. Every muslim man will have atleast one wife [18] just as the first man Adam[p] in the garden of Eden. [19]
But strangly this idea is foreign to Christianity where woman seemingly have no part in paradise. We read in the last book of the New Testament; [Rev 14:1,4] "Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads... [4] These are they who were not defiled with women; they are virgins and these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the firstfruits of the human race for God and the Lamb."
Now is "a hundred and forty-four thousand" the actual number of people that will go to Paradise or is it just symbolic? Irrespective, the hundred and forty-four thousand who'll enter Paradise will only be men and only those men who did not 'defile' themselves with women. In other words, men who didn't marry and remained virgins. And from all we can tell from the above passage, according to Christianity, woman won't make it to Paradise.
In light of the above analysis we should unanimously conclude that Women in Islam are certainly not degraded nor are they considered infirior to men. There might be some "muslim countries" which deprive the rights of the women but in light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, Islam only uplidts them. And when we compare the teachings of Islam to the Christian doctrines, there is a world of difference. Women in Christianity are seen as the root of all evil, they are considered a burden and are deprived equal rights to men. We have seen in the Old Testament and the writings of St.Paul how women have no authority over men, they are oppressed and subjdugated. Whereas Islam after the advent of the Prophet Muhamamd[p] changed the bad image of women from being a sign of the devil and a temptress to a gateway of paradise.
Man or woman, i recommend to you Islam, the path leading straight to GOD, Salamu alaikum!
"The whole world is a provision, and the best object of benefit of the world is the pious woman" [20]
Footnotes;
1. [Al-Qur'an 4:34]
2. [Al-Qur'an 2:187]
3. [Al-Qur'an 4:1]
4. [Sirach 22:3]
5. [Ecclesiasticus 26:10-11]
6. [Al-Qur'an 33:59]
7. [Al-Qur'an 24:30]
8. [Al-Qur'an 4:11-12]
9. [Fath al-Bari, 9/194, Kitab Al-Nikah]
10. [Sahih Bukhari Book.6, H.294]
11. [Sahih Bukhari Book.6, H.296]
12. [Al-Qur'an 24:4]
13. [Num 5:11-31]
14. [Deuteronomy 22:13-21]
15. [Al-Qur'an 2:48],[4:110],[6:54],[17:15,62],[30:44],[34:25], [35:18],[53:36-42],[Sahih Bukhari Book.93, H.606]
16. [Al-Qur'an 20:115]
17. [Al-Qur'an 52:20-21],[55:56]
18. [Sahih Muslim Book.40, H.6793]
19. [Gen ch.2,3]
20. [Sahih Muslim Book.8, H.3465]
Back to main