Women in Christianity and Islam
Daniel discusses the position of women in Islam and Christianity with the Islamic Dawah team.
“…and call upon two of your men to act as witnesses; and if two men are not available, then a man and two women from among such as are acceptable to you as witnesses, so that if one of them should make a mistake, the other could remind her. [273]..” from Sura 2:282
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Once Allah’s Apostle went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) o ‘Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women).” They asked, “Why is it so, O Allah’s Apostle ?” He replied, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.” The women asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?” He said, “Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn’t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.” Sahih Bukhari 1:6:301 Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband’s] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance – [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand. Sura 4:34
Muslim Book 4, Number 2127: narrated Aisha “..He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? ….
On deficiency:
What is meant for the women’s deficiency in Religion is, a believing woman just *needs* a relatively little or smaller righteousness of rituals to get an equal or even a more higher reward than that of men, thus she has a more easier duty to attain Heaven, such as her weekly prayer without Friday congregation, the concept of Paradise under the feet of mother, and so on.
Nasa’i Vol. 1, Book 25, Hadith 3106
It was narrated from Mu’awiyah bin Jahimah As-Sulami, that Jahimah came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah, I want to go out and fight (in Jihad) and I have come to ask your advice. He said: Do you have a mother? He said: Yes. He said: Then stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet.
What is meant for the women’s deficiency in Intelligentsia is, the woman already owns the world thru her surplus in her inner beautiful deeds and compassion.
In her righteousness.
Nasa’i Vol. 4, Book 26, Hadith 3234
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As: that the Messenger of Allah said: This world is all temporary conveniences, and the best temporary convenience of this world is a righteous woman.
In her beauty:
Tirmidhi Vol. 3, Book 20, Hadith 1651
Narrated Anas: That the Messenger of Allah said: To go out in the cause of Allah in the morning, or the afternoon, is better than the world and what is in it. And the space that a bow of one of you – or the space that his hand – would occupy in Paradise is better than the world and what is in it. And if a woman among the women inhabiting Paradise were to appear to the people of the earth, then she would illuminate what is between the ( the heavens and the earth), and a pleasant scent would fill up what is between them, and the scarf on her head is better than the world and what is in it.
In her deeper compassion:
Riyad as-Salihin, Book 1, Hadith 418
‘Umar bin Al-Khattab reported: Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah said, Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire? We said, By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire. Thereupon Messenger of Allah said, Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child.
On majority dweller of Heaven:
Tirmidhi Vol. 4, Book 11, Hadith 2522
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet said: The first batch to enter Paradise will appear like the moon of a night that is full. The second will appear like the color of the most beautiful star in the sky. Each man among them shall have two wives, each wife wearing seventy bracelets, with the marrow of their shins being visible from behind them.
On divorcement:
Islam depicts itself as the main force of corrector for the old previous religions and pagan traditions (that had made the life so difficult for women to get divorcement from her hellish marriage), by giving a more easier way for women to be divorced, namely Khula (as Right of Divorcement by wife) and maximal Double divorce.
On 4 witnesses:
Qur’anic requirement for having 4 eye-witnesses is put particularly only for the case of consensual adultery (case of Zina by consent).
But, the lawful penalty of rapeists (as the case of a forced assault with absence of consent) is a personal Qisas or retaliation, not requiring 4 witnesses. By Qisas, a victim herself (and her family) is required to initiate and lead an equal revenge to the perpetrators.
The Islamic court doesn’t prefer to open the case which reveal an embarrassment that further humiliates the victims.
Islamic court will not put other burdens on the victims with any set of requirement for the cases of Qisas. Victims who conduct a Qisas equally and personally have a greater merit of goodness in Islam rather than going to a court that prefers to not open any case that may further humiliate the victim.
On poking lightly:
The Hadith of discipling the children uses the Arabic word “Wa-adribu-hum” which is strikingly similar with the Arabic word used in Qur’an Q.4, v.34. No one of the good parents monstrously punches their ten y.o. child until he or she gets bleeding or unconscious. This way must be just a light poking.
The same light poking (to child) is given to a rebellious wife.
Abi Dawud Book 2, Hadith 495
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As: The Messenger of Allah said: Command your children to pray when they become seven years old, and beat them (Wa-adribu-hum) for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.
Awtas Hadith.
The Hadith of Awtas described the story of some ex-wives of the pagan males, and those ex-wives choose the newly marriage with Moslem males by consent, just as the Hadith of Safiyya al-Anbari (but she chooses to retain her marriage with her husband).
Tabaqat, 8:1554; Tabari, Vol. 9, p. 140.
Ibn Abbas narrated: Muhammad proposed to Safiyya Bint Bashama Ibn Nadhla al-`Anbari, who was taken captive. The Messenger of God gave her the choice and said, Whom do you desire: me or your husband? She said, Nay, my husband, So he sent her away and Banu Tamim cursed her.
Absence of sex-slave in Islam:
Any single female slave (either virgin or widow) has to be married legally, known as Nikah, with her consent and dowry, either by her master or by other free man, or by other male slave, per Q.24, v.33.
Nikah after manumitting the own’s slave is a choice of truth, it is according to Sunnah on the marriage of Prophet Muhammad and Safiyya.
The sin of Fornication with own slave – either with believing slave or worse with the pagan slave – is called Musafihat (Q.4, v.25).
For the own’s believing slave, even a Halal way (Nikah with her) is a very big sin for her master, let alone to rape, or prostitute, or fornicate (Zina) with her in her still-status as his own’s slave.
I don’t remember seeing Mary the Copt being listed as a wife of Muhammed. By the time of Uthman, captives or slaves were treated rather harshly according to this Hadith:
An old woman from Kufa, the grandmother of ‘Ali ibn Ghurab, reported that Umm al-Muhajir said, “I was captured with some girls from Byzantium. ‘Uthman offered us Islam, but only myself and one other girl accepted Islam. ‘Uthman said, ‘Go and circumcise them and purify them.'”
Grade : Da’if (Al-Albani) :
English reference : Book 53, Hadith 1245
Arabic reference : Book 1, Hadith 1245
Moslem master can’t have sex with his pregnant slave (even though both she and her baby are his properties) and must wait till the birth, but any Moslem husband can have sex anytime with his pregnant wife.
That pregnancy factor shows a fact that any Moslem master has to legally marry his slave – according to the marital laws in Islam – before having sex with her.
Moreover, due to the strict marital laws in Islam, a Moslem master can’t have sex with a female slave coupled by the incestuous lustful affairs with her blood relatives, such as altogether with her slave mother, her slave sisters, her aunts, and her slave daughters, even though they are all his properties.
Non-Moslems have a bias against the Arabs, that’s all. Nowaday’s generation when Palestine is occupied by Jews, there’s a perception that Arabs are losers, Jews are winners. Had Prophet Muhammad was Jewish, nobody would have doubted him, even would have called him the “twin of Jesus”.
Actually Prophet Muhammad is a role model for us Moslems similar to the way how we exalted Abraham and his family.
(i) Abraham marries his sister Sarai (Prophet Muhammad marries a divorced wife of his foster son).
(ii) Abraham’s son Isaac marries 3 y.o. Rebecca, thru the custom of arranged marriage via Isaac’s servant (Prophet Muhammad marries Aisha after her puberty).
Islamic tradition uses the word “6-7 y.o. girl” for the euphemism for the “age of menstruation”.
Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 4915
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin: The Messenger of Allah married me when I was seven or six. When we came to Medina, some women came. according to Bishr’s version: Umm Ruman came to me when I was swinging. They took me, made me prepared and decorated me. I was then brought to the Messenger of Allah, and he took up cohabitation with me when I was nine. She halted me at the door, and I burst into laughter. Abu Dawud said: That is to say: I menstruated, and I was brought in a house, and there were some women of the Ansari in it. They said: With good luck and blessing.
(iii) Abraham marries his slave Hagar without liberating her (Prophet Muhammad liberates his slave before marrying her).
(iv) Abraham took the captives as the legitimate spoils of war after defeating the heathen kings in Levant.
This may shock you, but a lot of Christians don’t take what happened in the Old Testament as a model of good behavior. Abraham used Hagar in a moment of disbelief and the results were chaos for the family. I don’t remember Abraham marrying Hagar and I don’t remember Abraham divorcing her before sending her and the child away. But, the KJV of the Bible refers to Hagar as Abrahams “wife”. Later when she is sent into the wilderness, her status is downgraded to “bondwomen.” I don’t see how Rebecca could be three years old when discovered by Abraham’s servant since she was away from adult supervision and offered to draw water for the servants ten camels. The Bible refers to her as a “maiden.” Maybe it was prejudice against non-Jews that caused Abraham to direct his servant to make sure that a Jewish girl/woman was secured for his son? Genisis 24:4
Non-Moslems have a bias against the Arabs, that’s all. Nowaday’s generation when Palestine is occupied by Jews, there’s a perception that Arabs are losers, Jews are winners. Had Prophet Muhammad been Jewish, nobody would have doubted him, even would have called him the “twin of Jesus”.
Actually Prophet Muhammad is a role model for us Moslems similar to the way how we exalted Abraham and his family.
(i) Abraham marries his sister Sarai (Prophet Muhammad marries a divorced wife of his *foster* son).
(ii) Abraham’s son Isaac marries 3 y.o. Rebecca, thru the custom of arranged marriage via Isaac’s servant (Prophet Muhammad marries Aisha after her puberty).
Islamic tradition uses the word “6-7 y.o. girl” for the euphemism for the “age of menstruation”.
Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 4915
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin: The Messenger of Allah married me when I was seven or six. When we came to Medina, some women came. according to Bishr’s version: Umm Ruman came to me when I was swinging. They took me, made me prepared and decorated me. I was then brought to the Messenger of Allah, and he took up cohabitation with me when I was nine. She halted me at the door, and I burst into laughter. Abu Dawud said: That is to say: I menstruated, and I was brought in a house, and there were some women of the Ansari in it. They said: With good luck and blessing.
(iii) Abraham marries his slave Hagar without liberating her (Prophet Muhammad liberates his slave before marrying her).
(iv) Abraham took the captives as the legitimate spoils of war after defeating the heathen kings in Levant (Prophet Muhammad took captives in order to protect and liberate them).
(v) Abraham lived in a polygamous life with young Egyptian maid (Prophet Muhammad chooses a polygamous life with the poor widows and Egyptian maid).
(vi) Abraham settles the family feud by expelling his second wife and his first son (Prophet Muhammad settles his family feud by choosing a celibacy temporarily).