WOMAN IN ANCIENT AGE:
In the day of the old, women were sold and bought like house-hold, cattle and domestic cattles. They had not the right to own anything, they ranked no better than slave girls and concubines, on the death of a husband his wives were divided among his heirs. The most astonishing fact was that woman was looked down upon as a suspect, a contemptible thing and an unclean creature. In the dark age, they sometimes bury a girl alive soon after the delivery, some religions designated woman as the Satan’s snare, unworthy of entering the paradises, other denied to her all religious institutions. There were communities that kept her confined like tethered animals, and some societies gave her father the right to sell off his daughters, if a man murdered a woman, he was not bound to pay with his life. Islam gave woman right such as no religious system has ever given. The Holy Qur’an and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) address themselves to man and woman alike allowing no discrimination except in a few injunction regarding woman’s duties.

RESPECT FOR THE FEMALE SEX:
Not content with given equal rights, Islam instructs man to have respect for the tender sex, and treat no woman as their inferiors. They have been commanded to put up with undesirable behavior on the part of women and show them for bearable and patience, Qur’an Majeed say: “……live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike a thing and God brings about though it a great deal of good” (4:19). And Allamah Ibn Asaki reports a saying of the Holy Prophet originating from Hazrat Ali (Karramalla-hu Wajha). “None but the noble of heat respect the women folk, and none but base minded insult them”.

DIVISION OF DUTIES
Before we explain the right awarded by Islam to women, we must paint out that the injustices done to this sex in olden times was due to the fact that the religious systems and sages of old had failed to make a proper division of duties between man and his wife. This gave rise to uncertainties and carried the ancient communities to this or that extreme. Islam made a balanced and judicious division of duties, telling each other sex what obligation it had to meet so that social lorder might rest on solid foundations. Accordingly, that males were made to realize their duties as followers. “Man is the protector of the members of his household and stand responsible to God for them” (Buhari: Book of Marriage contract). The woman in contrast with this, are not made responsible for earning a living, their duties have been laid down in the words: “Women is the keeper of her husband’s household and stands responsible for that.” (Ibid). It means that the sphere of female’s responsibility is the cares of the house. She should look after her house and children with due sense of responsibility. This does not means that she will remain a prisoner within the four walls, she may go out when business call her in connection with the performance of her duties, even earn a wage under economic pressure. But her primary duties relate to the management of her household.

RELIGIOUS RIGHTS
In the west and some other countries, women were suppose to be deviods of true faith. Hence she was not allowed to access to sacred literature. It was also believed that the souls of female sex are not immortal, and get totally annihilated after death. Hence, they would not find a place in paradise along with men, for they lacked religiosity. Islam emphatically refuted this belief. The Qur’an again and again has addressed itself to man and woman together, with good tiding, of a place in paradise in reward for good deeds to all of them. It declares sthat good action whether of man or woman shall not go unrecompensed. The following verses speak of the woman’s tittle to divine favours: “ And their lord has accepted of them and answered them. Never will I suffer to be lost of the work of any of you, be male or female, you are members, one of another….” (3:19). The verse quoted below again promise paradise to the virtuous one irrespective of sex distinctions. “And if any do deeds of righteousness be they male or female and have faith, they will enter heaven, and not the least injustices will be done to them.” (4:124). And so does the following promise a place in paradise and the favour of Allah’s pleasure to those who believe whether males or females. “God hath promised to Believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting flies. But the greatest blise is the good pleasure of God, that is Supreme felicity.” (9:72).

COMMUNAL AND SOCIAL RIGHTS:
Even to this day, they are communities that place a bar against the participation of women in communal and social activities. In the same way they are denied civil and political rights. ISLAM allowed them these rights from the very start. The following verses clarified their equality of right and commends their cooperation with men in good deeds: “ The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another, they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil they observe regular prayer, practice regular charity and obey God and His Apostle. On them will God pour Mercy; for God is Exalted in power, wise”. (9:71). In order to inculcate among them the women folk a will to serve the community, the Holy Prophet had days particularly fixed when he was to address them. At those gatherings, he not only taught the Islamic tenets but also persuaded them to contribute to communal and social welfare. Traditions record how liberally the women contributed in cash or kind whenever the Muslims had to face a national emergency. In obedience to the verse quoted above, Muslim women stood shoulder to shoulder with men in social work both at time of war and in the days of peace. On a field of battle, they made food for the warriors, maintained the supply of water and looked to the nursing of the wounded. In peace time, they formed the rear of the congregation of prayer, provided financial aids to the needy, joined the pilgrimage vitual and propaged Islam with as much zeal as men. If it was a question of Islamic law they would openly criticize. Did not an old woman find fault with the great Umar in the presence of public assembly and Umar had to admit his mistakes. It so happened that Umar was denouncing in a sermon from the Pulpit the practice of setting on women huge amounts as their dowry, when the old woman stood up and protested in these words: “Is the Caliph unacquintated with Qur’an which say that :Ye shall not demand back any portion of what you have settled on them, though it were a whole treasure.” (cf 4:20).

ECONOMIC RIGHTS:
Woman should be highly indebted to Islam having raised her economic status and given her extensive and independent rights. Fourteen hundred years back, Islam endowed her with right to own and inherit property in an age when even civilized societies treated her as a nonentity. Muslim women were then enjoying rights that their sisters in various parts of Europe and America do not possess even today. It was after a hard struggle that the U.S.A could allow to women the right to own and independently dispose property or enter into legal contract without the consent of her husband. The Qur’an announced fourteen hundred years ago: “From what is left by parent s and those nearly related there is a share for men and a share for women. Whether the property be small or large a determined share.” (4:7) Apart from the share due to women out of the property left by parents, Kinsmen and husband there are other sources they can utilize for pecuniary again. They may bargain for a respectable amount as their marriage portion at the time of nuptials. Having entered marriage contract, they received their maintenance money from their husbands who are legally responsible for it. The Shariah ordains that the husband must maintain his wife, no matter however weel-off and financially well placed she may be. The resources made available to women by Islam are simple enough to enable them to maintain a standard of living higher than that of men, and live in greater comfort and security. Men have a long bill to pay, they have to support wives, children and in many cases other dependants in need of help. Women, on the other hand, have all their wents, from the table to toilet, net by their husbands and are therefore in a position to lay by whatever they receive through inheritance, dower and gifts.

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE RIGHTS
In pre-Islamic history society, parents often married their daughters to men whom the girls did not like. In the case, the husbands died or divorced them they could not think of a second marriage. Islam rooted out all those customs. Mutual consent is an essential condition under Islamic law for a valid marriage. No union is legal if it goes against the will of a woman. If she had been given in marriage before she attains maturity she may nullify the contract on coming of age. If she is maltreated, or the husband is physically deficient or undesirable for any other reason, she may forego her claim to the marriage portion or part there of or pay to the husband a specified amount mutually agreed to and thus get separation decreed by the court of a Qazi. This procedure is known as Khula. In some cases when the husband’s conduct is unfair, the Qazi may on his own discretion, order a separation without any such request by the woman. If the husband dies, the woman after the lapse of a waiting period is free in contract a second marriage of her choice. The kinsmen of the deceased husband, or the society have then no right to come in her ways or bring unlawful pressure to bear upon her to change her mind. A divorcee may also re-marry after the expiry of the waiting period. The taboo against second marriage as observed in certain quarters is an infection from Hindu society, it is against the law of Islam and repugnant to the tradition of the Holy Prophet, who by his own marriage with widows and divorces sounded a death knell to these superstitions. In a comprehensive verse, the Qur’an lays down the principle of equality of rights when it says: “….And woman shall have rights similar to rights against them, according to what is equitable…..”. (2:228).

LEGAL RIGHTS
In the eyes of Islamic law, civil or criminal, there is no distinction between man and woman, they both stand on a equal footing. The state is bound to protect the life, property and honour of a woman just as much as it is bound to protect the life, property and honour of it’s male population. On the other hand, in certain situation, the honour of women is a matter of greater responsibility, for instance when they may be exposed to danger in jungle, at time of a disturbance of law and order adverse criticism make much about the provision that equalize two women with one man when appearing as witnesses. It is regarded as an insult of female sex which infact it is not. It simple take into account some psychological traits of feminine mind, which though not yet undiscovered may one day come to light with the advance of psychological studies which are still in their infancy. Similarly, the verse which speaks of men as “Qawwamuna alan Nisa” literally meaning “ who stand over women” , is set up as a placard to advertise that inferiorities of women as assumed by the Muslim scriptures. It does not pay to be carried away by idealism and refuse to see facts. Down to the present day man stands as protector of woman and her maintainer in nine hundred and ninety nine cases of a thousand. It is then a factual statement of the relative interdependence of sexes in actual life, and practically no woman resents it at heart. There are so many things which she takes as matters of course, if left unsaid. In short, in the light of the verses and traditions already quoted which enjoin regard and respect for woman. This discrimination cannot be understood to imply an inferiority of status inherent in her sex.

RIGHT TO EDUCATION
Education to woman is recommended equally with men. The Prophet had arranged to hold separate meetings for their instructions. His wives too explained to them the tent touching the requirements peculiar to their sex,. Historical biographies, have on record names and brief life sketches of numerous female who repaired to the Holy Prophet or Hazrat Aisha or some other consort of his to be so instructed, and then handed down the instructions they had received to hundreds of narrators in the form of ahadeeth or traditions, which have been a source of guidance to millions of Muslims. The report traced back to Hazrat Aisha alone number 2210. It is through the wives of the Holy Prophet and other ladies who learnt at his feet and figured as traditionists and jurists that we have come by a considerable body of Islamic teachings for which we are gratefully indebted to these women living in the early days of Islam.

IMPORTANCE OF FEMALE EDUCATION
What importance was attached to female may be gathered from the fact that the Holy Prophet would not refuse it’s benefits even to slave girls. Again and again the companions were advised to be particularly careful about the education of their female slaves. Imam Buhari had said: The Prophet said: “ One who has a young slave girl and who educates her teaching her manners and refined ways and then set her free and takes her to wife shall be doubly blessed”. While testifying to the importance of education for female the tradition just quoted also proves that slavery was abho5rrent to the Holy Prophet, and not only did he persuade his followers to give the slave their freedom, but also did his best to improve the living conditions of this oppressed and helpless class, so that the slave might be picked from dust and degradation to function as respectable and healthy members of the society. This could be possible only when they were educated and assimilated in the community. It also lead to the conclusion that education was considered to be the criterion of honourable status. If the Prophet was so anxious for the education of female slaves, it goes without saying that he felt much more concerned about the education of free women.

WOMAN A BLESSING
In short woman before the advent of Islam, was a contemptible creature, a curse and an evil, but Islam extended it’s protection to the tender sex that lay crushed under the milling tyrannies, restored woman to honour and did not connive at any injustice in this respect, no door that might lead to wickedness and outrage of modesty was left un-shut. Sex instincts were disciplined into moderation and regularity by an elaborate enunciation of laws governing matrimony. Healthy ways for the multiplication of the race were instituted, family life was placed in a pleasant atmosphere and woman was declared not a curse, but an embodiment of peace and a blessing of God”. May Allah guide us right and easy our endeavour to practice Islam in totality. Amin.


Baba Ali Mustapha is with the department of Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Environment, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.

Reference:
If you are still interested you can consult a pamphlet by RAHID AHMAD, ARSHA, with the title RIGHTS AND DUTIES O WOMEN IN ISLAM. Published by Hassbunallah Islamic Publishers, Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria.