Women in the Qur'an and Women in the Bible

Narrated Aisha (Radi Allahu anha):
 
Whenever Allah's Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) paid a visit to a patient or a patient was brought to him, he used to invoke Allah, saying, "Take away the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures. There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease."
 
Sahih Al-Bukhari 7:579


 

Women in the Qur'an and Women in the Bible

"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise." [Al-Qur'an 9:71]

"And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner." [Al-Qur'an 2:228]

"Whoso does an ill deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such will enter the garden, where they will be nourished without stint." [Al-Qur'an 40:40]

Bible: "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." [1 Timothy 2:11-14]

Bible says: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." [1 Corinthians 14:34]

Bible says: "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church is subject to christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything." [Ephesians 5:22-24]

"And of His signs is this: he created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find tranquillity in them, and he ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who reflect." [Al-Qur'an 30:21]

The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "The best believers are the best in conduct, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives." [Tirmidhi narrated by Abu Hurayrah]

Bible: "A bad wife brings humiliation, downcast looks, and a wounded heart. Slack of hand and weak of knee is the man whose wife fails to make him happy. Woman is the origin of sin, and it is through her that we all die. Do not leave a leaky cistern to drip or allow a bad wife to say what she likes. If she does not accept your control, divorce her and send her away." [Ecclesiasticus 25:25]

" ... But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allah has placed much good." [Al-Qur'an 4:19]

Bible: If a father / husband does not endorse his daughter's / wife's vows, all pledges made by her become null and void, in other words a woman cannot make any contract on her own without the permission of a husband or father: "But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand .... Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself." [Numbers. 30:2-15]

In Islam a woman's wealth is her own and her husband has no rights over it:

" ... and covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask Allah of his bounty. Verily! Allah is knower of all things." [Al-Qur'an 4:32]

Bible says: "A virgin who is raped must marry her rapist (if they are 'found')." [Deut 22:28-29] "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives." [Deuteronomy 22:28-30]

"And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations) - flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors." [Al-Qur'an 24:4]

The Bible blames Eve for the original sin: [Genesis 3:12-16] "And the man (Adam) said, the woman (Eve) whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord god said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat..unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

In the Qur'an, both Adam and Eve share the blame for eating from the tree. This can be seen in the Qur'an in such verses Al-Baqarah 2:36, Al-A'raf 7:22-24. They were also both forgiven by God Almighty for this sin.

"O Adam dwell with your wife in the garden and enjoy as you wish but approach not this tree or you run into harm and transgression. Then Satan whispered to them in order to reveal to them their shame that was hidden from them and he said: 'Your Lord only forbade you this tree lest you become angels or such beings as live forever.' And he swore to them both that he was their sincere adviser. So by deceit he brought them to their fall: when they tasted the tree their shame became manifest to them and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: 'Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that Satan was your avowed enemy?' They said: 'Our Lord we have wronged our own souls and if You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your mercy, we shall certainly be lost.'" [Al-Qur'an 7:19-23]

The Bible says that giving birth to a female child makes a woman more "unclean" than if she had a male child. Leviticus 12:2-5 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, if a woman have conceived seed, and born a male child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying thirty three days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying sixty six days."

Ecclesiastics 7:26-28 "And 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."

"And their Lord has heard them (and he says): Verily! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from another." [Al-Qur'an 3:195]

"And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint in a date stone." [Al-Qur'an 4:124]

"Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily we shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." [Al-Qur'an 16:97]

A man asked the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam: "Whom should I honor most?" The Prophet replied: "Your mother." "And who comes next?" asked the man. The Prophet replied, "Your mother." "And who comes next?" Asked the man. The Prophet replied, "Your mother." "And who comes next?" asked the man. The Prophet replied: "Your father." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Bible says that a woman must cover her head as a sign of man's authority over her:

"And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head" (1 Corinthians 11:3-10).

Bible: 1 corinthians 11:5-10: "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head."

Bible: 1 corinthians 11:13: "Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto god (with her head) uncovered?"

The Qur'an teaches that a woman must be covered out of modesty and to protect her from harassment:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ... And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms ... " [Al-Qur'an 24:30-31]

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested." [Al-Qur'an 33:59]

According to the Bible (Numbers 27:1-11), widows and sisters don't inherit at all. Daughters can inherit only if their deceased father had no sons.

"Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal share." [Al-Qur'an 4:77]

Bible: Leviticus 15:19-30 "And if a woman have an issue (her period/menses), [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it [be] on [her] bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even ... (It goes on and on)."

Why are Women Turning to Islam?

AT A TIME WHEN ISLAM IS FACED WITH HOSTILE MEDIA COVERAGE PARTICULARLY WHERE THE STATUS OF MEN IN ISLAM IS CONCERNED, IT MAY BE QUITE SURPRISING TO LEARN THAT ISLAM IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WORLD, AND EVEN MORE IRONIC TO IS THAT THE STATISTICS SHOW THE MAJORITY OF CONVERTS TO ISLAM ARE WOMEN!

The status of women in society is neither a new issue nor is it a fully settled one, and where Islam is mentioned, for many the term 'Muslim Woman' prompts images of exhausted mothers chained to the stove, 'victims' suppressed in a life of indoctrination, frantic to be westernised and so on. Others will go to great lengths to explain how thehijab is an obstacle, clouding the mind, and comment that female converts are either brainwashed, stupid or traitors to their sex. I reject such accusations and pose to them the following question: why is it that so many women who have been born and brought up in the so-called "civilised" societies of Europe and America are willing to reject their "liberty" and "independence" to embrace a religion that supposedly oppresses them and is widely assumed to be prejudicial to them?

As a Christian convert to Islam, I can only present my personal experience and reasons for rejecting the "freedom" that women claim to have in this society in favour of the only Religion that truly liberates women by giving us a status and position which is completely unique when compared with that of our non-Muslim counterparts.

Before coming to Islam, I had strong feminist tendencies and recognised that where the woman was concerned, a lot of shuffling arwnd had been going on, yet without being able to pin her on the social map. The problem was ongoing new 'women's issues' being raised without the previous ones being satisfactorily resolved. Like the many women who shared my background. I would accuse Islam of being a sexist religion, discriminating, oppressing and giving men the greater privileges. All this coming from a person who didn't even know Islam, one who had been blinded due to ignorance and had accepted this deliberately distorted definition of Islam.

However, despite my critidsms of Islam, inwardly I wasn't satisfied with my own status as a woman in this society. It seemed to me that society would define the terms such as "liberty" and "freedom" and then these definitions were accepted by women without us even attempting to question or challenge them. There was clearly a great contradiction between what women are told in theory and what actually happens in practice.

The more I pondered, the greater emptiness I fell within. I was slowly beginning to reach a stage where my dissatisfaction with my status as a woman in this society, was really a reflection of my greater dissatisfaction with society itself. Everything seemed to be degenerating backwards, despite all the claims that the 1990's was going to be a decade of success and prosperity. Something vital seemed to be missing from my life and nothing would fill this vacuum. Being a Christian didn't do anything for me, and I began to question the validity of only remembering God one day a week - Sundays! As with many other Christians too, I had become disillusioned by the hypocrisy of the Church and was becoming increasingly unhappy with the concept of the Trinity and the deification of Jesus. Eventually, I began to look in Islam. At first I was only interested in looking into those issues which specifically dealt with women. I was surprised. What I read and learned taught me a lot about myself as a woman, and also about the real oppression of women lies: in every other system and way of life outside Islam. Muslim women have been given their rights in every aspect with clear definitions of their role in society - as had men - with no injustices against either of them. As Allah says:

"Whoever does deeds of righteousness, by they male or female, and have faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them." [Al-Qur'an 4:124]

So having amended my misconceptions about the true status of women in Islam, I was now looking further. I wanted to find that thing which was going to fill the vacuum in my life. My attention was drawn towards the beliefs and practices of Islam. It was only through establishing the fundamentals that I would understand where to turn and what to prioritise. These are often areas which receive little attention or controversy in society, and when studying Islamic creed, it becomes clear why this is the case: such concise, faultless and widely comprehensive details cannot be found elsewhere.

The fundamental belief of Islam is Tawhid which is a simple message 'la ilaha illallah'. It is recognise that Allah alone is to be worshipped and then to direct all worship towards Him - the root message which strikes at all false worship and it is the place where any person who seriously wants to learn about Islam should start.

By this time I had begun to meet practising Muslim women and how I felt so secure and welcome in their company! There was a sense of tranquillity and humility about them and I wanted to share in that. These sisters, I regarded not only as friends, but advisors, and supporters too, and the beauty of their companionship was that every person was attracted due to the same reason: to help each other in worshipping Allah. This is what united their hearts together. Allah says:

"And He has united their [i.e. the believers] hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise." [Al-Qur'an 8:63]

Alhamdulillah, I accepted Islam willingly.

Through my reading, researching and attending lectures, I have come to know myRabb (Lord). I have come closer to acquainting myself with some of His Names (Asma') and Attributes (Sifat) of Beauty and Perfection. I have found this a great help in understanding the whole Religion. To know, for example, that among Allah's Names is that He is the Most Wise (Al-Hakim) and the Most Just (Al-'Adl), and therefore that He commands only that which is wise and just, would completely relieve a person from seeking to find justifications for Allah's Laws, or from having having doubts about the fairness of Allah's Laws. Now, alhamdulillah, I can appreciate much more why the true Muslim scholars emphasise so strong for Muslims to learn about Allah - His Asma' andSifat - before trying to reason with Allah's Laws. Unfortunate I would have been, had I taken the stance that "Islam gives the best deal to women" and made this my reason for embracing Islam because then my faith would have been without a firm ground and sooner or later I would have come across some laws ordained by Allah that I couldn't logically / rationally understand or see the wisdom behind. Had I not studied the foundation of belief, namely Tawhid and looked at how Allah describes Himself in His Book, perhaps I would still be in darkness. And all praise and thanks is for Allah who guided me to the truth - It is as He says:

"Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His good pleasure, to ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness, by His will, into light and guides them to a Straight Path." [Al-Qur'an 5:16]

The reason why women are turning to Islam must certainly have something to do with the honour that Islam gives them and the equality with which it deals with people, not only in terms of gender, but also in terms of race, nationality, class, etc. However, the overriding reason why I and so many others like me were attracted to Islam was because Islam answered the most important question which I had ever asked: "Why am I here on this earth?" So I crossed the divide and managed to see what lies on the other side ... alhamdulillah, I chose Islam.

(s) Ad-Da'wah illa Allah, vol. 1, issue 3

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AL-QADEER - The Powerful

 

Among His Signs is that you see Earth laid bare and then, when We send down water on it, it quivers and swells. He Who gives it life is He Who gives life to the dead. Certainly He has power over all things . (Surah Fussilat, 41:39)

As Allah informs us in many verses, every event is known to Him, for He wills it into existence just by saying: “Be.” He knows when each leaf falls, when each woman or female animal becomes pregnant, and whatever happens at any location in the universe. If He wills, He can replace an unbelieving society with a new one. He grants or withdraws enormous possessions to whomever He wills, punishes an unbelieving society at a time and by a method of His choice, and makes the ground infertile or dry and devoid of life. Nothing that exists can prevent Him from doing what He wills, for His power is infinite, as revealed in the following verses:

Have they not traveled in the land and seen the final fate of those before them? They were far greater than them in strength. Allah cannot be withstood in any way, either in the heavens or on Earth. He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. (Surah Fatir, 35:44)

No! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and Wests that We have the power to replace them with something better than them. We will not be outstripped. (Surat al- Ma‘arij, 70:40-41)

Just as He punishes an unbelieving nation, He has the power to grant mercy to His sincere servants. In the Qur'an, we find many examples of His power. As a manifestation of His name, al-Qadeer , Allah has always helped His sincere servants and shown them a way out of their hard and difficult situation. He saved Prophet Ibrahim (as) from a pit of fire, rescued Prophet Yusuf (as) from the depths of a well, and released Prophet Yunus (as) from the darkness in the fish's stomach. Similarly, Allah granted a child to Prophet Zakariyya (as) when he was old and his wife was infertile, and thereby manifested His power over everything. Throughout history, Allah has supported all of His Messengers and believers and helped them with His mercy and power in return for their patience and trust in Him.

http://www.harunyahya.com/en/works/16724/AL-QADEER---The-Powerful

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Imam Al-Nawawi's Riyad-us-Saliheen # 492
 

`Urwah from `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that she used to say to Urwah (May Allah be pleased with him): "O son of my sister, by Allah, I used to see the new moon, then the new moon, then the new moon, i.e., three moons in two months, and a fire was not kindled in the house of Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam). "I (`Urwah) said, "O my aunt, what were your means of sustenance?'' She said;"Dates and water. But it (so happened) that Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) had some Ansar neighbours who had milch animals. They used to send Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) some milk of their (animals) and he gave that to us to drink.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Commentary:  `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) did not say this by way of complaint but as warning and exhortation to the Muslims, especially women, so that they would also live a simple life. The latter should prepare their family budget keeping in view the lawful earnings of their husbands and do not place so much burden on them that they are compelled to look for unfair means of earning.

Ref.:  Imam Al-Nawawi's Riyad-us-Saliheen # 492.