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ROLE OF WOMEN IN ISLAM

By

Muhammad Ali Khan

HISTORICAL ROLE
Historical evidence indicates that women
contributed significantly to the early development
of the Muslim community
Substantiation of Prophet-hood after first
revelation
Women were the first to learn of Muhammad's
initial revelation
They later played an important role in the
process of collecting all the revelations from both
written and oral sources into a single,
authoritative text

CONT.
Women were entrusted with vital secrets,
including the location of Muhammad's hiding
place
The Prophet often consulted women and
considered their opinions seriously
Hazrat Khadija RA , chief adviser as well as his
first and foremost supporter
Hazrat A'ishah RA, was a well-known authority
in medicine, history, and rhetoric
Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab RA (ruled 634
644 ) appointed women to serve as officials in the
market of Medina.

Men and women had distinct, complementary

roles in Muslim societies. The husband's primary
responsibility was to support and protect the
family
The wife cared for and disciplined the children
and maintained the home
Although Islamic law taught that the husband
and wife were equal before God, women were
subordinate to men. Nonetheless, women
exercised considerable influence in family and
social life

CONT.
In the early 1900s, the governments of Turkey took
steps to modernize the role of women
The Turkish government adopted a new family law
that that gave women the right to obtain divorces
Turkish women gained the right to vote in municipal
and national elections in the 1930s
During the 1950s, Egyptian women entered politics
and were elected to public office
Women also began to earn advanced academic degrees
and to work in professions previously closed to them
In most countries, however, new freedoms and
opportunities in education and employment benefited
only upper and middle classes in urban areas

CONT
Concerns about a lack of employment
opportunities among men fueled arguments that
women should stay at home in their traditional
roles of wives and mothers
Islamic states tried to balance the conflicting
demands of women and traditional Muslims by
making cautious reforms

CONT
Debate continues over the appropriate role of
women in the community
They see the status of women as directly
connected to maintaining or reforming tradition
The role of women may also be a means of
defining national identity
Although Muslim governments have promoted
education for both boys and girls as a way of
achieving economic growth, the percentage of
girls enrolled in schools in developing countries
remains relatively low

CATALYST OF CHANGE OF ROLE

Poor economic and political conditions in some
Muslim countries have forced women to become
more involved in the outside world
Factors such as war and labor migration have
increased the number of households headed by
females
Economic necessity has led women to seek work
outside the home, usually in low-paid, unskilled
jobs

AS HEAD OF STATE
Many Muslim women have become active in
grassroots organizations, development projects,
charitable associations, and social services
During the 1990s, women achieved positions of
leadership in some parts of the Muslim world.
Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, Tansu Ciller of
Turkey, and Shaykh Hasina and Khaleda Zia of
Bangladesh served as prime ministers in their
respec-tive countries

ROLE IN EDUCATION
Muslim women have always played a role in the
spread of religious knowledge, Hazrat A'ishah RA
was an important source of the hadith
In fact, he reportedly told his followers they
would receive half their religion from her.

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ROLE IS SUFIISM
The most famous Sufi woman, Rabiah Basri
wrote poems of love for God that have continued
to inspire mystics to the present day.
Some Sufishaykhsin the Mamluk dynasty ( 1250
1517 ) and Ottoman Empire admitted women
into their orders
Despite the general acceptance of women within
Sufism, however, their participation in the orders
and indhikr was restricted

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CONT

The Qur'an requires the same religious role and duties of

men and women and promises them the same spiritual
rewards
Nevertheless, certain factors have tended to restrict
women's involvement in Islamic religious life
These include social customs, lack of education, and ideas
about ritual purity
The specific limitations on the participation of Muslim
women in religious matters and the ways that they have
responded to these restrictions have varied across the
Islamic world
Furthermore, during the 1900s, the changing role of
women in society created new opportunities for women in
the religious sphere as well

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IMPORTANT ROLES OF A WOMEN

Categories
Role in Family

As

mother
As Sister
As Daughter
As Wife

Role is Society
Role

of a Working Women
Role of a Housewife
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ROLE IN FAMILY

Teach their children

Religion

Language
Worldly

Education

Train them properly

Values

Psychological

Training

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CONT

As Sister/Daughter
Protect

the Respect of the Family

Be an ambassador of the Family

As Wife

Motherhood
Protect

the respect of husband (Libas)

To be obedient
Domestic Chores/House keeping
Care of Finance
Kept the Secrets
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ROLE IN SOCIETY
Positive contribution towards Society
Show kindness to society
Defining National Identity
Women as key to social continuity and the
preservation of the family, language and culture

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Kindness

The Husband's Respect

Complaints and Grievances

Pleasant Dispositions

Wrong Expectations

Be a Comfort for Your Husband

Be Appreciative

Do not Look for Shortcomings

Don't Look at Anyone Other Than

Your Husband

Take Islamic Hijab

Forgive Your Husband's Mistakes

Do Not Pay Attention to Slanderous Talks

Obey Husband and Not Mother

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Be Clean and Beautiful at Home Also

Be like a Mother to Him

Accept His Management

Be Resourceful when Times are Hard

Do not Refuse to Talk and do not Sulk

Remain Silent when he is Angry

Tolerate Men's Hobbies

Coping With Your Husband's Job

If You Have to Live Away From Your

Hometown
If Your Husband Works at Home

Help Your Husband to Make Progress

Be Careful That He is Not Misled

Suspicious Women

Housekeeping

Coping with Your Husband's

Relatives

Keep the Secrets

Cleanliness

A Tidy House

Preparing Food

Receiving Guests

The Trustee of the House

Accept only Careers of women

Do not Waste your Spare Time

Motherhood (Caring for Children)

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Nutrition and Hygiene