The topic of this paper was chosen out of the conviction that humanity is suffering today from a number of
serious social problems related to women and to the interrelations of the two sexes in society . Although
these problems may be more pronounced, disturbing, more debilitating for some of us than for others, there
are probably few if any regions of the contemporary world whose citizens have not felt in some way the
repercussions of these problems. Therefore, there is a pressing need for exploring possible solutions. The
problem of women is linked, for the present study, with the Qur'an , and what I have called the "Qur'anic
society," out of strong. conviction that the Qur'an offers the most viable suggestions for contemporary social
reform which can be found in any model or any literature. Many of you may be puzzled by the title of this
paper-"W omen in a Qur'anic Society." You may ask yourselves, "Why didn't she say "Women in Muslim
Society" or even "Women in an Islamic Society?" Let me explain why the expressions "Muslim" and "
Islamic" were rejected for this paper, and how the use of the rather unusual appellation, "Qur'anic society,"
is justified.
There are at least three reasons for my choice of that title. The first of these derives from the concern that
many beliefs and practices have been labelled "Muslim" or "Islamic" without warranting those names. There
are approximately 40 nations of the world which claim to have a Muslim majority population and therefore
to be exemplary of "Muslim" or " Islamic" societies. This of course results in a great deal of confusion as the
question is asked: Which of these regions represents most faithfully the true "Islamic" society? Among
Muslims that question is most frequently answered by the claim that their own national or regional society is
the truest to the intentions of Allah subhanahu'wa ta'ala .
The Western anthropologists who travel around the world to investigate the customs and mores of its
peoples, tend to treat each variation within the Muslim World as equally valid. This results from their
adherence to what I call the "zoo theory" of knowledge. Adherents of that theory regard all Muslim s-and of
course similar treatment of other non-Western people is discernible-as different species within the human
zoo . The "zoo theory" protagonists go to the fie ld, record and snap pictures of every strange or exotic
practice they see and hear; and for them , this is Islam or Islamic practice . A trip to another part of the
Muslim World with the ubiquitous devices for recording and photographing generates a different body of
materials documenting superficial variations in customs. But this, too, is Islam or Islamic practice for the
"zoo theory" investigator or ethnographer. There is far too little effort spent on understanding Islam as a
whole. As a result, the basic premise of scepticism and relativism is confirmed in the mind of the researcher;
and he/s he returns home convinced that there is not one Islam, but scores of Islams existent in the world. In
like fashion, the researcher reports that there are many definitions or descriptions of the status and role of
women in Muslim society . Each one of the resultant definitions or descriptions is dubbed as "Muslim" or
"Islamic" eve'1 if we as Muslims may hold some of these practices to be distortions or perversions of our
principles and beliefs by the misguided or uninformed among us.
It was partly to avoid confusion with these variant descriptions and misunderstandings that I have chosen the
appellation "Qur'anic" for the present discussion. In this way, I hope to move beyond the limited relevance
and particularism of a "zoo theory" of investigation to a presentation which avoid s such fragmentation and
is ideologically In conformance with the true prescriptions of Islam. In regard to matters so determining of
our destiny and very existence, we can never be satisfied with mere reportage about certain human animals
in the " zoo" who are statistically "Muslim" or whose customs have been labelled as "Islamic." T hose
designations have sometimes been misapplied . "Qur'anic ," on the other hand, is a term which is
unequivocal. It points clearly to the topic of this paper.
Secondly, "Qur'anic society" was judged to be the most suitable title for it orients us towards discovering
those core principles in the Qur’an itself which form the underlying framework for our societies throughout
the Muslim World . It is the society based on Qur'anic principles which is the goal of all of us, even though
we may unknowingly deviate from time to time from those principles. It is the conformance to a Our' anbased society for which we must all work if the Muslim peoples are to enjoy a felicitous future. It is not an Indonesian, Pakistani, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian or Nigerian version of that society that we should regard as
indisputable norm, but one firmly based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. Only therein can we find a
proper definition of woman's role in society. Since it is these teachings which are the subject of my paper,
"Women in a Qur’anic Society" seemed the most proper title.
Thirdly , I wish by t hi s choice of title to emphasize that we should regard the Holy Qur’an as our guide in
all aspects of our lives. It is not only the prime source of knowledge about religious beliefs, obligations, and
practices, it is also the guide, whether specific or implied, for every aspect of Islamic civilization. In the
centuries of past glory, it determined the political, economic, social and artistic creativity of the Muslim
peoples. If we are to succeed as members of an Islamic society in the coming decades and centuries, it must
again determine our thinking and our actions in an all-inclusive way . Din is not limited to the Five Pillars of
the shahadah, salat, siyam, zakat, and the hajj. Din in fact defies simple equation with the Eng li sh term
"religion," for the former' s significance penetrates into every nook and cranny of human existence and
behaviour. Surely it should be our goal to relate every action to our Din. We can only do this by allowing the
Holy Qur'an to in-form and re-form every realm of our lives.
As a step in this direction, let us consider what the Qur'an has to teach us about the society towards which
we should be striving, and ponder its effect on the position of women . What are the basic characteristics of
a Qur'anic society which particularly affect women?
Five characteristics - which seem basic, crucial and incontrovertible - of Qur'anic society will be considered.
Although they are presented in a series, each one rests upon the others and affects them . The
interdependence of these five characteristics makes it difficult to speak of anyone of them without mention
of the others, and of course they do not and cannot exist in isolation from one another.
1. EQUAL STATUS AND WORTH OF THE SEXES
The first of these characteristics of a Qur'anic society which affect women is that both sexes are held to be
equal in status and worth. In other words, the Qur'an teaches us that women and men are all creatures of
Allah , existing on a level of equal worth and value, although their equal importance does not substantiate a
claim for their equivalence or perfect identity. This equality of male and female is documentable in the
Qur'an in passages pertaining to at least four aspects of human existence and interact ion.
A. Religious Matters The first of these Qur'anic confirm at ions of male-female equality are contain ed in
statements pertaining to such religious matters as the origins of humanity, or to religious obligations and
rewards.
1. Origins of Humanity. The Qur’an is devoid of the stories found in the Old Testament which denigrate
women. There is no hint that the first woman created by God is a creature of lesser worth than the first male,
or that she is a kind of appendage formed from one of his rib s. Instead , male and female are created, we
read, minnafsin wahidatin ( " from a single soul or self" ) to complement each other (Qur'an 4: I ; 7: 189) .
Whereas the Torah or Old Testament treats Eve as the temptress of the Garden of Eden, who aids Satan in
enticing Adam to disobey God, the Qur’an deals with the pair with perfect equity. Both are equally guilty of
sinning; both are equally punished by God with expulsion from the Garden; and both are equally forgiven
when they repent.
2. Religious Obligations and Rewards. The Qur'an is not Jess clear in commanding equality for men and
women in its directives regarding religious obligations and rewards. We read: Lo! Men who surrender unto
All ah, and women who surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and
women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere (in
righteousness) and women who persevere and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men
who give aims and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their
modesty and women who guard (their modesty), and men w ho remember Allah and women who rememberAllah hath prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward. (33 :35)
B. Ethical Obligations and Rewards Secondly, the Qur'an reveals to mankind the desired equality of the two sexes by establishing the same
ethical obligations and rewards for women and men. And who so does good works, whether 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.
(4: 124) Whosoever does rig ht, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily We shall quicken with
good life, and We shall pay them a recompense according to the best of what they do. ( 16 :97)
If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had not deemed the two sexes of equal status and value, such explicit
statements of their equality in ethical obligations and rewards would not have been made in the Qur'an.
C. Education
Although the more specific commands for the equal rights of women and men to pursue education can be
found in the hadith literature, the Qur'an does at least imply the pursuit of knowledge by a ll Muslims
regardless of their sex. For example, it repeatedly commands all readers to read, to recite, to think, to
contemplate, as well as to learn from the signs (ayat) of Allah in nature. In fact, the very first revelation to
Prophet Muhammad (S) was concerned with knowledge. In a Qur'anic society, there can never be a
restriction of this knowledge to one sex. I t is the duty of every Muslim and every Muslimah to pursue
knowledge throughout life, even if it should lead the seeker to China, we are told. The Prophet (S) even
commanded t hat the slave girls be educated, and he asked Shifa' bint 'Abdil lah to instruct his wife Hafsah
bint 'Umar. Lectures of the Prophet (S) were attended by audiences of both men and women; and by the time
of the Prophet's death, there were many women scholars.
D. Legal Rights
A fourth evidence in the Qur'an for the equality of men and women is its specification of legal rights which
are guaranteed for every individual from cradle to grave. Unlike the situation in the West, where until the
last century it was impossible for a married woman to hold property on her own, to contract with other
persons, or to dispose of her property without the consent of her husband, the Qur'an proclaims the right of
every woman to buy and sell , to contract and to earn, and to hold and manage her own money and property.
In addition to these rights, the Qur'an grants woman a share in the inheritance of the family (4:7 -11 ), warns
against depriving her of that inheritance (4: 19), specifies that the dower (mahr) of her marriage s ho u ld
belong to her a lone and never be taken by her husband (2 :229; 4: 19-21 ,25) unless offered by the woman
as a free gift (4:44).
As with any privilege, these rights of women carry corresponding responsibilities. If she commits a civil
offence, the Qur'an tells us, woman's penalty is no less or no more than that of a man in a similar case (5:4 1;
24 :2). If she is wronged or harmed, she is entitled to compensation just like a man It is clear that the Qur'an
not only recommends. but is even insistent upon, the equality of women and men as an essential
characteristic of a Qur'anic society. The claim of the non-Muslim critics that Is lam denigrates women is
denied emphatically by the Qur'an. Similarly denied are the arguments of certain Muslim s t hat women are
religiously, intellectually and ethically inferior to men , as Jew is h and Christian literatures had earlier
maintained .
.... . .. ... .... to be concluded.
B.sc (biochem), M.B.A (HR), M.A, PGDFTM (IEM (cal), PGDECom, L.L.b
