In the present era, anti-Islamists raise the issue of women in order to, in their opinion, free this oppressed creature from the clutches of Islamic law and set fire to the accumulated harvest of women’s laws in Islam. They aim to stir up the surface of the sea of public opinion regarding the principles of Sharia and to make it clear that women in Islam are deprived of everything. They seem to have forgotten how much dignity women have among Westerners and non-Muslims. Therefore, in this part of the research, we will discuss the comparison of women’s rights in Islam and in today’s Western civilization.
The Purpose of the Creation of Women
In creation and in the spiritual and physical dimensions, women are created from the same essence as men, and both sexes are the same in essence and nature. There is no distinction or difference in the truth and nature of women and men. The Holy Qur’an clearly says: «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا»“O people! Be pious before Allah, who created you from a single soul and created from this soul its mate.”
In another place, it says: «هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا» “It is He who created you from a single soul, and from that soul He created its mate, that he may find calmness in her.”
Therefore, woman was created from the same substance as man. The idea of the equality and oneness of the nature of man and woman is a Quranic idea that is clearly conveyed in the verses of the Quran. Whenever the Qur’an talks about the perfections and high values that humans can achieve, it also mentions women as equal to men: «إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْقَانِتَاتِ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالصَّادِقَاتِ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّابِرَاتِ وَالْ…ِيمًا»“And for the Muslim men and the Muslim women, and for the believing men and the believing women, and for the obedient men and the obedient women, and for the truthful men and the truthful women, and for the patient men and the patient women, and for the Allah-fearing men and the Allah-fearing women, and for the charitable men and the charitable women, and for the fasting men and the fasting women, and for the chaste men and the chaste women, and for the men who remember Allah much and for the women who remember Allah much, Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward.”
In this noble verse, Islam and faith, prayers and charity, patience and humility, fasting and self-control, chastity, and frequent remembrance of Allah, etc., are mentioned equally for men and women. Both sexes aim to attain these positions and be equal in the perfection of ascension and reach high positions of closeness and spirituality.
