The Status Of Women Before Islam & After Islam

In Islam women have an exalted & dignified position which can never be found in other religions of the world. Islam bestows women a very respectable place. In the world Islam is the only religion that recognizes a women to be a loving daughter of a kind father a polite wife of a loving husband a kind mother of a good son a polite sister of a lovable brother. It recognizes that the position of women to be the same as that of men. It claims that both come from the same essence.

Let’s come toward the 14 centuries before where there was no any Islamic concept it was called the illiterate (jahaliya) period. & now I want to mention the historical point which will tell us the position of women before Islam.

1. The ancient Arabian period, beginning from the earliest time down to about 450 A.D

2. The jahaliya period, from about 450 A.D to the rise of Islam

3. The Islamic period (570 – 1258 A.D)

We shall here briefly discuss the 2nd point while 1st & 3rd both are very big topics. & from 2nd point we will only discus about position of WOMEN only. Because it will also take too much to be discussed.

THE JAHALIYA PERIOD* (450 A.D -570 A.D)
Before the rise of Islam the era is known as the “Jahaliya period” or the age of ignorance in the history of ancient Arabia.

POSITION OF WOMEN:
As we all know that before Islam there was no any concept that a woman can pass the freedom life as now she is passing. But at that time some of the women, especially among the matriarchal tribe, enjoyed a position of respect & influence. The Bedouin women also enjoyed greater freedom then their urban sisters but as the life & society was felled into the jahaliya period & the position of women deteriorated. The Arab’s of pre-Islamic treated their women as worse then animals. The women had no rights & no any social status as now she has, if a man can afford he married as many women as he liked & he can deserted at any time when ever he wanted. Temporary marriages were very common. On the death of a man, his sons married their step-mother, or his brothers inherited his widows as though they were very chattels. Especially in the richest tribe as quraysh & the cruel custom of female infanticide was also prevalent, The jahaliya poet laments the birth of daughter and desired her death-not because he did not love their girls but because they say

“I dread that some day poverty will overtake my child,
And shame befall! Her when exposed to very passion wild,
She wishes me to live, but I must wish her dead, woe’s me;
Death is the noblest wooer a helpless maid can see,
I fear an uncle may be harsh, a brother be unkind,
When I would never speak a word that rankled in her mind”
(A SHORT HISTORY OF ISLAM page 11)

No wonder that the women of the jahaliya period suffered terribly. They had no property, no rights to live as good women, no social respect nor honor, polygamy & even polyandry were rampant or very common. Islam brought about tremendous amelioration in their status.

The position of the mother is very much exalted in Islamic tradition. Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) as he said that “PARADISE LIES UNDERNEATH THE FEET OF YOUR MOTHER” As regards the women as a wife there is again saying of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) “THE BEST AMONG YOU IS THE ONE WHO IS BEST TOWARDS HIS FAMILY” With regards to women as a daughter the Islamic attitude can she realized from the approaches which the HOLY QURAN against the people of Arabs what ever they had done in jahaliya period. Islam abolished all type of such disgraces. & the mutual relation husband & wife are described in the HOLY QURAN as that of a single soul in two bodies. & Islam taught us that a husband is an “administrator & Supervisor over the people of the house” & wife is described as an “administrator of the house of her husband & children” Islam has described the duties of men & women in the business of their daily life. Islam believes in the equality of man & women with regards to their status in society, according to the teaching of Islam men & women enjoy equal rights in our society but social responsibilities & duties are different. Her main & sacred duties are to look after the children and to act according to the wishes of her husband. However Islam does not prevent the women from saving in various social institutions. Now they may work in every field of life.

However this glorious religion has bestowed the women most of the western women think that Islam has bound the women & in Islam women cannot pass their life easily.

Let’s imagine to sisters who are very beautiful & one is in Islamic dress & other is in the mini skirt or any other western dress one street boy whose work is to tease the girl everyday is standing in there way what do you think that boy will tease the girl who is in western dress or the girl who is in the Islamic dress?????? Definitely firstly he will tease the girl who is western dress.

Islam is the religion which does not bound any one weather it’s male or female. But Islam has very serious rules which are in the benefit for a human  person.