BlogEvolve.com

For so long, women under the law of Islam seem to the West as oppressed. As a Muslim woman, I would like to inform my readers some of those rights that Islam gave to women 1500 years ago.

1. Allah tells believing men in the Qur'an that they marry women in honorable terms and tells men to support them financially, moreover, orders men, to never ever touch the earnings of their women, unless women would like to give a piece of what they earn to their men willingly.

2. Allah tells in the Qur'an that believing men and women make a contract before marriage and asks each of the parties to write down their wishes (that would be, for example, that a woman puts the condition that he will not marry another woman). If any of the conditions get broken by either party, then this can be used as a good evidence for divorce. In other words, if a woman wants to divorce her husband, she can say that "on the basis of his not fullfilling this specific condition, I am asking for a divorce."

3. Allah says in the Qur'an to believing men, that before a man marries a woman, he has to give her an amount of wealth (could be fields, houses, cattle, or money) and the woman has the sole right to ask for what she wants from that man (her future husband) which also goes into the marriage contract. And he has no right to take what he gave her, unless she asks for a divorce later in marriage. He has no right to ask what he gave her back, if he asks for a divorce.

4. Allah tells in the Qur'an to believing men that the husband pays for all financial necessities of his family. His children, his wife and even his parents if need be. But the woman does not even have to breastfeed her child, if she does not want to. The father has to find a way to feed the child (at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) there were many women who breasfed children of other women for money).

5. Allah tells to believing men in the Qur'an that they should treat women kindly and says that women are given to men as they are "trusted" to them (amana) (like you would give something to someone for them to hold it for you until you take it back from them. They can not harm the thing that is given to you, they can not distort it, they can not misuse it or they have to pay for it when the time comes).

6. Allah tells believing men in the Qur'an that they should not leave or divorce their women if they dislike their women and like another woman. Allah tells them that Allah may have given to their wives many good things that their husbands have not yet realized in them. Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) is known to have given permission to a woman to divorce her husband on the basis of her not finding him sexually attractive. Same permission is not given to men, unless of course the situation is harmful to both parties.

I would like to answer questions, if anyone likes to ask.