Gender roles in Islam
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- This article is about gender roles, in families and relationships between men and women, in Islam. For other related topics, including Islamic women's clothing and other differences in Islamic law between the sexes, see Women and Islam.
In Islam, the sexes are considered equal before God. At the same time, Islamic law and practice recognize differences between sexes, resulting in different rights and obligations.
Women are expected to be home-makers and caregivers to their children, and it is generally considered a good thing if they are educated as well. Traditional interpretations of Islam supports the traditional division of labour whereby women assume the main responsibility for the home while men are responsible for supporting their wives. Motherhood is seen as one of the most important roles in society. In most interpretations of Islam, Muslim women may seek a higher education, work outside the home or volunteer their services to benefit the community as long as their primary responsibilities are taken care of, they have the permission of their husbands and they do not compromise their faith in doing so.
Qur'an instructs the believers that they should not treat women as a commodity which can be inherited and used as liked. The context is that in the pre-Islamic era, the wives of a person could be transferred to his heirs like his wealth and animals.
In many Islamic societies, there is a division of roles creating a woman’s space in the private sphere of the home and a man’s in the public sphere.[1] A woman's primary responsibility is usually interpreted as fulfilling her role as a wife and mother,[2] whereas a man’s role is to work and be able to financially support his wife and family.[3]
Under the Qur'an, "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient..."[4] According to Sayyid Qutb as outlined by John Esposito, however, this passage does not imply the "quashing (of) the woman's personalty or her civic rights;rather it is an obligation to direct and protect the family." According to Qutb's analysis, the Quran "gives the man the right of 'guardianship' or 'superiority' over the family structure in order to prevent dissension and friction between the spouses. The equity of this system lies in the fact that God both favoured the man with the necessary qualities and skills for the 'guardianship' and also charged him with the duty to provide for the structure's upkeep."[5]
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[edit] Historical background: pre-Islamic Arabia
In pre-Islamic Arabia, women's status varied widely according to laws and cultural norms of the tribes in which they lived. There were instances where women held high positions of power and authority; there were also patterns of homicidal abuse of women and girls, including instances of men killing female infants considered to be a liability.[citation needed] It is claimed by some Muslim writers and some scholars of Middle Eastern history that in pre-Islamic Arabia, women could not inherit land or wealth; holdings were usually considered the property of the tribe she was born or married in to. However some, including some Muslims, dispute that this was the norm in all Pre-Islamic Arabian societies.[6]
[edit] Family
The Qur'an states that except wife guilty of open sexual transgressions, a believer should not subject his wife to harsh treatment, even if he dislikes his wife.[7] If a believer behaves in a good manner to his wife even though he doesn't like her, the Qur'an used the word Asā (‘عَسَى’), which implies in this context a promise from God of a great reward.[8]
Modern scholars say that the Qur'an instructs husbands to deal with their wives according to good conventions and traditions of a society[9] and emphasize the importance of taking counsel and mutual agreement in family decisions.[10]
Similarly, it is attributed to Muhammad:[11]
- Fear Allah in respect of women.
- The best of you are they who behave best to their wives.
- A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good.
- The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is.
In many Islamic societies, there is a division of roles creating a woman’s space in the private sphere of the home and a man’s in the public sphere.[12] A woman's primary responsibility is usually interpreted as fulfilling her role as a wife and mother,[13] whereas a man’s role is to work and be able to financially support his wife and family.[14]
[edit] Gender roles in prayer and worship
On Fridays many Muslims pray in congregation, and men, women, and children are segregated into separate groups. Every other day in the home the family prays together. The man will lead the prayers, as he is considered the head of the household. His wife and children will stand behind him as they pray.
[edit] Gender roles within marriage
Muhammad described the high status of mothers in both of the major hadith Collections (Bukhari and Muslim). One famous account is:
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"A man asked the Prophet: 'Whom should I honor most?' The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother!'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your father'"
The primary role played by women is to be mothers, and mothers are considered the most important part of the family. A well known Hadith of the prophet says: "I asked the Prophet who has the greatest right over a man, and he said, 'His mother'". While a woman is considered the most important member of the family, she is not the head of the family.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Hessini, L., 1994, Wearing the Hijab in Contemporary Morocco: Choice and Identity, in Göçek, F. M. & Balaghi, S., Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East: Tradition, Identity & Power, New York, Columbia University Press
- ^ Ahmed, L., 1992, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, New Haven, Yale University Press.
- ^ Hessini, L., 1994, Wearing the Hijab in Contemporary Morocco: Choice and Identity, in Göçek, F. M. & Balaghi, S., Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East: Tradition, Identity & Power, New York, Columbia University Press
- ^ Qur'an, [Qur'an 4:34]
- ^ Haddad/Esposito pg.37/38
- ^ The Position of Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia at Understanding-Islam.com
- ^ "O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness that you may take away part of the dower you have given them – except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary, live with them according to the norms [of the society]. If you take a dislike to them it may be that you dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good." Qur'an, [Qur'an 4:19]
- ^ Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i-Qur'an, 2nd ed., vol. 2, (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), p. 292
- ^ Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, Mizan, Chapter:The Social Law of Islam
- ^ Jamal Badawi, The status of women in Islam. Modern scholars draw upon verses such as "If they [husband and wife] desire to wean the child by mutual consent and after consultation, there is no blame on them." Qur'an, [Qur'an 2:233]
- ^ Heba G. Kotb M.D., Sexuality in Islam, PhD Thesis, Maimonides University, 2004.
- ^ Hessini, L., 1994, Wearing the Hijab in Contemporary Morocco: Choice and Identity, in Göçek, F. M. & Balaghi, S., Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East: Tradition, Identity & Power, New York, Columbia University Press
- ^ Ahmed, L., 1992, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, New Haven, Yale University Press.
- ^ Hessini, L., 1994, Wearing the Hijab in Contemporary Morocco: Choice and Identity, in Göçek, F. M. & Balaghi, S., Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East: Tradition, Identity & Power, New York, Columbia University Press
