I don't deny my feelings that women were discriminated against even before Islam, but Muslims portray the image of that in an exaggerated way to show that they rescue females..!! (As victorious nations have been traditionally writing history in their favor, I believe) But, Did Islam really rescued women? Did it really help people treat both genders fairly? Regardless of what Quran really says, let's see how Muslims have been treating women since the 7th century;
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Al-Qurtubi in his interpretation for 43:16 says:
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?He is sacred and superior to having a child, and if an ignorant fancied that God really chose to have a child, then he should have assigned him the more supreme among the two genders, and why those people choose the noble gender and give him the ignoble one!! ?
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Ibn Kathir for 16:57 says:
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?then they gave him the more ignoble of the two shares of boys and girls??
- For 43/18 he says:
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It means that the woman is deficient, and this deficiency is rectified by wearing jewelry from childhood onward. And when she disputes, no consideration for her, for she is helpless and lacking...Thus, how can such (being) be attributed to God? ; Because a woman is deficient from the inside and outside, in image and meaning; and this deficiency in appearance is rectified by wearing jewelry and similar stuff..."
Then he rendered some poems and proverbs that back his claims!?
- For 4/5:
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Allah prohibited giving the unwise the freedom to do as they wish with wealth, which Allah has made as a means of support for people....AlDahhak reported that Ibn Abbas said: "To those weak of understanding make not over your property," refers to children and women, and so said Ibn Mas'ood and Al-Hakam Ibn Uayayna and Alhasan.... Mujahed and Ekrima said they are the women.Aby Umama said: (The messenger of Allah PBUH said "women are unwise, except those who comply with their values.") Ali Ibn Abi Talha reported that Ibn Abbas said:"Do not deal with your wealth and what God has empowered you with and gave to you as a living, by giving it to your wife or daughter while you just keep watching what they hold, but keep your wealth and maintain it, and make sure it's you who spend on them from their clothings, supplies, and livelihood." Ibn Jarirs reported that Abi Mousa said: "three pray to Alalh and he does not answer them, a man who has an immoral wife and he did not divorce her......"
Both Al-Tabari and Al-Qurtubi also mentioned the same sayings in their interpretations for this verse.
- For 4/34, he says:
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Meaning that the man is the guardian of the woman, so he is her superior, senior, her commander, and disciplinarian if she goes astray. (because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other,) ie: men are better than women and the man is better than the woman, for that reason prophecies have been restricted to men; as well as the great King (commander and chief) as the Prophet said: "Never will succeed those people who grant their guardianship to a woman." (Al-Bukhari).
(and because they spend of their property,) meaning: from dowries, allowances and expenditures that have been enjoined by Allah (for women from their men) in his book and the Sunna of his prophet, for the man is better than the woman in his soul and he has the merit (over her) as well as grace.?
- For 33/50:
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..So He unified the muscular form (used singular) for his (male?s) honor, and used plural for females as they are deficient, like in:?by the right side, and left ones? , ?will lead them from the darknesses to the light? and this has many analogies.?
- No allowance for women divorced 3 times:
Book 009, Number 3514: (Sahih Muslim): "
Fatima bint Qais reported that her husband al-Makhzulmi divorced her and refused to pay her maintenance allowance. So she came to Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him) and informed him, whereupon he said: There is no maintenance allowance for you, and you better go to the house of Ibn Umm Maktum and live with him for he is a blind man and you can put off your clothes in his house (i. e. you shall not face much difficulty in observing purdah there)."
"...
As for the female widow who is not pregnant, no allowance or accommodation for her because the marriage is over by the demise..."
(Al-Mughni, By Ibn Qudama, Book of Allowances, P 22)- The young wife doesn't deserve the allowance until she is able to consummate the marriage:
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...the rationale behind that is that a woman deserves the allowance from her husband provided that:
She's old enough to consummate; if she's too young and can't bear it, then no allowance for her..."
(Same source, P 25)- Even her clothing is not an obligatory for the husband except for once a year:
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...Based on that, paying the clothing is once year for its the norm, and this should be by the beginning of the year for it is the due time; and if it wore out he has to buy another one, but if it wore out before the end of the year due to excessive usage, then he doesn't have to replace it...."
( Same source, P 8 )- They went even further by equating a woman to a "rented house;"
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...Therefore, he doesn't have to buy medicines nor doctor's charge, because this is to fix the body. Thus it is not an obligatory, just like it is not required from the tenant to build what falls from the house."
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(Same source, P 6)Mentioned also in:
(Rawdat Attalibeen "Garden of the Gnostics", by Al-Nawawi, V 9, P 50)
(Attaj Wa Al-Ikleel "The Crown and Tiara" , by Al-Mawwaq, V 4, P 180)
(Al-Muhathab, by Ibn Al-Barraj, V 2, P 346)
- In terms, of urine, some indirectly considered boys' is less impure than girls' !
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The urine of a baby boy should have water sprinkled upon it. The urine of a baby girl is to be washed off."
(Abu Dawood, Nasai and Ibn Majah) also in
(Bedayat Al-Mujtahed Wa Nehayat Al-Muqtased, By Ibn Rushd, V1 , P 61)
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The urine of a female infant should be washed thoroughly; the male just sprinkle over."
(Abu Dawood vol.1 book 1 no.374-379 p.97-98)- Major scholars say that fathers are allowed to force daughters to marry against their wills:
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...Some people of Madinah say that it's allowed for a father to force his oldest daughter to marry, even if she hates it; and this is the saying of Malik, Al-Shafi'i, Ahmed, and Ishaq."
(Tuhfat Al-Ahoothi, By Al-Mubarakfoori, Book of marriage, P 755)Ibn Qudama in Al-Mughni also stated that men have the rights to return their divorced wives against their will:
"Muslims have agreed that a husband owns the right to return the wife in the revocable divorce as long as she is in the prescribed periods (divorce period) without considering her acceptance, because God says: "And their husbands have the better right to take them back."
(Al-Mughni, Book of Ila?a "Divorce by Swear", P 409)In Al-Mudawwana, it?s been reported that the seven prominent scholars said:
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A man has the maximum right to marry off his eldest daughter against her will, and if she is a previously married, then he can?t do so. Those seven are: Saeed Ibn Al-Musayyeb, Al-Qasim Ibn Muhammed, Abu Bakr Ibn Abdulrahman Ibn Al-Harith Ibn Hisham, Urwa Ibn Al-
Zubair, Khareja Ibn Zayd Ibn Thabit, Ubaidullah Ibn Abdullah Ibn Utba Ibn Mas?ood, and Sulaiman Ibn Yasar.?
(Al-Mudawwana, ?The Large Log,? By Malik Ibn Anas ?collected and transmitted by Sahnun?) Ch 3, P 15)- Little female kids are to get married off..!
Volume 7 of Bukhari, Book 62, Number 63:Narrated Sahl bin Sad:
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While we were sitting in the company of the Prophet a woman came to him and presented herself (for marriage) to him. The Prophet looked at her, lowering his eyes and raising them, but did not give a reply. One of his companions said, "Marry her to me O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet asked (him), "Have you got anything?" He said, "I have got nothing." The Prophet said, "Not even an iron ring?" He Sad, "Not even an iron ring, but I will tear my garment into two halves and give her one half and keep the other half." The Prophet; said, "No. Do you know some of the Quran (by heart)?" He said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Go, I have agreed to marry her to you with what you know of the Qur'an (as her Mahr)." 'And for those who have no courses (i.e. they are still immature). (65.4) And the 'Iddat for the girl before puberty is three months (in the above Verse)."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari)Al-Hafith Ibn Hajar comments:
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This shows that her marriage before puberty is permissible." (Fath Al-Bari)
Al-Qurtubi said so also in his interpretation of the verse.
The vast majority of scholars and Imams of schools of thoughts agreed upon the validity of (children marriages);
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...it is not for anyone to compel a mature girl to get married except for her father, also the too young girl. Malik said so and Abu Obaid and Al-Thawri,Ibn Abi Ya'la, Al-Shafi'i also (who included the grandfather)......"
(Al-Mughni, V 6, P 487)Almost all other Imams of jurisprudence and the 4 schools talked about or touched upon this matter, including contemporary ones....Some are:
(Al-Mabsoot, By Al-Sarkhasi, V4, P 212)
(Bada'e Al-Sana'e Fee Tarteeb Al-Shara'e, By Al-Kasani, Book of marriage, P 318)
(Tuhfat Al-Muhtaj Fee Sharh Al-Menhaj, By Al-Haitami, Book of Marriage, P 259)
(Al-Muhalla, By Ibn Hazm, Ch 9, P 458-460)
ٍShiits agree on even having (soft core intercourse) with the infant wife, as per
AlKhumaini's book (Tahreer Al-Waseela "Liberating the Means", P 221)"
It is prohibited to consummate the marriage with a wife before she is 9 year old, whether it is a temporary marriage or permanent; but as for the rest of pleasures such as foreplaying, hugs thighing, they're ok even with the infant (baby girl being breastfed); and if he consummates without having her lose her virginity, then nothing would be against him except for the sin (probably)..."
This also was confirmed by a Sunni fatwa,
(Fatwas #: 386, 23672, 23672, and 3907; by islamweb.net)Just as an example, Fatwa 23672:
Q: My family married me off when I was young to a young girl, and they warned me against getting close to her (sexual engaments). What is the sharea ruling on me and my wife, and what are the limits of my sexual pleasures with her? Thank you.
A: If she can't bear sexual intercourse due to her young age, then having sex with her is forbidden because this harms her, and the prophet said: " no harm or reciprocating harm." Narrated by Ahmad, corrected by Al-Albani Yet he can foreplay, kiss, hug, and thigh her, and he has to avoid anus, because anal sex is forbidden, damned is the one who performs it.
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?lang=A&Id=23672&Option=FatwaIdBoth Bukhari and Muslim included topics like:
"Marrying off little Children" ; "Marrying off Children to older people;" in Sahih Muslim under book of "marriage" a section is called:
"It is permissible for the father to give the hand of his daughter in marriage even when she is not fully grown up" ;
In Bukhari there are two topics:
"Marrying off young people to old people" and: "A man giving his young children in marriage"
Under this chapter and those topics, both Bukhari and Muslim reported Mu's marriage to Aisha when she 6 and consummating the marriage when she was 9..!
- Women are no more than slaves for their husbands according to Mu himself:
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If I were to order anyone to bow down to other than Allah, I would order the wife to do so for her husband. By the One who owns the soul of Muhammad,if a wife does not fulfill her obligations towards her husband, then she will not have fulfilled her obligations towards Allah."
(Sunan Ibn Majah) + (Sunan Al-Tirmithi)Ibn Al-Jawzi said:
"The woman shall know that she is like a slave to the husband, so she must not deal with herself or his money unless with his authorization; and she has to prioritize his right over hers and her relatives', and must be ready to satisfy him with herself by all means of cleanliness, and must not boast about her beauty or denounce him due to his ugliness (if he was ugly)."
He also said:
"The woman has to be patient with his harm like the patience of the slave."
(Ahkam Annesa'a, "Women's commandments", P 210-211)And when she wants to leave home she has to:
"She has to beware of going out no matter how able she is; if she escapes from rift, people won't. Thus, if she has to go out then she has to take his permission and be in a scruffy situation; and choose her way in the vacant areas, not the roads nor the shops; and must be careful not to let her voice heard, and walk in the sideway not the middle."
Same source.- Besides allowing the man to beat up his wife, some (prominent) scholars went further by saying things such as: Muhammad hated that:
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The man gets asked about the reasons of hitting his wife, except if a need arises.?
(Zad Al-Ma?ad ?Provisions of the Hereafter?, Ibn Al-Qayyem, Ch 2, P 255)
+ (Sunan Abudawood).- Ibn Al-Qayyem also drew an analogy between a woman and the ground by saying:
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?.So he interpreted the woman as a ground, for they are both to be treaded.?
(Same source, Ch 3, P 346)- Some also believe that:
??Man is not allowed to get cleansed by a woman?s remnant (of water), and a woman is allowed to do so by his remnant??
Which one is considered cleaner (less impure)..!
(Bedayat Al-Mujtahed Wa Nehayat Al-Muqtased, By Ibn Rushd, Ch 1, P 23)- Many also believe that women have to comply with their husbands? needs on bed (no matter what):
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If a husband calls his wife to his bed (i.e. to have sex) and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse her till morning."
(Bukhari & Muslim)??
By the One who owns the soul of Muhammad, a wife does not fulfill God?s right until she fulfills her husband?s, even if he asks her (to bed) while she is riding a little camel, she must not refuse."
(Sunan Ibn-Majah)?
?if a man calls his wife to fulfill his needs, she must come, even if she is by the stove?
Sunan AlTirmithi.
Mentioned also in
(Ahkam Annesa, P 210)
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Ibn Al-Jawzi in his ?Ahkam Annesa?a? says:
"treating a woman tenderly so that antipathy does not occur, while affirming his prestige so that he does not lose sanctity with her. And he must not tell her the amount of money he possesses, or tell a secret he does not want to be disclosed. And he must not give her a lot of grants and presents."
P 223- Aqiqa (slaughtering an animal for the newborn) is also another instance of unjust, for many clerics believe that its 2 animals for a boy, and only one for a girl:
Ibn Abbas said: ?'
For a girl an ewe and for a boy two ewes.?
According to
Abudawood.
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For a maiden one ewe and for a boy two.?
(Tirmithi and Ibn Majah)
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The Aqiqa of the girl to be one ewe and of the boy two.?
(Ahmed, Al- Shafi, and other?s)
Ibn Al-Qayyem says in his ?Tuhfat Al-Mawdood, P 53 and 54):
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This is a religious law. Allah differentiated between the male and female, and made the female receives half of a male?s portion in inheritance, blood money (ransoms), witnesses, slavery freeing, and aqiqah?..?
He also says in
(Zad Al-Ma?ad, Ch 2, P 331):
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Allah favored males over females as he says: ?and no wise is the male like the female.??
- They believe that women do not have to be educated, except for a small portion that would ensure authentic performance of Islamic rituals; ??If she had a father or a brother or a husband or a kin (mahram) to teach her the rituals and how to perform the duties; that is enough for her. If not (not available) she can ask and learn from clerics without khulwa (being with hem/them without a mahram), and she has to confine to the required amount..?
(Same source, P 102)- It is known that the diyya (blood money, ransom) of a woman is half that of a man, based on Quran and Hadith?.;
??And Al-Zuhri said: ?The husband does not get killed for his wife, because he owned her according to the marriage contract (agreement), thus she is like a concubine..;??
Ibn Qudama commented:
?We care about the general meaning of the text, and because they are both equal, each one should be punished by accusing his/her companion then he/she get killed. His saying ?he owned her? is not true, because she is free, but he owned the benefit of pleasure, so she is like a tenant; and that?s why he has to pay diyya, and her legal ones (legal Islamically) inherit her, and he inherits his part. And if someone else killed her, then diyya is for her inheritors unlike the concubine.?
(Al-Mughni, By Ibn Qudama, Book of Jirah ?injuries?, P 21)Ibn Qudama also says regarding diyyat and qasas (retribution):
?The husband does not get punished if his wife got destroyed from the legitimate discipline when she goes astray, neither does the instructor if he legitimately disciplines his pupil, and so said Malik?.?
- According to
Bukhari and others: ?
Whoever is killed while protecting his property then he is a martyr.?
But, Abdurrahman Ibn Al-Qasim says in
AlMudawwana when asked whether those men who are killed while defending their wives are martyrs or not:
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I do not recall anything for Malik in this regard, and I don?t see them in the level of martyrs, and they are in a level of (criminals? killers)?
?Al-Mudawwana, Imam Malik, Ch 1, P 184???The prophet used to give two shares for horses, one for the man and none for women??
(?Tareekh Al-Tabari, Ch 2, P 103?)*
We find that:
Protecting properties is more valued than protecting women.
Protecting horses during battles is more valued than protecting women in the battle.
- The 4th Caliph and Mu?s cousin and son in law ? Ali Ibn Abi Taleb - said:
?The entire woman is an evil. And what is worse is that it is a necessary evil.?
(?Nahj Al-Balagha,? ?Methodology of Eloquence,? By Al-Shareef Al-Radi, Ch of Short Proverbs, P 238) **
Edited to clean up text.
Topic: Muslims......& Women!