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Fatwa CenterWomen Equal to Men?
Question
Are women equal to men in all affairs?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The Conditions of Women in the Arabian peninsula before Islam:
In those days, women were treated like slaves or property. Their personal consent concerning anything related to their well-being was considered unimportant, to such a degree that they were never even treated as a party to a marriage contract. Women were used for one purpose, and then discarded. They had no independence, they could own no property and were not allowed to inherit. In times of war, women were treated as part of the prize. In addition, the birth of a daughter in a family was not an occasion for rejoicing; instead, she was regarded with humiliation. The practice of killing female children was uncontrolled.
With the advent of Islam, Allah condemned those who practiced female infanticide; as He Says (what means): {And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.} [Quran 16:58-59]
As part of a description of various events on the Day of Judgment, Allah Says (what means): {And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked. For what sin she was killed.} [Quran 81:8-9]
Outside the Arabian peninsula the woman's conditions were no better. In India, Egypt, and all European countries in the Dark Ages, women were treated worse than slaves. They were not regarded as human beings but as a sort of sub-species between humans and animals.
ALLAH GAVE THE ARAB WOMEN THEIR RIGHTS! The rights of Muslim women were given to us by Allah, who is All-Compassionate, All-Merciful, All-Just, All-Unbiased, All-Knowing and Most Wise. These rights, which were granted to women more than 1420 years ago, and were taught by the perfect example of the Prophet Muhammad were given by The One Who created us and Who Alone knows what rights are best for the female natures. Allah Says (what means): {O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. And do not make difficulties for them in order to take [back] part of what you gave them unless they commit a clear immorality. And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them - perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.} [Quran 4:19]
The most basic right of a woman in Islam is the knowledge and recognition. She never has to ask or demand or fight for her rights which are guaranteed to her by Allah, The Almighty, Himself. In reality, and in Islam, the rights and responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of a man, but they are not necessarily identical to them. Equality and sameness are two very different things. I think you’ll agree on that, for one thing, women and men are physically very different from one another, although they are equal to each other in other important ways. In the West, women may be doing the same job that men do, but their wages are often less. The rights of Western women in modern times were not given voluntarily, or out of kindness to the female. The modern Western woman reached her present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual consent of Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various circumstances aided her. Shortage of manpower during wars, pressure of economic needs and requirement of industry forced women to leave their homes to work, struggling for their livelihood, to appear equal to men. Whether all women are sincerely pleased with these circumstances, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the results, is a different matter. But the fact remains that whatever rights modern Western women have, they fall short of those of her Muslim counterpart! Islam has given the woman what is appropriate for her female nature. It gives her full security and protects her against becoming what Western modern women themselves complain about: a "mere sex object."
For more benefit on equality between men and women, please refer to Fataawa 381173, 338263, 325066, and 107236.
For more benefit on the position of women in Islam, please refer to Fataawa 81237 and 84040.
Allah knows best.
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