Islam’s rights for women should not be judged based on what the Muslims do but on what is in the Holy Quran and the hadith of the last prophet (PBHU). Islam gave women their liberty and due rights 1400 years ago. In the “Yawmil jahiliyyah,” known as the days of ignorance before the rise of Islam, women were often mistreated. In the Babylonian civilization, a woman would have to face death as a punishment if her husband committed murder. The Greek civilization believed that a woman named Pandora was the cause of evil and misfortune in society. When the Roman culture reached its peak, a man could kill his wife without consequences. They used women for pleasure and sex. Nudity and promiscuity were common. Ancient Egyptians considered women as a sign of the devil. In pre-Islamic Arabia, female infanticide (killing an infant girl) was expected.
Quran says this: “when one of them gets a baby girl, his face becomes darkened with overwhelming grief. Ashamed, he hides from the people because of the bad news given to him. He even ponders: should he keep the baby grudgingly or bury her in the dust. Miserable indeed is their judgment.” (Quran, 16:58-59). It is evident that the prophet himself hated the idea of domestic violence on women and said, “could anyone of you beat his wife as if she was a slave and then lie with her in the evening?” (Bukhari and Muslim). From the beginning, Islam has been an empowering and liberating religion. It has nothing but uplifted the status of women and given them rights considered revolutionary 14 centuries ago.
“And for women are rights over men, similar to men over women” (Quran, 2:228). The question that arises is if Islam liberated women centuries ago, then why are wives being mistreated today among Muslim people. Muslim practices today go against the equality and human dignity granted to them in the Quran. Allah does not discriminate. Why should we? Allah had made it clear to us through the Quran and the prophet that men or women, we are equal to him. “Their Lord responded to them: “I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female- you are equal” (Quran, 16:58-59). Cultural practices and values which regard women as inferior or subordinate to men influence oppressive interpretations of the Quran. It is not Islam that oppresses women- it’s the ignorance of those who fail to understand Allah’s commandments.