Status of women in Islam is yet another misunderstood subject outside the Islamic world. Women, before Islam, were subject to torture and humiliation. In ancient societies they were abased and degraded.
· In India a woman had to kill herself on the burning pyre of her dead husband.
· In China a woman had to wear tight iron shoes.
· In Arabia girls were buried alive.
It was only in the recent past that reformers raised slogans against the crimes perpetrated on woman. In the distant past we find in Muhammad (PBUH) the only benefactor of woman, emancipating them from all kinds of excesses. In a society unaware of the rights of women he gave them status equal to men. Women had no right of inheritance which they got. The Quran further explained their rights.
She acquired the rights of inheritance in the property of her parents and some other relatives. Today, while we hear tall claims of cultural advancements in many countries women still had nei ther the rights to property nor vote. But to our surprised, we notice that these rights were granted to her fourteen hundred years ago. Muhammad (PBUH) was beyond doubt the benefactor of women. A great part of his teachings are about the rights of women. Stressing upon their rights he warned people to be alert and judicious about their rights.
Here are some of his teachings:
1. One who beats his wife is not of good morals.
2. The best among you are those who behave with their wives in the best way.
3. God commands you to treat women in the best way because they are your mothers, sisters and daughters.
4. Paradise is under the feet of your mother.
5. No Muslim should hate his wife. One of her habits may be displeasing but he may be pleased to find many other fine habits in her.
6. Never treat your wives as slaves.
7. Eat with your wife and provide clothes to her.
8. Never hurt her feelings. Never desert her. Never cause pain to her heart.
9. Wives have al the rights equal to their husbands.
Woman, too, have been given some commands.
1. A woman should please her husband with her appearance.
2. She must obey her husband and safeguard his property as well as her own modesty in his absence.
3. A good wife is an incomparable treasure.
4. A woman who offers her prayers five times a day, observes fast in the month of Ramazan, and safeguards her modesty can enter heaven by any door she wishes.
5. A bashful wife is worth more than all the treasure of the world.
So, the Prophet apprised women with both their rights and duties.
Polygamy is another issue raised most often to denigrate Islam. Is polygamy a type of exploitation? If yes, then how is it that Islam allows it?
We will have to look into history, nature of man and the practical problems of life to find an answer to this question.
The Indian king Dashrath had a number of wives. Similarly we see Krishna amidst many gopis in addition to Rukmini, Styaba and Radha. A God like Mirgin is reported to have enjoyed many many women. Not only in ancient times but the history of later period informs about kings having a number of wives. King Kattabiman of Tamil Nadu had many wives. Many political leaders of our time have more than one wife.
Pre-Islamic Arabia did not know of any limitation of the number of wives one could have.
The Prophet of Islam restricted it to four taking into account the psychology of man and his practical necessities. Similarly there were no defined rules of marriage. There were in the habit of keeping a number of wives and slave-girls for their pleasure. They did not have rules of divorce. It was at their will. God sent His Commandments to correct this tradition. Number of wives was fixed and laws of divorce were defined. The Quran says;
If ye fear that ye will not
Deal fairly with the orphants,
Marry of the women, who seem good to you,
Two or three or four;
And if ye fear that ye cannot do
Justice (to so many)
Then one (only) or (a captive)
That your right hands posses.
Thus it is more likely that ye will
Not do injustice. (4:3)
Ponder over the wisdom of this instruction. Treat your wife with truth and justice. Polygamy is allowed conditioned with justice. By nature man can develop sexual urge any time and is capable of doing the sexual act, while the case of woman in this regard is altogether for about a week every month, during advanced stage of pregnancy and during few weeks of post natal period she cannot share sexual activities. Evey man cannot be expected to refrain from sexual activities for long periods waiting for his wife to be available for it. Polygamy opens the rights door and closes the wrong ones. To restrict man to one wife and leave him to have illicit relations with other women is tantamount to ruining the morality of the society. It is difficult to imagine the moral degeneration thus created.
By disallowing extra-marital relation and allowing polygamy Islam has demonstrated its wisdom. By making polygamy permissible with certain conditions Islam has given due consideration to man’s physical urges, psychology and practical needs. That is how Islam emerges as a scientific religion.