07 Jul Are women ‘mentally and religiously deficient’ in Islam?
Are women ‘mentally and religiously deficient’ in Islam?
If women are “mentally and religiously deficient” how were the wives of the Prophet able to pass his teachings? Women are described as weak and overemotional, yet they are trusted with the youth of the nation. If women were innately evil and constitute satanic temptations to men, why do men take up to four wives? How is it possible that women are so incompetent that they cannot be masters of themselves, when the Prophets wife Aisha managed to lead an entire army into battle?
Salaam alykum,
If.
Everything that you’ve said is dependent upon that word.
Women are not “mentally and religiously deficient,” and The Prophet’s wives were, undoubtedly, amazing in their own right. Whether it was Khadijah proposing to The Prophet or supporting him financially, The Prophet sought to empower women; look at the conduct of The Prophet’s daughter Fatima az-Zahra or the strength in the kindness of Safiyyah, another wife of The Prophet.
As far as the Hadith that “says” that women are “deficient”, I have addressed this here.
Where in The Qur’an are women described as weak and overemotional? Tell me where The Prophet did anything that would illustrate his contempt of women? How do you connect marrying multiple wives with evil and temptation to man?
Regardless, The Qur’an holds women in the highest regard, precisely because it is from God, and honestly the way The Qur’an addresses women, for me, is evidence that The Qur’an is from The Divine. I’m not talking about how Mary (Mother of Jesus) is mentioned more in The Qur’an than the Bible, or how she is one of eight people who have a chapter dedicated to them, or how Pharaoh’s wife (Asiya) is one of the major illustrations of dedication to God despite being surrounded by evil, an example for both men andwomen.
No, those are just a few Qur’anic “fun facts,” but there is something more profound that is contained in The Qur’an that no one speaks of, which was so critical in my personal return to Islam.
No religious scripture addresses women, except for The Qur’an. The Bible is written by men for men, while in classic Talmudic Law, a woman may not touch the Torah, let alone read it. The Qur’ran is the onlyreligious scripture which directly addresses women, the fact that the same level of rights, responsibilities, and expectations are placed upon both men and women within The Qur’an, illustrates a revolutionarychange that we Muslims today, still, have yet to fully understand. The Qur’an demands that women read The Word of God, and this injunction is unique to any religion on this Earth.
There is nothing in The Qur’an that even hints at women being evil or, as you said, “constitute satanic temptation to men.” A great example is to contrast the story of Adam and Eve in The Qur’an to the corresponding stories in the Bible and the Torah. In those works, it is Eve’s fault for the downfall of man, so, how positive a view could a society have for a woman within this context? The Qur’an, however, shifts this story, by placing the “fall from grace” as a result of both Adam and Eve’s actions, creating a significantly different set of consequent perception of gender relations within the Islamic discourse.
Even when you put aside the fact that men and women share equal punishment under the law, or that the word “men” and “women” are mentioned an equal 23 times, and that a woman’s testimony regarding her honor overrides a man’s accusation, the simple fact of the matter is that The Qur’an empowers women in a way that I will never be able to fully understand, because I am not a woman, but when I look at the women in my family, who are lawyers, engineers, doctors, and directors of investment banks, who all cite Islam as the method of their empowerment, how can you expect me, or anyone, to even question the impact of The Qur’an upon the betterment of women?
I will defend the honor of my Muslim sisters to my death, and that is my duty as a Muslim man. Do they need me to do that? Probably not, they are incredible and I admire them, but, my mother raised me right, and I will be at their service to protect them. I do not care if this is an “outdated” idea, because my pride as a man, stems from the fulfillment of my duty to protect my sisters in Islam.
I was raised by a lioness, alhamdulilah, and I will reflect her ferocity by respecting women; indeed, it is what Almighty God has commanded unto me, and I will not stand for the perpetuation of this myth that Islam denigrates women. I apologize if my tone was aggressive, but, I will not tolerate any disrespect directed towards Muslim women.
Insha Allah, I hope I answered your question, and if you have any others, please do not hesitate to ask me.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.