Quran and Hadith
QURANIC VERSES
The Quran and Hadith give detailed command-ments regarding women, and also lay down clear guidelines for the relationship between men and women. The following quotations from the Quran and Hadith highlight the most important aspects of feminine virtue and the standing which a woman should have vis-à-vis her husband and father:
Treat them with kindness; for even if you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing which God has meant for your own abundant good.1
Women shall with justice have rights similar to those exercised against them, although men have a degree (of advantage) above women. Allah is mighty and wise.2
Men shall have a share in what their parents and kinsmen leave; whether it be little or much, it is legally theirs.3
And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts).4
Those that do evil shall be rewarded with like evil; but those that have faith and do good works, both men and women, shall enter the Gardens of Paradise and receive blessings without measure.5
But the believers who do good works, whether men or women, shall enter the gardens of Paradise. They shall not suffer the least injustice.6
We shall reward the steadfast according to their noblest deeds. Be they men or women, those that embrace the faith and do what is right We will surely grant a happy life: We shall reward them according to their noblest actions.7
The true believers, both men and women, are friends to each other. They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil; they attend to their prayers and pay the alms-tax and obey Allah and His Messenger. On these Allah will have mercy. He is mighty and wise.8
Their Lord answers them, saying: “I will deny no man or woman among you the reward of their labor.” You are the offspring of one another. Those that fled their homes or were expelled from them, and those that suffered persecution and fought and died for My cause, shall be forgiven their sins and admitted to gardens watered by running streams, as a reward from Allah: it is He who holds the richest recompense.9
WORDS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD
The first four of the following sayings of Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, stress the high standard of conduct which a man is meant to maintain in his relations with women:
Only a man of noble character will honor women, and only a man of base intentions will dishonor them.10
The best among you is he who is best for his family. For my family, I am the best of all of you.11
No believing man should hate a believing woman, for if there is any habit of hers that displeases him, there will be some other habit of hers which pleases him.12
The most perfect man of religion is one who excels in character. The best among you is he who gives the best treatment to his womenfolk.13
According to Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet considered a woman good if she was a delight to her husband’s gaze, obeyed his wishes when something had to be done for him, and placed her person and her wealth entirely at his disposal.14
The following traditions give a clear indication of the position that a woman occupies in Islam.
Everything in this world is a piece of property, or a possession. The best possession in the world is a pious woman.15
Shall I not tell you what the best form of wealth is? It is a pious woman who is a delight to her husband’s eyes, who obeys when asked to do anything, and who looks after his interests when he is away.16
When it was revealed in the Quran that punishment awaited those who heaped up gold and silver, certain of the Companions said that if they could find out which form of wealth was better, they would accumulate that instead. At this the Prophet said, “The best thing one could have is a tongue which expresses remembrance, a heart which gives thanks and a believing woman who helps one to be more steadfast in one’s faith.”17
Next to piety itself, the best thing that a believer can find is a pious wife. She should be such that if he asks her to do anything, she obeys, and when he looks at her she should make him happy. When she swears upon him, she should fulfill her pledge and, in the absence of her husband, she should devote herself earnestly to keeping his wealth and preserving her chastity.18
They have found all the good of this world and the hereafter who are in possession of these four things: a heart that gives thanks, a tongue that remembers God, a body which is patient when persecuted, and a wife who can be trusted to remain chaste and refrain from misusing her husband’s wealth.19
Treat women well, for they have been created from a rib. The rib is most curved in its upper part, so that if you try to straighten it out, it will break, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain intact. Therefore, follow my advice on giving women fair treatment.20
Women are the other half of men.21
Fear God in respect of women.22
Heaven lies beneath the feet of mothers.23 (That is, those who serve their mothers well are deserving of Paradise.)
One who brings up three daughters, teaches them good manners and morals, arranges their marriages and treats them with fairness, deserves to be ushered into Paradise.24
If a man to whom a girl is born neither buries her alive, humiliates Her, nor gives his sons preference over her, he will be allowed to enter heaven by God, as a reward.25
Shall I not tell you what the best object of your charity is? It is your own daughter who has returned to you as a widow, or a divorcee, and who has no one to earn for her except you.26 (That is, to spend on a daughter in need is the best form of charity.)
When a man is tested through his daughters by God, and he treats them well, his actions will guard him form hellfire,27
Notes
1. The Quran, 4:19.
2. The Quran, 2:228.
3. The Quran, 4:7.
4. The Quran, 30:21.
5. The Quran, 40:40.
6. The Quran, 4:124.
7. The Quran, 16:97.
8. The Quran, 9:71.
9. The Quran, 3:195.
10. Kanz al-’Ummal, 16/371.
11. Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah, 1/636.
12. Muslim, Sahih, Kitab ar-Rada’, 2/1091.
13. At-Tirmidhi, Sahih, Abwab ar-Rada’, 2/1091.
14. An-Nasa’i, Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah, 6/68.
15. Ibid., 6/69.
16. Abu Dawud, Sunan.
17. At-Tirmidhi, Sahih, Abwab at-Tafsir, 11/238.
18. Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah, 1/596.
19. Al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id wa Manba’ al-Fawa’id, Kitab an-Nikah, 4/273.
20. Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab an-Nikah, (Fath al-Bari, 9/206-207).
21. Abu Dawud, Sunan, Kitab at-Taharah, 1/61.
22. Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab al-Manasik, 2/1025.
23. Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, Al-Jami’ as-Saghir fi Ahadith al-Bashir an-Nadhir, 1/536.
24. Abu Dawud, Sunan, Kitab al-Adab, 4/338.
25. Ibid., 4/337.
26. Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab al-Adab, 2/1209-10.
27. At-Tirmidhi, Sahih, Abwab al-Birr was-Silah, 8/105
