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Womens' Rights in Islam

Examples of How the Islamic society treated women
In the Life of Prophet Muhammad, Peace and blessings be upon him

Throughout the Life of Prophet Muhammad, Peace and blessings be upon him, he has always treated women with the highest tenderness and respect. I would like here to draw your attention to the fact that this civilized, tender behavior was more than 1400 years ago when women were under estimated almost everywhere on earth. Here we will take some examples from his daily life with his wives, daughters and other women in the Muslim society.

1. Mothers of the believers
We will take only 4 of his wives as examples namely, Khadija, Aishaa, Umm Salama and Maria Alkepteya, may Allah be pleased with them. The examples are numerous, we will choose only some of them to give an overall image of how he treated his wives.

Mother of the Believers, Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her
The Prophet’s first wife. Many incidents can easily clarify how much the noble Prophet loved and cherished her memory one of them is the following :

Our Noble Prophet, Peace and blessings be upon him, used to talk about Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, quite often after her death, so that his youngest wife, `Ayesha daughter of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her and her father, felt jealous.

Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 73: Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab), Volume 8, Number 33: Narrated 'Aisha: I never felt so jealous of any woman as I did of Khadija, though she had died three years before the Prophet married me, and that was because I heard him mentioning her too often, and because his Lord had ordered him to give her the glad tidings that she would have a palace in Paradise, made of Qasab and because he used to slaughter a sheep and distribute its meat among her friends.

Once she mentioned in front of him that Khadija was an old woman and Allah had compensated him with a younger wife (meaning herself). This caused him, peace and blessings be upon him, to be very angry, and he said, "No, indeed; He has not compensated me with anyone better than her. She believed in me when all others disbelieved; she held me truthful when others called me a liar; she sheltered me when others abandoned me; she comforted me when others shunned me; and Allah granted me children by her while depriving me of children by other women."

After the death of Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, used to send her friends part of any sacrificial animals that he slaughters in honour of his late wife Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her.

Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 58: Merits of the Helpers in Madinah (Ansaar), Volume 5, Number 168: Narrated 'Aisha: Once Hala bint Khuwailid, Khadija's sister, asked the permission of the Prophet to enter. On that, the Prophet remembered the way Khadija used to ask permission, and roused her memory inside him, he was so happy. He said, "O Allah! Hala!" So I became jealous and said, "What makes you remember an old woman amongst the old women of Quraish an old woman (with a toothless mouth) of red gums who died long ago, and in whose place Allah has given you somebody better than her?"

Once a woman came to the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he was having an important meeting. He left the meeting, put his own cloak on the ground to sit the old woman on. Everybody was amazed who that woman was. They found out that she was a friend of his late wife Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her.

Mother of the Believers, Aishaa, may Allah be pleased with her
You can write books about the love of The noble prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his wife, mother of the believers Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her.

Here we will only give some examples in which you can see how much they loved each other, how he simply expressed his feelings towards her even among his companions, the small things that he took care of, it is simply a love story. Here are some examples:

1. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, once told Aisha : "I know when you are pleased with me and when you are angry with me "
She asked : "How do you know that ?"
He replied : "when you are pleased with me you say ‘No by the God of Muhammad’ but when you a angry with me you say ‘No by the God of Ibraham’ "
She said : "Yes, O God’s Prophet I only abandon your name."

2. Aisha related that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, once told her that to him she was more loved than dates with butter and she would answer : "and you ‘ messenger of God are more loved to me than honey with butter"

3. When Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was in his last illness, he felt that he was about to die. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was very weak and he could not move between the houses of his wives. He asked his wives to excuse him and allow him to be nursed in Aisha’s house (notice here the democracy and justice between the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his wives). They all accepted. Aisha nursed the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, day and night.

In his last night, she was holding his head in her chest when Abdul-Rahman son of Abu Bakr entered the house holding a Siwak (tooth stick). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, looked at the Siwak and could not talk. Aisha knew that he wished to brush his teeth with the Siwak before he dies, so she took the Siwak from her brother, chewed, perfumed and softened it and gave it to her beloved dying husband.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, brushed his teeth with all his remaining strength. The Prophet was sweating strongly, so his beloved wife wiped his forehead with his hands "because his hands are purer than mine" she said.

4. In the translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 57, Companions of the Prophet, Hadith Number 14: Narrated 'Amr bin Al-As:

The Prophet deputed me to lead the Army of Dhat-as-Salasil. I came to him and said, "Who is the most beloved person to you?" He said, " 'Aisha." I asked, "Among the men?" He said, "Her father." I said, "Who then?" He said, "Then 'Umar bin Al-Khattab." He then named other men.

5. During Menstruation, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, treated his wives tenderly so as not to hurt their feelings (notice that that was more than 1400 years ago when women during menstruation were considered as dirt)

For example in the translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 6: Menstrual Periods we can read these stories as narrated by Mothers of the believers themselves

  • Narrated 'Aisha: While in menses, I used to comb the hair of Allah's Apostle.

  • Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet used to lean on my lap and recite Qur'an while I was in menses.

  • Narrated Um Salama: While I was laying with the Prophet under a single woolen sheet, I got the menses. I slipped away and put on the clothes for menses. He said, "Have you got "Nifas" (menses)?" I replied, "Yes." He then called me and made me lie with him under the same sheet.

  • When Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, had her menstruation, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, used to drink from her cup and he would put his mouth on the same spot she put hers.

6. The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pamper his wife and called her (Aesh), he would also call her Humayraa (i.e. the one with red hair) and (daughter of the sincere). He used to help his wives in the house affairs, he would knit his clothes, fix his shoe. He even raced Aisha twice; she won the race once and he won the second time. He then said, "This for that".

Mother of the Believers, Um Salama

  • During the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his honorable wives, mothers of the believers, may Allah be pleased with them, were among his consultant s even in the most critical situations.

    During the treaty of Hudaibeya when Muslims had arrived near Mecca to perform pilgrimage, they were met by representatives of the Quraish and told to go back because they would not be permitted to enter Mecca. Allah's messenger wanted to prevent an armed conflict. He asked the Muslims to set up a camp and negotiated with the Quraish.

    Later on, he sent Uthman into Mecca to negotiate with the city council. The council members suggested to Uthman to perform the rituals of the Umra himself before going back to Allah's messenger and his companions because they hoped to win his sympathy. But he refused.

    In the meantime, the Muslims had already been worrying because he had stayed away for a long time. They thought that the Quraish had treacherously killed him. All of them, men and women, went to Allah's messenger and vowed to stand by his side in case of a war - which would have been a war between unequal parties because the Muslims had not taken their weapons along while the idolaters had access to their full Armour. But finally Uthman came back unharmed, accompanied by a messenger called Suhail who was supposed to make a treaty with the Muslims.

    Quraish had vowed not to let the Muslims enter Mecca this year, and they did not want to break this vow. At the same time, Quraish was ready to make a peace treaty.

    Allah's messenger called Ali to set up the text, and he dictated, "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful."
    "Stop!" Suhail interrupted, "I do not know of any Beneficent and Merciful. Write instead, In Your Name, O Allah."
    Then Allah's messenger went on, "This is a treaty between Muhammad, Allah's messenger, and Suhail bin Amr ..."
    "Stop!" Suhail interrupted again, "If I were convinced that you are Allah's messenger, I would not have participated in any war against you. Write your name and your father's name."

    At this point, the Muslims would have liked to shout out in protest but Allah's messenger quietly said to Ali, "Write, This is a treaty between Muhammad bin Abdullah and Suhail bin Amr." Ali had tears in his eyes because he felt the humiliation of the beloved Prophet, but he controlled himself and went on writing as dictated, "... they agree not to make war against each other for ten years. During that time people should feel safe and keep their distance. Muhammad is obliged to return to Quraish anyone who comes to him without his patron's permission, while Quraish is not obliged to send back anyone coming to them from Muhammad's side. There should not be any hostility, secret theft or cheating between us. Anyone is free to make agreements with Muhammad or the Quraish."

    The Muslims were bitterly disappointed and sad. They had been looking forward to their Umra (minor pilgrimage), and even though they felt relieved at the prospect of peace as agreed upon in the treaty they felt that its conditions were humiliating and unfair. Therefore they hesitated to follow the Prophet's instruction to slaughter their sacrificial animals and to cut their hair as if they had performed the Umra. Allah's messenger was exhausted and went into his tent.
    "What is the matter with you?" Umm Salama, his wife may Allah be pleased with her, asked.
    "Well," he said, "they are too disappointed to listen to me."

    Umm Salama thought for a while. She was very sad herself, and she knew that the Prophet was disappointed and sad. But then she thought that Allah would certainly turn it into something good for the Muslims and that he probably had thought about that because he was an experienced man who would not let himself be persuaded to make a treaty that gave away all the advantages to the others. And certainly a long peace was better than a short pilgrimage.

    Finally she said, "If you want them to follow your instructions, why do you not go out yourself and do not talk to anyone until you have slaughtered your animal, and then call someone to cut your hair?" So Allah's messenger followed this advice, and then the Muslims followed his example by slaughtering their sacrificial animals and having their hair cut. Then they set off for Medina. At that time, the following verses were revealed:

    "We have granted you an obvious victory so that Allah may protect you against your earlier and later faults, and that He may perfect His grace towards you and guide you on the straight path, and that Allah may help you with a powerful help. He is the One who sends tranquility into the hearts of the faithful, adding faith to their faith - and to Allah belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is knowing, wise." (Surah 48:1-4)

  • One day Fatima (the prophet’s daughter), may Allah be pleased with her, came to visit her father with her two sons AlHassan and AlHussein. When the noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw them, he embraced his grand children and recited the verse : "The mercy of Allah and His blessings are on you, O people of the house, surely He is Praised, Glorious." (Huud:73)

    Umm Salama, may Allah be pleased with her, cried. He asked her tenderly for the reason, she answered that he specified them and left her and her daughter from a previous husband. He told her : you and your daughter are from the people of the house.

Mother of the Believers, Maria AlKepteya (Maria the Copt), may Allah be pleased with her
The Prophet’s last wife and the mother of his child Ibrahim, may Allah be pleased with him. You can evaluate their relation by the following 2 incidents which are:

a- When the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, married Marya, may Allah be pleased with her, he prepared for her a house in an area called (AlAwali) which is an agricultural place that resembles the Egyptian environment she came from.

b- Mother of the believers Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, liked to stay in her house because she would tell him sweet words like all Egyptians do.

Before we move to another point let me tell you one last thing. The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to mount his noble wife safiya (daughter of Huyai Ibn Akhtab, head of the Jews and one who clearly announced his hostility towards our noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) on his knee so that she could mount on her ride. This modesty, simplicity and genuine feelings is how he treated his wives.

2. His Daughters

  • In The Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 31, The Book Pertaining to the Merits of the Companions, Hadith Number 6000: Miswar b. Makhramah reported Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him, as saying: "Fatima is a part of me. He in fact tortures me who tortures her."

  • Hadith Number 6003: A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him, called his daughter Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, during his last illness. He told her something secretly and she wept. He again told her something secretly and she laughed. 'A'isha further reported that she said to Fatima: "What is that which Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him, said to you secretly and you wept and then said to you something secretly and you laughed?" Thereupon she said: "He informed me secretly of his death and so I wept. He then again informed me secretly that I would be the first amongst the members of his family to follow him and so I laughed."

  • He used to call Fatima (Mother of her Father), used stand and kiss her between her eyebrows whenever he sees her. It was only during his last illness, that he could not stand to kiss his daughter which made burst into tears because she knew that nothing would stop her father from kissing her except death. Whenever he traveled, his daughter Fatima was the last one he sees before he leaves and the first one he sees when he returns

  • The noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pamper the daughter of his wife Umm Salama (from a previous husband) Zainab and called her Zenab

  • He named his granddaughter Zeinab after the name of his dead daughter Zeinab

  • Days passed and the Prophet’s daughter Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, never stopped praying that her husband would embrace Islam until one day he came to her in Medina. He told her that he did not come as a warrior but as a merchant and that a squad of Muslims attacked them and took their goods as spoils of war. He told her that he came asking for her help.

    After Muslims finished their dawn prayer they heard a voice shouting, "O people I patronize Al-As Ibn Al-Rabie". At that moment the noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said: "O people, did you hear what I heard?" They answered: "Yes, Messenger of Allah", then he said, "By whom in Whose hands is Muhammad’s soul I had not known anything about that before I heard what you heard. Muslims are one party against others. They permit the patronage of any one of them, however lower. Thus, we patronize whoever she patronized".

    Then the noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him went to his daughter’s home and told her to be hospitable towards Abu Al-As but not to be alone with him since he can not be a lawful husband to her as long as he is still a disbeliever.

    Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, told her father, peace and blessings be upon him, that Abu'l-As was worried about the loss of the merchandise which he himself had acquired by barter on behalf of Quraysh who had entrusted their goods to him, for he was considered one of the most trustworthy men in Mekkah.

    The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, went to his companions and said: " You know this man, whose property you took. I would like to give him back his property, but if you do not like to do that, it will be your booty given to you by Allah.". They all agreed to give him back all his property.

    He took the goods to Mecca and gave them to their owners. He then shouted: "O people of Quraish, is there any one who indebts me ?"
    They replied: "No"
    He said: "I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. By Allah, I was about to embrace Islam before that time, but I feared that you might say that I wanted to misappropriate your property but, when Allah helped me give it back to you I embraced Islam."

    Abu Al-As then emigrated to Medina. There the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned Zaynab to him.

  • When her son died, the Prophet’s daughter Ruqaya, may Allah be pleased with her, had a fever. Her honorable husband Uthman stayed beside her until there was the battle of Badr. Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, wanted to fight in Badr, but the noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, permitted him to stay beside his dying wife.
3. Muslim Women
Muslim women were allowed to express their opinions freely. A Muslim woman could even argue with the noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This is clear in the incident of Khawla bint Thalabaa, may Allah be pleased with her.

She complained to the noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from her husband Aws Ibn Alsamet who during a quarrel with his wife told her: "you are as unlawful to me as my mother". To Arabs, this word is similar to divorce. She ran to the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and told him that her husband with whom she spent all her youth is leaving her so she asked if it was possible not to consider this as a divorce. The Prophet told her that this means that she is divorced. She argued and argued with the noble prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saying that he did not utter the word divorce to her and that she had kids who need their father. Then she prayed to God to save her from this situation. At this moment the following verses form the Surah Mujadalaa (the argument) were the divine reply to her request

"Allah indeed knows the plea of her who pleads with you about her husband and complains to Allah, and Allah knows the contentions of both of you; surely Allah is Hearing, Seeing. As for) those of you who put away their wives by likening their backs to the backs of their mothers, they are not their mothers; their mothers are no others than those who gave them birth; and most surely they utter a hateful word and a falsehood and most surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving. And (as for) those who put away their wives by likening their backs to the backs of their mothers then would recall what they said, they should free a captive before they touch each other; to that you are admonished (to conform); and Allah is Aware of what you do. But whoever has not the means, let him fast for two months successively before they touch each other; then as for him who is not able, let him feed sixty needy ones; that is in order that you may have faith in Allah and His Apostle, and these are Allah's limits, and the unbelievers sha ll have a painful punishment" (Surah Al-Mugjadalla:1-4)

The farewell Pilgrimage
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while addressing the Muslims on the occasion of the farewell Pilgrimage warned them against the values which he feared would be neglected after him, and referred to woman as one of the important issues about whom he said:

"O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights over you. Fear God regarding women; Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right, then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste."