1. Women: The Counterparts of Men

The wife of the Prophet, Aisha al-Siddiqah, was once asked a question. She replied that the same question had earlier been asked of the Prophet of Islam, who responded: “Indeed, women are the counterparts of men.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith No. 236; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 113)

In Arabic, the words shaqiq (masculine) and shaqiqah (feminine) refer to one of two equal parts into which something is divided. The term shaqiqah is also used for migraine, derived from the same root, as it describes pain affecting one side of the head.

In this sense, the Prophet described woman as the counterpart of man. This is the truest expression of her status. According to Islam, man and woman are two equal parts of one whole. One half of that whole is woman, and the other half is man. Thus, it is entirely correct to say that woman represents half of humanity.