ROLE OF WOMEN IN HISTORY

Both men and women, each being equal, have a different sphere of action. In contributing to social activity, the men undertake whatever is more challenging, while the women deal with whatever is lighter.

The Quran says that men are in charge of, that is, they are ‘maintainers’ of women (4:34). This leads to a common misconception that Islam gives a higher status to men than women. According to this verse of the Quran, it does not mean that men have a distinctive status over women—being maintainers of women has never been intended as a form of discriminatory treatment. It rather concerns the practical management of the home, for which the man is held responsible. However, this does not mean a woman will never be allowed to shoulder these responsibilities. If she can bear this burden, no objection will be raised from any quarter. One example of this can be found in the Quran with reference to the people of Sheba. They lived in Yemen. The famous dam of Marib made their country very prosperous and enabled it to attain a high degree of civilization. The Quran tells us that they were ruled by a woman (27:23) without disapproving of her rule. Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, was sagacious, even more so than the men in her court. She did not want to embroil her country in war, while the men advised her to confront her enemies, Solomon’s army.

It is an accepted principle with the commentators of the Quran that when the Quran reports something without any disapproval, it means the Quran has approved of that.

So, when we look at the above incident in the light of the Quran, we find the status of women in Islam is even higher than that of men. A woman is in charge of men and has shouldered this responsibility with greater efficacy.

Thus, the example of the Queen of Sheba in the Quran shows that rulership is not man’s monopoly. A woman can be a ‘qawwam’ over a man, and the Quran has itself testified to it.

In fact, in the early period of Islam, both sexes were fully active in different fields of life, from housework to agriculture and horticulture and from worship in the mosque to the battleground. Everywhere, women were visible and active. Gradually, there came about a division of labour, which is justifiable not only biologically and physiologically but also regarding the ensuing social benefits. One such significant advantage is that they can see each other’s lives objectively, without personal involvement, which tends to cloud their judgment and lead to damaging emotionalism. They can better counsel each other coolly and wisely, give moral support at critical moments, and offer the daily encouragement with which every successful union should be marked.

In Islamic history, there are many examples of women giving invaluable help to their husbands in critical situations. One of the most notable was Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet of Islam, who successfully brought the Prophet back from a state of fear and trembling to a state of normalcy after he received the first divine revelation in the solitude of the Cave of Hira from the Archangel Gabriel. She was able to reassure him that his life was not, as he feared, in danger, as she was emotionally detached from the incident. Khadijah's reassurance to the Prophet of Islam on this occasion was one of the most significant contributions to the furtherance of Islam.

Then it occurred to Khadijah that she had best make enquiries of some learned Christians, who, well versed as they were in the scriptures, were bound to know revelation and prophethood. She went first to a rahib (hermit) who lived near Makkah. On seeing her, the priest asked, “O noble lady of the Quraysh, what has brought you here?” Khadijah replied, “I have come here to ask you about Gabriel.” The rahib said, “Glory be to God; he is God’s pure angel. He visits prophets: he came to Jesus and Moses.” Then, Khadijah went to another Christian called Addas. She put the same question to him, and he, too, told her that Gabriel was an angel of God, the very same who had been with Moses when God drowned the Pharaoh. He had also come to Jesus, and through him, God had helped Jesus.

Then Khadijah hastened to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a Christian convert who had translated part of the Bible into Arabic. When she finished telling him what Muhammad had seen and heard, Waraqah exclaimed, “Holy, holy! By the Master of my soul, if your report is true, O Khadijah, this must be the great spirit who spoke to Moses. This means that Muhammad must be the Prophet of this nation.” On a subsequent visit, Khadijah brought Muhammad to meet Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Muhammad related the events precisely as they had taken place, and when he had finished, Waraqah said, “By the Master of my soul, I swear that you are the same Prophet whose coming was foretold by Jesus, son of Mary.” But then Waraqah warned: “You will be denied, and you will be hurt. You will be abused, and you will be pursued.” He nevertheless immediately pledged himself to the Prophet: “If I should ever live to see that day, I should surely help you.”

Thus, we can say that Islam does not hold women inferior to men. Islam considers men and women as equal in respect but different in role.