Women In Her Adulthood

After attaining the age of puberty, the woman comes under the Jurisdiction of the Sharee'ah Laws. Now, she has to follow all the basic tenets of Islam including Salaah, Fasting, Zakaah and Hajj. She has to fulfill her duties as a Muslim woman and keep away from all minor and major sins. She should serve her parents and other elders and share her love and affection with those younger than her and her elders. She should behave well with her neighbors. She should mould her life according to the Islamic teachings and emerge as a lady of faith, good manners, hard work, humility, patience and contentment.

She should also acquire knowledge about the life that awaits her after the marriage. She should know her responsibilities as a housewife. She can get this training from her mother and other elderly women in the house. She should adopt a life style within the confines of the Islamic Sharee'ah.

Pardah is a must for a Muslim woman. She should not face men other than real relatives. Real relatives mean those relatives who can never marry her, like her father, brothers, father-in-law, uncles and grandfather. She can go to the market provided that her body is totally covered.

She should read good literature that contains moral teachings. Novels available in the market generally contain cheap sex fictions that should be avoided.

She should perform additional prayers other than the obligatory ones. Recitation of the Holy Quraan and Tasbeeh bring health and happiness to the house. During the days of purity, she should try to be in the state of Wudu throughout the day and, if possible, till she goes to bed. The best Dhikr for a woman is Tasbeeh-e-Faatima (radi Allahu anha) that is reciting Subhan-Allah 33 times, Alhamdu Lillah 33 times and Allah-o-Akbar 34 times. This is the Tasbeeh that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) taught his beloved daughter, Sayyidah Faatima az-Zahra (radi Allahu anha).

She should arrange the Niyaaz on selected days of the year particularly on the 11th of Rabi-ul-Akhir (the 'Urs' death anniversary of Sayyiduna Ghaus-e-Azam Sheikh Abdul-Qaadir Jilaani - alaihir rahmah) of Baghdad, the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal (the Eid-e-Meelad-un-Nabi - sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), the 6th of Rajab (the 'Urs' death anniversary of Khawja Ghareeb Nawaaz Moeenudeen Chishti  alaihir rahmah) of Ajmer, and the sacred days like the 10th of Muharram (night and Day of Ashura), 27th of Rajab (night of Meh'raaj), the 15th of Sha'ban (Shab-e-Baraat) and the 27th of Ramadaan (Shab-e-Qadr). This arrangement of Niyaaz will bring blessings, peace and prosperity to the house as the Niyaaz will contain the Dhikr of Allah and His beloved ones.

Women In Her Childhood

A girl is very dear to her parents. Before her attaining the age of puberty, she is free from any religious obligation. She is supposed to enjoy her life at her father's house with the single motto;  eat, drink and be merry. She enjoys the love and affection of her parents, her sisters, brothers and other relatives. When she starts speaking, the parents should teach her the basics of the religion and faith. The childhood is an age of learning. A child attains considerable amount of knowledge till the age of five that she would never get throughout her life. This is the period when the first schooling of the child starts with her first teacher, The mother. When the girl is five-year-old, she should be taught lessons of personal hygiene. She should also be given training in human behaviour with special emphasis on adopting good things and discarding bad habits. This is also the time to start her education. The education should start with the learning of the Holy Quraan. She should memorize at least the last few Suras of the 30th Part of the Holy Quraan especially Sura Fateha, Sura An-Naas, Sura Al-Falaq, Sura Ikhlaas, Sura Al-Kafiroon. She should know the Islamic way of purification, Wudu (ablution) and Ghusl (bath). At the age of seven the girl should be taught the fundamentals of Islam such as Salaah. This is the age when the girl should cultivate the habit of Pardah. She should also be taught washing of utensils, minor stitching jobs and other domestic chores of common nature. She should be suitably admonished for her idling, laziness, carelessness and mischief. She should not be allowed to mingle with the girls and women of low character. She should be kept away from evils of reading romantic literature, seeing movies and listening to sexy music, etc. These evils adversely affect the morale of the child and encourage her to adopt bigger evils.

Women After Islam

Islam brought a new lease of life to women. Islam elevated the status of women to great heights: so high that she stood shoulder to shoulder with man. Like men, their rights were also well defined and Islamic Courts supported them to achieve these rights. Islam granted women the right to ownership. They now owned the amount of their Mehr. They could engage in trade and have their own properties. They were also given the right to inherit the property of the deceased father and husband.

With the advent of Islam came the verse from the Quran condemning those who practiced female infanticide: When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had! Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on. (16:58-59)

The Holy Quran makes no distinction between man and woman as regards to the fundamental human rights. Here we may specifically state that: Woman, like man, is the possessor of free personality, and enjoys equality with man, in respect of:

Her spiritual and moral status: The Quran says: "Unto men the benefit of what they earn (of virtue) and unto women the benefit of what they earn (of virtue) (i.e., in matters of spiritual grace both, man and woman, enjoy equal status and are independent of one another)" (4:32)

Her economic rights: The Quran says: "Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which the parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much #150; a legal share." (4:7)

Her legal rights: The Quran says: "And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them, according to what is equitable." (2:228)

Islam ensured a dignified life to the fair sex, which was hitherto treated in an unfair manner. Woman became the mistress of the household. Man was not allowed to beat or manhandle them nor deprive them of their share in the property. The Holy Quran declared: "A mother should not be made to suffer because of her child, nor he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of his child (because both are equal before the law)." (2:233).

Almighty Allah commanded man to behave well. "O Believers! It is not lawful for you to be heir of the women forcibly, and prevent them not with this design that you may take away part of what you had given them as dower except in this shape that they commit an act of flagrant, indecency and treat them fairly; then if you dislike them, it is likelihood that you may dislike a thing and wherein Allah has placed much good." (4: 19)

It is necessary to establish the Quranic viewpoint with respect to the concepts of Duty and  Right.

The Quranic moral code is based on the emphasis on  obligation not duty  in contrast to the emphasis on  right. Now, the implications of the emphasis respectively on duty and right are: Right is a right against someone. Duty is a duty towards someone. Right means that someone owes something to us. For, when we say: it is our right, it means that someone has to perform a duty to us. On the contrary, when we say: it is our duty, it means that someone has a right against us.

Islam has granted to the husband a senior position in the functioning of the household and appointed him as the commander so that he could get through any crisis with the help of wisdom and initiative given to him by Almighty Allah. Islam has prescribed certain obligations that a husband has to fulfill in the interest of his wife. Simultaneously, Islam has enjoined upon the wives to appreciate their duties towards their husbands. This is a give-and-take business. Both man and woman are closely connected with each others rights and duties.