Book reference: p.83 — "Describe the rights of women in Islam in context of the current wave of the feminist movement."

Introduction

• Islam, 14 centuries ago, granted women rights many legal systems did not recognise until the 19th–20th centuries.
• A balanced CSS answer: state the rights factually, then evaluate against modern feminist aims (equality, autonomy, protection) fairly, without polemics.

Core Rights Granted to Women

• Right to inherit (4:7, 4:11)
  • Unprecedented in 7th-century Arabia, where women were sometimes themselves treated as inheritable property.
• Right to own and independently dispose of property/earnings
  • No requirement of continuing male guardian control over her wealth.
• Right to Mahr (dower)
  • Her own exclusive possession, not a bride-price paid to her family.
• Right of consent in marriage; right to seek Khula (wife-initiated separation).
• Right/duty to seek education — "seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim," male and female alike.
• Right to political participation — women gave Bay'ah directly to the Prophet (PBUH) (60:12).
• Right to work and trade — Khadijah (RA) was a leading independent businesswoman.

Qur'anic Evidence

<aside> 📗

لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ الْوَالِدَانِ وَالْأَقْرَبُونَ ۖ وَلِّلنِّسَاءِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ الْوَالِدَانِ وَالْأَقْرَبُونَ

اردو: مردوں کے لئے اس مال میں سے حصہ ہے جو ماں باپ اور قرابت داروں نے چھوڑا ہو، اور عورتوں کے لئے بھی اس مال میں سے حصہ ہے جو ماں باپ اور قرابت داروں نے چھوڑا ہو۔

English: "For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave."

— Surah An-Nisa 4:7

وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ

اردو: اور عورتوں کے وہی حقوق ہیں جو دستور کے مطابق ان پر مردوں کے ہیں۔

English: "And due to them [women] is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable."

— Surah Al-Baqarah 2:228

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْقَانِتَاتِ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالصَّادِقَاتِ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّابِرَاتِ وَالْخَاشِعِينَ وَالْخَاشِعَاتِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقَاتِ وَالصَّائِمِينَ وَالصَّائِمَاتِ وَالْحَافِظِينَ فُروجَهُمْ وَالْحَافِظَاتِ وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

اردو: جو لوگ اللہ کے فرماں بردار ہیں یعنی مسلمان مرد اور مسلمان عورتیں، مومن مرد اور مومن عورتیں، فرماں بردار مرد اور فرماں بردار عورتیں، راست باز مرد اور راست باز عورتیں، صبر کرنے والے مرد اور صبر کرنے والی عورتیں، عاجزی کرنے والے مرد اور عاجزی کرنے والی عورتیں، خیرات دینے والے مرد اور خیرات دینے والی عورتیں، روزہ رکھنے والے مرد اور روزہ رکھنے والی عورتیں، اپنی شرم گاہوں کی حفاظت کرنے والے مرد اور حفاظت کرنے والی عورتیں، اور اللہ کو کثرت سے یاد کرنے والے مرد اور یاد کرنے والی عورتیں ۔ ان سب کے لئے اللہ نے بخشش اور بہت بڑا اجر تیار کر رکھا ہے۔

English: "Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so — for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward."

— Surah Al-Ahzab 33:35

</aside>

Hadith Evidence

<aside> 📘

طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلَّ مُسْلِمٍ

اردو: علم حاصل کرنا ہر مسلمان مرد و عورت پر فرض ہے۔

English: "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim."

— Sunan Ibn Majah 224

</aside>

Comparative/Evenhanded Point (for the exam)

• These rights were granted over a millennium before comparable legal reforms in the West
  • E.g. married women's independent property rights only recognised in England as late as the Married Women's Property Act, 1882.
• A fair answer notes: implementation gap in many contemporary Muslim societies vs the textual ideal is a separate, valid critical point.

CSS Exam Tips