Virtual University Journals
Search
Search
The Social Status of Women across World Civilizations and Religions, and the Islamic Concept of Women’s Rights and Dignity: An Analytical Study
Dr. Tahir Masood Qazi, Dr. Nayab Gul
Abstract:
In the contemporary era, the Muslim Ummah faces dual challenges: internal discord and external ideological assaults, particularly from Western intellectual circles influenced by Jewish and Christian thought. These forces continue to wage cultural, intellectual, and psychological struggle against Islam, leading some Muslim thinkers to adopt Western ideas uncritically and advocate for altering Islamic principles. Before Islam, women across various civilizations were subjected to oppressional behaviors, less basic rights, and conduct as lower beings. Islam emerged as a transformative force, restoring the dignity, rights, and honor of women, and establishing a balanced and just family system. It recognized men and women as equal partners in the construction of family life, ended harmful pre-Islamic practices such as female infanticide, protected women’s rights in marriage and divorce, ensured their financial security, and granted them inheritance rights. Islam also emphasized compassionate treatment of parents, especially mothers, throughout all stages of life. An objective and impartial assessment of Islamic family law reveals that no other civilization has provided women with such comprehensive rights and protections. The strength of nations is inherently tied to the strength of their family systems, which act as the primary institution for nurturing, training, and shaping individuals an institution that no alternative system can replace.
Keywords:
Islamic family system, women’s rights, Western influence, pre-Islamic era, cultural invasion, inheritance rights, marriage and divorce, Islamic civilization, moral upbringing, Muslim Ummah challenges.
Full Text:
PDF