INTRODUCTION
Women’s
status in Islam is one of the most controversial and serious issues of our
time, not only among the Muslim women and men but also amongst the Non-Muslims.
In many societies, a woman is still regarded as a second-class citizen and
deprived of various basic rights enjoyed by the male population. The West has
often regarded Islamic women as being backward in a male-dominated world,
whereas Islam was the first religion formally to grant the women a status never
known before.
WOMEN
AS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
The
Holy Qur’an contains hundreds of teachings, which apply both to men and women
alike. The moral, spiritual and economic equality of men and women as
propagated by Islam is unquestionable. The specific verses of the Holy Quran,
which address themselves to men or women, deal with either their physical
differences or the role they each have to play in safeguarding the morals of
the society Islam conceives.
The
Holy Quran emphasizes that God in His perfect wisdom has created all species in
pairs, and so men and women have been created of the same species;
"O Mankind, keep your duty to your Lord who created you from
a single soul and from it created its mate (of same kind) and from them twain has
spread a multitude of men and women..."... [Quran 4:1]
The Holy Qur’an has named a Surah
after a woman (Surah Maryam), and one of the Surah is totally dedicated to
women (Surah An-Nisa).
“O mankind! Be dutiful to
your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He
created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and
women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not
cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an
All-Watcher over you...” {Surah An-Nisa}
“There is a share for men
and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related,
whether, the property be small or large - a legal share.” {Surah An-Nisa}
WOMEN AS A MOTHER DESCRIBED IN THE
HOLY QUR’AN
Islam assigns a position of great
honour to a mother. The love, devotion and tenderness due to parents, and
especially to the mother, are repeatedly stressed in the Holy Quran:
“We have enjoined on man
benevolence towards his parents.” [Quran 29:9]
“We have enjoined upon man
concerning his parents: Be grateful to Me and to thy parents; unto Me is the
final return. His mother bears him in travail after travail and his weaning
takes two years.” (31:15).
ECONOMIC POSITION OF WOMEN IN ISLAM
In Islam the independent economic
position of woman has been established since the very beginning. Mention has
been made of the obligation of the husband to make a settlement on the wife, in
proportion to his means, at the time of marriage. This settlement is called
dower (Mehr)
“And give to the women (whom
you marry) their Mehr (obligatory bridal money given by
the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with a good heart, but if
they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it, and
enjoy it without fear of any harm (as Allah has made it lawful).” [Surah
An-Nisa]
A married woman who possesses means of
her own may and in most cases does, contribute a portion or the whole of her
independent means towards the upkeep of the household, but is under no
obligation to do so. The upkeep of the household is the entire responsibility of the husband; even when the
wife is in her own right better off than her husband.
This is well illustrated by the
following incident. The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, on one occasion adviced
women to spend in charity out of their own means also. Thereafter two women,
both bearing the name of Zainab, one of them the wife of the well known companion
Abdullah bin Masood, came to him and told him that their respective husbands
were men of straitened means, but that they in their own rights were
comparatively better off. Would it be an act of spiritual merit if they were to
assist their husbands out of their own means? The Holy Prophet assured them
their spending on their husbands would be doubly meritorious, as it would rank
both as charity and as graciousness.
The Holy Quran admonishes:
“Covet not that whereby
Allah has made some of you excel others. Men shall have a portion of that which
they earn and women shall have a portion of that which they earn. Ask Allah
alone of His bounty. Surely Allah has perfect knowledge of all things.” (4:33).
There is no decree in Islam which
forbids woman from seeking employment whenever there is a necessity for it,
especially in positions which fit her nature and in which society needs her
most, for example, nursing, teaching, medicine etc. Moreover, there is no
restriction on benefitting from a woman’s exceptional talent in any field.
Khadijah
bin Khuwaylid (the first wife of Prophet Muhammad – peace
be upon him) was also a trader, taking ahead her father’s business. Her
policy was to employ hard working, honest and distinguished managers to deal on
her behalf as a lot depended on the integrity of the employees who travelled
far and wide on her behalf. She exported her goods to far away markets like
Syria, and her managers bought goods from those markets to be sold at home.
The history of women in Islamic trade
and finance is not adequately written. At first sight, Muslim women's stories
(and the general interest in them) seem to focus on family matters like
marriage, divorce and children.
Women in Twenty-first Century Islam
The average spectator from Western countries
might consider women in the Muslim world as introverted and restricted to their
homes by their male partners. In fact real life is different, particularly
markedly in the last few decades. Women in Islamic countries are now in charge
of large corporations, are ministers (Mrs. Sayeeda Warsy, U.K), and Prime
ministers (Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh) and have reached top jobs and are
imposing success on their own terms. As HE Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
said on the subject, "The landscape is starting to change".
Women are now business owners in
Jordan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, The UAE, etc. They are
finding their own place in the business and community and creating
opportunities for themselves and their participation in business is on an
upward trend. Making a significant contribution in the booming economies,
women's business networks have grown rapidly across the region.
Salma Hareb, CEO, Jebel Ali Free Zone
and Economic Zones World, said, "Women in the UAE are as much part of the
corporate world as anywhere else on the globe. This signals a significant
change in a society where women's roles used to be marked differently by our
social customs earlier. Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting
a business or two - it is about having the attitude and the drive to succeed in business.
Businesswomen in the Middle East are doing just that. We observe women as
corporate heads occupying various decision-making positions in the public as
well as the private sectors."
Recent statistics show that women in
the Gulf region represent 35% of the total Arab workforce. The UAE alone is
home to more than 11,000 women entrepreneurs managing investments worth more
than $4 billion. Women hold 30 per cent of management positions in finance, 32
per cent of the transactions of the financial and banking sector is done by
women, 20 per cent of management jobs in financial institutions are held by
Women.
A significant contribution by women to
Islamic finance and to financial institutions has been noticeable in Malaysia,
as well as in global finance. Women in Islamic financing are much more able to
follow the principals of Shariah than are men because their main concerns are
to details and efficiency; they are less likely to engage in speculative or
risk-taking behaviour and the sale of financial assets. Women have become a
powerful force in the economy, and this success should be recognized. Although
there are still obstacles to overcome, there are a number of women who have
reached the highest positions in financial institutions.
Women are researching, educating
themselves and taking more control of their finances. When it comes to
investing, women make fewer mistakes, are more risk averse and more consistent
during volatile market times. These positive investment tendencies are
necessary when it is considered that women face unique challenges and pressures
that make it essential for them to be proactive with their investments.
Here, we list some of the prominent
names of Muslim Women in the Islamic Finance industry
·
Dr Zeti Akhtar
Aziz, Governor of Bank Negara, Malaysia
·
Dr Rabiah
Adawiah, Islamic finance Shariah adviser with the Securities Commission of
Malaysia
·
Dr Shamshad
Akhtar: Governor of the Bank of Pakistan
·
Her Excellency
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, UAE
·
HRH Princess
Mashaeil bint Fisal, President of the board of the business women forum in
Saudi Arabia
·
HE Suhair Al Ali,
Minister for planning and International corporation, Kingdom of Jordon.
·
Dr.
Wan Nursofiza Wan Azmi (known as Dr. Sofiza Azmi) Author-Islamic Finance and Banking
System
·
Dr.
Engku Rabiah Ali (Malaysia)- most influential woman jurist
·
Dr. Irwani Abdullah
(Shari’a advisor to Standard Chartered Saadiq, Malaysia)
·
Dr. Uzaimah Ibrahim
(Shari’a advisor to Bank Islam Malaysia and Hong Leong MSIG Takaful)
·
Dr. Wafica Ali
Ghoul - Thought
leader in Islamic economics, banking and finance in Lebanon.
·
Samina Akram - Consultancy business in
Islamic finance in London.
Summary
The history of Muslims is rich with
women of great achievements in all walks of life from as early as the seventh
century (A.D.). It is impossible for anyone to justify any mistreatment of
women by any decree of rule embodied in the Islamic law, nor could anyone
cancel or reduce the legal rights of women given in Islamic Law. It is also
worthwhile to state that the status which women have achieved in the present
era is due to her hard-work and dedication towards achieving something for
their future.
Women in Islamic financing are much
more able to follow the principals of Shariah than men because of their tunnel
vision on details and efficiency; they are less likely to engage in speculative
or risk-taking and the sale of financial assets; they have certain limitations
but overall performance is encouraging. One of the main difficulties is that
the men do not give them enough opportunity for training, education, top jobs
and responsibilities.
If this indicates anything, it would
demonstrate the divine origin of the Qur’an and the truthfulness of the message
of Islam, which, unlike human philosophies and ideologies, was far from
proceeding from its human environment, a message which established such humane
principles as neither grew obsolete during the course of time and after these
many centuries, nor can become obsolete in the future. After all this is the
message of the All-Wise and All-Knowing God whose wisdom and knowledge are far
beyond the ultimate in human thought and progress.
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