The Qur’an An Abiding Wonder
The Qur’an: The Book of God
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the inferior position women have been allotted in
Islamic society. They then cite the fact that the
testimony of two women is equated in law with that
of one man. It is true that this is so, but only in
special sets of circumstances, as is made clear in the
verse of the Qur’an where this rule has been laid
down. The verse in question deals with the written
recording of debts:
‘And take two male witnesses. If there are not two
men, then one man and two women – you may
select the witnesses of your choice. If one woman
forgets, the other will be able to remind her.’
The wording of the verse shows quite clearly that
the basis of this rule is – not discrimination between
the sexes – but rather allowances being made for the
inferior memorizing ability of women. What is
alluded to is a biological fact – that women are not
as adept at remembering things as men. This is
why, if women’s testimony is to be accepted in
loans cases, there should be two of them: so that if
at any time subsequently, they are required to give
evidence, one of them should be able to compensate
for the other’s poor memory.
