Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
4. The status of woman
~ 69 ~
All Commentators on the Qur’an have placed
emphasis on this difference and variety, rather than
on some fruits being superior, in an absolute sense,
to some others. That is to say, each fruit has some
particular quality to it as regards color, and taste,
which is not found in other fruits. Similarly there
are differences between men and women. Just as
women have uniquely feminine qualities, so also do
men have uniquely masculine qualities.
That is why God enjoins us not to be jealous of
others’ qualities:
59. Qur’an, 13:4.
60. ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali,
The Holy Qur’an: Text,
Translation and Commentary,
p. 587
Do not covet the favors by which God has
exalted some of you above others. To men is
allotted what they earn, and to women what
they earn.
61
That is, each has been blessed with different sets of
attributes. So what others have should not make
one jealous. On the contrary, one should avail of
