Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
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These then are the basic attributes which both men
and women must cultivate if they are to endear
themselves to God and become His favored
servants:
ISLAM. The initial step to be taken is to embrace
Islam, which means that one should willingly obey
God, leading one’s life within the bounds of God’s
commandments.
IMAN (faith). Islam begins really to take root with
the conscious discovery of God, which is known as
iman
(faith). When
iman
is genuine, the men or
women concerned cannot but surrender themselves
to God. Discovering God as their Creator causes
them to treat Him as an object of worship and to
mold their thinking upon the truth. They control
their desires and dedicate their wealth to the cause
of God. They even stop eating and drinking the
whole day throughout the month of Ramadan in
obedience to God’s will. Their consciousness of
their servitude to God makes them remember God
constantly, on all occasions and at all times.
QUNUT (sincere obedience to God). This entails the
adoption of the path of piety as shown by God and
