Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
~ 274 ~
reaching significance to large segments of
society which have been traditionally
subjected to unjust treatment. Women are
one
such
segment.
“
Na
stree
swatantramarhati”
(The woman does not
deserve independence), said Manu, the law
giver. And, it is alleged that the “fatal point
in Islam is the degradation of woman.” To
the Prophet is ascribed the statement,
hopefully wrongly, that “woman was made
from a crooked rib, and if you try to bend it
straight, it will break; therefore treat your
wives kindly.”
41
I would like to make it clear that the phrase in this
passage, “hopefully wrongly,” does not mean that
this saying has been wrongly attributed to the
Prophet. It means rather that although the Prophet
said that woman is born of a “crooked rib,” those
who want to establish equality between man and
woman should take heart, as this saying of the
Prophet was contrary to the fact. This phrase of the
Chief Justice is meant to deny the statement itself
and not the attribution.
