Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
~ 283 ~
down the whole system of nature, a procedure
which can lead only to destruction.
Man and woman in the eyes of Islam are not the
duplicates of one another, but the complements,
there being in each quite incontrovertible, biological
differences which lead to the natural separation of
sphere and occupation. This division of labor
permits the shortcomings of one sex to be
compensated for by the strengths of the other.
Islamic precepts for men and women are based on
their respective, natural constitutions. It is now an
established biological fact that there is a difference
in their physiological structure, a difference which
gears men to work which is external to the home,
and women to a life led mainly indoors within the
home. This biological difference has not only been
the determining factor in the societal division of
labor, but has also necessitated the framing of
special Islamic laws to ensure justice for both sexes.
THE CONTRACT OF LIFE
The relationship formed by marriage in Islam is
described in the Qur’an as a “firm contract.”
45
It is
