Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
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exactly the same as any ordinary contract in that it
is bilateral in nature: where it differs is in its
spelling out of the rights and responsibilities which
bind a man and a woman together in a vital
partnership, making them companions for life.
There is a saying of the Prophet Muhammad on this
subject: “Beware, your women have rights over you
and you have rights over your women.”
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WOMAN — SOURCE OF GOODNESS
Here are some verses from the Qur’an and some
traditions which elaborate this point.
Live with them on a footing of kindness and
equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may
well be that you dislike a thing which God has
meant for your own abundant good.
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This verse draws our attention to the fact that
nothing is perfect in this world and that apparent
imperfection may conceal some virtue. If in certain
respects a woman is imperfect, there will be other
respects in which she is perfect: it is her plus points,
rather than her minus points, on which attention
should be focussed. Only those can succeed in the
