Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
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that man is the master in the home because of the
additional attributes with which he has been
endowed by nature.
Faddala ba’dahum ‘ala ba’d
is an Arabic expression
meaning “excelled some on other,” which occurs
several times in the Qur’an. For instance, various
kinds of crops and fruits grow from the same soil
and water. Of this the Qur’an says: “And in the
land, there are adjoining plots: vineyards and corn
fields and palm-groves, the single and the clustered.
Yet We make some excel others in taste. Surely in
this there are signs for men of understanding.”
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The following is an excerpt from a commentary on
this verse by ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali, well known
Commentator on the Qur’an: “The date palm, the
crops of food grains, and the grape-vine are all fed
by the same kind of water: yet how different to all
vegetation. The fruit or eatable produce may vary in
shape, size, colour, flavour, etc. in endless
variety.”
60
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,
