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Women in Islam

The experiences of Muslim women ( ''Muslimāt'', singular مسلمة ''Muslimah'') vary widely between and within different societies due to culture and values that were often predating Islam's introduction to the respective regions of the world. At the same time, their adherence to Islam is a shared factor that affects their lives to a varying degree and gives them a common identity that may serve to bridge the wide cultural, social, and economic differences between Muslim women.

Among the influences which have played an important role in defining the social, legal, spiritual, and cosmological status of women in the course of Islamic history are the sacred scriptures of Islam: the Quran; the ''ḥadīth'', which are traditions relating to the deeds and aphorisms attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions; ''ijmā''', which is a scholarly consensus, expressed or tacit, on a question of law; ''qiyās'', the principle by which the laws of the Quran and the ''sunnah'' or prophetic custom are applied to situations not explicitly covered by these two sources of legislation; and ''fatwā'', non-binding published opinions or decisions regarding religious doctrine or points of law. In the Islamic understanding, children are not held responsible; gender roles, obligations or restrictions become clear when a person reaches the age of maturity.

Islam considers men and women to be inherently different (although equal on a spiritual level), and thus have different responsibilities; the fulfillment of these responsibilities is a major part of the Islamic concept of justice. Women are required to complete all the duties of a Muslim worshiper, including the completion of religious traditions, specifically the pilgrimage to Mecca except for some religious duties such as Friday prayers. Islamic culture marked a movement towards liberation and equality for women, since prior Arab cultures did not enable women to have such freedoms. Muhammad asked women for advice and took their thoughts into account, specifically with regard to the Quran. Women were allowed to pray with men, take part in commercial interactions, and played a role in education. One of Muhammad's wives, Aisha, played a significant role in medicine, history and rhetoric. Throughout history women however, did not hold many religious titles, but some held political power with their husbands or on their own. The historic role of women in Islam is connected to societal patriarchal ideals, rather than actual ties to the Quran. The issue of women in Islam is becoming more prevalent topic of discussion in modern society.


Additional influences include pre-Islamic cultural traditions; secular laws, which are fully accepted in Islam so long as they do not directly contradict Islamic precepts; religious authorities, including government-controlled agencies such as the Indonesian Ulema Council and Turkey's Diyanet; and spiritual teachers, which are particularly prominent in Islamic mysticism or Sufism. Many of the latter, including the medieval Muslim philosopher Ibn Arabi, have themselves produced texts that have elucidated the metaphysical symbolism of the feminine principle in Islam. Provided by Wikipedia