The subject of the rights and duties of women in Islam has often been clouded by controversy, personal opinions and sheer ignorance. Although many scholars have dealt with this subject, there has remained a need to discuss wider aspects of the issue than are often tackled. Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Hasan, a scholar of Hadith and member of the Islamic Ideological Council in Pakistan, originally presented this topic to the Council as a short Urdu paper for discussion. Considering it to be a concise yet useful contribution to the field, I rendered it into English. I am very grateful to my daughter Khola Hasan who not only edited the English version but also contributed to it with her thoughts, thus adding to its substance beautifully.
I hope that this booklet will help to remove some of the misunderstandings, prejudiced opinions and falsehoods which circulate about the rights and duties of women in Islam.
The issue of Women in Islam has been the subject of all kinds of controversies, misunderstandings and especially misinformation. This work will discuss and explain this subject according to the precise teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (sayings, acts, i.e., the traditions) of Allah’s Messenger .
To begin with, the most important aspect of the entire issue is the spiritual aspect. The Muslim accepts that the main purpose behind the creation of jinn and mankind was that they should worship Allah, struggle against the forces of Satan and live their life according to Allah’s Commandments in order to achieve eternal bliss in Paradise.