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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Islam and the Contemporary Man Chapter 4: Miscellaneous Questions The Question of Gender Equality in Islam and Women’s Participation in Politics Question Does Islamic law consider man and woman equal? And does Islam allow women to engage in politics and governmental affairs on a par with men? Answer Before the advent of Islam, societies took one of two positions concerning women. Some societies treated women as domestic animals.

They did not count women as members of the society; women were exploited for the benefit of the society, that is, the men. In the more civilized societies, women were second-class citizens, comparable to minors and slaves. In these societies, women had some limited rights that were strictly controlled by men.

But Islam, for the first time in the history of humankind, acknowledged women’s full membership in the society, appreciating their efforts as equal to those of men: أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَىٰ ۖ “…I [God] do not waste the work of any worker among you, whether male or female…” [^1] There are only three areas in which Islam forbids women’s participation: leadership[^2], judicature, and warfare (i.e., participation in combat; otherwise, women may engage in other affairs related to war).

The logic behind this difference, to the extent that we can infer from Islamic sources, is that women are more sentimental than men. The three areas mentioned above should be handled only with recourse to reason, and as such men are better qualified in them. The most persuasive evidence in support of this position is the failure of the efforts of Western countries—which have advocated similar education for both genders—to train a substantial number of female professionals in these three areas.

In the record of the prominent figures in these three areas, women historically hold a negligible share (as opposed to such areas as nursing, dancing, acting, painting, and music in which women excel). The Question of Inheritance Question Why does the woman inherit less than the man in Islamic law? Answer In Islam, the woman takes one-third of the inheritance and the man two-thirds.

The reason for this difference, as stated by a hadith , is that it is the man’s duty to take care of the expenses of the family, including the woman. The latter rule in turn is based on man’s peculiar nature, as he is less sentimental than she. Let me give a more thorough explanation.