ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Islamic Views On Human Rights: Viewpoints of Iranian Scholars Independence And Economic Rights Of Women Zahra Davar Property is the most inclusive right an individual may have in relation to the entities in the material world.

In other words, man has the right to property so he may live peacefully and easefully and develop his character.[^1] In legal terms, property is a permanent right by virtue of which an individual can possess something within the confines of law and benefit from it altogether.[^2] Hence, each individual as a member of the human society has the right to use his entire faculty and his relation to others in order that he can appropriate something.

This, in fact, is one of the most basic social rights particular to individuals. Women as members of the human society are no exceptions to this case. After all, women have not been granted rights equal to men from the outset. The history of women’s rights for attaining legal personality, social and economic rights, can be categorized in three phases:[^3] The age of barbarism and idolatry in which women were not even considered human beings.

They served as asset objects to be owned, equal to slaves and beasts of burden without dignity and power of choice. Women were used to gratify men’s needs and desires. In other words, they were treated as bodies rather than spirits.

The age of Greek, Egyptian, Roman and Iranian civilization: the religions and sublime thoughts of the social refomers gave birth to the advent of civilization; the advent of humane feelngs mingled with science and logic caused women to have material rights as human beings; yet, spiritually and socially they lacked legal personality; they were under complete domination of men in all aspects of life.

Since, they had no legal personality, they could not manifest their potentials from a viewpoint of economic and social rights. History tells us that only in Persia, shahzan (the woman who shared her husband’s life and was considered his main wife) had independent legal personality, shared her husband’s properties and at his death, took over the family in absence of a son. From this, one may conclude that women were weak creatures worthy of pity and protection.

The age of Islam: women attained legal personality and opinions changed. They gained rights equal to men, and shared their husbands’ properties.