ভূমিকা

In most cases, the belief that was espoused was that in their physiology, emotional level and intellectual capacity, differences exist between the genders, however they stated that these differences do not take away anything from the character of a woman, nor do they add anything to the character of a man. However undoubtedly, the differences which are present can lead to a differentiation in the responsibilities which exist in society between men and women.

From the societal point of view, many people believe that men have been created to be the leader, and this way of thinking led to an extreme ideology and another group rose up in opposition to them and believed that women were to be the leaders of society. Meanwhile, a third group came forth and rejected both ideologies and came with the notion of ‘human leadership’ (not based on gender).

What we gleam from the Islamic sources and what logic and intellect dictate in this area of discussion is that the human being has three aspects to their character: • The humanistic and Divine nature; • The scientific and cultural nature; • The economic nature.

The Humanistic And Divine Nature At the first level - which makes up the principle values of the human being, there is no difference between the man and woman and both are equal in the sight of Allah (S.w.T.) and both genders are able to traverse the path towards attaining closeness to Allah (S.w.T.) and continue on this path for perpetuity (until death). In other words, the way towards perfection has been kept open equally for both genders.