CONCEPT OF EQUALITY IN ISLAM (MEN AND WOMEN)
Islam is the religion that focused on equality of the rights for men and women but because of the misinterpretation of the people has change the concept of rights of gender. As a result, Muslims have drawn a bad image for Islam.
In the first revelation of Islam, we will not find gendered and biased. ALLAH revealed “Iqra” on Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the first word didn’t specify and focus towards any particular gender but our society has made the classification and gendered. ALLAH Almighty focused on all human beings irrespective of breed, creed, caste, colour, gender and status. Although people interpreted according to what they think that the education is only reserved for males and females are not allowed to take education. First revelation of Islam was made in the context, where the darkness of illiteracy and ignorance was ruling over. The violence was on its peak point. The teachings of Islam made the people aware with the term “education for all”.
After the Prophet (PBUH) left the world, the male dominating society again set their rules and standards against women. In Islam, the worshipping place Masjid is built for all where males and females both are allowed to offer prayers. Although, this perspective of Islam was followed only in initial days of caliphate but later on the interpreters change the concept and reserved Masjids only for males. Another misinterpretation is that the men are responsible for supporting their families and breadwinning so in this context education should be provided to only boys rather than educating girls also. Difference among genders can be experienced in our daily life.
Some of the religious personalities always argue that the girls should only be sent to schools because after completion their school they become able to get married, it means that we raise the girls for providing them education till metric, than make them stay at homes and burdened them to get worried about their marriage. Why human made such rules again women education, when ALLAH Almighty commands that humans without any specification in Holy Quran to read. It is a human who set bias towards a woman; it is actually the misinterpretation of teaching of Islam.
Nowadays, people prefer an educated girl for getting their boy married but most of them do not let her do job or business. The society has set public space for males and private space for females. The first wife of our beloved Prophet (PBUH).
Hazrat Khadija (RA), she was a well-known business and entrepreneur. She is a role model example for all the women of Muslim society; it is clear that working woman is acceptable in Islam because females contribute in the growth of economy.
Female works at the home like cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing etc but our society does not count these works which are called as unpaid jobs. This is complete injustice with the woman. In our society system, woman is totally dependent on the earning of a man in the shape of their father, husband, brother or a son.
Prophet (PBUH) said that both the man and the woman are the two halves of one body. Woman is always burdened and blame for every thing, this is complete injustice to female. The Islamic perspective focuses on the equality in both genders in terms of their jobs, spaces, access and control but in society Muslim practices are different.