The Contribution Of Women To Muslims
The concept of the burden of women is very important in Islam. A woman’s responsibilities are limited to four things, marriage, pregnancy, child-bearing and elderly age. A woman cannot be a housekeeper or a servant in the same manner as a male can. A lady should be accommodating to her significant other. She is to obey him from childhood and follow his teaching in matters concerning faith and life.
Islam as a religion is very different from the religion of most other world religions. It has been adapted from an oral tradition of the Arabic language, adapted from the behavior of the Arabs, modified and refined by tribal leaders and kings who came from the Islamic countries and by scholars from the Arabic and Persian countries. All this is done through Islamic law and the way of life of the people. That is why there are so many differences between the way of life in Islam and the life of the people in the West, in general.
Islam as a religion does not hold the woman as inferior or less powerful than men. Women are equivalent to men from all angles. The way the religion Islam views the status of women in society is to be debated and discussed, but the general view is that a Muslim woman is not inferior to a non-Muslim woman. But what is considered to be wrong with a woman in Islam?
The two primary factors that come to mind are child marriage and childbearing outside marriage. Muslim law is very clear on this and a woman should not get married before she is ready and able to complete her obligations towards her husband. A woman who is not married can only be married by the man who has been granted the right of being the head of the household (harem). If the man is not satisfied with the abilities of the woman, he can end the relationship without any issues.
Some women might have the right to get married after childbearing but that is considered to be immorality. Many women might say that they are ready to get married but they do not have the financial capability to do so. In Islamic countries, child marriage is forbidden. The main motive behind child marriage is to prevent women from getting involved in worldly affairs. That is why in some Islamic countries a girl is not allowed to get involved in occupation if she is older than nine years of age.
There are different types of responsibilities that a woman should perform in her life. She should not take up work which involves driving or any dangerous profession. A woman is supposed to live a simple and contented life. A woman must remain in the house while her husband takes care of the children and the husband works outside the home. It is seen that in society now both the man and the woman are economically independent but this trend might change in the coming time because of the growing practice of child marriage.
Islam commands that the woman should stay away from her home for at least three hours after the child gives birth. Islam also states that a woman should only wear clothes that are modest for everyday wear and not covered with anything that will be seen as fancy when she goes out in public. Islam does not permit women to work outside the home and earns money by working in offices or any other place. Nowadays some young girls are trying to get involved in the business of childbearing so that they can support their families. However, this has not become a very popular thing with young Muslim girls because they consider this religiously improper.
The ignorance of the common people in many Islamic countries is the main reason for the rise in the concept of child marriage and woman’s rights are hardly provided for them. Islam strictly forbids the practice of childbearing outside of marriage. However, it is still practiced in certain areas of Asia, mainly Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is part of the cultural tradition.
