For men who guard their modesty and for women who guard their modesty

For men who praise God and for women who praise God

For all of them, God has prepared forgiveness and a vast reward (33.35).

Wives are garments for you while you are garments for them (2:187).

The believing men and the believing women they are guardians of each other (9:71).

Whoever does right, whether male or female... We shall pay them recompense (16.97).

I shall not let the deeds of anyone go to waste, male or female; both are the same in this respect (3:195).

Those who give alms, be they men or women shall receive a rich recompense (57:18).

Allah has promised to the believing men and the believing Women

Gardens with rivers flowing under them... and fine dwellings in the Garden of Eden (9:72).

All such Qur’anic declarations were revolutionary, and still are. Why, then, are Muslims arguing over smaller inheritances for wives, women’s testimony being worth half that of men, honor killings, female circumcision, the stoning of women and polygamy?

HALF INHERITANCE

To men belongs a share of that which the parents and near-relatives leave behind

To women belongs a share of that which the parents and near-relatives leave behind (4:7).

Islam sees the male as the head of the family, and the woman primarily as the preserver of the family, the central unit of social stability — as do Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism.

In a Muslim marriage, the woman’s consent is essential, her right to refuse absolute. Parents or others who ignore her wishes are breaking Islamic law.

Women have complete economic independence, before and after marriage. A woman can keep property in her name (a right not granted women in France until 1938).

A Muslim woman can do what she wishes with her wealth and possessions, without the consent of her husband. Unlike her husband, she is not required to contribute financially to the household, even if she has an independent income from a job or a business. Her earnings are hers to keep. Regardless of her income and personal assets, she has no legal obligation to even contribute to her own upkeep. This is why she inherits half of what males do, while keeping all her own accumulated property and wealth, over which the man has no legal right.

The man is responsible for providing inheritance not just to his wife but to the extended family, including daughters, sisters and grandmothers. In fact, the mother and the sisters are better off under Islamic laws, since they are ensured an inheritance from both sons and brothers.

Daughters cannot be deprived of their portion of an inheritance, as they can be under some Canadian, American and European jurisdictions. Under Islamic law, they cannot be disinherited even through a written will.