The Lord's Mercy Toward Women
God tells us that with the Qur’an, He brought “glory and honor” (Qur’an, 23;71) to human beings. He gives prosperity to everyone who practices the morality of Islam and follows the path that He has revealed in the Qur’an. And the only way for some women to escape all the anxieties that ignorant societies subject them to, and to gain the respect they deserve, is to be found in the Qur’an, revealed to our Prophet (saas) so that human beings could come out of darkness and enter into light.
In many verses of the Qur’an, God protects women and defends their rights, removes wrong ideas about women current in ignorant societies, and grants them a respected place in society. The Qur’an tells us that in the sight of God, the measure of a human being’s worth lies not in gender; but in the fear of God, in faith, moral perfection, sincerity towards God and piety (taqwa). All these verses are proofs of our Lord’s incomparable generosity toward women.
O Humanity! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in Allah’s sight is the one of you who best performs his duty. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Qur’an, 49:13)
Children of Adam! We have sent down clothing to you to conceal your private parts, and fine apparel, but the garment of heedfulness--that is best! That is one of Allah’s Signs, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur’an, 7:26)
Elsewhere in the Qur’an, God says “Whatever good you do, Allah knows it. Take provision; but the best provision is fear of Allah. So have fear of Me, people of intelligence!” (Qur’an, 2:197). He tells us that the best quality a human being can have is piety. Therefore, it must be piety, chiefly, that gives humans their basic value and superiority in God’s sight. In the Qur’an, God says: “The men and women who give charity and make a good loan to Allah will have it increased for them and they will have a generous reward.” (Qur’an, 57:18)
This verse reminds both women and men that they will receive a true reward of supreme honor by living the moral life that God has directed. Women and men have different physical characteristics, of course, but this is not the reason for either gender’s superiority. In...