Describe the rights of women in Islam in the context of current wave the feminist movement.

Introduction

The current wave of feminism has made women's rights a major public debate, from global campaigns against sexual harassment to the Aurat March in Pakistan. Many Muslims react either by rejecting all feminist concerns as Western, or by treating Islam itself as the problem. Both reactions are mistaken. Islam gave women extensive rights fourteen centuries ago, but many of those rights are denied by Muslim societies. An honest response needs to distinguish Islamic teachings from customs, and legitimate concerns from slogans.

The feminist movement in brief

Feminism is usually described in waves. The first sought legal rights such as the vote, the second addressed equality in work, family and society, and the third focused on diversity of women's experience. Recent activism, sometimes called the fourth wave, uses digital media to confront harassment and violence, as in the #MeToo campaign from 2017. Muslim scholars such as Amina Wadud and Fatima Mernissi, and critics such as Leila Ahmed, have also joined this debate, offering various positions on the relationship between Islam and women's rights.

Rights of women in Islam

1. Spiritual equality

Men and women are created from one soul, and they have equal access to Allah's reward. The Quran rejects the idea that a woman is the source of original sin, since Adam and Eve are both held responsible for their error.

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحًۭا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌۭ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

"Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward according to the best of what they used to do." (An-Nahl 16:97)

2. Right to life and dignity

Islam ended the practice of burying baby girls alive, and it condemned the attitude behind it.

وَإِذَا ٱلْمَوْءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتْ

بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍۢ قُتِلَتْ

"And when the girl buried alive is asked, for what sin she was killed." (At-Takwir 81:8–9)

3. Education

The Prophet ﷺ made the seeking of knowledge obligatory for every Muslim (Ibn Majah; its chain is graded weak, though the saying is widely quoted), and scholars agree this includes women. He set aside a day to teach women (Bukhari), and Hazrat Aishah (RA) praised the women of the Ansar, since their modesty did not stop them from learning their religion (Muslim). Hazrat Aishah (RA) was among the most important scholars of hadith and law.

4. Economic rights

A woman has the right to earn, own, trade and spend her property in her own name, and her husband has no right over it. Hazrat Khadijah (RA) was a successful businesswoman.

… لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا ٱكْتَسَبُوا۟ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا ٱكْتَسَبْنَ …

"…For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned." (An-Nisa 4:32)

5. Inheritance

Women inherit as daughters, mothers, wives and sisters, with shares fixed by the Quran.

… وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلْوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبُونَ …

"…And for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave." (An-Nisa 4:7)

6. Marriage and divorce

A woman's consent is necessary. The Prophet ﷺ annulled the marriage of a woman married against her will (Bukhari). She has a right to her dower and to maintenance, and may seek release from marriage by khula. The Quran describes marriage as based on love and mercy, and commands kind treatment.

… وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ …

"…And live with them in kindness." (An-Nisa 4:19)

… وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ …

"…And due to them is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable." (Al-Baqarah 2:228)

7. Motherhood and family status

The Prophet ﷺ said when asked who most deserves good treatment: "Your mother," three times, and then "your father" (Bukhari, Muslim). He also said: "The best of you is the best to his family" (Tirmidhi).

8. Social and political participation

Women gave the Prophet ﷺ their pledge in person, took part in public affairs, and tended the wounded in battle. Hazrat Umm Salamah (RA) gave him decisive advice at Hudaybiyyah, and Hazrat Umar (RA) is reported to have appointed Al-Shifa bint Abdullah to supervise the market. Men and women are described as allies of one another.

وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ …

"The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong." (At-Tawbah 9:71)

9. Protection from harm and slander

The Quran sets a severe punishment for falsely accusing a chaste woman (An-Nur 24:4), and it commands modesty of both men and women, first addressing men (An-Nur 24:30–31).

Where Islam and feminism agree and differ

Areas of agreement

Both oppose violence against women, forced marriage, denial of education, exploitation, and sexual harassment. Pakistani women demanding safety in public, equal access to education or fair inheritance are making demands that Islam itself supports. Many of those rights are ones that Western women gained only in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Areas of difference

Islam treats men and women as morally equal but not always as identical in role. It assigns financial responsibility to men, and inheritance shares reflect this; certain rules on family leadership (An-Nisa 4:34), testimony and dress remain a matter of serious debate. Radical feminism may view the family as a source of oppression, whereas Islam regards it as a blessing to be reformed. Islam also rejects the view that personal autonomy is the only value, since it places human choice within divine limits, and this applies to men too.

Critical reading

Some classical interpretations reflect the social conditions of their time. Many Muslim scholars today argue for fresh interpretation, grounded in the Quran's overall emphasis on justice. Such Ijtihad should be undertaken by qualified scholars and not dismissed without thought, nor should it merely follow every Western trend.

The real problem: custom against Islam

The main obstacles for Pakistani women come not from Islam but from patriarchal custom, poverty and weak law enforcement. These include so-called honour killings, watta satta, swara and vani, denial of inheritance, child marriage, domestic violence, and low female literacy. These practices are often wrongly justified in the name of religion. The killing of Qandeel Baloch in 2016 led to tighter laws on honour killing, and the Noor Mukadam case showed how vulnerable women remain, regardless of class.

The way forward for Pakistan

Enforce existing law

The Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Act 2011, the Anti-Rape Act 2021, the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010, and the Child Marriage Restraint laws need effective implementation.

Educate girls

Pakistan must close the gender gap in schooling, since education is both an Islamic duty and the strongest route to other rights.

Reform religious discourse

Scholars should use Friday sermons to condemn honour killing and support inheritance rights.

Economic empowerment

Safe transport, workplace protection and financial inclusion would help women become economically independent.

Constructive dialogue

Religious scholars and women's rights activists must talk to each other, and not past each other. Both have a shared interest in opposing real injustice.

Conclusion

Islam guarantees women spiritual equality, dignity, education, property, inheritance, consent in marriage and participation in society. Current feminism raises many just concerns that Islam already addresses, though it differs on some questions of family roles and individual autonomy. The Muslim response should neither reject every concern nor imitate every trend, but rather implement what Islam has already given. If Pakistan did so, much of the injustice that feminism protests would end.

The writer can be reached at ma6749429@gmail.com