Women, Islam, and perspective

Human life is not independent of the social conditions in which it exists. Value judgments, cultural and religious acceptances, and economic and political realities come together to offer the individual a living space with defined boundaries. The extent to which an individual can manifest themselves within this space is redefined by many dynamics, primarily power relations. Ultimately, the impact of the social structure on life constitutes an undeniable force.

In this framework, let us narrow our focus to the living conditions of women, and from there, to how these conditions are grounded in religious references and how Islam's view of women is interpreted. The question, "What does Islam say to women?" is actually closely related to the question, "How do Muslims understand Islam's provisions regarding women and what kind of language do they construct?"

At this point, it is not possible to speak of a singular discourse. Within Islam, there are approaches that develop interpretations compatible with feminism, as well as views that push women out of the public sphere and imprison them in a living space surrounded by invisible boundaries. In this article, I want to focus specifically on the arguments of the latter approach. Although proponents of this view cite certain verses when grounding their thoughts, they place the main weight on words attributed to the Prophet, that is, the hadiths. The expressions contained in these hadiths are quite striking.

Below, as an example, it can be seen how women are positioned in some frequently cited hadiths.

Let us start with the hadith that establishes the relationship between clothing and hell, if you will:

"There are two classes of the people of the Fire whom I have not yet seen: People who carry things like ox tails and beat people with them; and women who are clothed yet naked, who have strayed from obedience to Allah. They lead others astray as well. Their heads are like camel humps. These women will not enter Paradise, nor will they even smell its fragrance, even though its fragrance can be perceived from such and such a distance," he said. [Muslim, Jannah 53, (2857), 52, (2128).]

The hadith that advises women to obey their husbands to an almost worship-like level is narrated as follows:

“If I were to command anyone to prostrate to another, I would command the wife to prostrate to her husband. And if a man were to order his wife to carry stones from a red mountain to a black mountain, and from a black mountain to a red mountain, it would be appropriate for the woman to do so.”

(Ibn Majah 1852–1853; Tirmidhi 1159; Abu Dawud 2140)

The hadith that portrays women as the group making up the majority of hell tells us this:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to the women during an Eid prayer: ‘O community of women! Give charity and seek forgiveness often. For I have seen that the majority of the inhabitants of Hell are women.’” When a woman asked, “Why are the majority of the inhabitants of Hell women?” our Prophet replied:

“You speak ill and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen any other group that is deficient in intellect and religion yet overcomes intelligent men.”

When the same woman asked, “What does it mean to be deficient in intellect and religion?” our Prophet gave the following explanation:

“The deficiency of intellect is that the testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man. The deficiency of religion is that women do not pray during their menstrual periods and do not fast during Ramadan.”

(Bukhari, Hayd 6; Zakat 44; Iman 21; Kusuf 9; Nikah 88; Muslim, Kusuf)

And finally, another hadith that shows women as the “bait of the devil”:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: ‘Khamr (intoxicating drink) is the source of every kind of sin. Woman is the bait of the devil; and the love of the world is the head of every error.’”

(Kutub al-Sittah, Chapter 176, 5337)

As I stated at the beginning, circles that advocate for an anti-woman approach, in particular, derive their arguments largely from these hadiths. The extent to which these hadiths are authentic and which ones are considered fabricated is a separate area of debate. However, regardless of their degree of accuracy, it is clear that these texts produce a distinct perspective on women.

To understand this perspective, it is sufficient to ask this question: What is being said to women through these texts? The message is quite clear: Obey your husband; do not forget that the majority of hell consists of women; keep in mind that you are open to the whispers of the devil; in short, constantly remember the religious commands set forth regarding you. Otherwise, the result you will face is clear.

At this point, we see that the discourses produced on behalf of women through the “language of religion” are actually created by a specific segment of Muslims. This segment highlights the relevant religious texts as they wish to see women, and constructs the living space through these texts. On the other hand, not all Muslims have the same thoughts regarding women and social life. In this context, a religious corpus has also formed before us.

As a result, the Muslim woman is trying to carve out a place for herself, breathe, and preserve her existence within both religion and social life. This effort is undoubtedly not easy; for she carries the faith and cultural burden of centuries on her shoulders.

Even the Diyanet's translation of An-Nisa 34 is enough on its own to show how heavy this burden is and how painful its consequences can be:

Let us read it together:

“Advise the women whose rebellion (against marital law) you fear, leave them alone in their beds, and beat them.

If they obey you, do not seek any other way against them; for Allah is exalted, great.”