Women’s rights in Islam
Chapter 1:
Divorce
Islam concerns marriage and hates divorce. There are some verses and narrations which encourage Muslim to marry. If we study about marriage and its role in the society we find out why Islam has too much attention to it. In the societies that concern and think about family the rate of crime and offence is low. But the situation in the societies that do not think about family is vice versa.
Islam gives the right of divorce to men. One may ask why Islam has basically given this right to men. Why it is just men who have right to divorce and women can not divorce themselves. So in every situation even in hardest one women have to stay and obey their husbands. It is evil and injustice. If a woman wants to depart her husband, she has to make him satisfy of divorcing by giving him money or munificence her marriage-portion. Is it better this right was given to both of them equally? Thus divorce or generally the women’s right is a controversial discussion we are going to clear Islam’s opinion about divorce.
First of all I should say Islam is following an important purpose by giving the right of divorce to men. The purpose is maintaining the foundation of family. It is clear men and women are naturally different. Generally a man can tolerate bad situations and even in hardest conditions he protects his family and really wants to have it. On the other word man is created for difficulties. Also woman is created for another purpose so they complete each other. Woman has a very important role in the family and society and it is raising children. She was given a powerful sense. She can tolerate the difficulties of delivering babies and raising them. Women are very sensitive and if they have the right of divorce as equal as men they may apply divorce after a simple dispute or argument. Meanwhile men do not like to lose his wife easily. We can see in the countries which women and men are equal in this right, the rate of divorce is increasing. Of course there are some other reasons for divorce in those countries but we want to say that it may be important ones. In conclusion family which makes the next generation in every community is faced with a serious problem.
Secondly, although Islam has given this right to men, but there is also a solution for a woman to limit this right and take the right of divorce in her hand. She can make conditions in the time of marriage -that force both men and women to be responsible about them- and say to her husband if you treat me badly or if you do something for example taking another wife and etc, I will be able to divorce myself. Both Shia and Sunni are the same in this issue. It is called conditional contract.
Thirdly, in some especial cases the Islamic ruler can divorce a woman without her husband’s permission. For example if a man does not pay his wife’s expenses or make a worse condition for her or go away and nobody knows where he is. The Islamic governor divorces her.
And finally, the marriage-portion in case of divorce is another means to limit this right. If a man wants to divorce his wife he has to pay her marriage- portion. According to this a man can not divorce his wife haphazardly because he must pay much money.
In conclusion it is right that Islam gives the right of divorce to men because of some reasons we pointed them, but there are some means or solutions for women to limit it. So the rate of divorce in Islamic countries is very lower than those countries that give this right to both of them equally.
M.H. Akhlaqi
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Islam and science
A lot of western scientist after renaissance or especially after industrial revolution believed that science is in contrast with religion. The root of this idea refers to the church activity in the past. (Middle Centuries)
Christian clergymen in that time did a lot of illogical behaviors. They were against every thing that is discovered by science. For Example Gallely who found out that it is earth which turns around sun not vice versa, was threaten to death by church. In our view it is not weird because Christianity is not a proper religion to support people till the end of world. Also we can not say surly Bible is the right book which Jesus brought to the people. So Christianity is not a complete religion which can cover all part of human’s life. Christianity does not have enough concept, rules and argument to answer lots of questions about human, life, world, God, etcetera. So western scientists believed that religion is against science. But we should determine the domain of each one. In addition some of them believe that religion is something that relates with individual affairs.
Nowadays many western scientists and scholars support this view. They say it is not matter what religion you have, because the religion does not have any relationship with science. But the point we should consider deeply is that if science against Christianity or every religion?
Some of philosopher who studies in religion try to prove that there is no conflict or contradict between religion and science, because the domain of each one is completely different from another. Subjects of sciences especially natural sciences are meaningful things and issues, because natural science is based on experience and examine. While the domain of religion is meaningless issues because religion talks about issues that we can not be able to experience them. So there is no contradiction between religion and science.
But how about Islam. Is Islam against science or not?
There is a lot of reasons prove the accordance of Islam and science. First of all Islam claim that it is the most complete religion in the world and the last one. Also it can support and conduct people for ever. Indeed if we consider Islamic beliefs we can find out that Islam has a rule in every part of human’s life in both spiritual and material. Islam does not say that one should care and amplification just his soul or just his body like some religion or school which says body is the principle or soul is the principle. Islam says if man wants to be complete should consider his both sides. For this purpose Islam has considered the needs of both soul and body.
In addition there is a lot of word in Koran and narration which encourage Moslem people to find and learn the science. Not only encourage but also learning and teaching is necessary for every Moslem.
Despite of Islamic beliefs, we can take a look to the history of Islam. Islam has a clearest history and there is no doubt when Islam appeared in Arabia, Moslem people developed in a lot of science. After a little while people who could not be able to write and read made an important civilization and created and offered many scientists and scholars to the world. These events happened when western societies were just full of wars, fighting and killing each other. Actually all of western scholars confess that they beholden to Moslems for their development. In fact they stole Moslem books and library. So if Islam was against science how we can see such a development or indeed blast in science expansion in the Islamic civilization in the few past centuries. So this is the best reason that shows the accordance of Islam and science.
We accept that Moslem societies step by step regressed and became weak but I have to say something about reasons of this regression. The most important reason for this weakness refers to the European countries’ policy especially Britain and French. When they developed, they kept other nations especially Moslems under their control. The colonialism is one of the benefits of their development! Moslem people did not thrifty to give their technology and knowledge to the other nations. While that countries kept others needy.
On one hand when people concentrate on Islam they surly find out that Islam is the most complete religion in the world. Super power countries understand Islam is the best religion and they see the affection of people for this religion, on the other hand they have a strong desire to keep their role in the world. For this purpose they expand some rumors about incompleteness of Islam.
Written by:
Mohammad Hassan Akhlaqi
Christian clergymen in that time did a lot of illogical behaviors. They were against every thing that is discovered by science. For Example Gallely who found out that it is earth which turns around sun not vice versa, was threaten to death by church. In our view it is not weird because Christianity is not a proper religion to support people till the end of world. Also we can not say surly Bible is the right book which Jesus brought to the people. So Christianity is not a complete religion which can cover all part of human’s life. Christianity does not have enough concept, rules and argument to answer lots of questions about human, life, world, God, etcetera. So western scientists believed that religion is against science. But we should determine the domain of each one. In addition some of them believe that religion is something that relates with individual affairs.
Nowadays many western scientists and scholars support this view. They say it is not matter what religion you have, because the religion does not have any relationship with science. But the point we should consider deeply is that if science against Christianity or every religion?
Some of philosopher who studies in religion try to prove that there is no conflict or contradict between religion and science, because the domain of each one is completely different from another. Subjects of sciences especially natural sciences are meaningful things and issues, because natural science is based on experience and examine. While the domain of religion is meaningless issues because religion talks about issues that we can not be able to experience them. So there is no contradiction between religion and science.
But how about Islam. Is Islam against science or not?
There is a lot of reasons prove the accordance of Islam and science. First of all Islam claim that it is the most complete religion in the world and the last one. Also it can support and conduct people for ever. Indeed if we consider Islamic beliefs we can find out that Islam has a rule in every part of human’s life in both spiritual and material. Islam does not say that one should care and amplification just his soul or just his body like some religion or school which says body is the principle or soul is the principle. Islam says if man wants to be complete should consider his both sides. For this purpose Islam has considered the needs of both soul and body.
In addition there is a lot of word in Koran and narration which encourage Moslem people to find and learn the science. Not only encourage but also learning and teaching is necessary for every Moslem.
Despite of Islamic beliefs, we can take a look to the history of Islam. Islam has a clearest history and there is no doubt when Islam appeared in Arabia, Moslem people developed in a lot of science. After a little while people who could not be able to write and read made an important civilization and created and offered many scientists and scholars to the world. These events happened when western societies were just full of wars, fighting and killing each other. Actually all of western scholars confess that they beholden to Moslems for their development. In fact they stole Moslem books and library. So if Islam was against science how we can see such a development or indeed blast in science expansion in the Islamic civilization in the few past centuries. So this is the best reason that shows the accordance of Islam and science.
We accept that Moslem societies step by step regressed and became weak but I have to say something about reasons of this regression. The most important reason for this weakness refers to the European countries’ policy especially Britain and French. When they developed, they kept other nations especially Moslems under their control. The colonialism is one of the benefits of their development! Moslem people did not thrifty to give their technology and knowledge to the other nations. While that countries kept others needy.
On one hand when people concentrate on Islam they surly find out that Islam is the most complete religion in the world. Super power countries understand Islam is the best religion and they see the affection of people for this religion, on the other hand they have a strong desire to keep their role in the world. For this purpose they expand some rumors about incompleteness of Islam.
Written by:
Mohammad Hassan Akhlaqi
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)