Q380 :Could you please explain the meaning of Verse
34 of the fourth surah entitled “Women”. Some people state that the
Qur’an endorses the notion of man’s superiority to woman. I am rather
confused. Please netment in detail.
A380 : The Qur’anic verse to which you have referred
may be rendered in translation as follows: “Men shall take full care of
women with the bounties with which Allah has favored some of them in
greater measure than others, and with what they may spend of their own
wealth. The righteous women are devout, guarding the secret which Allah
has willed to be guarded.” [4;34] Although the verse goes on to point
out certain rulings in matrimonial relations, the part to which you
have referred is the one I have quoted. As it is translated above, the
verse gives no suggestion of superiority. Indeed, it relates to the way
the family is organized in Islamic society. To explain its meaning and
what is really involved in assigning responsibilities to man and woman
within the family, there is little that I can do better than quote you
at length from the netmentary written by the late Sayyid Qutb in his
priceless work “In the Shade of the Qur’an”. “The family is the
first institution in human life, in the sense that its effect is felt
in every stage of human life. It is within the family that man, the
most noble of all creatures, according to the Islamic concept of life,
is brought up. The running and administration of much inferior
institutions, such as those engaged in financial, industrial and
netmercial affairs, is normally assigned to those who are most
qualified for the job by their education, training and natural
abilities. It is only logical that the same rule be applied to the
family, the institution which looks after the upbringing of the most
noble creature in the universe, namely, man. “The divine code of
living takes him and his nature in consideration, as well as the
natural abilities given to both man and woman to enable them to
discharge the duties assigned to each of them. It maintains justice in
the distribution of duties, giving to each of them only the type of
duties to which they are suited. It is needless to say that both man
and woman are the creation of Allah who does not wish to do injustice
to anyone He has created. Indeed He gives each of His creations the
abilities and talents which befit the duties assigned to him or her.
“Allah has created human beings as males and females, following the
“dual” role which is central to the system of creation. He has given
the woman the great tasks of child-bearing, breast-feeding and looking
after her children. These are not tasks of the type which may be
fulfilled without careful preparation, physically, psychologically and
mentally. It is only just, therefore, that the other part, i.e. man,
should be assigned the task of providing the essential needs and the
protection required for the woman to fulfill her highly important
duties. She could not be given all those tasks and be still required to
work in order to earn her living and to look after her children at the
same time. It is only fair as well that man should be given the
physical, mental and psychological qualities which enable him to
fulfill his duties in the same way as the woman is given the abilities
to help her fulfill her duties. All this is part of the reality of
human life, because Allah maintains absolute justice among all.
“Among the qualities the woman has been given are tenderness, good
reaction and instinctive response to the needs of childhood without
waiting for much deliberation and reflection. The essential human needs
even of a single individual are not left for leisurely reflection and
planning. Response to them is made instinctively so that they may be
met more or less involuntarily. There is no external netpulsion in
this. It is an impulsive reaction which the woman enjoys, despite the
fact that it requires sacrifice from her. This is part of Allah’s work
which is always perfect. “These are not superficial qualities.
Indeed, they are implanted in the woman’s physical, mental and
psychological constitution. Some leading scientists believe that they
are present in each cell in the woman’s constitution because they are
rooted in the first cell which multiplies to form the fetus and the
child. “On the other hand, among the qualities the man is given are
toughness, slow reaction and response as well as proper thought and
reflection before action. All these functions, ever since he lived on
hunting in the early stages, to fighting for the protection of his wife
and children, to earning his living in any way, require some
deliberation and consideration before taking any decision and
implementing it. These qualities are also deeply rooted in the
constitution of man. “It is man’s qualities which make him more able
and better equipped to take charge of the family. Similarly, his duty
of supporting his family as part of the distribution of duties, makes
him more suitable to be in charge. That is because earning the living
of his family and all its members is part of being in charge. Moreover,
looking after the finances of the family is closer to his family
duties. “There are two elements which the Qur’an highlights as it
states that in Islamic society, men are required to look after woman.
It is an assignment of duties on the basis of natural abilities and
fair distribution of responsibilities. Each party is assigned the
duties to which he or she is most suited by nature. “That man is
better equipped to be in charge is part of human nature. He has the
proper natural abilities for that role which is essential for the
proper progress of human life. It is a simple fact that one party is
equipped for this role and assigned the duty to play it while the other
is not. Hence, it is totally unfair that the latter should be required
in any situation to take up these responsibilities in addition to her
own natural duties. If this latter party is given the necessary
practical and scientific training to fulfill these duties, her ability
to play the other role, i.e. that of motherhood, is undermined. That is
a role which requires certain abilities of the type we have mentioned,
such as good reaction and immediate response along with the natural
physical and mental abilities. “These are very serious questions
which may not be left to human beings to decide at will. Whenever they
have been left to human beings to decide, whether in the past or in
recent times, the very existence of mankind was threatened and the
essential human qualities which distinguish men from other creatures
was in danger of extinction. “There is plenty of evidence which
points out that the rules of human nature force themselves on man even
when people deny them altogether. One aspect of that is the decline in
the quality of human life and the serious danger to which it has been
exposed whenever this rule which gives man the task and the authority
to look after the family has been violated. Such violation leads to
serious repercussions. Another indication is that the woman prefers
that man assumes his role of being in charge of the family. Many women
experience feelings of worry, dissatisfaction and unhappiness when they
live with men who relinquish their role of being in charge for any
reason. This is readily admitted by women who try to challenge man’s
role. “Another example of the social repercussion of this unnatural
family situation, where the father does not play his role either
because of his weak character which allows the mother to overshadow or
control him, or because of his early death or in one-parent families,
is that very often the children suffer instability which may lead to
mental perversion and behavioral deviation. “These are only a few
examples through which nature indicates its presence and the need to
organize human life according to its laws. It must be finally stated
that the way Islam distributes family responsibilities does not by any
means lead to the negation of the woman’s character or role in the home
and in society at large. Neither does it mean the cancellation of her
civil status. It simply defines her role within the family and how it
is run. For the family is a very important institution which must be
protected and maintained. In any institution, the observance of certain
values does not mean the abrogation of the character or the rights of
the partners or the workers. Islam defines the role of the man and what
his being in charge means as well as his duties as one who takes care
of his family, protects it and earns its living.” I trust this lengthy
quotation from Sayyid Qutb amply explains the meaning of the verse to
which you have referred and in which there is no suggestion of any
superiority given to men.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )