Equal in the Eyes of God
In Islam, men and women have equal rights and obligations and are equally rewarded by Allah. The Qur'an states, “The believers, men and women, are protectors of one another. They enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil, and observe regular prayers, pay alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy, for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise. Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow [in Paradise]” (Qur'an 9:71–72). Note that the verse says men and women are protectors of “one another.” The relationship is mutual.
The Qur'an describes the creation of man and woman as comparable to the creation of night and day. Neither is better than the other because they serve different yet equally important roles. “By the night, as it conceals the day; by the day as it appears in glory; by the creation of male and female — truly, the ends for which you strive are diverse. So the one who gives in charity, and is conscious of Allah, and in all sincerity testifies to the best — We will indeed make smooth for such a one the path to ease” (Qur'an 92:1–7).
On one occasion, Muhammad told his followers, “Women are the shaqa'iq of men.” The word shaqa'iq means the exact half of something, which completes the first half to make a whole.
In many non-Muslim countries, a civil marriage ceremony is not sufficient to meet Islamic requirements for marriage. In these cases, Muslim couples often have both a religious ceremony and a civil ceremony to protect the couple's legal rights in that country. In some jurisdictions, Muslim leaders have clergy rights to perform marriages, so one ceremony fulfills both religious and legal requirements.
From the Beginning
The equality of men and women in Islam goes back to the very beginning, to the description of Adam and Eve in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were both created from the same origin, equal but not identical, as complements to each other. “It is Allah Who created you from a single soul, and then created, of like nature, his mate” (Qur'an 7:189).
In the Bible (Genesis 3), Eve is described as the temptress of the Garden of Eden who enticed Adam to disobey God. According to the Qur'an, both Adam and Eve were equally guilty of disobeying God. Both of them recognized and repented their mistake, and God forgave them both. God dealt with Adam and Eve with perfect equality. Thus, Eve's disobedience to Allah's command was not related to her femininity, nor was she solely to blame. Adam was not chastised by God for “listening to his wife” (Genesis 3:17). Menstruation and childbearing are not considered to be punishment from Allah on every woman. Rather, these natural processes are part of women's nature, the way Allah created women so they can play a critical role in family life.
Equal Rewards
In the Qur'an, Allah mentions with honor all of mankind, especially women. Verses of the Qur'an establish that women are on an equal footing with men in terms of reward for their good deeds. Qur'anic descriptions of heaven make no differentiation between men's rewards and women's rewards. In many verses of the Qur'an, “the believers” are addressed as a whole, with no differentiation between men and women. In other verses, men and women are specifically addressed, to emphasize the point that both are blessed by Allah and equal in His eyes.
One key verse describes the believers on equal terms: “For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's remembrance — for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and great reward” (Qur'an 33:35).
According to tradition, a Muslim woman retains her own family name upon marriage, rather than taking the name of her husband. This symbolic act emphasizes that she remains her own person, with her own valid identity separate from that of her husband.
