When people discuss gender inequality in Islam, they focus on things like hijab, inheritance, or women’s testimony. But few attack Islam for the inequality of requiring fathers, husbands, and brothers to provide financially for their female family members but not vice versa.
Why is this major inequality not addressed by the gender warriors? Why don’t Muslim feminists complain about the financial burden that men must contend with and not women?
Muslim feminists are so hyperfocused on the supposed victimhood of women that they cannot stop to reflect on the enormous blessing Muslim women have of not being religiously responsible for financially maintaining anyone, not even themselves. Meanwhile, adult men at the very least are religiously responsible for their own food, shelter, and livelihood. If these men want to have sex and desire marriage, they are further obligated by pay mahr and then provide nafaqa, i.e., financial maintenance, for their wives and any children that come from their union. This is a significant responsibility that men have for the entirety of their lives.
But women can depend on their husbands for these expenses, and if they don’t have husbands, they can depend on their fathers, brothers, uncles, or other male relatives. This is the holistic support system Islamic law institutes for the benefit of women. Which is not to say that women don’t have any responsibilities. They most certainly do. But financial responsibility is not one of them.
The non-Muslim world has yet to recognize this wisdom of Islam.
They may have had more than a sneaking suspicion that it was the case, but now working mothers have the data to back it up: they are indeed more stressed than other people – 18% more, in fact.
And that figure rises to 40% for those with two children, according to a major study that analysed 11 key indicators of chronic stress levels.
Professor Tarani Chandola, of Manchester University, and Dr Cara Booker, Professor Meena Kumari and Professor Michaela Benzeval, of the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University, examined biological data taken by nurses from 6,025 participants in the UK Household Longitudinal Survey, the largest survey of its kind in the world.
As an educated hijabi niqabi home maker i can say with 200 hundred percent conviction that i consider myself so blessed to be a muslim woman who had the taufeeq to understand the wisdom in the commands of Allah. i wasnt always like this though. I had some feminist tendencies as a teen n even my early twenties. Coz of the brainwashing of english medium schools in developing countries most people look up to the western civilization. i was one such retard back then. Alhamdolilah Allah guided me to see the beauty of the greatest blessing a muslim can have. yes Islam. i cant even describe in words as i fall short of em how i feel now. i wish i could shout at the top of my lungs to every woman in all corners of the world to come and see the beauty of this deen. I Wish i could tell the western women how exploited n pitiable they really are
Islam IS better than feminism-it has long been in contacf with reality, having expanded through space and survived thru time, unlike the ephemeral epiphenomenon of femjnism, which never built anything.That said, pace intersectionalidm, the feminazis are *your* allies, not mine. Don’t go putting this on the civilization of my forefathers.
Maryam
3 years ago
Subhan Allah. This is so true. How can they liberate the free? We are free to have the choice to not work and to not commodify our bodies and souls. Alhumdulillah.
Khin Myat
3 years ago
Great article. Jazak Allah Khairan Daniel!
Anisah
2 years ago
As a Muslimah who began working I can safely say, it sucks.
What a sucky deal, tell us not serve family but serve the corporate world who couldn’t give a fig about you anyway.
The office politics, the commute, cost of living, unrealistic demands and expectations, burn outs, they sure didn’t tell you this back in school.
Being a home maker has never seen more appealing to me than ever.
Jazak Allah for this enlightening article.
You are probably one of his numerous concubines
@Ali you sound jealous
Women are happiest working part time as opposed to working full time or not working at all.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/13/working-moms-particularly-part-timers-are-happier-and-healthier-than-at-home-moms/
As an educated hijabi niqabi home maker i can say with 200 hundred percent conviction that i consider myself so blessed to be a muslim woman who had the taufeeq to understand the wisdom in the commands of Allah.
i wasnt always like this though. I had some feminist tendencies as a teen n even my early twenties. Coz of the brainwashing of english medium schools in developing countries most people look up to the western civilization. i was one such retard back then. Alhamdolilah Allah guided me to see the beauty of the greatest blessing a muslim can have. yes Islam. i cant even describe in words as i fall short of em how i feel now. i wish i could shout at the top of my lungs to every woman in all corners of the world to come and see the beauty of this deen. I Wish i could tell the western women how exploited n pitiable they really are
JAK for sharing your experiences, sister.
Islam IS better than feminism-it has long been in contacf with reality, having expanded through space and survived thru time, unlike the ephemeral epiphenomenon of femjnism, which never built anything.That said, pace intersectionalidm, the feminazis are *your* allies, not mine. Don’t go putting this on the civilization of my forefathers.
Subhan Allah. This is so true. How can they liberate the free? We are free to have the choice to not work and to not commodify our bodies and souls. Alhumdulillah.
Great article. Jazak Allah Khairan Daniel!
As a Muslimah who began working I can safely say, it sucks.
What a sucky deal, tell us not serve family but serve the corporate world who couldn’t give a fig about you anyway.
The office politics, the commute, cost of living, unrealistic demands and expectations, burn outs, they sure didn’t tell you this back in school.
Being a home maker has never seen more appealing to me than ever.