Men and Women: Equal in the Sight of God

Men and Women:

Equal in the Sight of God

O people, we created you from the same male and female,
and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another.
The best among you in the sight of God is the most righteous.
God is Omniscient, Cognizant (49:13)


Are men and women created equal? The traditional Muslim would answer this question with a “NO” but the Quran teaches otherwise. Let us look at Verse 3:195. It says:
Their Lord responded to them: “I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female—you are equal to one another.

The verse goes on to say
Thus, those who immigrate, and get evicted from their homes, and are persecuted because of Me, and fight and get killed, I will surely remit their sins and admit them into gardens with flowing streams.” Such is the reward from God. God possesses the ultimate reward. (3:195)

This verse tells us that men and women are equal. It clearly states that we can all work, fight, die and be persecuted for God, but for the reward of their righteous works, both men and women are in fact equal to each other in the sight of God.

On the traditional side, what does Hadith say? Bukhari wrote: “Women are naturally, morally and religiously defective.”

He did not say a woman, that woman, or that group of women. He said women. Not only is Bukhari wrong, he contradicts what the Quran says. The problem is that some men and women take the words of men (Sunnah and Hadiths) over God’s word (Holy Quran) and some people have gone as far as to accept both as sources of guidance. God says in Verse 18:27 that

You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord’s scripture. Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it. (18:27)

God has told us not to find any source besides His scripture. And a lot of women have suffered because people tend to follow the words of Bukhari, Ibn Hambali, Ibn Majah, Ibn Kathir and other hadith narrators, instead of the Quran. If God wanted us to follow Sunnah and Hadith, He would have made them part of the Quran. They are not in the Quran, they are not part of the Quran, and they don’t help you understand the Quran. God says in the Quran:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Men and Women are Equal                                                           Continued from page 1 A.L.R. This is a scripture whose verses have been perfected, then elucidated. It comes from a Most Wise, Most Cognizant. (11:1) How long will women be treated unfairly by Muslim men who follow hadiths without the knowledge of the Quran, and guidance from God? A lot of men and women are so caught up in what man has said, so caught up in tradition that they don’t see the truth. The hadith followers may dislike what is being said but it is the truth. The Quran says “Verily, we have brought the truth to you. But most of you hate the truth.” (43:78) Men are to treat women with a great deal of love, trust and understanding. She is not a pet. She is part of man and should be respected. A Muslim woman cannot be happy if she is being oppressed by her mate. How can a woman be happy if her mate makes her feel less worthy than he? How can she be happy if she is made to stay away from the temple 25% of her life? During the time of her periods, a woman is kept away from the temple. Her body is simply submitting to the will of God. She is also not permitted to enter the temple on Fridays for Congregational prayer to worship God. The Quran says: O you who believe, when the Congregational Prayer (Salat Al-Jumu`ah) is announced on Friday, you shall hasten to the commemoration of God, and drop all business. This is better for you, if you only knew. (62:9) No where in the Quran does it say that the woman cannot come to worship God because her body is simply submitting to the will of God. God did not say “O you believing men” in the verse. He said, O you who believe when the prayer is called, come worship Me. No Contradiction in the Quran When you compare what men have said in different hadiths, you will find a number of contradictions. For example, Bukhari (4/60.62) wrote that “the prophet (pbuh) urinated in standing position.” But Ibn Hambal (6.192) wrote that “the prophet (pbuh) never urinated in standing position.” Now these are supposed to be authentic (genuine) hadiths. There is no way you can believe both of those statements. Their statements show how accurate they are. On top of all that, what difference does it make how the prophet urinated! Bukhari (97/36) also wrote: To prove His identity, God opened His legs and showed the prophet His thigh. What a blasphemy! What was Bukhari thinking when he wrote that. God is not a man (Numbers 23:19, Torah) that He should open His legs to prove any identity. Man can be very misguiding through innovations, opinions and ignorance. Therefore, one should only follow the clear revelations from God. It is God who has sent down the best hadith, which is the Quran. God has revealed herein the best Hadith; a book that is consistent, and points out both ways (to Heaven and Hell). The skins of those who reverence their Lord cringe therefrom, then their skins and their hearts soften up for God’s message. Such is God’s guidance; He bestows it upon whoever wills (to be guided). As for those sent astray by God, nothing can guide them. (39:23) The Quran is the true guidance, the best guidance, the way to both heaven and hell. If you want to know about the prophet, read the Quran. The Quran also tells you how to treat your mate, the woman. Men and women have been misled by hadiths and misled others when they teach hadith by ignorance: They will be held responsible for their sins on the Day of Resurrection, all of them, in addition to sins of all those whom they misled by their ignorance. What a miserable load! (16:25) The majority of humanity has given itself over to Satan. Christians accept Jesus as being God, or His son. Muslims follow teachings that are not authorized by God, such as making women miss the Friday prayer. Women believe and have faith in God just as men and should be allowed to worship as such. Some men and women follow teachings outside the Quran and they think that they are being guided. Some He guided, while others are committed to straying. They have taken the devils as their masters, instead of God, yet they believe that they are guided. (7:30) It is past time for men and women to put the traditional nonsense out of Islam. If you know the truth, promote it. It is your duty as a Submitter to God’s will. I leave you as I came, As-salaam Alaikum William C. Sweeps                  (Ed’s note: Br. William is currently incarcerated. His article is slightly edited for readability.)