Reclaiming the Mosque

Abstract

The most famous Ḥadīth collection, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, records ‘Umar, the Second Caliph, to have said, “We did not value women as anything during the ‘period of ignorance’ until Islam came and started mentioning them, because of which we took into consideration their rights upon us” (Ḥadīth No. 5505). This narration, along with a multitude of other Qur’anic injunctions and Prophetic sayings, plus the practice of the Prophetic era, makes it clear that Islam elevates the status of women, encourages (indeed ensures) their participation in the society, and makes them the vibrant contributors alongside men. But, ironically, in the subsequent periods of Muslim history, the jurisdiction of women in Muslim societies was reduced to the confines of the household, depriving them of active social participation. While there is no denying that some external political factors and cultural influences led to this situation, the ‘religious’/ ‘Islamic’ overtone given to this non-Islamic discrimination against women is most unfortunate ...