My dear brother, there are things we must acknowledge and take seriously, leaving no room for mere emotions when facing them.
Certainly. The truth must be told, and one should not fear the blame of a critic for the sake of Allah. But what are you talking about?
You claim that there is no preference between the female and the male in Islam, that both sexes are equal before Allah, and that preference is based only on piety.
Yes, that is correct. Allah informed us of this in His Book: (Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you). Where is the problem in that?
The problem is that with this talk, you contradict the Quran, which favored the male over the female. I have my evidence for this!
I might be wrong; I am a human, and humans are not infallible. But tell me, what is your evidence? You might have misunderstood them, because Allah does not favor one over another, and there is no contradiction in His Book!!
Fine. There is a verse that says: (Men are supporters (Qawwamun) of women). Here, we must admit that we, as men, have guardianship or authority over women by the admission of the verse.
Let's read the full verse to clarify the meaning:
(Men are supporters/maintainers of women by [right of] that which Allah has given one over the other and by what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard).
The verse says "Men" (Al-Rijal) are supporters of "Women" (Al-Nisa). Allah did not say "Males" (Al-Dhukur) are supporters of "Females" (Al-Inath). In Quranic Arabic, "Manhood" (Rujulah) often relates to strength and competence, and those who follow in competence are "Women" (Nisa). Thus, the competent is a supporter of the one who is less capable. This is confirmed by the phrase: (By that [right] which Allah has given one over the other) - He did not say "gave them [males] over them [females]".
Furthermore, even if a person is less competent, as long as they are the provider, they hold the "Qiwama" (support/authority). That is why He said "by what they spend from their wealth." This implies that a woman who provides also holds the Qiwama, regardless of competence. It is a matter of competence and ownership of wealth.
The term "Righteous women" here doesn't necessarily mean those who pray or fast Ramadan; it refers to those capable of holding "Qiwama" in this context. "Guarding in absence" means that the one holding the authority must respect the other's privacy, as authority can sometimes lead to arrogance.
It's the same if you work in a company owned by a woman; she holds the Qiwama over you in work matters. If your male ego makes you see this as a blow to your dignity, she can simply fire you and bring someone else!
Hmm. There is another verse: (And the male is not like the female). Here, Allah distinguished the male over the female.
In this verse, Allah is quoting the mother of Mary, peace be upon her, when she said: (And the male is not like the female). These are her words when she dedicated what was in her womb to Allah.
Let's read the full verse: (But when she delivered her, she said, "My Lord, I have delivered a female," and Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "and the male is not like the female. I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled").
When she gave birth and saw it was a female, she said: "My Lord, I have delivered a female." She then added "and the male is not like the female," meaning: "O Lord, the status of a female is not like that of a male [in society]." She was criticizing her people who, at that time, favored males over females. This is confirmed by the verse in Surah Al-Nahl: (And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief). People in ancient times favored males, even disassociating from females as if they lowered their dignity. So, the verse is not favoring the male, but rather criticizing those who favored them based on the bad customs of that time—remnants of which unfortunately still exist in our societies where some prefer males because they "carry the family name." As if a female carries the name of Genghis Khan!!
I'm convinced by this. But there is a clear verse that needs no interpretation, showing that a man has a degree higher than a woman in the sight of Allah: (And for men over them is a degree). It is clear as day.
My brother, why do you always try to marginalize the female? Why do you strive to prove that your status before Allah is better than hers? Why does your male ego flare up when you hear that you and the female are equals, and that there is no difference except in piety? For whose benefit is this truth obscured?
Fine, just answer me: what is the meaning of the verse?
The meaning of this verse in traditional interpretation is indeed favoring the male over the female, as heritage often tries to marginalize her role.
However, the meaning intended by Allah is completely different. The verse talks about divorce. As usual, let's read the full verse: (Divorced women remain in waiting for three periods... and their husbands have more right to take them back in this [period] if they want reconciliation. 👈And due to them [women] is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable👉; and for men over them is a degree. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise).
So the verse is about divorce. In the same verse, Allah says: (And due to them [women] is similar to what is expected of them), meaning no preference for one sex over the other. How can Allah give a man a higher degree when He says in the same breath that they have similar rights?!
The phrase "and for men over them is a degree" means that the man is exempt from certain physical burdens that the female is not, such as pregnancy and nursing. It also means that the man should take the initiative to reconcile with his wife, as he has the primary right to take her back. The "degree" here is a degree of responsibility or a specific situational role, not a degree of virtue or innate superiority.
If that's the case and females are equal to men, then why is a female's testimony worth half of a man's?
Who told you that?! The verse is clear regarding testimony:
(And bring to witness 👈two witnesses from among your men👉. And if there are not 👈two men👉 [available], then a man and two women from those whom you accept as witnesses - so that if one of the women errs, then the other can remind her).
Initially, it asks for two men, not one. Is one man's testimony incomplete? If two men aren't found, then one man and two women. In both cases, there must be more than one person. Testimony by a single person (male or female) is generally not accepted alone in this context; it needs a second person.
This specific testimony is for a particular issue: debt and financial transactions, in a specific temporal context. In the Quran, there are other testimonies where Allah did not specify the sex of the witness, such as the four witnesses for adultery, or for a will (Wasiya). Here, Allah did not specify "male or female."
Allah says: (O you who have believed, testimony [should be taken] among you when death approaches one of you at the time of bequest - 👈two just men from among you👉 or two others from outside...). In another verse: (And those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce 👈four witnesses👉, lash them with eighty lashes...). We notice Allah didn't specify sex. If a female's testimony were always half, Allah would have clarified that in these cases too, which are far more serious than financial matters.
In fact, there is a case where a female's testimony outweighs a man's. (And those who accuse their wives [of adultery] and have no witnesses except themselves - then the witness of one of them [shall be] four testimonies by Allah... But it would prevent punishment from her if she gives four testimonies by Allah that he is of the liars).
So the summary is: no gender is superior to the other except through piety, as Allah said: (Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted).