In the history of the world, Islam was the first religion and the first social system which recognized the human status of women and awarded them the highest dignity and honor. In addition, Islam granted women equal rights with men in every aspect, and abolished all discriminations on the basis of sex. According to the ancient Persians, woman was a symbol of filth and evil, and all wicked deities were represented as females. During this period, in which women were deprived of all rights, Islam’s attempts to liberate them from this shameful position were expressed in Prophet Muhammed’s own words. These words are, ‘Woman is the equal of man and the other half of the society, He who respects his wife’s rights is a good Muslim’. In Islam, both women and men have the same status. In the words of the Quran God says “You are members, one of another.” There is no difference between men and women in regards status, rights and blessings both in this world and in the hereafter. Both are equal participants as the carrying out of the functions of daily living. God clearly defined and guaranteed the rights of women in the Quran so that they could no more be exposed to those wrongs, injustices and oppressions which had been inflicted on them since the beginning of the human species.
In a nutshell, with the advent of Islam, circumstances improved for the woman. The woman's dignity and humanity were acknowledged for the first time. Islam confirmed woman’s capacity to carry out Allah's commands, her responsibilities and observation of the commands that lead to heaven.
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