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Femininity vs Feminism

Seventy Differences between Men and Women in Islam

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وَلَيۡسَ ٱلذَّكَرُ كَٱلۡأُنثَىٰ‌ۖ

The male isn’t like the female [al-e-Imran:36]

ٱلرِّجَالُ قَوَّٲمُونَ عَلَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بَعۡضَهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٍ۬

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because Allâh has made one of them to excel the other,[ An-Nisa’i: 34]

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah said: It’s from Allah’s wisdom that he has made the women unequal to the men in certain areas of the shariah. For instance on the topic of testimony, inheritance, Aqeeqah there is a  difference between the sexes. The rewards and benefits for worship and rights and consequences of punishments for the men and women is something the Shariah has taken into consideration. There are times when men need women and vice versa and there are times when the woman is excluded out of wisdom. Jumu’ah and the congregational prayer are made obligaorty for the men, but not for the women; as women shouldn’t mix with the men. Moreover the Jihad isn’t legislated for the women.

The issue of Hajj, Zakah, Fasting, and purification is obligatory for both the male and female. The women’s testimony is half of the men’s as Allah explained that women forget more than men and aren’t able to be as accurate and precise as men.[1]

Allah has given the men superiority to women in this regard and at the same time, their testimony isn’t totally discarded as this would result in a lot of good being lost in people’s rights. [2]

Character and Creation:

  1. The man was created from dirt and the woman was created from the rib.
  1. Allah has decreed the menstrual cycle for the woman and not the man.
  1. Men grow beards women don’t, but if she does it’s permissible for her to shave it.
  2. Women are deficient in their intellect and religion. i.e a woman witness = ½ a man and during menses she doesn’t pray and fast.
  1. The men have been given strength over women.
  1. A man’s semen is white and a woman’s is yellow.
  1. it’s an obligation to circumcise the man and its sunnah to circumcise the woman.
  1. it’s Sunnah for a woman to shave her beard and obligatory for a man to let his beard  grow
  1. It’s disliked for a woman to cut her hair, but if she has an illness then it’s allowed. She can even shave her head during this situation.
  1. Ear piercing is permissible for women and not for men.

Purification:

 

  1. The urine of the woman is stronger and more impure than the man’s
  2. It’s legislated for man to redo wudu if he intends to have relations with his a second time in the same setting.

Prayer:

 

  1. The Athaan and the Iqamah aren’t a must for the women to call and it’s incorrect for a woman to call them for men’s prayer.
  1. A woman prays behind a man, even if she’s alone; however if a man prays behind another man alone, his prayer is incorrect.
  1. A woman can’t lead a man in prayer.
  1. If a woman leads the prayer for other women she must stand in the middle and when a man leads the prayer he stands in the front row; all alone.
  1. The congregational prayer is must for the men, but not for the women.
  1. The best row for women in congregation is the last and the best row for the men is the first.
  1. Walking to the prayer at night is recommended for men, but not for women.
  1. If the imam makes a mistake in prayer the women clap and the men say “ SUBHANALLAH
  1. The women aren’t obliged to attend Jumu’ah; but men must.
  1. Women can’t deliver the sermon for the Eid, the Jumu’ah, the Eclipse prayer and the Rain prayer.
  1. The prayer is invalid when a woman passes in front of a man; and if a man passes in front of another man during his prayer, it still remains valid.
  1. The Eid prayer is an obligation for men, but not for the women; however, women are strongly encouraged to attend the prayer if they can avoid Fitnah.
  1. The Jumu’ah prayer isn’t obligatory for the women, but if she attends, then her attendance counts for the number of people needed to make the Jumu’ah go into effect.

Funeral prayer:

  1. The congregation stands at the head of the deceased man and at the middle of the deceased woman.
  1. It is disliked for women to visit the graveyard, but it’s recommended for men.
  1. Women can’t go along with a funeral procession, but men can.
  1. Women wash and shroud each other and men wash and shroud each other; unless they were spouses.
  1. The women can’t lead the funeral prayer.
  1. The deceased woman is wrapped in five pieces of cloth for her burial.
  1. A woman can’t carry the deceased if the body is a female, but a man can carry a female body.

Zakah and Sadaqah:

 

  1. The Muslim women are encouraged more than the men to give charity.
  1. A woman can give zakah to her children and husband, but a man can’t pay Zakah to his children and his wife.
  1. Redemption is a duty for the man and not the woman. This can occur if a man intentionally had relations with his wife during daylight in Ramadan.
  1. A woman can’t offer voluntary fast without her husband’s permission and a man doesn’t need his wife’s permission to fast voluntarily.

Hajj:

 

  1. A woman must have a Mahram with her when traveling.
  1. A Muslimah mustn’t raise her voice during the talbeeyah; a man should raise voice.
  1. A woman’s Ihram is the clothes she wears for the journey.
  1. The Muslim can do Ramal-[a slight jog between safa and marwa], and around the Kaaba; and the Muslimah shouldn’t.
  1. It’s not recommended for the women to try and kiss , or touch the black stone during crowding.
  1. A man can ascend on safa and Marwa, however, a woman mustn’t.

Aqeeqah:

 

  1. One sheep is sacrificed for the infant girl and two for the boy.

Jihad, battle and leadership:

 

  1. There were no women prophets or messengers according to the majority of scholars.
  1. A woman can’t be a leader for the people or in the military.
  1. The Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salam) took the pledge from the men through a handshake and from the women by their speech.
  1. Women aren’t obliged to perform jihad unlike the men. However, there are certain conditions that must be adhered to before the men can embark on this obligation.

Marriage, Divorce, ‘Iddah, Kulla’,and Child custody:

 

  1. The women are given custody of the children before men.
  1. Women are given the sadaq[ Mahr/bridal gift] , not the men.
  1. Men have the authority for divorce, marriage and giving the mahr, not the women.
  1. A man can marry a woman from “The People of the Book” if he knows she frees from zina. a woman doesn’t have this right.
  1. A man can have more than one wife, but a woman can have only one husband.
  1. The man’s responsibility is to arrange and take care the The Waleemah and wedding and  not the woman’s.
  1. It’s permissible for the women to beat the duff at their wedding. This act isn’t permissible for the men.
  1. Maintenance and support are the duty of the men; not the women.
  1. A woman is under the authority of her husband. a man isn’t under the authority of his wife.
  1. A woman can’t have anyone visit her home unless she gets her husband’s permission first. On the other hand, a man doesn’t need permission for visitors in his home.
  1. The angels curse the woman if her husband separates from her bed. The husband doesn’t receive this curse if he does so.
  1. A woman must have her husband’s permission before she leaves home. The man doesn’t need his wife’s permission to leave their home.
  1. A man doesn’t have an ‘idda unless he wants to marry his ex-wife’s sister or aunt. However, if he divorces his fourth wife and wants to remarry, then he must wait until his ex-wife concludes her “iddah.

Dress and adornment: 

 

  1. The women’s entire body is considered an Awrah except her face and hands and for the man it’s the navel to knee.
  1. The women’s voice is Awrah which can be trial and test for the men.
  1. It’s recommended for a woman to adorn herself in her home for her husband.
  1. It’s permissible for a woman to dye her hands and feet, but the men can only do it out of necessity.
  1. It’s Haraam for a woman to imitate a man in his dress.
  1. It’s an obligation forthe women to sag their clothes below their ankles, but sagging the pants and the thoubs below the ankles is Haraam for men.
  1. The Muslimah can’t change her clothes unless she’s in her own home. This act doesn’t apply to the men.
  1. A woman must wear hijab: cover her face and body.
  1. Women can wear jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets and earrings, but men cant
  1. Men can’t wear silk, but women can.
  1. The salaams aren’t initiated with the young female, unlike the male of all ages.

Judicial law:

  1. The women are lashed while sitting and the men while they are standing.
  1. It’s not allowed for women to be alone in a secluded place with a non – Mahram men

Referenced from :

Husnul Uswati bima Thabata anallahi wa rasulihi fee Niswati by Sadeeq Hasan Khan [1307}

Kashful Watha’I By Shaykh Yahya Al-Hajuri

Translated By Abu Aaliyah Abdullah Ibn Dwight Lamont Battle- Adam

Doha,Qatar 1431 © modified with additions 1439H /2017 October 13th

[1] This is general and doesn’t apply to each and every female as there are some women who out rank  men in their memory.

[2] Ilam Al-Muwaqq’ieen[ 2/168]

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