A General Overview of Islamic History

The Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad address the individual rights of children repeatedly. One of the core values of Islam is providing for those that are at a disadvantage or that cannot provide for themselves adequately. Because of this, the individual rights of women, children, minorities, the elderly, orphans, and the handicapped are extensively discussed in Islamic law, the Qur'an, and in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Qur'an also urges the Muslim community to take care of its orphans' needs and to make sure that all children have everything they need. Islam is a religion that is characterized by its treatment of children; many Muslim gatherings are characterized by the presence of children either joining in with the adults, or playing among themselves.

The foremost right of all children is to have their basic needs provided for until they become adults. This means that all children must receive food, clothes, and shelter. It is important that they be protected from harm and not suffer from hunger or exposure. The Qur'an also specifies that children must be treated with respect. Parents must also love their children and show them affection, a fundamental right of children as is stated in the Qur'an. The Qur'an also teaches that all siblings must be treated equally, and that no sibling must be given preference financially or in other aspects. In this point, the Prophet Muhammad also stated that it is important to be fair when giving gifts to your children, to treat them equal to one another. The Prophet Muhammad also advised that, if one were to give preferential treatment to one sibling over the other, that preferential treatment should be given to girls rather than to boys. In Islam, all children have the right to receive an education. One of the Prophet Muhammad's sayings states that a good education is the best gift that a father can give to his children. In Islam, parents are also recommended to ensure that their children will be properly provided for with an inheritance.

The actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad show that he was especially kind toward children. There are several recorded instances where the Prophet Muhammad urged parents to treat their children with respect and kindness. For example, there is an anecdote in which a child sitting on the Prophet Muhammad's lap urinated on him. The child, obviously quite young, seemed confused when his father started berating him angrily in front of the gathered crowd. The Prophet Muhammad urged to father to stop, saying that his clothes could be washed, but that the child's self-esteem would be very difficult to restore after having yelled at him in front of every in such a manner.

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How the Birth of Islam Changed Things for Women

The situation of women before the birth of Islam was truly appalling. Female infanticide was a common practice and women had no rights. The Arab people lived in a fragmented and barbaric society that was patriarchal in nature. Its tribal practices afforded women no protection. Women were second-class citizens. This wasn't restricted to people in the Middle East, all around the world women were treated in a very similar way.



The birth of Islam mean a great change for the status of women in Muslim society. The prophet Muhammad pushed for an equality and treatment of women that was simply not there before. Islamic law finally pushed for legislation that guaranteed the rights of women. Matters pertaining to marriage and divorce were reformed to ensure that some safeguards to stop injustice against women were set in place. Before Islam goods were inherited only the male heirs, Islam changed that and accorded women equal rights. These kinds of rights were unheard of in most of the world and it was only hundreds of years later that they became the norm in the West.

A strict prohibition on killing newborn girls was also enacted and women were given the same legal status as men; before this, women were not even considered full human beings. Marriage in Islam also required the consent of the woman being married and was no longer a contract as was practiced in tribal society, much like selling livestock or doing business with grain or precious metals. Dowry was also changed to become a gift to the wife rather than a price that one paid for someone to take away their women. Women were also eligible to inherit property and goods, which greatly improved the status of widows in Arab society.

The position of women in the Middle East changed completely in a very short time, thanks to Islam. Muslim women were allowed to work and receive wealth, which belonged to them rather than a male guardian. The prophet Muhammad was an enthusiastic supporter of the rights of women and his support made it possible for women to gain access to an education as well as being able to own property and administer their wealth by themselves. The privileges that Islam, through the Qur'an, the sayings of the prophet Muhammad, and Islamic law, gave to women were unheard of and greatly improved how women lived in Arab communities.

A challenge for Islam that continues to this day has been to stop and finally eradicate primitive and barbarian practices that have been in place in much of the Middle East. It is unfortunate that the same fight that Islam was engaging in the seventh century is still necessary today in many parts of the world. It is important to note that Islam, if followed correctly, is a powerful tool that from its very beginnings helped improve the status of women in Muslim society. The feminist's fight should not be against Islam but against those men that choose to keep women down for fear of losing the privileges that they have enjoyed for such a long time.

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