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Feminism rejects that for the male there is a share equal to that of two females
The Feminists Claim That Polygamy Should Be Banned
Feminists Negation Of Heavy Punishments On Those Who Do The Deed Of The People Of Lut
The Feminists Advocacy For Equality In Divorce Rights
The Feminists Denial Of Male Authority & Guardianship (Wilāyah & Qiwāmah)
The Feminists “Need” For Democracy
Feminism as a global movement
If feminism is a global movement, then its laws and rules have been laid down by them, just as they have done with democracy, socialism and atheism. These are all global movements. Look at this same world that is busy promoting these movements; the very same people who made their laws are the ones who innovate them.
Then someone comes to us and says: “I am a communist,” yet he is only communist in some particular issue. He says: “I am secular,” but only in a specific issue. “I am democratic,” but only in a specific issue.
We say to such a person: you are not truly communist, nor truly secular, nor truly democratic in the way they believe in their democracy, or in the way they believe in their communism. You are only following them in that belief of theirs, and in their feminism that they believe in.
This is another matter: feminism, as a global movement, is against the Sharia and against everything. The feminism that is exported to us by Europe and America, or taken from there, is a feminism that is against the religion. It is a feminism of misguidance and of a starving nation that has been deceived.
Feminism rejects that for the male there is a share equal to that of two females
Musawah is a major global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family that advances human rights for women living in Muslim contexts.
CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) is the United Nations human rights treaty focused on women’s rights and gender equality, often called the “international bill of rights for women,” adopted in 1979 to ensure women’s full development and advancement. It defines discrimination against women, requires states to eliminate it in all areas (political, economic, social, cultural, civil), and obligates them to implement measures like changing laws and establishing protections for women’s equality, with countries reporting on their progress to a monitoring committee.
Even though Allah the Exalted has said:
يوصيكم الله في أولادكم للذكر مثل حظ الأنثيين
“Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male is a share equal to that of two females.” (Nisa 11)
Although is true in a qualified sense that many rulings in muʿamalat (transactions) are treated as more open to ijtihad (juristic reasoning), ʿurf (custom), and changing circumstances than matters of ʿibadat (acts of worship).
However, it is not true that the rules of muʿamalat, as a category, require change, nor that they are all open to change. Classical fuqaha (jurists) distinguish between what is fixed and what can be changed, and whatever is in the Qur’an is fixed.
The Feminists Claim That Polygamy Should Be Banned
Feminism says: polygamy should be banned entirely.
Although the statement is true, because there is peer reviewed empirical literature reporting associations between polygamous marriage and poorer outcomes, especially for wives, including higher psychological distress and lower marital and life satisfaction in studied populations.
It is also the case that monogamous marriages also have potential harm, if they are consistent with
WHO’s global baseline estimates for 2018 report that 27 percent of ever married or partnered women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and 13 percent experienced it in the past 12 months. (WHO, Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 2018, Box 4.2). https://prevention-collaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WHO_2021_VAW-Estimates.pdf
The same numbers are reported in the peer reviewed Lancet paper underpinning those estimates, using a database of 366 studies from 161 countries. (Sardinha et al, 2022, The Lancet). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673621026647
The WHO multi country study covering 10 countries found that lifetime prevalence of physical or sexual partner violence, or both, ranged from 15 percent to 71 percent across sites, with past year prevalence ranging from 4 percent to 54 percent across sites. (Garcia Moreno et al, 2006, The Lancet). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17027732/
A 16 country Demographic and Health Survey analysis reported that women in polygynous marriages had higher prevalence of physical violence than women with no co wives, 18.8 percent versus 16 percent, and reported an overall IPV prevalence of 30.7 percent across the pooled sample. It also reported that the odds of IPV were higher in several countries for women in polygynous marriages, but lower in at least Cameroon and Nigeria in that dataset. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827321000045
As we can see the percentage of harm induced between polygamous marriages and monogamous marriages are not that far off, to the point where they would even have some sort of argument that it should be banned entirely, so if these feminists were consistent they would be against marriage altogether.
And we know that Allah the Exalted said:
وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَىٰ فَانكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ ۖ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰ أَلَّا تَعُولُوا
“And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphans, then marry those women who are pleasing to you, two, three, or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then marry only one, or those whom your right hands possess. That is closer to preventing injustice.”
(An Nisa 3)
So to say that polygamy should be banned entirely, even though it was permitted by Allah is clear cut kufr akbar (major disbelief).
This falls under the fourth nullifier of Islam which is that there is no teaching better than what Allah and his Messenger came with.
Feminists Negation Of Heavy Punishments On Those Who Do The Deed Of The People Of Lut
Feminism and the global feminist movement see same sex relations, which are sodomy, as freedom, and they do not see divorce as being in the hand of the man when marriage occurs.
Sisters in Islam (SIS) which is a prominent Malaysian non-governmental organisation and civil society group, founded in 1988, that promotes women’s rights within the framework of Islam, emphasising gender equality, justice, and dignity. They are considered a key proponent of Islamic feminism, challenging “patriarchal interpretations of the Sharia”
They have said that they unequivocally object to heavy punishments on lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBTQ).” Sisters in Islam, “SIS Opposes to the Amendment of Act 355 (RUU355)”, 21 January 2021.
However we find heavy punishments being given to them from the blessed sahabah (companions) رضي الله عنهم.
Although the salaf differed on whether they get the sam punishment as the adulterer or they get a ta’zeer punishment (left up to the judge).
Their view is against what the sahabah acted upon. You can find out more on this in the article below
The Feminists Advocacy For Equality In Divorce Rights
Musawah say that because men have easier access to divorce, they hold considerable power over their wives, and that States must act to ensure that men and women have equal access and rights in the dissolution of marriage in terms of the types of divorce available.
Qur’an evidence that ṭalāq is a direct act for the husband, while the wife’s separation is by khulʿ
Allah the Exalted says:
الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ فَإِمْسَاكٌ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌ بِإِحْسَانٍ … فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِيمَا افْتَدَتْ بِهِ
“Divorce is twice, then either keeping with what is right or releasing with good treatment … and there is no blame on them regarding what she gives to ransom herself.” (al Baqarah 229).
This Qur’an verse speaks of ṭalāq as a husband’s act, with the choice of keeping or releasing. Then it mentions a different route where the wife ransoms herself, meaning she pays compensation to obtain separation, which is the basis of khulʿ.
Allah the Exalted also says:
يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ
“O Prophet, when you divorce women, then divorce them for their waiting period.” (al Ṭalāq 65–1).
This is a direct address to those who issue ṭalāq, meaning husbands, with rules for how it is done.
Sunnah evidence that khulʿ requires a request and compensation, then the husband carries out separation
This shows a practical difference in speed and ease: the wife does not simply pronounce ṭalāq. She requests separation, compensation is agreed, then the husband divorces as instructed.
So for these feminists to then say that men and women should have the same rights to divorce is clearly contrarty to the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Response to the doubt that women may be stuck in a marriage they do not want to be in, if they do not have equal divorce rights.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen says:
“أما كون الطلاق بيد الزوج فإنه هو العدل ؛ لأن الزوج هو الذي بيده عقدة النكاح ، فيجب أن يكون هو الذي بيده حل هذه العقدة .
ولأن الزوج قائم على المرأة ، كما قال تعالى : (الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ) النساء/34 ، وإذا كان هو القائم صار الأمر بيده هذا مقتضى النظر الصحيح.
ولأن الزوج أكمل عقلاً من المرأة ، وأبعد نظراً ، فلا تجده يقدم على الطلاق إلا حيث رأى أنه لابد منه ، لكن لو كان بيد الزوجة لكانت الزوجة أقل عقلاً ، وأقصر نظراً ، وأسرع عاطفة ، فربما يعجبها شخص من الناس فتذهب فتطلق زوجها ، لأنها رأت مَنْ أعجبها صورته ، فَقَدَّمته على زوجها ، وهناك حكم أخرى لكن هذه الحكم الثلاث التي ذكرتها هي من أعظم الحكم لجعل الطلاق بيد الزوج .
أما الحكم فيمن طلق زوجته بغير سبب فإن أهل العلم يقولون : إن الطلاق تحري فيه الأحكام الخمسة ، أي أنه يكون واجباً ، ويكون حراماً ، ويكون مستحباً ، ويكون مكروهاً ، ويكون مباحاً . فالأصل أن الطلاق غير مرغوب فيه ، وذلك لأنه حل قيد النكاح الذي رّغَّب فيه الشرع ودعا إليه ، ولأنه ربما يحصل فيه مضار كثيرة ؛ كما لو كانت المرأة ذات أولاد من الزوج فإنه يحصل بهذا الطلاق تفرق الأسرة والمشاكل التي تنتج عن هذا . وإذا دعت الحاجة إليه لعدم التمكن من العيش بسعادة بين الزوجين فحينئذ يكون مباحاً، وهو من نعمة الله عز وجل ، أعني كونه مباحاً في هذه الحال ؛ لأنه لو بقى الزوجان في حياة شقاء وعناء لتنكدت عليهم الدنيا ، ولكن من نعمة الله أنه إذا دعت الحاجة إليه كان مباحاً”
As for divorce being in the hand of the husband, this is justice. That is because the husband is the one who holds the bond of marriage, so it must be he who holds the release of that bond.
It is also because the husband is responsible for the woman, as Allah says,
“الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ”
“Men are caretakers of women by what Allah has given some over others” (al Nisa 34).
When he is the one responsible, then the matter being in his hand follows correct and sound understanding.
It is also because the husband is more complete in intellect, more far sighted, and more careful in looking ahead. For this reason, he is not usually driven to divorce unless he sees that it has truly become necessary. But if divorce were in the hand of the wife, then she would be weaker in judgement, shorter in foresight, and quicker in emotion.
It could be that she finds another man pleasing and then goes and divorces her husband because she was impressed by the appearance of someone else and placed him before her husband. There are other wisdoms as well, but these three that have been mentioned are among the greatest wisdoms behind placing divorce in the hand of the husband. (these are general ways of understanding this ruling)
As for the ruling on one who divorces his wife without a reason, the people of knowledge say that divorce falls under the five legal rulings.
It may be obligatory, prohibited, recommended, disliked, or permissible.
The basic principle is that divorce is not desired. This is because it breaks the bond of marriage which the Sharia encouraged and called to, and because many harms may result from it. For example, if the woman has children from the husband, divorce leads to the separation of the family and the many problems that follow from that.
If there is a real need for it, due to the inability of the spouses to live together with happiness, then in that case it is permissible. This is from the favour of Allah, meaning that it is permissible in such a situation. For if the spouses were to remain in a life of misery and hardship, their lives would become distressed and bitter. From the mercy of Allah is that when the need arises, divorce is made permissible.
Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ al Balad al Ḥarām (p. 299–300)
The Feminists Denial Of Male Authority & Guardianship (Wilāyah & Qiwāmah)
Feminism says: the male is exactly like the female. They want all males and all females to be the same. So it is not possible for someone to live upon foreign feminist laws and then claim that she believes in Allah.
Feminism says: there should be no guardianship over the woman.
Feminist Saudi street artist Saffaa protests “sexist law” and says ‘I am my own guardian’
Musawah says: “the very notion of male authority and guardianship over women is not in line with Qur’anic principles.” (Musawah, Musawah Vision for the Family, 2016, p. 2).
The feminsist “rethinking” of Wilayah & Qiwamah is essentially a rejection and they claim that what they are actually reinterpreting is what the scholars have said when it comes to this, but this is complete nonsense since we can see from the Qur’an and Sunnah alone that the concept of wilayah and qiwamah is authority and guardianship of a man over a woman.
Although it is true that many Qur’an verses that mention wali and awliya are about loyalty, support, protection, and alliance, and are not about a man having authority over a woman.
It is not correct to also say wali in meaning isn’t used to refer to the man’s authority and guardianship over the woman in marriage.
The Qur’an addresses men as guardians, even if it does not name them with the word “wali”.
How the Qur’an still points to guardians in marriage, even without the word “wali”
Allah the Exalted said:
وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ أَنْ يَنْكِحْنَ أَزْوَاجَهُنَّ إِذَا تَرَاضَوْا بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
“And when you divorce women and they reach the end of their waiting period, do not prevent them from marrying their husbands if they agree between themselves in a fair way.” (al Baqarah 232).
How will the feminists answer what it means when Allah says “do not prevent them from marrying”? Who is this referring to if not a wali.
Abu Jaʿfar al Tabari (d. 310 AH) said:
The scholars of tafsir differed regarding who this man was. Many of them said that he was Maʿqil ibn Yasar al Muzani رضي الله عنه, a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ.
Among those who reported this were:
• al Hasan al Basri (d. 110 AH)
• Qatadah ibn Diʿamah (d. 117 AH)
• Mujahid ibn Jabr (d. 104 AH)
• ʿIkrimah (d. 105 AH)
Others said that the verse was revealed regarding Jabir ibn ʿAbd Allah al Ansari رضي الله عنه, the Companion of the Prophet ﷺ.
However Imam Abu Jaʿfar al Tabari said that the correct understanding is that the verse was revealed as a general prohibition against guardians harming the women under their guardianship by preventing them from marrying those they wish to marry, whether those men were previous husbands or others, after a valid separation through divorce or annulment.
Qiwāmah in the Qur’an
الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَبِمَا أَنفَقُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ
“Men are caretakers of women because Allah has given some of them more than others and because they spend from their wealth.” (al Nisa 34).
These verses place an obligation of care, spending, and management on the husband. The wording “qawwāmūn” is tied to financial maintenance, and the verse then sets duties and rules inside the marriage. This is the basic Qur’an basis for the notion that the husband has responsibility over the household in a way that includes leadership and duty, not mere privilege.
Qiwāmah in hadith, in meaning
كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَمَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ … وَالرَّجُلُ فِي أَهْلِهِ رَاعٍ وَهْوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ
“All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards … and the man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for his wards.” (Sahih al Bukhari 5200).
This hadith explains practical household responsibility. It names the man as “rāʿ” over the family and makes him accountable. This matches the Qur’an’s meaning of qiwāmah as duty, care, and responsibility.
Wilāyah in hadith
لَا نِكَاحَ إِلَّا بِوَلِيٍّ
“There is no marriage except with a guardian.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 2085 & Sunan Ibn Majah 1881).
أَيُّمَا امْرَأَةٍ نُكِحَتْ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ وَلِيِّهَا فَنِكَاحُهَا بَاطِلٌ
“Any woman who marries without the permission of her guardian, her marriage is invalid.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 1879).
This refutes Musawah’s understanding on the central point, because Musawah argue that male authority and guardianship, in the family law sense, are not grounded in clear revelation and should be rethought.
The usage of qiwāmah in the Qur’an, shows household responsibility in an authentic hadith, and grounds the wali requirement in marriage in explicit hadith wording. The directly contradicts the feminists at Musawah who say that the notion of male authority and guardianship is not in line with Qur’an principles.
The Feminists “Need” For Democracy
We, as Muslims, have no judgement except for Allah. Allah says:
إن الحكم إلا لله
“Judgement belongs to none but Allah.” (Yusuf 40)
And He says:
ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون
“Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are the disbelievers.” (Ma’idah 44)
He also says:
أفحكم الجاهلية يبغون ومن أحسن من الله حكما لقوم يوقنون
“Do they seek the judgement of ignorance And who is better in judgement than Allah for a people who are certain” (Ma’idah 50)
So how can judgement be for the people and not for Allah
This democracy calls to making the people rule themselves, and that judgement is for the majority, whereas in our Sharia, the judgement is for what is correct and true, and the judgement is by the Sharia of Allah the Exalted. It is not that the people rule by what the majority chooses.
The point is that these feminist, communist and capitalist beliefs are all Western beliefs. They are the ones who founded them. They are the ones who set their conditions and their laws. So when someone comes to us and says: “I adopt the feminist belief,” we say: if you adopt it as it truly is with them, then at its root it is disbelief in Allah the Exalted.
Musawah the collective group of “Muslim” Feminists state that we need democracy
