Today’s discussions on feminism and Islam can become tangled in definitions, origins, and extended critiques.
Instead, this article places principles (uṣūl) on the table—foundational ideas to help young people, du'at (callers to Islam), or even self-identified feminists understand how Islam views feminist claims. We will see how the Qur’an and Sunnah form a unified whole: the One who brought us into existence also established the rules we live by. Recognizing this can reshape the way we interpret calls for “women’s rights” when they conflict with divine legislation.
Below, we will explore several points:
- Allah’s perfect role as The Creator—He did not consult us in deciding our gender.
- Legislation (Sharīʿah) follows creation—it addresses the realities of men and women differently.
- Consequences of ignoring divine rulings—how doing so leads to harm, as seen in the story of Adam (ʿalayhi al-salām) and Iblīs.
- How Islam honors women—at birth, through marriage, and in widowhood or divorce.
This exploration aims to show that Islam’s structure of rules and responsibilities is not arbitrary. It arises from perfect knowledge and justice. Where alternative ideologies insist on shaping these rules differently, we ask, as the Qur’an does:
قُلْ أَأَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّهُ
Say, ‘Do you know more, or does Allah?’ (Qur’an 2:140)
1. Creation Without Consultation
Islamic discourse on gender begins with a simple premise: Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) created us on His terms. He did not ask if we wished to be male or female. The Qur’an states:
وَرَبُّكَ يَخْلُقُ وَيَخْتَارُ... مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ
“Your Lord creates and chooses. They have no choice.” (Qur’an 28:68)
When we discover we are male or female, it is an unquestioned reality—no one negotiated it. The Qur’an also mentions:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا
“Exalted is He who created pairs—all of them…” (Qur’an 36:36)
This refers to the many types of pairs in creation: animals, plants, humans (Adam and Ḥawwāʾ). Allah fashioned Adam first, then Ḥawwāʾ, and placed both on earth according to His design. There was no consultation about who would be male or female.
Legislation Arranged By the Creator
Once we accept that our creation was out of our hands, we move to a second principle: the One who made us placed laws for us to follow. Allah says:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“I did not create jinn and humankind except to worship Me.” (Qur’an 51:56)
Men and women share many acts of worship equally—prayer, fasting, zakāh, ḥajj—and also hold distinct responsibilities. For instance, jihād is imposed on men, not women. Women have particular rulings linked to their monthly cycle. This difference is not a sign of oppression; it is how Allah tailored worship to each gender.
2. Justice (ʿAdl) and Knowledge (ʿIlm) in Divine Rulings
Some ask why women are exempted from jihād. Others ask why men must shoulder it. Every command in Islam aligns with justice (ʿadl) and is rooted in divine knowledge (ʿilm). Allah says:
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا
“The Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice.” (Qur’an 6:115)
No command from Allah weighs heavier than a person’s capacity. Men complaining about having to fight while women do not, or women complaining about certain rules unique to them, overlooks that Allah’s legislation matches each gender’s strengths and limitations:
أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ
“Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the All-Aware?” (Qur’an 67:14)
He knows our physical, emotional, and social composition better than we ever will.
3. The Link Between Creation and Sharīʿah
A deeper look at the first act of disobedience offers insight. Iblīs was commanded to prostrate to Adam (عليه السلام) but refused:
قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ
“He said, ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.’” (Qur’an 7:12)
Iblīs despised the essence of Adam—his creation from clay. His refusal was about what Adam was, not about what Adam did. That hatred led him to tempt Adam and Ḥawwāʾ to eat from the forbidden tree. They disobeyed Allah:
فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا الشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا
“When they tasted (fruit) from the tree, their nakedness became exposed to them.” (Qur’an 7:22)
Their private parts became visible, showing a physical effect from rejecting a divine command. Iblīs wants people to break Allah’s rulings so their creation can suffer. The Qur’an clarifies Iblīs’s plan:
وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ
“I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” (Qur’an 4:119)
He begins by urging disobedience to Allah’s laws, then pushes changes to creation itself.
Seeking Judgment from Tāghūt (False Authorities)
Some claim to believe but still consult ideologies like feminism for moral judgments:
يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُوا إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُوا أَن يَكْفُرُوا بِهِ وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
“They wish to refer legislation to Taghut, while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray.” (Qur’an 4:60)
Feminism, when it clashes with divine teachings, becomes one of many man-made systems that assume authority which belongs only to Allah.
4. Consequences of Turning Away
When humans reject divine guidance, spiritual and physical distress often follow. The Qur’an warns:
وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا
“Whoever turns away from My reminder will live a difficult life.” (Qur’an 20:124)
We see well-known individuals, despite wealth and status, admitting they feel no purpose. Some become suicidal or anxious because their inner nature (khalq) does not align with the revelation (Sharīʿah).
The Watch Analogy
Consider a product with a manual. The manufacturer knows its exact specifications. If we misuse the product, the warranty does not apply, and the damage is on us. Our nature is designed, and the Qur’an and Sunnah function like a manual. Failing to apply that manual leads to breakdowns—emotional, physical, or societal.
5. Living as a Servant—of Allah or of One’s Desires
People say they want “freedom,” but everyone serves something: Allah, desires (nafs), or Shayṭān. Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) noted that those who flee servitude to Allah become trapped in service to the nafs and Shayṭān. Allah, by contrast, wants good for us:
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ وَخُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا
“Allah intends to lighten your burdens, for mankind was created weak.” (Qur’an 4:28)
He does not burden us beyond our capacity:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.” (Qur’an 2:286)
A Good Life Through Submission
When we align with the Creator’s rules, we discover a peaceful life. It is possible to have little wealth or face trials yet remain inwardly content. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that anyone who makes the dunyā his greatest concern feels poverty before his eyes—always in a state of need.
Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explained that the heart finds tranquility when it holds two qualities: love (muḥabbah) of Allah and humility (dhull) toward Him. Together, these produce taʿẓīm (veneration), leading a person to say, “We hear and obey,” just as they had no choice about being male or female.
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ
“It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger decide a matter, to have a choice in it.” (Qur’an 33:36)
6. How Islam Honors Women: Three Key Stages
Stage One: Birth and Childhood
Before Islam, some Arabs buried their daughters alive out of shame. Islam abolished this practice:
وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُمْ بِالْأُنْثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ
“When one of them is given news of a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.” (Qur’an 16:58)
Islam did not simply prohibit infanticide. It also attached a unique reward for raising daughters. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
مَنْ عَالَ جَارِيَتَيْنِ حَتَّى تَبْلُغَا ؛ جَاءَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنَا وَهُوَ وَضَمَّ أَصَابِعَهُ
“Whoever raises two girls until they reach maturity, he and I would come (together) (very closely) on the Day of Resurrection" and he interlaced his fingers (for explaining the point of nearness between him and that person). (Sahīh Muslim: 2631)
The Prophet (ﷺ) then joined two fingers to illustrate closeness. This distinct reward does not exist for raising boys.
There was an encounter with a feminist who asked,
“Do you really think not burying me alive is honoring me?”
The response, based on Islamic teachings, is that beyond sparing her life, Islam promises immense reward for parents who raise a daughter with care.
Stage Two: Marriage
When a father hands his daughter to her husband, Islam addresses the husband with clear guidelines. During the Farewell Ḥajj (Ḥajjat al-Wadāʿ)—the Prophet’s (ﷺ) largest gathering—he said:
“Fear Allah regarding women. You took them with the permission of Allah, and their private parts became permissible to you by the Word of Allah.” (Sahīh Muslim: 1218)
This final sermon was a concise advice for many areas of life, yet he reserved a portion for women’s welfare.
Stage Three: After Divorce or Widowhood
If a woman is divorced or widowed, Islam still protects her. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (from Abū Hurairah) states:
“The one who supports a widow or a poor person is like a mujāhid in the cause of Allah, or like one who prays all night and fasts all day.” (Sahih al-Bukhari:5353)
This hadith indicates how caring for divorced or widowed women brings a reward comparable to fighting in Allah’s path or continuous worship. Thus, at every stage—childhood, marriage, and post-marriage—Islam recognizes her status.
7. Two Qur’anic Chapters on Women
There is no chapter in the Qur’an named “men,” yet there are two chapters focusing on women. Sūrat al-Nisāʾ (commonly called “the larger chapter on women”) and Sūrat al-Ṭalāq (referred to by some scholars as “al-Nisāʾ al-Ṣughrā”). Each addresses issues particular to women’s affairs, reinforcing that Islamic law accounts for her needs.
8. The Example of the Prophet (ﷺ) and a Slave Girl
Islam arrived in a world where slavery existed; it did not invent slavery but worked systematically to free slaves. Numerous expiations (kaffārāt) require freeing a slave. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) reports:
“A slave girl from the slave girls of Madīnah would take the hand of the Prophet (ﷺ), and he would not pull his hand away until she took him wherever she wished.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari: 6072)
He was the Messenger of Allah and the leader of the community. Yet he would walk with her in the streets of Madīnah, fulfilling her needs. If he conducted himself like this with a slave, one can imagine how Islam instructs us to treat free women, daughters, wives, and mothers.
9. Upholding the Rights Allah Granted
Muslim women who seek their rights should do so through Qur’an and Sunnah, not through ideologies that demand more than what Allah legislated or fall short of His commands. If Islam grants a woman a right, no one may take it away. Equally, it is wise not to demand a right that Allah has not sanctioned.
وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ
“…and that none of us should take others as lords besides Allah.” (Qur’an 3:64)
Taking laws from sources other than Allah in matters of ḥalāl and ḥarām is akin to taking “lords” besides Him.
10. Conclusion: Creation and Law in Harmony
We began with how Allah created men and women without consulting them. That same Creator placed laws to match each person’s abilities. Ignoring these laws strains both body and soul. Iblīs himself aims to disrupt creation through disobedience to divine rulings.
Those who submit to these laws find peace—even if they lack wealth or face hardships. Others, despite fame, wander in anxiety. Islam honors women from birth to the end of their lives. It never sees them as lesser beings; it holds them in esteem, connecting unique rewards to their care and protection.
Individuals who demand more or less than Allah’s blueprint risk falling into the confusion we see in some feminist rhetoric. Muslims can reject cultural practices contradicting Islam and reject ideologies that overshadow divine commands. A woman does not need anything beyond what Allah already gave her:
- A promise of reward for her parents in childhood.
- A secure footing in marriage.
- Protection and community care if she is divorced or widowed.
A person who lives by Allah’s instructions keeps the harmony between khalq (creation) and Sharīʿah (legislation). Any error in this post is from human nature and Shayṭān, while truth is from Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).
وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا
“And never is your Lord forgetful.” (Qur’an 19:64)
He has laid out everything we need.
Feminism vs. Islam: One Changes, the Other is Perfect.
Feminism claims to fight for women, yet its principles keep shifting—what was "empowering" yesterday is "problematic" today. Meanwhile, Islam’s guidance has remained unchanged, just, and divinely revealed.
“Does He who created not know?” (Qur’an 67:14)
The One who made us knows our needs better than any ideology. While feminism debates what a woman should be, Islam already honours her—as a daughter, a wife, a mother, and a believer.
Learn the difference. See the reality. Start with AMAU Academy today.