Gender Justice in Islam: Balance Without Forced Equality

❖ Gender Justice in Islam and the Rights of Men and Women ❖
Adapted from the insights of: Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Munajjid

❀ Gender Justice in the Modern World​

In today’s discourse, Gender Justice is widely promoted and often considered a milestone of women’s empowerment. It is claimed that:


✔ There should be no distinction between men and women
✔ Women must be granted equal rights in all areas of life — education, employment, health, politics, etc.
✔ "Justice" is increasingly interpreted as complete equality, and institutions like UN Women aim to establish gender parity on this basis.

❖ The Reality and Harm of Absolute Equality​

Equality (musāwāt), when taken to mean identical rights and duties in all matters, often becomes injustice itself.


For instance:

• Communism dismantled social structures by claiming no one should have superiority — even between father and son
• The same ideology appears in radical gender equality, where men and women are forced into complete sameness, in contradiction to their natural differences

❖ True Justice According to the Qur’an​

In Islam, ʿadl (justice) means:


Giving every individual their due right based on capacity, role, and nature.


The Qur'an repeatedly commands justice, but never demands absolute equality:


{إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ}
"Indeed, Allah commands justice and kindness..."
(Sūrah al-Naḥl: 91)


{وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ}
"When you judge between people, judge with justice."
(Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 58)


Furthermore, the Qur'an makes it clear that all individuals are not alike:


{قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ}
"Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not?"
(Sūrah al-Zumar: 9)


{قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ}
"Say: Are the blind and the seeing equal?"
(Sūrah al-Raʿd: 16)

❖ Basis of Justice Between Men and Women​

Islam does not promote forced equality, rather it establishes justice by recognizing:


✔ Different strengths, limitations, and roles of each gender
✔ Equal spiritual status, but distinct worldly duties

◈ Equal Obligations Where Applicable​

Men and women are equal in humanity and therefore equally accountable in:

• Wuḍūʼ
• Ṣalāh
• Ṣawm
• Zakāh
• Ḥajj

◈ Gender-Specific Obligations​

Where responsibilities differ, Islam takes into account:


✔ Biological and psychological differences
✔ Women's need for care and protection, and their physical limitations


For example:

• Men are obligated with financial maintenance and participation in jihad
• Women are exempt from such burdens — if they were made obligatory upon her, it would be unjust

❖ Islam’s Favor Towards Women​

✔ Women are freed from financial duties
✔ Exempt from combat and military involvement
✔ Provided flexibility in religious duties due to menstruation and childbirth


This system is not oppression — it is compassionate justice, rooted in wisdom and mercy.

❖ Conclusion: Gender Justice is True Justice​

Islam assigns roles and rights based on natural disposition, not ideology.
It ensures justice, not forced sameness.


The solution is not mimicking men, but embracing the dignity and strengths of womanhood
True justice is when a woman is only given those responsibilities she can honorably fulfill and in return, receives rights befitting her nature