Until the end of the sixth century of the Christian era, women's rights did not exist anywhere, whether among the more civilised or the primitive. Then the voice of heaven thundered out of Arabia from the city of Mecca. It was there that God chose to complete His message to mankind through His prophet, named Mohammed, peace be upon him. This message, Islam, instituted the standard which conferred dignity on women, granting them their due and full rights. It released women from the yoke of humiliation which had burdened them throughout history. It protected them from those men possessed by the evil whim to exploit females like beasts of burden.

Islam is the last heavenly message to humanity, which settled once and for all the role that women are to serve in society. The religion established that men and women are equal in rights and duties, but not identical. Each gender has designated functions and physical characteristics which suit those functions. The fact that women are different than men in terms of physical composition and inclination is the key for a true understanding of the relationship which should exist between men and women.

Discrimination
Islam abolished discrimination between the genders in terms of common human values, but differentiates their respective economic and social roles. The revelation prescribed that the male offspring was to inherit twice the share of the female, on the basis man's defined role as the provider of the family unit. Unlike other religions, Islam charged the man to make a dowry payment, called the sadaq, which the woman receives when she gets married. In addition to these expenses, men also had to meet the needs of poorer relatives and contribute to the duty of jihad (holy struggle), and so on.

According to the French Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Quran differs from the Torah in that it does not consider woman's weakness as a punishment from God as in the case of the Book of Genesis (3:16). Quite a contrary perspective is offered by the Quran: "Should you hate them you may hate something that has a lot of good in it." Before the advent of Islam, the Council of Macon was held in Europe by the Catholic Church (581-2 C.E.) to seek a solution to the perplexing question of whether a woman is a human being! Soon afterwards Islam was revealed to mankind, in part to provide answers to such fundamental issues. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said "Women are men's partners." He also said that "Paradise is under the mother's feet."

In the pre-Islamic era, the right to inheritance was restricted to those who were able to carry the sword. Islam put an end to this practice and made women equal to men in terms of the right to inherit. The Holy Quran specifies the proportions of how much each member of a family, both male and female, should inherit from the deceased. Women were thus granted the right to inherit in their capacity as wife, mother, daughter and sister.

Islam bestowed to women the right to own property in their own name once the age of maturity has been reached. At that point, a female may dispose of that property as she pleases. In this manner Islam gave women the means to economic power in the community, which offers more real power than any other legal right. Omar ibn Al Khatab, the Second Muslim Caliph, is recorded to have stated, "In pre-Islamic times we considered women as nothing, until God revealed to us what He did and accorded to them what He did."

Revelation
Prior to the revelation of the Quran, a man received dowry from the family of his intended wife. Islam instead bestowed that right on the female, so that she should have means of support should the husband later abandon his duties. The pre-Islamic practice of polygamy was without bounds, but the new religion restricted this custom so strictly, with so many conditions, that it was rendered almost unworkable. Before Islam, it was accepted that men could force their women into prostitution in order to earn money, but the Quran declared with a severe prohibition that "You shall not force your women to engage in prostitution."

In pre-Islamic times, a son inherited the wives of his deceased father, as he did the other household items. Islam vehemently dismissed this practice and made it illegal. The Quran states: "You shall not marry the women that your fathers did." In addition, Islam discouraged divorce and clearly specified the economic rights of the wife and children in that situation.

Islam also granted to women the crucial right of consent to her marriage, which is the central event of her life. Islam gave her the freedom to choose whoever she liked so long as she was of legal age. No man has the right to force her to marry a person she does not want to.

Islam made it mandatory that the expenses of a daughter be met by her father until she gets married, and the father cannot force her, unlike a son, to seek employment. If the daughter gets divorced after her marriage and then returns to her father's house, he is obliged to meet her expenses.

Until recently in the West, a woman was unable to dispose of any of her money without the permission of her husband. Under French law prior to World War II, the married woman was regarded as incompetent and her freedom to act without the permission of her husband was restricted. Now, while French law recognises the competence of the married woman, it maintains the husband's right to object to some of her financial decisions.

According to Islam, it is mandatory that the husband feed his wife as he feeds himself, and that he should also provide her with clothing as he provides himself with the same. Likewise, a man shall not strike his wife, nor shall he slander or abandon her. The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) admonished us to be kind to our wives and not be unfair or mean to them, because injustice against women earns God's wrath in the same way as maltreatment of a small orphan.

Primitive cultures diminished the female role in society, whereas modern secular philosophies have elevated her to a false and unworkable status of absolute liberation and boundless emancipation. The Muslim believer has been granted a median way between these extremes, where men and women are considered to have different traits which match their respective functions, but both enjoy the right to be integrated equally in society. The mother, the sister, the wife, the daughter - they are half of the family and of society, and must be considered as the partner of the other half.