Human Rights In Islam

The Discrimination between Men and Women in Islam .

(A) Financial Responsibilities

The Faith of Islam is a faith of mercy and compassion and it protects the Muslim woman from having to work for her sustenance and guarantees her subsistence so that she would not be subject to the evils that are frequently related to drudgery and toil. She is accordingly not required to earn her living and this is the responsibility with which men are charged.

        If a Muslim girl or woman is not married, her expenditure is the religious and legal obligation of her male relations, according to the laws of jurisprudence. If there is no male relative financially capable of supporting her, her livelihood is the solemn obligation of the treasury of the state.

        This ruling is applied in all stages of a girl's or woman's marriage which include the period during which the girl or woman prepares for marriage, the duration of her marriage, and in the event of divorce the period during its procedures. Men are thus charged with the financial support of women in all the stages of women's lives.

        During the period preceding marriage, the Faith of Islam imposes upon the prospective husband a number of financial obligations concerning his forthcoming marriage without incurring any expense upon the bride's family. The husband's responsibilities include the dowry and the preparation of the marital home.