SPIRIT OF ISLAM MARCH 2O18

6 Spirit of Islam Issue 63 March 2018 FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dr. Farida Khanam has been a professor at the Department of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. A Study of World's Major Religions, A simple guide to Sufism are two of the books amongst many others, of which she is the author. She has also translated many books on Islam authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently, the chairperson of Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS International), an organization founded by her father Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, she is a regular contributor of articles to journals, newspapers and magazines. Dr. Khanam has edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his Urdu commentary of the Quran into English. Under Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Peace Foundation, along with the CPS team, she is designing a series of courses on peace- building, countering extremism and conflict resolution. WOMEN IN ISLAM R EFERRING to men and women, verse 195 of chapter 3 of the Quran says, “You are members one of another”. Further to this a man and a woman are considered as ‘two halves of a whole’. Another important fact is that the whole of the human race comes from Adam and Eve. Two other verses of the Quran say: “Glory be to God, who created in pairs all things that the earth produces.” (36: 36) . “O Humanity! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female.” (49: 13) . According to the Quran there is no difference between a man and woman. They share a common fate, and are subject to the same existential conditions with the same potential and the same purpose of being. Islam is often seen as keeping women in subservience. But Islam holds women in high esteem; they enjoyed a special status during the lifetime of the Prophet. During the initial days of Islam, the Prophet’s wife Khadija was herself a business-woman. Moreover, it was her initiative that led to their marriage. Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter, helped in giving first aid to the wounded in battle and Asma, Abu Bakr’s daughter, used to look after camels and date-orchards. But, if a woman chose to lead a domestic life, taking care of her family, she had every right to do so. Thus it can be said that women had the right to express themselves, and take their own decisions in life.