Guardianship of men over women (Qawwamah): an analysis from the Qur’an and Sunnah perspective

The divine command that “Men are guardians of women” (Surah Nisa’: 34) confirms the natural prerogative right of men over women in Islam. Allah swt assigned the role of guardianship to men due to additional abilities of men over women and their expenses for the management of families. Family institu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Osmani, Noor Mohammad
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Language:English
English
English
English
English
Published: Bahauddin Zakaria University Pakistan 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/95418/1/SLIDES%20-%20Guardianship%20of%20Men%20over%20women%20%28Qawwamah%29.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/95418/3/Final%20Conference%20poster.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/95418/18/ABSTRACT%20BOOK.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/95418/19/CERTIFICATE.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/95418/20/Video%20DR%20OSMANI.mp4
http://irep.iium.edu.my/95418/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The divine command that “Men are guardians of women” (Surah Nisa’: 34) confirms the natural prerogative right of men over women in Islam. Allah swt assigned the role of guardianship to men due to additional abilities of men over women and their expenses for the management of families. Family institution in Islam plays significant roles in the development of an ideal community for the betterment of humankind. If families established on the firm foundations, an ideal society could be formed. Since each institution needs a leader, family institution also needs a leader which is assigned to the men by the divine commands. This divine rule is unchangeable. But does this mean that the men should play the role as a dictator in the family? Or, the family should be based on shura or mutual consultation among the spouse and the children as well? The scholars in Islam tried to interpret this divine command differently. Some modern scholars tried to change the interpretation totally, and claimed that this ruling is subject to change due to changed circumstances. Today, the women spend for family maintenance equally like men, hence, the role of guardianship, according to their claim, should change as well!! This paper will analyze the divine ruling as mentioned in the Qur’anic ayat and ahadith from modern perspective. It will analyze the status of men and women in family institution, should there be any change of roles in family? Is the divine command of men’s guardianship over women outdated in the modern context? The paper will try to respond to the said questions from an objective standpoint.