Women, Islam, and the Koran

Compiled and edited by Richard Maggini

Koran or Q'uran: The scripture of Muslims. Muslims believe it is the word of God (Allah) as communicated to Muhammad over the final 23 years of his life.

These revelations were given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel in Arabic.

Whenever Mo (Muhammad) received a revelation he'd recite it to others who memorized it and wrote it down. About six months after Mo's death, Abu Bakr, Mo's successor, ordered an undertaking to collect a complete copy of the Koran consisting of all the writings made in Mo's presence.

Chapter (Sura) four is the chapter entitled "women". There are a total of 176 verses on women.

Koran, chapter 4:34

"Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in their sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great."

The above verse speaks for itself and needs no comment.

Koran, Chapter 4:3

"Marry such women as seen good to you, two and three and four; but if you feel you will not do justice (between them), then (marry) only one or what your right hands possess."

"That which the right hand possessed" (surah 4:24)" is war bounties whether it be women, children, money, or property. So Muslims are limited to four wives but my have no limit to the number of concubines which do not have the same rights as wives. A little provision (food and clothes) is sufficient.

Chapter 4:20

"And if you wish to have one wife in place of another and have given one of them a heap of gold, then take not from it".

What a glorious Qur'an and how merciful is Allah! If a man intends to replace a woman with another, he is not allowed to take from the woman being divorced an object or money he has already given to her at the time of marriage.

Let's see what the Good Book says about treating women.

Deuteronomy, Chapter 22:13

If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:

Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife;

he may not put her away all his days. But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you

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