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THE WOMAN'S STATUS IN CHRISTIANITY &
ISLAM
This page was created to compare a woman's status
as seen in Christianity and Islam.
The sources are mainly the Bible, Quran, and the
teachings of Prophet Mohammed.
The First Woman / Eve
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"When the woman (Eve) saw that the
fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate
it. She also gave some to her husband (Adam), who was with
her, and he ate it...Then the man (Adam) and his wife heard
the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in
the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among
the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man,
"Where are you?" He (Adam) answered, "I heard you in the
garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And
he (God) said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you
eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
The man said, "The woman (Eve) you put here with me-she gave
me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the Lord
God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The
woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." To the
woman he (God) said, "I will greatly increase your pains in
childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over
you." To Adam he (God) said, "Because you listen to your
wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You
must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your
life."
Genesis 3:6-17
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(God said):"O Adam! You and your
wife dwell in the Garden, and enjoy (its good things) as you
wish: but do not approach this tree, or you run into harm
and transgression." "Then began Satan to whisper suggestions
to them (Adam and Eve), bringing openly before their minds
all their shame that was hidden from them (before): he
(Satan) said: "Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest
you should become angels or such beings as live for ever."
"And he (Satan) swore to them both, that he was their
sincere adviser." "So by deceit he brought about their (Adam
and Eve) fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame
became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the
leaves of the Garden over their bodies. And their Lord
called to them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell
you that Satan was an avowed enemy to you?" "They said: "Our
Lord! We have wronged our own souls: if You do not forgive
us and do not bestow upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly
be lost"
Quran 7:19-23
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Female Gender vs. Male Gender
"...if a woman have conceived seed,
and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven
days...but if she bear a maid child, then she shall be
unclean two weeks..."
Leviticus 12:2-5
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"To Allah belongs the
dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He
wills. He bestows female children to whomever He wills and
bestows male children to whomever He wills.
Quran 42:49
"He who is involved in bringing up
daughters, and accords benevolent treatment towards them,
they will be protection for him against Hell-Fire."
Prophet Mohammed
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The Female Spiritual Essence
"I find more bitter than death the
woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands
are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the
sinner she will ensnare." "Look," says the Teacher, "this is
what I have discovered: "Adding one thing to another to
discover the scheme of things-while I was still searching
but not finding- I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman among them all."
Ecclesiastes 7:26-28
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"And Allah sets forth,
as an example to those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh:
behold she said: 'O my Lord! build for me, in nearness to
You, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and
his doings, and save me from those that do wrong," "And Mary
the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We
breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to
the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations,
and was one of the devout (servants)."
Quran 66:11-2
"Heaven is at the feet of the
mothers."
Prophet Mohammed
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Menses
| "When a woman has her
regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period
will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be
unclean till evening. anything she lies on during her period
will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean.
Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with
water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches
anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with
water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whether it is
the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches
it, he will be unclean till evening."
Leviticus 15:19-23
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Ali asked the Prophet Mohammed if when
a man and a woman make love then their clothes stick to them
from the sweat of their bodies, or if when a woman has her
period her clothes stick to her body, are the clothes
considered unclean?
The Prophet replied: "No, the
uncleanness is only in the semen and the blood."
Prophet Mohammed
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Sexual Relation During Her Menses
"Do not approach a woman to have
sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly
period."
Leviticus 18:19
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"They ask you
concerning women's courses (period). Say: They are a hurt
and a pollution: so keep away (of making love) from women in
their courses, and do not approach them until they are
clean..."
Quran 2:222
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A Woman's Right to Education
| "let your women keep
silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them
to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as
also saith the law, and if they will learn anything, let
them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for woman
to speak in the church."
1Corinthians 14:34-35
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Seeking knowledge is
obligatory on every Muslim man and Muslim woman.
Prophet Mohammed
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Right to Inheritance
| "Say to the
Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his
inheritance over to his daughter...'"
Numbers 27:8
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"From what is left by
parents and those nearest related there is a share for men
and a share for women, whether the property be small or
large, -a determinate share."
Quran 4:7
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Dressing Modesty / Head Covering
| "Now I want you to
realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head
of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every
man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors
his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her
head uncovered dishonors her head...If a woman does not
cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it
is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved
off, she should cover her head"
1 Corrinthians 11:3-6
"I also want women to dress modestly,
with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or
pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds,
appropriate for women who profess to worship God"
1 Timothy 2:9-10
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"O Prophet! Tell your
wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they
should cast their outer garments over their persons (when
abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known
(as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful."
Quran 33:59
...they (believing women) should not
display their beauty and ornaments except what (must
ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their
veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except
to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers,
their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their
brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women...or
small children who have no sense of the shame of sex..."
Quran 24:31
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Polygamy
| "After he left Hebron,
David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more
sons and daughters were born to him."
2 Samuel 5:13
"He (Solomon) had seven hundred wives
of royal birth and three hundred concubines..."
1 Kings 11:3
"And Lamech took unto him two wives:
the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other
Zillah."
Genesis 4:19
"If a man have two wives, one beloved,
and another hated, and they have born him children, both the
beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers
that was hated: then it shall be, when he maketh..."
Deuteronomy 21:15
"if he take him another wife; her
food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall her not
diminish."
Exodus 21:10
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"If you fear that you shall not be
able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your
choice, two, or three, or four; but if you fear that you
shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only
one... to prevent you from doing injustice."
Quran 4:3
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Prohibition in Marriage
| "Do not take your
wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with
her while your wife is living."
Leviticus 18:18
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"Prohibited to you
(for marriage) are: -your mothers, daughters, sisters...and
two sisters (the wife and her sister) in wedlock at one and
the same time..."
Quran 4:23
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Divorce
| "...Anyone who
divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery
against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries
another man, she commits adultery."
Mark 10:11-12
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"O Prophet! When you
do divorce women, divorce them at their prescribed periods,
and count (accurately) their prescribed periods: and fear
Allah your Lord..."
Quran 65:1
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The Divorcee & Widow
| "...who marries the
divorced woman commits adultery."
Matthew 5:32
"'The woman he (the priest) marries
must be a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced
woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin
from his own people.'"
Leviticus 21:13-4
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"If any of you die and
leave widows behind, they shall wait concerning themselves
four months and ten days: when they have fulfilled their
term, there is no blame on you (marrying widows) if they
dispose of themselves in a just and reasonable manner..."
Quran 2:234
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The Respect of Parents
| "Then he (Jesus) went
down to Nazareth with them(his parents) and was obedient to
them..."
Luke 2:51
"For Moses said, 'Honor your father
and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or
mother must be put to death."
Mark 7:10
"Each of you must respect his mother
and father..."
Leviticus 19:3
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"He (God) has made me
(Jesus) kind to my mother, and not overbearing or
miserable."
Quran 19:32
"And We have enjoined on man (to be
good) to his parents: in travail (pains of childbirth) upon
travail his other bore him, and in two years was his
weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to
your parents: to Me is (your final) Goal."
Quran 31:14
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