Short answer: in Islam a woman is equal to a man in her humanity, her worship and her reward. Allah addresses "the believing men and believing women" side by side and promises both the same forgiveness. She has the right to learn, to own and earn property, to keep her own name, to agree or refuse a marriage, to receive her mahr, to be provided for, to leave a marriage through khul, and to inherit. Some duties in family law differ between men and women, and the schools of law differ on a few questions, such as whether a woman needs a guardian to marry, which this page sets out with the Hanafi view first.
Equal before Allah
The Quran begins its chapter on women by reminding humanity that men and women come from one soul:
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًۭا
Yaaa aiyuhan naasut taqoo Rabbakumul lazee khalaqakum min nafsinw waahidatinw wa khalaqa minhaa zawjahaa wa bas sa minhumaa rijaalan kaseeranw wa nisaaa'aa; wattaqul laahallazee tasaaa 'aloona bihee wal arhaam; innal laaha kaana 'alaikum Raqeeba
"O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer."
Quran 4:1 · translation by Sahih International
Its longest list of virtues names every quality twice, once for men and once for women:
إِنَّ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَٱلْمُسْلِمَٰتِ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَٱلْقَٰنِتِينَ وَٱلْقَٰنِتَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ وَٱلصَّٰدِقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّٰبِرَٰتِ وَٱلْخَٰشِعِينَ وَٱلْخَٰشِعَٰتِ وَٱلْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَٱلْمُتَصَدِّقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمِينَ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمَٰتِ وَٱلْحَٰفِظِينَ فُرُوجَهُمْ وَٱلْحَٰفِظَٰتِ وَٱلذَّٰكِرِينَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا وَٱلذَّٰكِرَٰتِ أَعَدَّ ٱللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةًۭ وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًۭا
Innal muslimeena wal muslimaati wal mu'mineena wal mu'minaati walqaaniteena walqaanitaati wassaadiqeena wassaadiqaati wassaabireena wassaabiraati walkhaashi'eena walkhaashi'aati walmutasaddiqeena walmutasaddiqaati wassaaa'imeena wassaaa'imaati walhaafizeena furoojahum walhaafizaati waz zaakireenal laaha kaseeranw waz zaakiraati a'addal laahu lahum maghfiratanw wa ajran 'azeemaa
"Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so - for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward."
Quran 33:35 · translation by Sahih International
Allah also says: "Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another" (Quran 3:195). The Prophet ﷺ put it in one sentence: "Women are the full sisters of men."1
The rights of women in Islam
| Right | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Learning | Seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim, man and woman. Aishah was one of the greatest teachers of the Companions. | Sunan Ibn Majah 224 |
| Property and earnings | What a woman owns or earns is hers. Her husband has no claim on it, and she does not have to spend it on the household. | Quran 4:32 |
| Her own name | She keeps her father's name after marriage, as the wives of the Prophet ﷺ did. | Quran 33:5; practice of the Companions |
| Consent to marriage | She may not be married without her agreement. A woman who was married against her will had her marriage annulled by the Prophet ﷺ. | Sahih al-Bukhari 5136 and 5138 |
| Mahr | The bridal gift is her property, not her family's. | Quran 4:4 |
| Provision (nafaqah) | Her husband must provide her food, clothing and housing, even if she is wealthy. | Quran 2:233 and 65:6 |
| Leaving a marriage | She may end the marriage through khul, returning the mahr, or ask a judge to dissolve it for harm. | Sahih al-Bukhari 5273 |
| Inheritance | She inherits as a daughter, wife, mother and sister, with shares fixed in the Quran. | Quran 4:11 to 12 |
Work out a fair mahr with the mahr calculator, and read the steps of the contract in the nikah guide.
Women in the family
As a mother, she is named three times before the father as the person most owed good company. That is covered in our post on mothers in Islam.
As a wife, the Quran tells husbands: "live with them in kindness" (Quran 4:19), and says wives have rights "similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable" (Quran 2:228). The Prophet ﷺ said:
خَيْرُكُمْ خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِهِ، وَأَنَا خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِي
Khayrukum khayrukum li-ahlihī, wa ana khayrukum li-ahlī
The best of you is the one who is best to his family, and I am the best of you to my family.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 3895, from Aishah; graded sahih
The husband is made responsible for leading and providing for the family (Quran 4:34). Scholars explain this as a duty of care and spending, not a licence to harm: the same Prophet ﷺ never struck a woman or a servant.2
As a daughter, she was protected from a custom of burying baby girls alive, which the Quran condemns (Quran 16:58 to 59, 81:8 to 9). The Prophet ﷺ said whoever raises two girls until they come of age, he and that person will come on the Day of Judgement like two fingers side by side.3
The rulings people ask about
Most rulings for women are agreed by all four schools. These three are where the schools differ, which is why you may hear different answers.
Can a woman marry without a wali?
An adult, sane woman may conclude her own marriage contract, and it is valid without a wali. It is still recommended that her guardian arranges it, and if she marries a man who is not a suitable match (kufu), her guardian may object. Many later Hanafi scholars gave the fatwa that such a marriage is not valid without the guardian's consent.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- A marriage contract is not valid without a wali, based on the hadith "There is no marriage without a guardian" (Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi). Her consent is still required.
Can a woman be a judge?
A woman may serve as a judge in every matter in which her testimony is accepted, which is everything except the fixed punishments (hudud) and retaliation (qisas).
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- A woman is not appointed as a judge. (Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, outside the four schools, allowed it in all matters.)
Can women go to the mosque?
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the mosques of Allah."4 Women prayed behind him at Fajr and Isha, and attended his talks.
Women may go to the masjid, and a husband should not forbid it outright, as the Prophet ﷺ said. Later Hanafi scholars disliked young women attending the congregations in their own time, out of fear of fitnah, and the hadith describes a woman's prayer at home as better for her. Many contemporary Hanafi scholars allow attendance where the masjid has a proper women's space and women would otherwise miss learning.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Permitted, with modest dress, no perfume and safety. The Shafi'i and Maliki schools dislike it for young women where there is fear of fitnah; the Hanbali school stresses that a husband should not stop his wife. Prayer at home remains better for her.
Can a Muslim woman work?
Yes, in all four schools, as long as the work is lawful, she keeps her modesty, and the rights of her family are agreed between the spouses. Khadijah was a successful merchant before and after she married the Prophet ﷺ. Whatever she earns is hers alone.
Inheritance and testimony
Inheritance. The Quran gives a son twice the share of a daughter (Quran 4:11). The reason scholars give is that the son carries duties she does not: he pays mahr, and he must provide for his wife, his children and, if needed, his parents and sisters. Her share is hers to keep. The rule is not general: a mother and father each take a sixth when their child leaves children, and in several other cases women inherit the same as men or more. Try the inheritance calculator to see the shares in a real case.
Testimony. Quran 2:282 asks for two men, or a man and two women, as witnesses to a written debt, "so that if one of the women errs, then the other can remind her". Scholars applied this to financial contracts. In matters that women usually witness, such as birth and nursing, the Hanafi school accepts the testimony of a single woman.
Women Allah honours in the Quran and history
- Maryam, the mother of Isa, is the only woman named in the Quran, and a whole surah carries her name. See Surah Maryam.
- Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh, is held up as the example for all believers (Quran 66:11).
- Khadijah was the first person to accept Islam and the Prophet's ﷺ support through the hardest years.
- Aishah narrated more than two thousand hadith, and senior Companions came to her with questions of law.
- Umm Salamah advised the Prophet ﷺ at Hudaybiyah, and her advice was followed.5
- Fatimah al-Fihri founded the al-Qarawiyyin mosque and school in Fez in the ninth century, which is often described as the oldest university still working.
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ٱبْنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيْتًۭا فِى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِى مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ وَنَجِّنِى مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
Wa darabal laahu masa lal-lillazeena aamanumra ata Fir'awn; iz qaalat rabbibni lee 'indaka baitan fil jannati wa najjinee min Fir'awna wa 'amalihii wa najjinee minal qawmiz zaalimeen
"And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.""
Quran 66:11 · translation by Sahih International
Dress and prayer
Allah tells believing women to cover their adornment and to draw their head covers over their chests (Quran 24:31), just as He tells believing men, in the verse before, to lower their gaze and guard their modesty. The details are on our hijab and awrah pages. How a woman prays, and the differences from a man's prayer in the Hanafi school, are in how women pray. During menstruation and after childbirth, a woman does not pray and does not make the prayers up, which is a mercy, not a lesser status.
FAQ
Are men and women equal in Islam?
Yes, in worth, worship and reward. The Quran promises both "forgiveness and a great reward" (33:35). Some duties differ, mainly in family law, such as the husband's duty to provide.
Can a Muslim woman divorce her husband?
Yes. She can end the marriage through khul, usually by returning the mahr, as the wife of Thabit ibn Qays did (Bukhari 5273), or ask a judge or Islamic council to dissolve it for harm or neglect.
Does a woman need a wali to get married?
In the Hanafi school an adult woman's marriage is valid without a wali, though involving him is recommended. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools say a marriage without a wali is not valid.
Why does a daughter inherit half of a son's share?
Because the son must pay mahr and provide for his family, while what she inherits is hers alone. In many other cases, such as parents of a person with children, women inherit the same as men.
Can women go to the mosque in Islam?
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said not to stop women from the mosques. The schools add conditions such as modest dress and safety, and say her prayer at home is better for her.
Sources
- Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Aishah.
- Sahih Muslim, from Aishah.
- Sahih Muslim 2631, from Anas.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Umar.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, the treaty of al-Hudaybiyah, from al-Miswar ibn Makhramah and Marwan.
- Sunan Ibn Majah 224, from Anas; graded sahih by al-Albani through its supporting chains.
- Hanafi positions: al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah (Kitab al-Nikah, Kitab Adab al-Qadi); Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other schools are summarised from their standard manuals.
- Quran 4:1, 33:35 and 66:11, Arabic from the Uthmani text, translation by Sahih International.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.