By Abubakar Shamsudeen
Before the emergence of feminist thoughts in Europe, women who experienced stumbling stress in their marriages took matters into their own hands and took drastic measures, including suicide or seeking revenge.
Over the years, misconceptions have prevailed about women’s rights in Islam due to a lack of proper religious knowledge and lack of awareness of women regarding their rights in Islam.
In terms of financial expenses, women are free from any financial liabilities, they are not obliged to work or share family expenditures. It is a privilege for a woman to work or be self-supporting, provided her honor and integrity are safeguarded.
The Quran and Hadith intensify the etiquette of women’s rights in Islam, it emphasizes kindness, compassion, generosity, respect, and mercy. However, utilizing these manners is often accompanied by misuse and misconception which triggers failure in fulfilling people’s responsibilities.
Many factors lead to marital problems. Some of these include poverty, ingratitude, cultural influences, lack of communication, lack of trust, and not following the teachings of Islam before and after marriage.
Also, the parental parts in discharging their duties accordingly are paramount. Parents and guardians need to be mindful of their responsibilities. They should know not to force a woman to stay in her marital life if she objects, there are times when separation is better than staying in a marriage. Because marriage requires effort, respect, kindness, understanding, and mutual support. Without these, marriage can be a source of suffering for women.
A case study of an Italian woman named Giulia Tofana from Palermo, who was responsible for the deaths of over 600 men through her poisonous concoctions, which she sold to women who were suffering in bad marriages. Her first victim was her husband, who was known for his cruelty to women and this she spread to other women in her league.
The ultimate solution is to adhere to the cultural and moral values of the religion. Knowing the rights of women in Islam entails an in-depth understanding of their actual position and eliminating the prevailing misconceptions regarding women’s rights in Islam requires proper Islamic knowledge, the awareness of women is necessary to change the dominating mentality of the men.