Women's Rights in Islam How Islam Honoured Women with 10 Rights 14 Centuries Ago Ultimate UK Guide
By Eaalim Institute on 4/27/2026 · 6 min read
Women's rights in Islam are a topic every British Muslim child faces. The question comes up at school, at university, at work and from curious neighbours. The British media often presents Islam as oppressive to women. Meanwhile, some Muslim apologetics overcompensate with claims that do not survive scrutiny. The honest answer: at the time of revelation, Islam gave women legal, economic and spiritual rights unprecedented in 7th-century Arabia. In fact, Western legal systems only matched them 1,200 years later. This UK guide presents those rights, where Muslim communities have fallen short, and the true prophetic model.
What Pre-Islamic Arabia Did to Women
Before Islam, women in much of Arabia faced the following:
Female infanticide: people buried baby girls alive at birth. In fact, Surah At-Takwir 81:8–9 explicitly condemns this.
No inheritance rights: women inherited nothing from fathers, husbands or sons.
Treatment as property in marriage: men passed women between them and divorced them freely, without recourse.
No witness rights: in many tribes, women also had no legal personhood.
Unlimited polygyny: some men took dozens of wives without any obligation towards them.
Women's Rights in Islam: What the Quran and Sunnah Gave Women
1. Personhood and Dignity
"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you."
(Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Before Allah, men and women are equal, and piety, not sex, decides rank. Similarly, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Women are the twin halves of men" (Sunan Abu Dawud 236).
2. Right to Inherit
Islam introduced specific Quranic inheritance shares for daughters, mothers, wives and sisters. In some cases, these shares are even larger than those of men in equivalent positions. Indeed, Surah An-Nisa’ (chapter 4) lays out the precise framework. Before Islam, women inherited nothing; however, now they had legally defined shares.
3. Right to Consent in Marriage
The Prophet ﷺ ruled that a woman's marriage is invalid without her consent (Sahih al-Bukhari 5136). Therefore, Islam forbids forced marriage. Forced-marriage cases that still occur in some UK communities violate Islamic law rather than follow it.
4. Right to Divorce (Khula)
The Quran (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:229) gave women the right to initiate divorce when a marriage is unworkable. In addition, the Prophet's ﷺ ruling in the case of Thabit ibn Qays's wife confirmed this right (Sahih al-Bukhari 5273).
5. Mahr (Dowry) Belongs to the Woman
The husband pays the mahr to the wife (Surah An-Nisa' 4:4). As a result, it is her property, not her family's. In pre-Islamic Arabia, the man often paid her family instead; Islam corrected this.
6. Property Rights Independent of the Husband
One of the clearest women’s rights in Islam is ownership: Muslim women have always kept the property they bring to a marriage or earn during it.They also keep their own family names after marriage. For example, the Prophet's ﷺ wives kept theirs: Aisha bint Abu Bakr, Hafsa bint Umar and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. Therefore, UK Muslim women who keep their maiden names follow the Sunnah, not a progressive innovation.
7. Legal Witness
Islamic law accepts women's testimony. In one specific context, financial transactions (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:282), the verse asks for two female witnesses where one male is sufficient. The verse itself explains that if one forgets, the other can remind her. Moreover, many scholars link this to women's limited involvement in commerce at the time. By contrast, in specifically female matters, such as childbirth and women's medical issues, women's testimony is uniquely authoritative.
8. Education and Scholarship
Aisha (RA) narrated 2,210 hadith and ranks among the four most prolific narrators of all time. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim" (Sunan Ibn Majah 224). In classical Arabic, this includes both men and women. Throughout Islamic history, female scholars taught at the highest level, for example Karima al-Marwaziyya and Zaynab bint al-Sha'ari. Consequently, UK Muslim women's education continues this tradition rather than departing from it.
9. Right to Work and Own Businesses
Khadijah (RA), the Prophet's ﷺ first wife and one of his most beloved Companions, was a successful businesswoman. In fact, she employed Muhammad ﷺ before she married him. Therefore, her example is the Sunnah for Muslim women in business.
10. Sanctity of Motherhood
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Paradise lies under the feet of mothers" (Sunan Ibn Majah 2781). Furthermore, when someone asked him who deserves the most kindness, he answered "Your mother" three times before saying "Your father" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5971). Clearly, Islam's elevation of motherhood is foundational.
Where Muslim Communities Have Fallen Short (An Honest Assessment)
Mainstream Sunni scholarship acknowledges a hard truth. Some Muslim communities, including parts of UK Muslim communities, practise things Islam itself prohibits:
Forced marriage. Islam forbids it, yet it still occurs in some UK communities. Karma Nirvana (UK helpline: 0800 5999 247) supports survivors.
Honour-based abuse. Islam forbids it too; it is a cultural practice in some communities. The same helpline applies.
Restricting women's education. Islam mandates education for both genders. Therefore, keeping daughters from education is cultural patriarchy, not religion.
Misuse of Surah An-Nisa' 4:34. Mainstream Sunni scholarship agrees that harming a wife is haram, and domestic violence has no place in Islam.
Excluding women from mosques. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not prevent the women of Allah from the mosques of Allah" (Sahih Muslim 442). As a result, UK mosques without women's facilities go against an explicit prophetic instruction.
Social shame around divorce, remarriage and single motherhood. Khadijah (RA) had been married twice before she married the Prophet ﷺ. In other words, the shame is cultural, not Islamic.
What British Muslim Families Can Take from This
Know your rights and responsibilities precisely. Islamic law gave women specific rights 14 centuries ago, so understand them, claim them and fulfil them.
Distinguish religion from culture. When something feels oppressive, ask whether it is Islam or cultural baggage. Often, the answer is the latter.
Educate your daughters seriously. Aisha (RA) and Khadijah (RA) set the precedent. Therefore, UK Muslim girls deserve a full education, through university and beyond.
Defend Muslim women's rights actively. If you see honour-based abuse, forced marriage or domestic violence in your community, speak up. Islam stands with you.
Build mosques and institutions that include women fully. For example, provide women's prayer halls and classrooms, and give women a voice in committee decisions.
For an inspiring example of a woman whose voice changed Islamic law, read the story of Khawla bint Thalabah.
How Eaalim Teaches Women's Rights in Islam
The Quranic verses on women's rights in Islam are part of Eaalim's standard curriculum. These include Surah An-Nisa' (chapter 4), Surah Al-Ahzab 33:35 and Surah At-Talaq. Each lesson lasts 30 minutes, or 15–20 minutes for children under seven. In addition, we schedule lessons in GMT/BST and charge in pounds. Best of all, you can start with a free trial.
Start your journey with Eaalim today!
Start 2 Free Trials
ShareFrequently Asked Questions
Ten specific rights unprecedented at the time: (1) personhood and dignity; (2) right to inherit (Quranic shares for daughters, mothers, wives, sisters); (3) right to consent in marriage (Sahih al-Bukhari 5136); (4) right to initiate divorce (khula); (5) mahr/dowry as her own property; (6) full property rights independent of husband; (7) legal witness; (8) education (Aisha (RA) narrated 2,210 hadith); (9) right to work and own businesses (Khadijah (RA) was a successful businesswoman); (10) sanctity of motherhood ('Paradise lies under the feet of mothers'). Western legal systems only matched these rights 1,200+ years later.
Yes. Pre-Islamic Arabia practised the burying of newborn baby girls in some tribes. The Quran condemned this in Surah At-Takwir 81:8-9: 'And when the girl who was buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed.' This single act of revelation ended the practice across the Arabian peninsula and established the absolute sanctity of female life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) declared that whoever raised three daughters with goodness would enter Paradise (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1916, sahih).
Yes — through khula. The Quran (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:229) and the Prophet's ruling in the case of Thabit ibn Qays's wife (Sahih al-Bukhari 5273) established a woman's right to initiate divorce when the marriage is unworkable. The wife returns the mahr; the marriage is dissolved. UK Sharia councils and recognised Muslim scholars can process khula. UK civil divorce through standard family courts is also available and recommended for legal status. Women's right to leave an abusive or unworkable marriage is established in Islamic law.
No. Forced marriage is haram. The Prophet (peace be upon him) ruled that a woman's marriage is invalid without her consent (Sahih al-Bukhari 5136). UK forced-marriage cases (still occurring in some communities) are violating Islamic law, not following it. Karma Nirvana (UK helpline 0800 5999 247) supports forced-marriage survivors; the Forced Marriage Unit of the UK government also provides assistance. Islam stands with women refusing forced marriage; UK law and the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 also do.
Yes. Khadijah (RA), the Prophet's first wife, was a successful businesswoman who employed Muhammad (peace be upon him) before marrying him. Her example is the Sunnah. Throughout Islamic history, Muslim women have worked as merchants, scholars, doctors, and public officials. UK Muslim women working as NHS doctors, teachers, lawyers, and professionals are fulfilling, not departing from, the Sunnah. Modesty in dress and conduct is required; the work itself is permitted.
This verse specifically concerns financial transactions in 7th-century Arabia, where men were typically more involved in commercial affairs and women less. The classical scholarly explanation: it accounts for the lower likelihood that a woman of that era was familiar with detailed commercial practice. In specifically female matters (childbirth, women's medical issues, women's gender-segregated affairs), women's testimony alone is authoritative. The verse is contextual to its time, not a general statement about women's reliability.
Yes — and the Islamic tradition has had female scholars from the start. Aisha (RA) narrated 2,210 hadith and corrected major male Companions. Throughout Islamic history: Karima al-Marwaziyya (a major Bukhari teacher), Zaynab bint al-Sha'ari, Fatima bint Sa'd al-Khayr, and many others taught at the highest level. UK Muslim women pursuing PhDs in Islamic studies, teaching at universities, and writing scholarly works are continuing this tradition. The hadith 'Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim' uses the Arabic word for both genders.
Because cultural practice often departs from religious teaching. The Quran and Sunnah gave women rights 14 centuries ago, but cultural patriarchy (Arab, South Asian, North African, etc.) sometimes overrode the Islamic teaching. Honest acknowledgment: forced marriage, honour-based abuse, restricting daughters' education, exclusion from mosques are cultural practices that Islam itself opposes. Mainstream Sunni scholarship in the UK and globally is increasingly clear about distinguishing religion from culture. UK Muslim families should claim their Islamic rights against cultural pressures.
Yes — and the Prophet (peace be upon him) explicitly forbade preventing women from mosques: 'Do not prevent the women of Allah from the mosques of Allah' (Sahih Muslim 442). UK mosques without proper women's facilities are violating an explicit prophetic instruction. Most major UK mosques (Regent's Park, East London Mosque's Maryam Centre, Birmingham Central, Manchester Central, Cambridge Mosque) have full women's facilities. UK Muslim women should attend Friday Jumuah, Tarawih, Eid prayers, and weekly classes regularly.
Three steps. Read the Quranic verses on women's rights directly (Surah An-Nisaʾ chapter 4, Al-Ahzab 33:35, At-Talaq, Al-Baqarah). Read scholarly works by Muslim women: Asma Lamrabet, Ingrid Mattson, Yasmin Mogahed, Karen Bauer. Discuss with qualified scholars and Muslim women in the UK community. Eaalim teaches the relevant Quranic surahs with brief context — see https://eaalim.com/free-trial. The goal is informed, confident Muslim womanhood that knows its rights and responsibilities precisely.
