An Ideal Muslim Woman: A Study from Islamic and Contemporary Perspectives

Abstract

This article is an attempt to divulge the personality of an exemplary Muslim woman illustrated in Qur’an and Sunnah. Qualitative and Abductive research approach is applied for the collection and analysis of data. The systematic review of literature reveals that Quran and Sunnah have given the series of characteristics which make an honorable, upright, virtuous, meritorious, excellent, refined, noble, matchless and balanced Muslim woman. An ideal Muslim woman is well aware of her obligations towards Allah and herself, her parents, husband, children, sisters, friends, neighbors, relatives and her society. She fully understands the major dimensions of her role as a daughter, wife and mother. As an ideal daughter, she comprehends her responsibilities towards her parents and deal with them in terms of care, respect, sympathy, obedience and kindness. Being a wife, she with her husband, behaves in an intelligent, venerating, caring, loving and respectful way. She never reveals her secrets and assists him in doing good deeds. She does not waste any opportunity to make her husband happy. As a mother, she utilizes all of her efforts in upbringing the children according to Islamic commandments. She develops good morals and ethics to make them an ideal Muslim. In keeping view the above theme, the article has carefully been divided into three sections. The first will reflect the status and position of woman in Islam; the second will deal with the major dimensions of woman’s life with special reference to Quran and Sunnah. The third will briefly look into the contemporary hardships being faced by the Muslim woman and method of their treatment. The contemporary prevailing patterns of thought and behaviour regarding status and position of woman will also be critically analyzed in this section by consulting scholarly literature on Islam. Subsequently, in the light of cited work, the research will give some suggestions and recommendations to depict the portrait of an exemplary woman as defined in Quran and Sunnah.