Women in the Qur'an and the Bible

According to The Almanac Book of Facts, in the past decade Islam increased 235 per cent. In the
US, a recent poll determined that 100,000 people per year are converting to Islam in America
alone. For every male convert to Islam, four females convert. The vast majority of converts to
Islam are former Christians.

Muslims believe in the divine origins of both Judaism and Christianity as well as the revelations
of the Torah and the Gospels, though they no longer exist on earth in their original and pure
forms. Some experts suggest that one reason many Christian women are embracing Islam is
because they are discovering the vast differences between what the scriptures of the religions say
about the female gender.

Orthodox Jewish men, in their daily morning prayer, recite "Blessed be God King of the
universe that Thou has not made me a woman." The women, on the other hand, thank God every
morning for "making me according to Thy will."

Why is it such a shame to be a woman? Where did this aversion to being female originate? Let's
look first at the original woman, the mother of us all, Eve. Judaism, Islam and Christianity all
teach that she was created from the rib of our father Adam. However, the discrepancies in belief
start with the first sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
The Bible blames Eve for the Original sin, which Christians believe all people inherit and are
tainted with at birth. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." (Genesis 3:6) "And the man
(Adam) said (to God) The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I
did eat." (Genesis 3:12)

The Catholic Bible states, "No wickedness comes anywhere near the wickedness of a
woman.....Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die." (Ecclesiasticus 25:19, 24)
In Islamic belief, there is no such thing as an inherent original sin; in fact, Islam teaches that
every human is born pure and free from any sin. Muslims also believe that every child is born a
Muslim, which means he is in a state of submission to His Lord, The Creator. For that reason,
many converts to Islam prefer to call themselves reverts. As far as the first sin, it was Satan who
tricked both Adam and Eve.

The Qur'an says: "Then Satan whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that
which was hidden from them of their private parts; he said: 'Your Lord did not forbid you this
tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals.' And he swore by God to them
both: 'Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.' So he misled them with
deception" (Qur'an 7:20-21)

God had warned Adam and Eve not to eat from this tree. Their mistake was listening to Satan,
who convinced them by swearing by God. God sent them down to earth to dwell, but the Qur'an
explains that they repented to their Lord and were forgiven."Then they both ate of the tree, and
so their private parts became manifest to them, and they began to cover themselves with the
leaves of Paradise for their covering. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray. Then
his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance." (Qur'an
20:121-122)

Should Women Speak Up or Keep Silent? Eve was the first of women and mother of us all but
what more do the scriptures say about the position of women in general. The following points
illustrate the position of women as it appears in the scriptures, not necessarily as practised by the
adherents of these religions around the world today. These verses are quite informative,
especially considering the fact that the worldwide media usually presents Muslim women as
being oppressed. Delving into the very revelation of the Qur'an, one finds that several verses of
the Qur'an were revealed in direct response to the concerns of women.

For example, in the Qur'an, Allah, Himself, responds to the complaint of a woman who argues
with the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her (Khaulah
bint Tha'labah) that disputes with you (O Muhammad) concerning her husband, and complains
to God. And God hears the argument between you both. Verily, God is All-Hearer, All-Seer."
(Qur'an 58:1)

This Muslim woman argues with the Prophet (PBUH) and her complaint is acknowledged
through divine revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. The Bible, on the other hand, says that
women must never speak in church: "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
women to speak in church." (I Corinthians 14:33-34) "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to
usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And
Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in transgression." (Timothy 2:12-13)

How can a woman learn if she is not even allowed to speak? What happens to the rights of a
woman if her only source of knowledge is her husband? Islam forbids a man from preventing his
wife from going to the mosque, this protects the rights of women by ensuring that they have
direct access to knowledge. Women used to approach the Prophet (PBUH) directly and ask him
whatever they wanted to know about religious matters.

The Catholic Bible states that, "A man who educates his son will be the envy of his enemy."
(Ecclesiasticus 30:3) But, if a man has a daughter none will envy him, as this Bible boldly states
that "The birth of a daughter is a loss." (Sirach 22:3)

The Qur'an, on the other hand, exemplifies the equal blessing of both the male and the female
child. "He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon
whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills.
Verily, Allah is All-Knower and is Able to do all things." (Qur'an 42:49-50)

One of the wickedest customs of the pagan Arabs was to bury their baby daughters alive to cover
up the "shame" of having had a female child. What a liberation it was for girls when Islam came
to wipe out this practice. God put the shame exactly where it belonged by revealing these verses
about Judgment Day, "And when the female (infant) buried alive is questioned for what sin she
was killed." (Qur'an 81:8-9).
 How to Become Muslim

If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction

and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah
(SWT) for all human beings, then, one should pronounce that
"Shahada" (The testimony of faith) without further delay.

The Shahada can be declared as follows:

''ASH-HADU ANLAA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH, WA ASH HADU
ANNA MUHAMMADAN ABDUHU WA RASUULUH."

The English translation is:

"I bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshipped but
Allah, and I bear witness the Muhammad is His servant and
messenger.''

However, it would not be sufficient for anyone to utter only this

testimony orally either in private or in public, but rather, one should
believe in it by heart with a firm conviction with the teachings of
Islam in all his life he will find himself a new born person, (or new
man).

Best Wishes
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