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Women Cannot be Confined in Homes |
Women can only be confined in
homes as a punishment if they are guilty of lewdness
and there are at least four witnesses to prove this
charge [4:15]. Otherwise, they can not only go out
but can also do job [4:32] to earn a living if they
desire to and they can also take part in the
government [9:71;
22:41].
4/15 And as for those
who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call
to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you;
then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until
death takes them away or Allah opens someway for them.
[Note: The
punishment for men for the same offence is mentioned in
4:16. However, it is not house arrest but any other physical
punishment that is to be decide by the islamic Government
because, if men are also kept under house arrest, they will
not be able to earn a living for themselves and their
family.]
The keyword in the above
verse (4:15) is "AMSIKOO", with the root M-S-K (meem-seen-kaaf)
which means:
To retain, detain,
withhold, arrest, restrain, confine or , imprison.
Since women are to be
confined in homes only as a punishment, there confinement
without any reason would be a crime. Moreover, if the
accusation on women is false, the punishment to the accusers
is 80 lashes.
24/4 And those who
accuse chaste women then do not bring four witnesses, flog
them, (giving) eighty stripes, and do not admit any evidence
from them ever; and these it is that are the transgressors,
In 33:33, Quran says to
women:
Associate yourselves
with home...[33:33]
The key word here is "QARN",
which is different from "AMSIKOO" used in 4:15 and does not
mean to be confined (in homes) but to associate and
affiliate (with homes). The verse, however, was revealed
about the worthy wives of the Prophet [p.b.u.h].
Nevertheless, the verse formulates the principle that the
centre of woman's duties is her home, which plays a vital
role in human life. Home here does not refer to a house of
brick and mortar. But it refers to pleasant and peaceful
surroundings which are conducive to the development of finer
sentiments and for the rearing, education and training of
the coming generations. While Quran suggests that women are
to play a vital role at home, it exempts them from the
duties of earning and bearing the expenses of the family,
which it lays upon men. However, in exceptional
circumstances, Quran does not forbid women from doing job to
earn a living. It just suggests a principle of division of
labour between men and women taking into account their
biological and psychological differences.
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