Early reforms
Main article:
Early reforms under Islam
During the
early reforms under Islam in the 7th century, reforms in
women's rights affected
marriage,
divorce and
inheritance.
[17] Women were not accorded with such legal status in other cultures, including the West, until centuries later.
[18] The Oxford Dictionary of Islam states that the general improvement of the status of Arab women included prohibition of
female infanticide and recognizing women's full personhood.
[19] "The
dowry, previously regarded as a bride-price paid to the father, became a nuptial gift retained by the wife as part of her personal property."
[17][20] Under Islamic law, marriage was no longer viewed as a "status" but rather as a "
contract", in which the woman's consent was imperative.
[17][20][21] "Women were given inheritance rights in a
patriarchal society that had previously restricted inheritance to male relatives."
[17] Annemarie Schimmel states that "compared to the pre-Islamic position of women, Islamic legislation meant an enormous progress; the woman has the right, at least according to the letter of the law, to administer the wealth she has brought into the family or has earned by her own work."
[22] William Montgomery Watt states that Muhammad, in the historical context of his time, can be seen as a figure who testified on behalf of
womenÂ’s rights and improved things considerably. Watt explains: "At the time Islam began, the conditions of women were terrible - they had no
right to own property, were supposed to be the property of the man, and if the man died everything went to his sons." Muhammad, however, by "instituting rights of property ownership, inheritance, education and divorce, gave women certain basic safeguards."
[23] Haddad and
Esposito state that "Muhammad granted women rights and privileges in the sphere of
family life, marriage, education, and economic endeavors, rights that help improve women's status in society."
[24]
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