The Truth About Islam and Prophet Mohammad

Little is known about the early  life of Prophet Mohammad, though much has been written and misinterpreted about the Prophet's life and message.  Stories of miracles did not feature in the actions or life of the Prophet, compared to other religious icons.  Muslims revere Mohammad as a perfect man whose life and message depicted total surrender to the will of God. Through the life and teachings of the Prophet, Muslims have learned to foster a powerful bond of solidarity and brotherhood in their devotion to the Holy Qu'ran.

Islam Laws and Sayings of Prophet Mohammad

However, during the eighth and the ninth centuries, the sayings of Prophet Mohammad were compiled by Muslim scholars into hadith and sunah. They traveled across countries constituting the Islamic Empire to discover and document as many authentic accounts of the Prophet's sayings that they could find. The Hadith and Sunah, along with the Holy Qu'ran, became the basis of the Islamic law. They also formed the foundation on which every Muslim across the world would live his life and spirituality. Some of the hadith are known to be the sayings of God Himself but they were put in the words of the Prophet. Sunnah, on the other hand, enables Muslims to draw closer to God by practising what is written in the Holy Qu'ran.

Islam's Treatment of Women

Western critics have been particularly unsparing in their criticism of Islam's treatment of women. There are complaints that the Qu'ran practices double standards in treating women equally. Western critics have cited the following facts to support their argument that Islamic law treats women unfairly:

• Prevalence of female infanticide
• Prevalence of Polygamy.
• Women were treated just like slaves who had no legal rights or existence.
• Women could be witnesses in law but their testimony was only half as valuable as that of a man.

Polygamy, Dowry and Divorce in Islamic Law

Contrary to these mistaken impressions, the Qu'ran laid down laws on how Muslim men should learn to treat women fairly. Some examples from the Holy Qu'ran are given below:

• The Qu'ran forbids the practice of female infanticide. In fact, it is one of the basic commandments of the religion.
• A man is permitted to take more than one wife only if he promises to treat them equally and administer their property equitably. Further, a man must spend the same amount of time with each of his wives.  The Qu'ran ordains man to love, respect and honor each of his wives equally. Otherwise, he should not have more than one wife.
• Dowry has to be given by the man to the woman whom he wants to marry. This is called as mahr or meher. In Karen Armstrong's famous treatise on Islam titled Prophet Mohammed, she has referred to this term as mahl. Its purpose is to ensure a woman's material security as well. To this day, Muslim women can do what they want with this dowry.  No restrictions are placed on their freedom.

Last but not the least, divorce was a right that was recognized in Islamic law long before it was recognized in any other personal laws. The option of divorce did not differentiate between men and women.