Does Islam Believe in gender equality?
Short answer:
Islam does not use the modern framework of gender equality as it is commonly understood today, and to judge the religion based on today’s standards would be presentism, which is inappropriate.
What is presentism?
Presentism is the interpretation and judgement of historical events in terms of modern values and concepts.
longer, more accurate answer:
Islam operates on a framework of moral equality and legal equity, NOT identical roles or outcomes.
this article explains:
What “gender equality” actually means in modern discourse
What Islam clearly affirms
Where Islam differentiates between men and women, and why
What people usually mean by “gender equality”
In modern usage, gender equality often implies:
Identical legal treatment
Identical social roles
Identical expectations and outcomes in most, if not all situations
In other words, sameness.
This framework developed largely as a response to real injustices faced by women in many societies.
When people ask “Does Islam believe in gender equality?”, they are usually asking:
| Does Islam treat men and women the same in all roles, rights, and responsibilities?
Islam’s answer to that question is quite nuanced, but ultimately, no.
what islam explicitly affirms
Before addressing differences, it’s important to establish what Islam clearly and unequivocally affirms. With regards to spiritual and moral equality, Islam teaches that:
Men and women are equally accountable before Allah (SWT)
Taqwa (piety), not gender, determines moral rank
Both genders are addressed directly in revelation
Both receive reward and punishment equally
Surah An-Nahl (16:97):
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًۭا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌۭ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.
Therefore, gender holds no spiritual worth in Islam.
where islam differentiates - and why this matters
Islam DOES in fact distinguish between men and women in certain legal and social rulings. But as you read, keep in mind - DIFFERENCE IN ISLAMIC LAW IS BASED ON RESPONSIBILITY AND OBLIGATION, NOT VALUE.
1. financial responsibility
In Islam, men are obligated to financially provide for their families - this obligation exists regardless of the woman’s wealth - a woman’s personal wealth is hers and hers alone.
This is why financial duties are heavier on men, and why certain rulings, especially those pertaining to inheritance, differ.
2. marriage roles
Islam urges the husband to treat his wife with kindness and goodness, and that she has rights over husband the same way he has rights over her, except that he has a ‘degree’ (of responsibility) over her. This degree pertains to his added responsibility of spending on her and their children, as well as taking care of the family’s affairs.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:228):
وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌۭ ۗ
“And due to them (the wives) is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable. But the men (husbands) have a degree over them (in responsibility and authority).”
Aisha (RA) Narrated: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The best of you is the best to his wives, and I am the best of you to my wives, and when your companion dies, leave him alone." [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, 3895]
Surah An-Nisa’ (4:19):
وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ
“And live with them (wives) in kindness.”
These are some examples that express the intention behind the difference in roles and responsibilities in Islam. By acknowledging the “spirit” of the message, and not looking at it under the lens of presentism, it is easy to acknowledge that Islam has valued the woman by commanding the husband to provide for her, that she should not ever NEED to work or provide for the family.
3. legal differences
Legal differences in Islam are often misunderstood. Topics such as inheritance and leadership roles get taken out of context and viewed as inequality, and never considered as bringing with them ‘justice’ and ‘fairness’.
It is also paramount to acknowledge that by only taking some rulings and considerations of Islam, and ignoring others, the balance is often lost. In today’s society, it is often the case (in Western lands) that the couple lives a life dependent on riba (interest), which is haram. Be it credit card debt, mortgages, loans, or any other such financial burdens, in order to live a life outside of their means. It is often due to such ties that many modern Islamic marriages require for the wife to work alongside the husband. When this is the case, it is not difficult to understand why certain rules that grant the husband rights over the wife seem misplaced or unfair, as she is fulfilling his role with him, and therefore his value is slightly diminished.
When applied correctly and fully, Islamic rulings are the most just and fair, as they acknowledge the value and role of each gender. In a proper Islamic society, the home is conceptualized as a protected domain in which the woman’s financial security is guaranteed, and her labor is not legally commodified or demanded. Keeping the home together, raising the children, and taking care of her husband when he comes home from work are more befitting than a NEED to leave her home for work. Likewise, the man works, as much as needed to care for and provide for his family, and comes home to his wife and children, treating them with kindness (as the Prophet ﷺ urged the husbands to do), and living within his means, and not relying on interest to provide.
If Islam were to be followed to such an accurate degree, it would only then be just for the man to receive larger inheritance, as he has a family to provide for, whereas the woman will have another man providing for her.
And with regards to leadership:
Surah An-Nisa’ (4:34):
ٱلرِّجَالُ قَوَّٰمُونَ عَلَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ وَبِمَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ مِنْ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ ۚ
Men are in charge of women1 by [right of] what Allāh has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth.
Imagine you are taking a university-level course, and the university makes a mistake and there are two professors teaching the same students in the same hall at the same time, and they get to a topic where they do not see eye-to-eye. How does the situation resolve, unless one forces their way and oppresses the other, or one lets go of their rights, only to hold resentment in their heart towards the other. BUT if the Dean were to give a clear directive for one professor to concede their opinion in rare occurrences of disagreement, that then becomes a mercy from the dean that the weight of the matter has been removed from both professors, allowing them to continue in harmony.
Such is the case with marriages in Islam. Islam was revealed at a time where oppressing women’s rights was the norm, both within Arab lands and without.
When Islam was revealed, Judaism did NOT allow daughters to inherit IF there were sons to inherit. Daughters inheriting was possible only if there were no sons present. Similarly, during the same time period, having adopted the Roman law for inheritance, Christianity allowed daughters to inherit property, with caveats. Oftentimes male guardianship was required, restricting her control, and it was often the case that even then, women would be pressured into transferring their properties to husbands or male relatives. Worse than that, Arabian tradition gave little to no rights to women, treating them as objects to discard.
Islam restructured the inheritance system by bringing rights and allowances for women that they previously did not have.
Another commonly raised point of contention concerns the verse in the Qur’an that states that, in the context of testimony, one man may be equated with two women. While a full legal treatment of this issue is extensive, its proper understanding becomes clearer when the verse is read in context.
The ayah in question does not address all forms of testimony. If it did, this would necessarily apply to figures such as ʿĀʾishah (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhā), one of the foremost authorities in hadith transmission and legal knowledge in Islam — a conclusion no scholar has ever held.
Rather, the verse specifically concerns financial transactions and debt documentation, a sphere that, at the time of revelation, was overwhelmingly managed by men. Because formal financial dealings were often outside the everyday experience of many women, the Qur’an accounts for the possibility of confusion in such matters. The requirement of two women, therefore, functions as a procedural safeguard tied to context and familiarity, not as a judgment on intelligence, honesty, or moral capacity.
Some scholars and contemporary mufassiroon (exegetes), such as Sheikh Nouman Ali Khan, have additionally suggested that witness intimidation was common in such disputes, and that requiring two women to testify together also served as a protective measure, strengthening their position in an otherwise hostile legal environment.
As well, classical mufassiroon such as Ibn Kathīr explain that this ruling pertains specifically to financial contracts and serves as a procedural safeguard against error or confusion, rather than a judgment on intellectual capacity or honesty.
To summarize, Islam does not agree with gender equality, but rather an application of justice and fairness that benefits the man and the woman in accordance with gender roles, as well as with cognitive and emotional capacity. Islamic law treated women as independent legal subjects in a way that was unprecedented in much of the surrounding world. In an age where women fought for the right to work, we regularly now see many women who curse this movement as they recognize the value of being taken care of and not having to strive and work everyday in conditions that are not always ideal.
This explanation reflects the understanding of scholars and the available evidences. Ultimate knowledge and judgment belong to Allah (SWT) alone.
-IslamIQ does not give fatwas, rather, we collect and present information from the Qur’an, the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ, and the interpretations and conclusions of major, acknowledged scholars of Islam.
