Position of Women

Q: The humiliating position of womenThey cannot decide whom they get married to and can be divorced any time without any formality. ... or can be exchanged for another woman. Quran 4:20 says:“And if you wish to have (one) wife in place of another and you have given one of them a heap of gold, then take not from it anything; would you take it by slandering (her) and (doing her) manifest wrong?”Women have to obey their husbands and if the husband fears she will not obey she may be beaten. Quran 4:34:" Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great."Note: "beat them (fem. pl.)" in Arabic, is often translated by "discipline her" or “scourge her” because the translator is obviously too ashamed to use the word beating.One of the four schools of Islam, namely the Shafi'i school, states without shame that the only duty of a woman is to sexually satisfy her husband. Through her dowry he gets a one-off payment. This reminds me of the oldest profession in the world. Scholars of the Shafi'i school do not make this up. They simply learn this from the Quran:Quran 4:24. “...Then as to those whom you profit by, give them their dowries as appointed...”Quran 4:20. “And if you wish to have (one) wife in place of another and you have given one of them a heap of gold, then take not from it anything; would you take it by slandering (her) and (doing her) manifest wrong?Quran 4:21. “And how can you take it when one of you has already gone in to the other and they have made with you a firm covenant?This also has been confirmed by authentic traditions of Muhammad, which clearly state that the dowry is only linked to sexual intercourse with the husband. If he divorces her after having sexual intercourse even only once, he loses this money. (Muslim, Book 9, number 3557.)

A: According to the Quran, it is necessary for the parents/guardians to take the consent of the woman in the decision of her marriage. That they do not, they will be answerable for that. Dowry is a security that a man must give his bride as an affirmation that he will love and care for her, and he is not supposed to ask back in case of divorce. Marriage is a source of peace and tranquility, as mentioned in Surah Room: 30:21 And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflectDivorce is permissible, and in such cases, the man seeking the divorce may not ask the dowry back.