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وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَىٰ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And not We sent before you, but men We revealed to them from (among) (the) people (of) the townships. So have not they traveled in the earth and seen how was (the) end (of) those who (were) before them? And surely the home (of) the Hereafter (is) best for those who fear Allah. Then will not you use reason?
[Al-Quran 12:109]
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And not We sent before you except men, We revealed to them, so ask (the) people (of) the Reminder if you (do) not know. With the clear proofs and the Books. And We sent down to you the Remembrance, that you may make clear to the mankind, what has been sent down to them and that they may reflect.
[Al-Quran 16:43-44]
Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى chooses from and sends men on public tasks. Be it being the qawam (Q4:34) of their women, or the khalifa (Q2:30, Q38:26) of the Earth, all public tasks have been assigned to men. Adam عليه السلام was a man, and all the prophets and messengers, who were all from his descendants, were all men. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the seal of the prophets, and so he was not granted any adult male offspring (Q33:40). Men are assigned the task of establishing prayers in mosques (Q24:36-38), and it is who men who are under a covenant, and the believing men keep their covenant and go to battle (Q33:23) to fight oppression and establish Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى 's Deen.
Even the angels, serving Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى , are males:
اَمِ اتَّخَذَ مِمَّا يَخۡلُقُ بَنٰتٍ وَّاَصۡفٰٮكُمۡ بِالۡبَنِيۡنَ ١٦
وَاِذَا بُشِّرَ اَحَدُهُمۡ بِمَا ضَرَبَ لِلرَّحۡمٰنِ مَثَلًا ظَلَّ وَجۡهُهٗ مُسۡوَدًّا وَّهُوَ كَظِيۡمٌ ١٧
اَوَمَنۡ يُّنَشَّؤُا فِى الۡحِلۡيَةِ وَهُوَ فِى الۡخِصَامِ غَيۡرُ مُبِيۡنٍ ١٨
وَجَعَلُوا الۡمَلٰٓٮِٕكَةَ الَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ عِبَادُ الرَّحۡمٰنِ اِنَاثًا ؕ اَشَهِدُوۡا خَلۡقَهُمۡ ؕ سَتُكۡتَبُ شَهَادَتُهُمۡ وَيُسۡـَٔــلُوۡنَ ١٩
Or has He taken, out of what He has created, daughters and chosen you for [having] sons?
And when one of them is given good tidings of that which he attributes to the Most Merciful in comparison [i.e., a daughter], his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.
So is one brought up in ornaments while being during conflict unevident1 [attributed to Allāh]?
And they described the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, as females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned.
[Al-Quran 43:16-19]
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اَفَرَءَيۡتُمُ اللّٰتَ وَالۡعُزّٰىۙ ١٩
وَمَنٰوةَ الثَّالِثَةَ الۡاُخۡرٰى ٢٠
اَلَـكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الۡاُنۡثٰى ٢١
تِلۡكَ اِذًا قِسۡمَةٌ ضِيۡزٰى ٢٢
اِنۡ هِىَ اِلَّاۤ اَسۡمَآءٌ سَمَّيۡتُمُوۡهَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ وَاٰبَآؤُكُمۡ مَّاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰهُ بِهَا مِنۡ سُلۡطٰنٍؕ اِنۡ يَّتَّبِعُوۡنَ اِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى الۡاَنۡفُسُۚ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَهُمۡ مِّنۡ رَّبِّهِمُ الۡهُدٰىؕ ٢٣
So have you considered al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā?
And Manāt, the third - the other one?
Is the male for you and for Him the female?
That, then, is an unjust division.
They are not but [mere] names you have named them - you and your forefathers - for which Allāh has sent down no authority. They follow not except assumption and what [their] souls desire, and there has already come to them from their Lord guidance.
[Al-Quran 53:19-23]
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اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِالۡاٰخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّوۡنَ الۡمَلٰٓٮِٕكَةَ تَسۡمِيَةَ الۡاُنۡثٰى ٢٧
وَمَا لَهُمۡ بِهٖ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍؕ اِنۡ يَّتَّبِعُوۡنَ اِلَّا الظَّنَّۚ وَاِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغۡنِىۡ مِنَ الۡحَـقِّ شَيۡـًٔـاۚ ٢٨
Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter name the angels female names,
And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.
[Al-Quran 53:27-28]
Mary (Maryam عليها السلام) was dedicated by her mother for Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى 's service when she was in the womb, and the mother didn't know that she was going to bear a female child. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى graciously accepted the dedicated child (Q3:37), chose her above all women of all the worlds (Q3:42), and made her the mother of the Messiah Isa عليه السلام .
Even when infant Jesus (Isa عليه السلام) was brought by his mother Mary (Maryam عليها السلام) in front of the people, she was not asked to speak, rather the male infant spoke and explained himself, as quoted in Surah Maryam:
فَاَتَتۡ بِهٖ قَوۡمَهَا تَحۡمِلُهٗؕ قَالُوۡا يٰمَرۡيَمُ لَقَدۡ جِئۡتِ شَيۡـًٔـا فَرِيًّا ٢٧
يٰۤـاُخۡتَ هٰرُوۡنَ مَا كَانَ اَ بُوۡكِ امۡرَاَ سَوۡءٍ وَّمَا كَانَتۡ اُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا ۖ ۚ ٢٨
فَاَشَارَتۡ اِلَيۡهِ ؕ قَالُوۡا كَيۡفَ نُـكَلِّمُ مَنۡ كَانَ فِى الۡمَهۡدِ صَبِيًّا ٢٩
قَالَ اِنِّىۡ عَبۡدُ اللّٰهِ ؕ اٰتٰٮنِىَ الۡكِتٰبَ وَجَعَلَنِىۡ نَبِيًّا ۙ ٣٠
Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, "O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented.
O sister [i.e., descendant] of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
So she pointed to him. They said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?"
[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allāh. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
وَّجَعَلَنِىۡ مُبٰـرَكًا اَيۡنَ مَا كُنۡتُ وَاَوۡصٰنِىۡ بِالصَّلٰوةِ وَالزَّكٰوةِ مَا دُمۡتُ حَيًّا ۖ ٣١ وَّبَرًّۢا بِوَالِدَتِىۡ وَلَمۡ يَجۡعَلۡنِىۡ جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا ٣٢ وَالسَّلٰمُ عَلَىَّ يَوۡمَ وُلِدْتُّ وَيَوۡمَ اَمُوۡتُ وَيَوۡمَ اُبۡعَثُ حَيًّا ٣٣ ذٰ لِكَ عِيۡسَى ابۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ ۚ قَوۡلَ الۡحَـقِّ الَّذِىۡ فِيۡهِ يَمۡتَرُوۡنَ ٣٤ مَا كَانَ لِلّٰهِ اَنۡ يَّتَّخِذَ مِنۡ وَّلَدٍۙ سُبۡحٰنَهٗؕ اِذَا قَضٰٓى اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوۡلُ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُؕ ٣٥ وَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ رَبِّىۡ وَرَبُّكُمۡ فَاعۡبُدُوۡهُ ؕ هٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٌ ٣٦
And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakāh as long as I remain alive And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive." That is Jesus, the son of Mary - the word of truth about which they are in dispute. It is not [befitting] for Allāh to take a son; exalted is He! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it, "Be," and it is. [Jesus said], "And indeed, Allāh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path."
[Al-Quran 19:27-36]
Mary (Maryam عليها السلام), mother of Jesus (Messiah Isa عليه السلام), is the only woman mentioned by name in The Quran. Even the names of all other women been kept away from the public domain, regardless of their piety or otherwise. They are simply referred to by their husband or father's names.
Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى has created men and women for specialised roles. Each has been granted qualities and abilities suited to their roles. We have all been created to serve Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى , and each one has a role to play. We can best serve Him by submitting to His rules and regulations, and staying within the boundaries and limits He has set for us.
Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى has neither forbidden nor encouraged public roles for women. He knows that not all men will be pious enough to shoulder their responsibilities, and some women will need to step out of their homes to make ends meet. We should try our best to avoid public roles for women, as far as possible, to maintain the ideal social system created by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى .
Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى knows best.
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Also read:
The Covenant & Its Ratification
