Maulana Waliullah Saeedi Falahi, Secretary for Tarbiyah Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, while speaking on “Inheritance and Its Distribution” in the national capital on 28 November said it is only Islam that gives respect, dignity, equality and freedom to women. He was addressing a programme organised as part of a weeklong campaign launched by Delhi and Haryana Zone of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to make men and women, religious scholars and society as a whole aware of the Islamic way of distribution of Inheritance.
In his opening remarks, he explained the real situation of women, their plight, their suffering and their status and place in the society before the advent of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). Earlier women were treated more or less as slaves; they had no voice; they were not allowed to decide and suggest in worldly or even religious affairs. They were not allowed to move out of the four walls. They were always subjected to atrocities and untold sufferings. But it was Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) who helped them make their presence felt in all walks in family and society. And during the Prophet’s time women were treated equal at par with men; they were given respect and allowed to live life with dignity and equality.
The Jamaat leader said the so-called modern societies and the developed world that seize every opportunity to claim that they are the true advocates of democracy, equality and freedom but their claim of equality and freedom does not reflect when it comes to distribution of inheritance and women’s share therein. He emphasised that those who boast of their democracy must be aware that all the good attributes of democracy is there in Islamic governance and the modern world acquired it after getting influenced with Islamic teachings and practice of Prophet Muhammad.
On distribution of inheritance and the share of women, Maulana Saeedi said that it is only Islam that gave them equality by declaring share of women in inheritance which is absent in other systems that claim to be the champions of the women’s cause and criticise Islam on freedom of women and their equality. He urged the community to practise the inheritance law of Islam and try to convince people and society to follow it. According to him, the best way is to make marriage simple as it is in the Islamic system and adopt Islamic family system according the Islamic way and that could be a positive step forward.