The Status of Women in the Pre-Islamic and Islamic Eras

Abstract

Before Islam, women were treated as property of men and deprived of basic rights, such as inheritance and social participation. In Assyrian and Sumerian societies, women were fully subordinate and often treated harshly. In the pre-Islamic era, women faced severe injustices, including practices like female infanticide and confiscation of their dowries. Marriage and divorce were unregulated, making women dependent on men.

In more advanced societies like India and China, despite relative civilization, women remained marginalized. In India, they were burned with their husband’s body after his death, and in China, they were considered the property of men.

Islam came to change this reality, granting women equal rights with men, such as inheritance and financial independence, and establishing regulations for marriage and divorce. The Quran emphasized the dignity of women, as seen in stories like that of Mary, whom God chose and honored.