Queen or Commodity? The Shocking Truth About Women in Islam vs. Atheistic Materialism
“While one view reduces her to biology, the other raises her to the highest heavens.”
My beloved brothers and sisters, we live in a time of great confusion. We hear loud voices claiming that faith restricts women, while secularism liberates them. But is this true? To find the answer, we must not look at the slogans, but at the foundations.
Today, let us take a journey—a journey of logic and heart—to compare how the materialistic worldview sees a woman versus how the Almighty, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, has honored her.
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1. The Materialistic Trap: From “Homo Parietalis” to “Useless Eaters”
When we remove the Divine from the equation, what is a human being? In the atheistic or Darwinian worldview, a human is merely an evolved animal. Value is determined by biology, strength, and utility.
Even Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, could not escape this bias. In his book The Descent of Man, he famously argued that man attains a “higher eminence” than woman in whatever he takes up—whether deep thought or the use of senses.
The Dark Reality of Materialism:
“The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shown by man attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than can woman…”
— Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man (1871)
This materialistic view reached its terrifying peak in history when the value of a human was measured only by “production.” We saw this in the Nazi Aktion T4 program, where the weak, the elderly, and the disabled were labeled as “Useless Eaters.”
If there is no God and no Afterlife, then an elderly woman who can no longer work is simply a burden on resources. This is the cold logic of atheism.
2. The Islamic Elevation: A Queen in Her Home
Now, let us turn our faces toward the light of Revelation. Islam came to a world that buried daughters alive and raised women to a status that no other system has ever granted.
In Islam, a woman is not valued by her economic output or her physical strength. She is valued because she is a soul created by Allah, honored and dignified.
Consider the elderly woman whom the materialists might call a “useless eater.” In Islam, she is the key to Paradise! The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us that serving her is not a burden; it is our salvation.
A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Who among the people is most deserving of my good companionship?”
The Prophet said: “Your mother.”
The man asked, “Then who?”
The Prophet said: “Your mother.”
The man asked, “Then who?”
The Prophet said: “Your mother.”
The man asked, “Then who?”
The Prophet said: “Then your father.”
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3. Clearing the Fog: Qawamah and Polygamy
Some critics look at Islamic laws and cry “Inequality!” But they are looking through the lens of a gender war, whereas Islam looks through the lens of harmony and justice.
Qawamah: Protection, Not Oppression
When Allah ﷻ assigned Qawamah (Guardianship) to men, it was not to act as a tyrant. It was a heavy burden placed upon his shoulders to protect, provide for, and honor the woman so she may live with dignity, free from the stress of financial obligation.
Look at the beautiful words of the Messenger (ﷺ):
The Measure of a Man
“The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.”
A Note on Polygamy vs. Western Affairs
Critics attack Islam for allowing limited polygamy, yet they remain silent on the rampant “sexual anarchy” of modern society. In Islam, a second wife is a protected legal status—she has rights, honor, and inheritance. In the secular model, a mistress has nothing but secrecy and shame. Islam came to solve social problems, not to create them.
Conclusion: The Honor of the Believing Woman
My dear friends, the difference is clear. One path views a woman as a body, a commodity, or a worker who loses value when she cannot produce. The other path—the path of Allah—views her as a jewel to be protected, a mother to be revered, and a partner to be honored.
Let us not be deceived by shiny slogans. True honor is found in the obedience of our Creator.
