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strength, or any other value built upon unbelief are making a great mis-
take. As He says in the Qur'an: "The men and women who give charity
and make a good loan to Allah will have it increased for them, and

they will have a generous reward" (Surat al-Hadid: 18). In this verse
Allah reminds people, men as well as women, that only by living ac-
cording to the morality that He revealed in the Qur'an can they find the
true and superior reward.

Men and Women Are Equal

No doubt, every society knows all of the traditional arguments
about women's ideal role and place. Their social status and importance in
the family, whether or not they should work, and other social issues
have been discussed seemingly forever. For Muslims, these issues were
settled in the Qur'an: Men and women are equal. The facts that men and
women have different physical builds and that women are generally
weaker than men are irrelevant and cannot be used to reduce women's
value.
What truly matters in Islamic morality is not whether someone is
male or female, but whether or not he or she is a believer who fears and

respects Allah. Each believer is expected to strive to live by the Qur'an's
morality, for the results of this struggle are what Allah values and will
measure in the Hereafter. Allah reveals the qualities that all Muslims,
male or female, should have:
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong, keep up prayer and
give the alms [zakat], and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the
people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Surat at-Tawba: 71)

As Allah reveals, all Muslims, regardless of their gender, have the

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)