In the Name of Allāh, the Ever Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy
Question (truncated and edited for clarity):
Is the following commentary on 30:21 by Razi an accurate one? … Is this the reason why women are charged with less commands than men?
Answer:
No, ar-Rāzī’s commentary here is not accurate. And his reasoning is not the reason. His exegesis regarding that āyah contains truth mixed with error, and the verse itself is sufficient to refute what goes beyond its meaning.
Let us compare what he says with what Allāh (جل وعلا) says.
Fakhr ad-Dīn ar-Rāzī said the following:
When Allāh explained the creation of the human being, He made clear that since the human being was created and is not among the things that endure and last for many long years, He perpetuated his species through individuals and made him such that he procreates. So when the father dies, the son takes his place, so that the loss of one does not cause a breach in civilization that cannot be repaired.
In this verse there are several points:The first point: His saying, “He created for you,” is evidence that women were created like the creation of animals, plants, and other sources of benefit, just as the Almighty said: “He created for you whatever is on the earth” [Sūrat al-Baqarah, verse 29]. This implies that they were not created for worship and religious obligation. So we say: The creation of women is a blessing for us, and their creation for us and their being obligated with religious duties is for the completion of the blessing upon us, not for directing the religious obligation toward them as it is directed toward us. This is based on transmitted texts, legal rulings, and meaning. As for transmitted texts, this verse and others serve as evidence. As for legal rulings, because woman is not burdened with as many obligations as man is. As for meaning, because woman is weak in constitution and light in intellect, thus resembling a child. However, the child is not obligated, so it would be fitting that woman not be deemed capable of religious obligation. But the blessing upon us would not be complete unless they were obligated with religious duties so that each one of them fears punishment, thus submits to her husband and refrains from what is forbidden. Were it not for that, corruption would appear.
The second point: His saying, “from yourselves.” Some commentators say that what is meant is that Ḥawwāʾ was created from the body of Adam. The correct view is that what is meant is “from your own kind,” as the Almighty said: “There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves” [Sūrat at-Tawbah, verse 128]. This is supported by His saying, “that you may find tranquility in them,” meaning that two living beings of different genders do not find tranquility with one another—that is, one’s soul does not settle with the other nor does one’s heart incline toward the other—unless they are of the same kind.The third point: It is said, “sakana ilayhi” (he found tranquility toward him/her) for emotional tranquility, and “sakana ‘indahu” (he found tranquility at him/her) for physical tranquility. This is because the word “‘inda” is used for spatial location, which pertains to bodies, while “ila” indicates direction or goal, which pertains to hearts.
The fourth point: His saying, “and He placed between you affection and mercy.” There are several interpretations. Some say: affection through sexual intimacy and mercy through children, holding onto the Almighty’s saying: “Mention the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyah” [Sūrah Maryam, verse 2]. Others say: affection is the love one feels when in need of the other for oneself, and mercy is the compassion one feels when the other is in need of him. This is because a person might love his child, for example, and then if he sees his enemy suffering from hunger and pain, he might take from his child and improve that enemy’s condition. That is not caused by affection but rather by mercy. It is also possible to say: The verse mentions two matters. One: that the spouse is of one’s own kind. Two: what results from that shared kind, which is tranquility. So shared kind necessitates tranquility. Then He mentions two further matters here: one leads to the other. Affection comes first, then it leads to mercy. For this reason, a wife may exit the realm of sexual desire due to old age or illness, yet the husband continues to care for her, and vice versa. His saying, “Indeed in that,” could mean: indeed in the creation of spouses there are signs, or it could mean: indeed in the placing of affection and mercy between them there are signs.
As for the first interpretation, it necessitates reflection because the creation of a human being from two parents indicates perfect power, the execution of will, and encompassing knowledge for anyone who reflects, even on the emergence of a child from the mother’s womb. For if that were done by anyone other than Allāh, it would lead to the destruction of the mother and the destruction of the child as well. Because if the child were pulled from a narrow place without Allāh’s assistance, it would die. As for the second interpretation, likewise, because a person finds between two spouses a degree of mutual compassion that he does not find even between blood relatives. And that is not merely due to sexual desire, for that desire may disappear while mercy remains. So it is from Allāh. If only desire and anger existed between them, which frequently occur and which nullify desire, and desire is not permanent in itself, then every moment there would be separation and divorce between them. So the mercy by which a person repels hardships from his family and those under his protection is from Allāh, and this is not known except through thought.
Reference: al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr aw Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb.
Allāh (جل وعلا) says:
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. Sūrat al-Rūm, 30:21.
Reflect upon His (سبحانه وتعالى) saying: “from yourselves.” Had the intent been merely that women were created as He (جل في علاه) creates beasts, crops, and worldly benefits for use, He would not have said “from yourselves”. Rather, He distinguished the spouse from the rest of created things by clarifying that she is from your own kind, your own جنس, your own human nature. This is like His saying regarding the Messenger (ﷺ):
Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to Allāh, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire); for the believers (he صلى الله عليه وسلم is) full of pity, kind, and merciful. Sūrat al-Tawbah, 9:128.
“A messenger from among yourselves.” Meaning, one of your own kind, not foreign to you. Thus the meaning is not created for mere utilisation, like cattle or vegetation. Rather, He created spouses from the same human origin so that there may occur intimacy, familiarity, repose, and harmony. As Ibn Kathīr notes in his exegesis on this āyah, had one spouse been from another kind, there would be aversion and estrangement, not tranquility.
And this is why He (سبحانه وتعالى) said: “that you may find tranquility in them.” Tranquility is not the language of ownership over a tool, nor mere utility. Rather it is the repose of one soul with another suited to it. Then He (جل في علاه) said: “and He placed between you affection and mercy.” So the verse indicates similarity in origin and humanity, not that one is like livestock or vegetation created merely as an instrument for the other. Allāh did not say affection from one side only, nor mercy from one side only, but between you, thus making the matter reciprocal.
Hence, whoever interprets the verse as though the woman was mentioned only as a utility for the man has neglected part of what the verse establishes.
As for the claim that women were not created for worship, or that their obligations are only legislated so they submit to men and avoid corruption, this is false. For Allāh says:
I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt, 51:56.
This includes male and female without distinction in the origin of its obligation. Women are addressed by the commands and prohibitions just as men are, and are rewarded and punished accordingly.
And Allāh (جل وعلا) also says:
Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allāh often and the women who do so – for them Allāh has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, 33:35.
In this verse, Allāh mentions men and women together in both accountability and reward. Thus, woman is addressed by revelation just as man is addressed by revelation, each according to what is appropriate and suitable for them.
Yes, there are matters in which women are exempted from certain obligations, whereby the Sharīʿah differentiates between the two sexes in some rulings according to divine wisdom, justice, and created nature. This distinction is not arbitrary, nor does it imply inferiority or exclusion from worship. Rather, Allāh (جل وعلا) created men and women with differing constitutions, capacities, responsibilities, and dispositions, and thus legislated for each what is most suitable and beneficial.
Thus, the Sharīʿah took into consideration matters connected to the nature of women, such as pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation, nursing, emotional disposition, and the burdens connected to family care and upbringing. Likewise, it considered differences in physical constitution, endurance, and the responsibilities ordinarily placed upon men in matters such as financial maintenance, protection, and public obligations.
For this reason, certain obligations were lightened for women, such as exemption from military combat, certain congregational duties, and obligations connected to financial maintenance. Likewise, prayer and fasting are lifted during menstruation. But these distinctions are not because women were created merely for men, nor because they are outside the sphere of worship and accountability. Rather, they are from the perfection of Allāh’s wisdom and mercy, giving each soul what accords with its nature and responsibility.
If the Sharīʿah had imposed identical responsibilities in every matter despite differences in constitution and role, this itself would conflict with wisdom and justice. Thus, the differentiation found in the Sharīʿah is not oppression, but balance, harmony, and proper placement of duties according to created disposition.
And as for what is mentioned regarding deficiency of intellect or religion, then this is restricted to what the texts themselves explain, and it is not a rukhṣa/license to describe all women as childish, irrational, or akin to those devoid of understanding.
The Messenger (ﷺ) said:
Women are the counterparts of men. Sunan at-Tirmidhī 113.
Meaning, that they share with men in the foundations of religion, accountability, and in their responsibilities, except where evidence distinguishes between them.
So al-Rāzī is correct insofar as he recognises that some rulings differ between men and women according to their created dispositions. But he erred when he extended this into claims not established by the verse itself, such as portraying women as though their creation and religious obligation are merely subsidiary to men.
The Qurʾān affirms something greater and more balanced, namely, that spouses are created from one kind, for mutual tranquility, with affection and mercy placed between them by Allāh Himself.
This is the meaning indicated by the verse, and Allāh knows best.
— Answered by Abū Dilāra Naief al-ʿAydarūs.
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