The term of Empowerment of women is a very popular and classical issue at present world. Its importance has been discussed in many dimensions and also every religion towards all over the world. The empowerment of women in Islam has clearly been discussed. It is stated extensively compared to the other religions. The world history also supports that the contribution of women bears a great important role to the advancement and improvement of human cultures & civilizations. In fact, this topic is evolved from the information's of Islam with other religions as Islam explains it clearly (Chowdury, 2018).

Women empowerment refers to developing and flourishing the political, economic, social, and legal power of the women, to assure equal-right to women, and to make them certain enough to demand their rights, such as: have equal communal status in the society, to make their own decisions, have equal rights to participate in social, religious and public activities, get equal advantage for education, have equal rights for social and economic fairness, have complete control of their life and outside of their home and workplace, freely live their life with a sense of respect and dignity, get safe and satisfied working environment, determine financial choices, get equal employment convenience without any gender bias.

Economic Empowerment of Women in Islam

The Rights of Inheritance

Accordingly, the law of inheritance or the rights of inheritance in relation to the provision of economic empowerment of women in Islam is one of the constitutional provisions alike that must be implemented in Islam as per the guidance of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In Islamic perspective, the law or rights of inheritance implies that how the wealth of parents after their demise or at their presence could be distributed among their children of male or female. The Holy Quran says that

"Allah commands you as regard your children's (inheritance); to the male, a portion equal to that of two females; if (there are) only daughters, two or more, their share is two thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is half."

(Sura Nisa:11).

The above verse of the Holy Quran firmly insists on the economic empowerment of women through the distribution of wealth being derived from their parents and ensures the rights of inheritance of the women in Islam. According to the above verse of the Holy Quran, if there is only one daughter left after the demise of the parents, she can be eligible to possess the half of the wealth distributed from the parents and the share of the wealth distributed varies on the basis of the number of children in the family.

The entire share received by the women from their parents can be saved as capital and invested independently in any of the economic activities. As a result, further economic empowerment of the women can be strengthened by this provision of law of inheritance in Islam.

The Rights of Mahr

The Mahr is a compulsory amount of money or property or any types of wealth (gold, silver, land, etc.) that must be given by the bridegroom to the bride at the time matrimonial ceremony. The Holy Quran says:

"And give to the women (whom you marry) their Mahr (obligatory bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with a good heart".

(Sura Nisa: 4)

This money or any type of wealth is compulsory at the time of marriage. Without this type of payment at the time of matrimonial ceremony, a bridegroom can't marry a bride at any circumstances without prepaying the Mahr (the obligatory payment) to bride. Along with the accompaniment of the happiness at starting the family life of women, the accumulation of wealth to empower the women economically gets collected from this right. The husband of the women can't intervene or don't have any power over the richness of the women in Islam even if he is needful. But he is only the responsible for the maintenance of the entire family whether he is economically rich or poor. Anyhow, there are no any barriers in Islam to voluntarily support for her husband. The Holy Quran says:

"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allah 7 orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property, etc.)." (Sura Nisa:34)

The above verse of the Holy Quran insists on the maintenance and protection of the women through the means of the husband not through the means of the women in Islam. So that the richness and financial capability of the women are safeguarded further by this verse.

Rights to work and earn

The women in Islam are not restricted to work and earn according to the guidance of the Holy Quran and also by following the correct cultural practices implemented on the basis of guidance of the Holy Quran. Accordingly, she is religiously entitled to own her wealth and to operate her own business.

Khadija bint Khuwaylid was the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Khadija was a merchant by inherited of her father. Khadija earned many titles, the most common three were: A meerat-Quraish (Princess of Quraish) and al-Tahira (The Pure One), and Khadija Al-Kubra (Khadija the Great) and was said to have had an impeccable character.

Women were never forbidden from trading in Islam. During the Prophet Muhammad's time there were many well known women traders like Umm Al-Munzir Bint-E-Qais, Asmah binti Makhzemah bin Jandal and during the rule of Sayyidina Umar, a woman trader Al-Shifa bint e Muawiz was elected "commandant" of Madinah market (Abbas, 2012). Other women such as Khaula, Lakhmia, Thaqafia, and Bint Makhramah traded in oriental oil-based perfumes.

Saudah, the Prophet's wife, was an expert in lather tanning skins. She sold her tanned goods to trading caravans and local men throughout Medina. A companion named Quila said to the Prophet, "I am a woman who buys and sells things." Then she asked several questions about buying and selling. The wife of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud met her expenses by manufacturing and selling handicrafts (Ali, 2011). Clearly, business was a legitimate activity of the women companions' o f the Prophet.

2. Social Empowerment of Women in Islam

The Rights to Education

Islam definitely urges the mankind (men and women) to be educated in the various sectors they need in relation to the success of the present world and the hereafter. The Prophet Muhammad says:

"Seeking Knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, man or woman".

(Al- Tirmidhi: 218)

From the above saying of the apostle, gathering knowledge is not only a right but also it is a duty of every woman. Accordingly, all the Islamic perspectives and the daily observances are constructed on the basis of knowledge. No one in Islam can be ignorant in following and understanding the fundamental and conceptual framework of Islam and the Islamic way of life. The apostle of the Almighty Allah says:

"He who has a slave-girl and teaches her good manners and improves her education and then manumits and marries her, will get a double reward; and any slave who observes Allah's right and his master's right will get a double reward."

(Sahih Buhari: 723)

The Rights in Family affairs

Islam says that all the mankind (male and female) in the world has been created from one living entity. From this one living entity, only one male and female couple has been created by the Almighty Allah. Then, the past and present population has been spread everywhere in the world. The Holy Quran says:

"O people Be conscious of your Lord, who has created you out of one living entity, and out of it created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of God, in whose name you demand (your rights) from one another, and these ties of kinship. Verily, Allah is ever watchful over you." (An-Nisa:1)

The above verse of the Holy Quran deliberately ensures the establishment of empowerment of women in the family life is concretely constructed equal to the men within the family. The parents in the family vitally play major roles in this connection ordered by the Almighty Allah.

"The wife of Thabit bin Qais came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I do not blame Thabit for defects in his character or his religion, but I, being a Muslim, dislike to behave in un-Islamic manner (if I remain with him)." On that Allah's Apostle said (to her), "Will you give back the garden which your husband has given you (as Mahr)?" She said, "Yes." Then the Prophet said to Thabit, "O Thabit! Accept your garden, and divorce her once." (Sahih Buhari: 197)

All the above incidences in front of the apostle of the Almighty Allah prove the fact of empowering the women at their decision-making power while defining their lives under the avoidable circumstances (Mohamed Mustafa, 2018)

References:

Abbas, SM. Shariq. (2012), "Women of Islamic Faith in Trade and Commerce: An

Economic Sociological Study", VSRD-IJBMR, Vol. 2 (3), 2012, 102-113.

Ali, Dr. Lubna Abid, Farh at Jabeen, Dr. Naveed-i-Rahat , (2011), "Islamic Tradition and

Feminism: A Comparative Study of The oretical Perspective", International Journal

of Business and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 6.

Chowdury, S. R. (2018). Empowerment of women in Muslim communities, a practical observation: A case study on the republic of Turkey.

Mohamed Mustafa, Dr. A. (2018). An Analysis of Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in the Light of Islamic Perspectives.