Quran Divides Tasks between Man and Woman
Woman is a more powerful emotionally and is tasked with raising the children.
This is according to scholar Mohammad Ali Rezaei Esfehani, speaking in a session about family.
Following are excerpts from his remarks at the session:
In a patriarchic setting, man is the manager of everything and this is to the detriment of woman and in a feministic setting, management of family is for woman and it is to the detriment of man. Also, simultaneous management in the family by both man and woman creates problems and tensions.
The fourth model is one in which man is responsible for the affairs outside of home while woman takes care of management of home. This lifestyle was present in the Seerah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and it is how Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Zahra (SA) divided tasks.
Laws and regulations are devised for the majority of people. So the Quran introduces a general law about the guardianship of the family not a law for specific cases. The Quran is Muslims’ constitution and they must be committed to it.
Some have said about Verse 34 of Surah An-Nisa that the guardianship of men points to an outside reality, that is, men are support for women and women can rely on them. This is what women like naturally and want to rely on a man in life.
The author of Nemuneh Exegesis of the Quran believes that according to this verse, men are at the service of women. They are responsible for both procuring the livelihood of the woman and protecting her and the family.
It should be noted that the world Al-Rijal (men) in this verse does not mean all men because in some cases women may be stronger than men. Also, guardianship is an emphasis on man being at the service of woman. These desires have been placed in humans by God so that man and woman can fulfil their duties with enthusiasm and motivation.
Man and woman are complementary. One is more powerful physically and is responsible for guardianship of the family and procuring the livelihood, etc.
Woman is a more powerful emotionally and is tasked with raising the children. So the emphasis, according to the Quran, is on joint management of the family by man and woman.
