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Unutha (femininity; the honour of the female in Islam, her rights and duties, and the rules that apply to her)

الأنوثة

Unutha is the opposite of masculinity; the female is the opposite of the male, known by bodily signs such as menstruation and by moral traits. 1 Islam abolished the pre-Islamic dislike of a girl and the burial of daughters, and recognised every human, male or female, as having the right to life; it prescribed the aqiqa for a girl as for a boy, and good naming and kunya for her. 23 It gave her a share of inheritance, forbade preferring a son over a daughter in gifts and care, and enjoined honour to her as wife and mother. 345 She shares with men in some rights such as learning, the obligations of religion and a separate financial personality, and some rights are limited by her nature, such as covering, avoiding mixing, and the bounds of work. 5678 Her nature brings special rules: menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth; her nakedness; ablution and touch; the bath house; prayer and hajj; her husband's leave for voluntary worship; guardianship, witnessing and marriage; blood money; and zakat and sacrifice of female animals. 910111213141516171819

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
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Women

Definition

Unutha is the opposite of masculinity; the female is the opposite of the male, with the plural inath. Femininity is known by bodily signs, such as menstruation, and by moral traits. 1

Honour of the female in Islam

  • A welcome at birth: Islam abolished the pre-Islamic dislike of daughters and their burial, and gave every human the right to life. 2
  • The aqiqa is one sheep for a girl and two for a boy. 3
  • Good naming, changing of ugly names for girls as for boys, and kunya for a woman as for a man. 3
  • Inheritance: God gave the female a share of inheritance, after the pre-Islamic practice of not inheriting to women. 34
  • Care of the girl in childhood, and no preference of a son over a daughter in upbringing or in gifts. 4
  • Honour of the wife and good conduct toward her; the mother comes first in honour. 5

Shared rights

  • Learning: seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim, and women went to learn in the Prophet ﷺ's time. 56
  • Obligations: a woman is responsible for the religious duties, and her guardian must teach her prayer. 7
  • Jihad: when the enemy attacks a land, it becomes obligatory on women as on men, and worship is eased for them in menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and suckling. 20
  • Her will: a previously married woman is not married until she is consulted and a virgin until she gives leave; her consent is required by the Hanafis, who also allow her to contract her own marriage. 2021
  • Protection: a woman may grant safe conduct to unbelievers, and it applies to the Muslims. 22
  • Financial personality: a woman has a separate financial personality and may deal with her property by exchange; the jurists differ on whether she may give away all of it. 2223
  • Work: her first duty is her home, but the law does not stop her from trading, selling, buying or acting as agent, within conditions. 23910

Rules specific to her

  • Urine of an infant: the Shafi'is and Hanbalis distinguish between a boy and a girl, the Hanafis and Malikis do not. 10
  • Menstruation and pregnancy are signs of puberty; she is excused from prayer during menstruation, and washes when it ends, and she abstains from reciting the Qur'an and entering the mosque. 11
  • Her milk is clean and creates the bond of suckling. 11
  • Nature: it is recommended to remove facial and pubic hair; her body is awrah in prayer except the face and hands for the majority. 1112
  • Touch and ablution: the Hanafis hold that touch does not break ablution; the Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis have rules tied to desire or to any touch. 12
  • Bathhouses: women may enter for an excuse such as menstruation or childbirth; the Hanafis and Malikis dislike it when covering is not kept. 128
  • Imitation: forbidden to imitate men in dress, speech or conduct; she may adorn herself with jewellery, and silk and gold are permitted to women. 824
  • Going out: she goes out covered and not displaying herself, and may not be alone with a stranger; a married woman needs her husband's leave to go out. 241315
  • Prayer: she does not call the adhan or the iqama and does not lead men; she gathers herself in bowing and prostration, and leaves before the men. 1314
  • Hajj: without a husband or a mahram it is not obligatory for her, by the Hanafis and Hanbalis; she wears stitched clothes, does not run in the tawaf, and does not veil her face with a niqab. 1415
  • Voluntary worship: she may not fast while her husband is present without his leave; the Shafi'is and Hanbalis let him stop her once she has started. 1516
  • Offices: women are preferred in custody, and not in leading prayer, war or judgement; she may be appointed guardian by will and may witness in property matters. 1617
  • Marriage guardianship: by the majority a woman may not give herself or another in marriage; Abu Hanifa and Zufar allow her to contract her own marriage. 18
  • Retaliation and blood money: retaliation is equal between men and women; there is a view that a woman's blood money is half a man's. 1819

Female animals

  • Zakat on camels: what is taken is normally female; the Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis allow a male of the second year when the female is absent. 19
  • Sacrifice: the Shafi'is hold that a male is preferred in the accepted view. 19
  • Blood money: the heavier diya in camels is all female, by the jurists. 19

People and things also explored

Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband· Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)· The Arab woman and the international conventions· Family businesses· The woman left unmarried (anus) and the rules on her consent and maintenance· Maleness (dhukura) as a condition in the rulings· The scarcity of female symbols across history· Dyeing the hair (ikhtidab)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3568
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3569
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3570
  4. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3571
  5. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3572
  6. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3573
  7. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3574
  8. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3583
  9. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3579
  10. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3580
  11. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3581
  12. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3582
  13. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3585
  14. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3586
  15. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3587
  16. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3588
  17. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3589
  18. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3590
  19. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3591
  20. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3575
  21. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3576
  22. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3577
  23. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3578
  24. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3584
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Unutha (femininity; the honour of the female in Islam, her rights and duties, and the rules that apply to her)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/unutha/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband

In the lexicon, adl means to prevent, and the jurists use it of a guardian who prevents his ward's marriage, and in the case of divorce for ransom of a husband who harms his wife so that she will pay him back. In principle it is forbidden for a guardian to prevent a ward's marriage to a suitable husband, and for a husband to harm his wife to force her to ransom herself; a guardian may be permitted to refuse for the woman's own benefit. A guardian is an obstructer when a woman asks for a suitable husband, or a suitable man proposes, and he refuses without a valid reason, whether or not she asks for her proper dower; the Hanafis do not count refusing a dower below the usual amount as obstruction, and the Malikis do not count a compelling father's rejection of suitors as obstruction unless harm is intended. Once obstruction is proven before the judge, he orders the marriage; if the guardian still refuses, guardianship passes to the ruler according to the Hanafis, Shafi'is, most Malikis and one Hanbali narration, or to the next guardian according to the main Hanbali view; if all guardians obstruct, the judge contracts the marriage.