Evidence 4: Aziz’s Wife
In the gripping tale of Yusuf, Aziz’s wife attempted to seduce him, and because of Yusuf’s resistance and her failure, he was imprisoned.
The interesting part however, was how the story eventually ended with her confession and repentance.
Aziz’s wife was mentioned several times throughout the Chapter of Yusuf, as she was one of the main characters.
Her husband, however, received much less attention. The Qur’an chooses not to explain about her marital life or whether she was childless or not.
It becomes even more interesting as historians later debate whether Yusuf married her or not.
The Qur’an again took a brilliant stand by refusing to prove or disprove the theory.
The reason is clear: Such an issue is not important. A woman’s marriage and personal love life do not carry as much significance as her conscience or conviction does.
This shows that a woman’s worth has nothing to do with her spouse or child. She by herself is complete, free, and valuable.
The entire focus was on her initial evil intention, which later turned into defeat and repentance.
She had acted independently, both when she committed the crime and when she courageously announced her guilt.
Her status in the beginning of the chronicle was low while her husband’s was high, and towards the end she actually attained a higher rank through her honesty and remorse, independent of her husband.
Conclusion
There are many other female figures mentioned in the Qur’an but only a few are discussed here. It is evident that the holy book recognizes and celebrates women as having diversified roles, functions, identities, and circumstances.
Women therefore should not be looked at from merely and ultimately the lens of motherhood and wifehood.
It is undeniable however, to note that the role of mothers and wives receive huge and special emphasis in various verses.
This is because such paths are taken by the majority of women.
However, some exceptions are clearly singled out in God’s verses to convey the correct message to humanity, and remove any forms of prejudice against those who follow different life paths, either voluntarily or due to specific circumstances.
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