In celebration of the birthday of Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her), thousands of women from diverse backgrounds met with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at Imam Khomeini Husseiniya.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution this morning in a meeting with thousands of women and girls emphasizing Islam’s view of men and women as complementary partners with limitless potential in all life areas. He also stressed the importance of modest social interaction, contrasting Islamic teachings with recent Western trends.
Complementarity: A Foundation for Islamic Gender Relations
The Supreme Leader underscored the fundamental concept of men and women as complementary partners, created for each other. He stated: “If we want to draft a charter from the Islamic viewpoint regarding women, which would have articles, in my opinion, the first topic that should be included in this charter is the issue of pairing.
What does pairing mean? It means that men and women are a pair, complementary to each other. Men and women were created for each other. This is explicitly stated in the Quran: “And Allah has made for you from yourselves, mates“
Limitless Talents and Capabilities
The Supreme Leader emphatically rejected any notion of inherent limitations on women’s abilities. He declared that both men and women possess limitless talents across all domains: “In terms of intellectual and spiritual abilities, in both men and women, there are limitless talents; there is no difference between them.
That is, in science, both men and women can compete. It’s not that men are more knowledgeable than women; no, there have been great women, eminent women, with prominent positions in terms of science throughout history. Today, of course, there are hundreds of times more in universities and religious seminaries.
In terms of science, in terms of art, in terms of intellectual and practical innovations, in terms of social, intellectual, and political influence, in terms of economic activities—these abilities exist in both genders.”
Social Interactions and Modesty: A Matter of Emphasis
The address also highlighted the importance of appropriate social interactions between men and women within the Islamic framework. The Supreme Leader noted:
“This lack of restraint that exists in the West today did not always exist; it is new. Perhaps two or three centuries ago, when one reads some books, some novels from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries describing European women, one observes that there were many considerations that do not exist among Westerners today.
Islam emphasizes these considerations: the issue of hijab, the issue of chastity (or modesty), the issue of gaze (or looking); Islam emphasizes these.”
Hadith Installed at The Location of The Supreme Leader’s Speech
A hadith from Al-Kafi was displayed at the event: “The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: ‘Jibreel (Gabriel) always gave me advice concerning women.'”
From: khamenei.ir