the seduction (fitna) of the woman… what is the meaning of likening the woman to the devil?

some people are inquiring why islam describes the woman as (fitna) and what is the meaning of likening her to the devil?

concerning the first question, it is important to understand the meaning of (fitna). this word (fitna) was mentioned in the holy quran and the prophetic traditions in several meanings, but the mostly used meaning for such word (fitna) was "test or the trial". in fact, i do not know whether such people, who accuse islam of describing woman as fitna, realize the true meaning of the word "fitna" or not. did they read the holy quran or not?

the holy quran demonstrated to us that all the circumstances we experience in our life, whether good or evil, are fitna i.e. a test or a trial. allah the almighty said: {and we shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to us you will be returned} (al anbia' 35) and said also: {he] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and he is the exalted in might, the forgiving} (al mulk 2), and said further: {and know that your properties and your children are but a trial and that allah has with him a great reward} (al-anfal 28).

therefore, "the woman is a fitna" means that the woman is a test or a trial to the man. in other words, will the men devote their full time to their women and forget their lord and his worship? will the men disobey allah the almighty for the sake of the women? will they make the forbidden looks to the women? will they establish illegal relationships with them? or shall they keep their modesty and establish their relationships according to the manner which satisfies allah the almighty?

likewise, the man is the test & trial for the woman; accordingly, if a beautiful and rich man, but not observing the orders of allah, came and asked the marriage form any woman, will she then be seduced with such beauty or richness and takes him as a husband? or will she even take him as a boy friend and disobey the orders of allah the almighty? or shall she realize that she is under a test and should refuse marriage to such man until he observes his religion and marries her according to the manner allowed by allah the almighty?

moreover, the children are a test for their parents; will such children distract their parents from the worship of allah? will the parents bring up their children according to the islamic manners? or will they bring them up according to the western behaviors which violate the teachings and manners of islam?

in fact, nothing can be construed as an insult to the woman when we describe her as fitna; allah the almighty described children as fitna, so, is this calculated as an insult to the children? of course no, because we know that the meaning of fitna is "test" or "trial"; accordingly, the term "fitna" applies to all of us, as mentioned by allah the almighty in this verse: {and we have made some of you [people] as trial for others - will you have patience?} (al-furqan 20); therefore, every one of us is a trial (fitna" for the people around him.

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the second issue is: does islam looks to the woman as a devil? of course no. this is completely false allegation because if we argue – which is not true - that islam looks to the woman as a devil, then the man also will be considered a devil according to such perspective, because the prophet – peace be upon him – said: "the men and woman are alike" i.e. alike in being subject to the same islamic teachings, orders and provisions. accordingly, if we argue that women are devils, then the men will be devils too, because they are alike!!!

in fact, this allegation (i.e. looking to the woman as devil) was fabricated by some people in order to make others hate islam – as they are doing always. they are interpreting the prophetic traditions in a manner contradicting the original intentions and meanings thereof for the purpose of distorting the meaning. the prophetic tradition – which mentioned this issue – is true and right, and was narrated by muslim, and here is the text: the prophet – peace be upon him – said: [the woman, while going and coming, is as seducing as the devil; so, if one of you saw a woman and admired her, let him then copulate with his wife so that he can satisfy his desire (in the legal manner)].

dr. abdul hakim sadeq al fetouri said: "there is nothing insulting in this text, there is nothing disregarding the woman or disgracing her; contrary, the meaning of the text is that the men have affection and desires toward women and they enjoy looking to women; therefore, such looking will cause seduction and may lead to adultery; so, the woman who seduces any man and urges him to commit adultery is as seducing as the devil in seducing the believers and urging them to do sins.

the said prophetic tradition came in the context of warning the women from the consequences of not wearing their hijab (islamic veil) in order not to seduce men. the prophetic tradition contained also a prophetic remedy for such seduction i.e. the man should copulate with his wife if he feels seduction in order to get rid of such seduction or desires in the legal manner.

the above mentioned suspicions came from the defective understanding to the rank & dignity of the woman in islam and the wrong assumptions about islam and that it is siding with the man. the man was also described as devil if he told others about the details of copulating with his wife. the prophet – peace be upon him - described the man who tells others about the details of copulating with his wife or the woman who tells others about the details of copulating with her husband as the following: (they are just like a male devil and female devil who met and copulated with each other while the people are looking at them") narrated by ahmad.

accordingly, the likening to devil has nothing to do with the gender; whether man or woman, but it is related to the deed made by the man or the woman. this is one of the expressions used in the arabic language which does not indicate that the man or the woman is a devil himself/herself, as alleged by some people.