Sayings of our Prophet’s (pbuh) in praise of women

The Qur’an must of course be our guide if we are to properly understand the place of women in Islam. Since our Prophet (pbuh) applied the Qur’an alone, we can be certain of the veracity of those hadiths which describe practices compatible with the Qur’an. These trustworthy hadiths contain meanings and practices completely at variance with those of the fabricated hadiths that exhibit a frightening attitude toward women and are totally divorced from the spirit of the Qur’an. Some of the hadiths that are very probably trustworthy because of their compatibility with the Qur’an are as follows:

Made beloved to me from your world are women and perfume, and the coolness of my eyes is in prayer. [Ahmad and an-Nasa‘i]

Only a person of nobility and honor will value woman. Only bad and base people will despise them... [Ibn ‘Asakir]

The best of you are those who are best to their women. [Ibn ‘Asakir]

Do not torture your wives! They are entrusted to you by God. Be mild towards them and do favors! [Sahih Muslim]

God loves him who gets on well with his wife and banters with her and He increases their sustenance. [I. Lâl]

The most perfect believer in faith is the one who is the best of them in good conduct. The best of you is the one among you who treats his wife the best. [Imam Ghazzali, Ihya Ulum-Id-Din (The Book of Religious Learnings) (New Delhi: Islamic Book Service, 2001), 2:32]

The best of you is the one who is the best to his wives, and I am the best of you toward my wives. [Imam Ghazzali, Ihya Ulum-Id-Din (The Book of Religious Learnings) (New Delhi: Islamic Book Service, 2001), 2:32]

The blessing of emancipating a slave is written in the deed-book of him who looks at his wife with a smiling face. [R. Nâsihîn]

On Doomsday, I will be the enemy of him who hits his wife unrighteously. He who hits his wife will be rebellious towards God and His Messenger. [R. Nâsihîn]

The world is delightful and its greatest treasure is a good woman. [Transmitted by Muslim on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Amr (1467)]