In religious matters, her first duty, even as that of man, is to believe in the oneness of God, which is the only means of salvation in the Hereafter. One knows that Islam has formally prohibited the use of compulsion to convert anybody to Islam - and it may be recalled by the way that the non-Muslim woman of a Muslim husband has the full right to conserve her religion, and to practise it in her individual capacity, even while she is the wife of a Muslim - and one also knows that inside the Muslim community a rigorous discipline is maintained for its conservation as a whole and the preserevation of its system of life. Treason in this respect is punished; yet certain cases of the time of the Orthodox Caliphs show that the punishment of women on account of apostasy is less severe than that of men.

Among the religious practices, it is incumbent upon women, as also upon men, to celebrate the services of worship, though with certain concessions. An adult woman is exempt during several days every month from performing the daily services of worship. As to the congregational pray of Friday, it is optional for her, while it is obligatory for man. The rigor of fasts is also lightened to her, and at the moment of child-birth, monthly course, etc., she has the right to postpone her fasts of the month of Ramadan. With regard to Hajj (pilgrimage of Mecca) also, there are certain rites from which she is exempted, if she cannot perform them for feminine reasons. To be brief, Islam is lenient and considerate to her. As to the last of the basic duties, viz., the payment of her zakat-tax, she has equality with man, though certain schools of law - the Shafi'ite for instance - make her certain concessions. So, there is a tax on the savings, yet the savings converted by a woman into ornaments of personal use are expemt from tax. In spite of the fact that Islam lays emphasis on the constant circulation of the national wealth for the purpose of continually increasing it, and discourages hoarding by subjecting it to a tax, it has nevertheless made a concession in favour of women and their feminine tastes. There are also social duties. With a view to distribute the national wealth equitably, the means leading to the accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few are forbidden, as in the case of interest and games of chance. A Muslim woman is as much subject to the rules as a man. Lotteries and speculations on racing, etc., are harmful to the economic equalibrium of society, and remain expressly forbidden, for both men and women.

Let us recall another source of numberless misfortunes and that is alcohol. It is the express duty of every Muslim to abstain from it. The Qur'an (5:90) calls it the work of Satan. Its hygienic, economic, moral and other evils are to well known to require description. Alcoholic drinks have a particular aspect concerning the woman: It is she who nourishes her baby with her blood, and then with her milk, thus transmitting her health or her ailment to her baby, to the new generation and to the future of humanity.

A very comprehensive duty is that of morality. If spirituality is our duty in our relations with our Creator, morality has the same place in our mutual relations with our fellow beings. In his ardent desire to attack the very sources of evel, and not merely certain of its manifestations, Islam has imosed, recommended, or otherwise encouraged certain practices, which astonish us sometimes if we do not tgake into consideration their profound motives. All religions say that fornication and adultery are crimes, but Islam would go farther and would prescribe means to diminish temptations. It is easy to hope that every one would develop one's individual morality in order to resist the temptations; but it is wiser to diminish the occasions in which persons with weak characters - who constitute the majority of men - need to engage in a battle where defeat is a foregone conclusion.

It is thus that the Qur'an (33:59) first exhorted "to put on their jalabib" (sort of cloak or overall, covering from head to foot), in order to diminish the occasions of attraction and protecting women from the wickedness of men, as the verse explains. Then came the revelation (24:30-31) for behaviour inside the house with friends and visitors: "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be chaste; that is purer for tehm; lo! God is aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be chaste and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their kkhumar (veils covering the face) over their bosoms..." In every epoch of Islamic history, including the time of the Prophet, one sees Muslim women engaged in every profession that suited them. They worked as nurses, teachers, and even as combatants by the side of men when necessary, in addition to being singers, hair-dressers, cooks, etc. Caliph 'Umar employed a lady, Shifa'bint "Abdallah, as inspector in the market at the capital (Madinah), as Ibn Hajar (Isabah) records. The same lady had taught Hafsah, wife of the Prophet, how to write and read. The jurists admit the possibility of women being appointed as judges of tribunals, and there are several examples of the kind. In brief, far from b ecoming a parasite, a woman could collaberate with men, in Muslim society, to earn her livelihood and to develop her talents.

According to the Qur'an (30:21): "And of His signs is this: He created for you helpmates from yourselves that ye may find rest in them, and he ordained between you love and mercy." Women and men mutually form complements of one another (2:187); therefore they should accomodate one another for their mutual interest. Two equals cannot be in accord with each other in a hundred percent of caes; mutual concessions would be needed in the interests of the home and for the better comprehension inside the family. The counsel of the Quran (4:19), given to the husband regarding the treatment of the wife, provides food for thought: "...but consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein God hath placed much good." In fact, the wiser one is the greater the concession one makes, especially when one is also more powerful.

One seeks and prefers for the purpose of marriage the person one loves. But the question of love has quite a gloomy history in the annals of man. The motives of love, especially among the young, are often fantastic and ephemeral: a sweet voice, a delicous manner of smiling, the eyes, the color, the coiffure or any other passing gesture starts the drama. However, for true conjugal life this does not suffice. The Prophet Muhhamad has given us a very wise counsel in this respect: "Do not marry only for the sake of beauty; may be the bauty becomes the cause of moral degradation. Do not marry even for the sake of wealth; may be the wealth becomes the reason of insubordination. Marry rather on the ground of religious devotion". As the Islamic religion regulates all domains of life, it goes without saying that the one who observes scrupulously one's religious duties is the more apt to create peace at home. On another occasion, the Prophet said: "The world is an ephemeral thing, of which one takes temporary advantage; and among the worldly things nothing is better than a good (pious) wife."

As we have remarked, Islam attaches particular importance to morality. Hence it is that promiscuity is ordered to be suppressed by every means. According to the Qur'an (4:34): if one fears immorality on the part of one's wife, one should first admonish, then exert pressure by separating the beds, and finally may even scourge, though not heavily. If there is no means of reform, divorce - which has been characterized as "the most detestable among the lawful things," by the Prophet - may solve the problem. This obligation of chastity is reciprocal. A little later, the Qur'an (4:128-30) says that if a woman fears immorality on the part of her husband, she should try to arrange things, and in the last resort she too has the right to demand judicial separation.

A good mutual understanding implies identity of views of the couple. This may take place at times spontaneously; both husband and wife arriving at the same conclusions; at others one of the couple will have to make the concession and to renounce his personal opinion. However there is a limit to it, and one should not be astonished that the Qur'an (29:8) and the Hadith prescribe: "No obedience to a creature in the disobedience of the Creator." One is allowed to make concessions of all sorts, by love or for simple expediency, provided that this does not affect a formal law of Islam, above all the religious injunctions should on no account be violated.

One thing was very dear to the Holy Prophet, and he talked of it at several occasions, that men should avoide effeminate practices, and that girls should not behave as boys in coiffure, in dress, in the manner of talking and so on. One should rather develo one's self in the natural direction, and not in the opposite way; otherwise it is the "curse of God" which shall befall the person who violates this direction.