Superiority relates to Faith and Righteousness. Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam made this position abundantly and categorically clear, through precept as well as example. In his Farewell Sermon delivered in the wake of his last Pilgrimage, he said:
"You all have one God, and one father Aadam, and Aadam was made of clay. There is no preference for the Arab over a non Arab, or for a non Arab over a Arab, or for the reds over the blacks, or the blacks over the reds, but that based on piety. In the sight of Allah, the nobler is he who fears Him more."

Islaam has no doubt laid down certain norms of dress and social behaviour for men and women both. Islaam gives the women a really honourable place in society as the mother, the wife, the sister, or the daughter. The woman who enjoys such noble status, has to be chaste. Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is reported to have said:

"The world, the whole of it, is a commodity, and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife."

To protect her virtue and to safeguard her chastity from lustful eyes and covetous hands, Islaam has provided Hijaab which sets norms of dress, social get-together, participation in reformative movements, and going out of the four walls of one's house in the hour of need. This protection is by no means intended to be a confinement or duress. Within the set limits, a woman can educate herself and acquire qualifications in order to adopt a profession to earn a living, if required or to serve humanity. It is a myth concerning Muslim women that they can live only as an idle part of society. This is far from being true. In addition to house-keeping, bringing up children, contributing her share to manage the affairs of the house as a whole, there is no bar on women to pursue other virtuous activities as well. All that is needed is that liberty does not become a licence or an act of libertine.
Islaamic law is not meant to take pleasure in punishment. Its aim is to promote, protect, and preserve the values inherent in the Islaamic way of life. The woman is at par with man in the pursuit of goodness and the shunning of evil. The rights of both are balanced, compatible with the respective peculiarities of each sex and its attendant duties. Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam has elucidated the position in clear-cut words:

"Fear Allah where women are concerned for you have taken them as wives on the surety of Allah, and have made their person lawful unto yourselves by words of Allah. You have rights to claim of them, and they have rights to claim of you."

It is a misconceived notion that Hijaab in Islaam is designed to keep the women in bondage of man. On the contrary Islaam emancipated women from man's bondage and social degradation. She has a defined position under the Islaamic law of inheritance which she was denied before Islaam. She can own property. She can have a say in moulding the society in accord with the norms of Islaam. She can rise with due modesty to protect these norms and there rights if their be any sign of neglect or abuse in this behalf. Hijaab does not stand in her way in these respects so long as Islaamic proprieties are properly honoured.

The veil