To demonstrate the equality between men and women at the level of rewards for good deeds, Allah says in His Glorious: "Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so - for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward." Surah Al-Ahzab (33:35). If the woman was in a status lower than that of the man, she would not have gained the same reward. Moreover, Allah judges humans in accordance to their intellectual level. Had the woman been considered less intellectually competent than the man, her judgment would not have been as his, which confirms their equality in accordance to their mental potentials.
In addition, we notice that when Allah mentions an example on the believing men and women, considering that this example talks about the human that embodies the thought, be it negative or positive…we notice that He is actually giving an example on the disbelieving men and women, represented in two types of women. Concerning the negative type, He says: "Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so they [i.e., Noah and Lot] availed them not against Allah at all, and it was said, 'Enter the Fire with those who enter.'" Surah At-Tahrim (66:10).
As for the positive type: "And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, 'My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.'" Surah At-Tahrim (66:11). Actually, He had set forth Phiron's wife as an example of a believing woman who rejoices in the ability of refusing the entire world for the sake of Allah and the Hereafter, so as to be a role model for both men and women. This woman abandoned all wealth, power, and fortunes, because she refused to live with a disbeliever and all she asked for was to win Allah's content so that He makes heaven her abode. There is nothing greater than a mind that is perfectly capable of weighing all the negative and positive aspects, as well as the consequences of both. Moreover, this woman actually practiced what she preached, and her decision to refuse the entire world for the sake of all governed her entire life.
In another verse, Allah says: "And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient." Surah At-Tahrim (66:12). Allah is actually talking about Lady Mary (a.s.) who represents the most sublime and elevated example of a believing human being. Thus, singled her out among the women of the world, and the Angels talked to her:"O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]." Surah Al 'Imran (03:43), and: "So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision." Surah Ali 'Imran (03:37). Lady Mary is a woman that went through one of the cruelest experiences, yet she managed to overcome them. Therefore, Allah calls on all believing men and women to look up to her, for she was the role model of piety and commitment, and believing in Allah's Book, as well as the model of submission and obedience and commitment to Him.
The Holy Quran also mentions the story of the queen of Sheba who was a disbeliever and whose people worshipped the sun; and the hoopoe, that was one of Solomon's soldiers came and reported what it had seen in the mission assigned to it by Solomon, and it said: "Indeed, I found a woman ruling them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne. "I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan has made their deeds pleasing to them and averted them from [His] way, so they are not guided." Surah An-Naml (27:23-24). i.e. a woman, along with her people were worshipping the sun and following the path of Satan in everything they did; a woman that possessed a lot of money and extraordinary status and potentials, and a big throne to sit on when she rules among the people.
The Quran rejects disbelief, disobeying Allah and ascribing partners to Him in its won style, for Allah says: "[Satan] has barred them from His way, so they are not guided, [and] so they do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden within the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare. Allah - there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Great Throne." Surah An-Naml (27:25-26). The Quran, in its own way, works on disturbing the negative thoughts in the human mind. The Quranic style handles this issue from several angles that talk about the nature of this negative phenomenon, for Allah says: "[Solomon] said, 'We will see whether you were truthful or were of the liars. Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them; then withdraw from them and see what [answer] they return.'" Surah An-Naml (27:27-28), that is, go to them and deliver the message as a mailman does, and meet none of them and throw it where they are sitting. Once she received the letter and read it, how did she react?
"She said, 'O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter.'" Surah An-Naml (27:29), so she embarked on counseling and deliberating with them over this issue, for she felt that he who sent the message is a special person: "It is from Solomon, and it is [in the name of] Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful: Be not haughty with me but come to me in submission [as Muslims].'" Surah An-Naml (27:30-31), surely submitting to Allah, the Almighty, or His power that is the power of the right and faith. "She said, 'O eminent ones, advise me in my affair. I would not decide a matter until you witness [for] me.'" Surah An-Naml (27:32), i.e. until you make up your minds, since you are the elite.
Apparently, the people used not to think with their minds, for they considered that their role was that of defending the queen and the state against the aggressors. She wanted them to use the muscles of their brains, but they moved those of their arms:"They said, 'We are men of strength and of great military might, but the command is yours, so see what you will command.'" Surah An-Naml (27:33), when she found out that there was no use in consulting them, she set up her mind to take a decision: "She said, 'Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do. But indeed, I will send to them a gift and see with what [reply] the messengers will return.'" Surah An-Naml (27:34-35). That person is either a king or a prophet; if he were a king, he would accept the gift for he would consider it a kind of reconciliation or submission; in this way, we could avoid his problem. However, if he was a prophet, he would not want to dominate over our country and king, he would want to gain control over our minds, so as to worship Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and not the sun: ""So when they came to Solomon, he said, 'Do you provide me with wealth? But what Allah has given me is better than what He has given you. Rather, it is you who rejoice in your gift.'" [Solomon said], 'Return to them, for we will surely come to them with soldiers that they will be powerless to encounter, and we will surely expel them therefrom in humiliation, and they will be debased.'" Surah An-Naml (27:36-37).
Eventually, she felt that the threat was serious, so she came with her people to Solomon and she spoke with him. He proved to her that worshipping the sun is nothing more than a myth, and called on her to worship Allah, and so she did having thought profoundly of what he was asking her to do: "She said, 'My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds.'" Surah An-Naml (27:44).
This model demonstrates to us that there are women who are wiser and more rational than men, for she wanted the men of her people to engage with her in thinking and finding a solution for the new problem that contained threats and danger. Actually, they gave her no idea; it was she who proposed the idea, it was she who set the plan, and it was she who was eventually convinced with what Solomon (a.s.) has proposed.
If the woman was as inferior as some might say, why would Allah present to us this example of the woman who is more rational and wiser than men?! Based on that, we express our reservations on the idea that the Islamic jurisprudence has been used to, which says that the woman is not qualified for leadership, based on a weak Shiite tradition that quotes the Prophet (p.) as saying: "People ruled by a woman will never be successful."
* excerpts from "An-Nadwa"- Islamic visions: family and society