The Principle of Guardianship
The Creator has designed the system of the world in such a way that everything functions in a coordinated and organized manner around a central point, or nucleus. This centre unites the different parts into a coherent whole.
The basic unit of matter is the atom, which contains positively and negatively charged particles. The force that holds these moving particles together is centred in the nucleus, located at the heart of the atom. The same pattern is visible in the solar system, where numerous planets and asteroids continuously orbit the Sun, the central body that holds them all together.
This same order remains consistent throughout creation.
For instance, honeybees provide an excellent example of a living society. Their colony remains active around the clock, and its organization depends on the queen bee within the hive. If the queen were absent, the entire system would collapse.
This natural law applies equally to human life. It governs relationships among people as well as the relationship between men and women. The Quran, the book of the Creator of nature, declares:
“Is it they who apportion the mercy of your Lord? It is We who distribute among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and raise some of them above others in rank, so that they may take one another into service.” (Quran, 43:32)
The entire system of human life operates on the same principle of organization. There is a supervisor over workers, a director in a company, a chairman in a meeting, a boss in an office, and a president or prime minister in a government. All collective affairs function according to this principle. Without it, life would descend into chaos, and no system could operate properly.
According to divine law, the organization of family life—whether in relationships among men or between men and women—is also based on this principle. Therefore, the Quran states: “Men are protectors of women.” (Quran, 4:34)
The Arabic word ‘qawwam’ means guardian or manager. The statement “Men are protectors of women” does not imply that men are superior or women inferior. It simply means that, for the proper management of family affairs, the Creator has established a natural principle: within the household, the man bears the responsibility of organization, so that the family system may function as properly as the rest of the universe, by following the same principle of organization.
In modern times, proponents of women’s liberation introduced the idea of gender equality. This principle was completely unnatural. Adopting this unnatural principle led to the breakdown of the family system in modern society.
If the same principle of absolute equality were applied between workers and officers in an office, or between ministers and the prime minister in a government, the entire system would fall into disorder. It is clearly contradictory, both theoretically and practically, to organize all other systems of life on the principle of guardianship, while attempting to manage the domestic system without it. Such a contradiction is unnatural and therefore unworkable.
Appointing a man as qawwam over a woman is a matter of practical arrangement, similar to appointing a head over workers in an office or a prime minister over ministers in a government. The term qawwam refers to administrative necessity, not moral superiority. The principle of guardianship should therefore be understood as a functional requirement. In terms of dignity and status, there is no difference between man and woman; both are equally deserving of honour and respect.
