THE PRINCIPLE OF PAIRS
God Almighty created the world in pairs, meaning that everything has a corresponding counterpart. Each thing attains its natural purpose through union with its pair. This idea is expressed in the Quran in these words:
“We created pairs of all things so that you might reflect.” (Quran, 51:49)
Everything in this world has been created in pairs: in matter, positive and negative particles; in plants, male and female; in animals, male and female; and among human beings, man and woman. This principle of pairs operates throughout the universe and is also established in human life in the form of man and woman.
The outcome of this natural principle is that man and woman work together, fulfilling their respective roles within creation and complementing one another. Together, they complete one another; without each other, both remain incomplete.
Modern civilization has introduced the concept of gender equality between men and women, suggesting that both are entirely identical and interchangeable: that what applies to woman applies equally to man, and what applies to man applies equally to woman. It claims that there is no distinction of any kind between them.
This concept of gender equality may appear attractive in theory, but it clearly contradicts the creation plan. Whatever stands in opposition to the natural order cannot be made workable in practice.
As the above Quranic reference shows, the Creator has made everything in this world in pairs. This pairing does not indicate uniformity, but complementarity. In other words, the relationship between man and woman is not one of identical roles, but of complementary roles. Man and woman are two halves of a single whole: one half is woman, and the other half is man.
In reality, the relationship between man and woman is similar to the pairing found in all other created things.
For example, the basic unit of matter is the atom. Each atom contains two distinct particles: one negative and one positive. Together, these two function as a pair, forming the structure of every material substance.
However, this does not mean that the two components are equal in every respect or identical in nature: that the negative particle is also positive, or that the positive particle is also negative. Rather, they complement one another. What is lacking in one is found in the other, and what is lacking in the second is found in the first.
The same principle applies to man and woman. They are not equal in the sense of being identical; rather, they are complementary partners. Through mutual cooperation, they fulfill the purpose of life, for man without woman is incomplete, and woman without man is incomplete as well.
According to the modern concept of equality, any human society founded on the notion of sameness between man and woman would inevitably be artificial. Owing to the incompatibility with the natural order, such a society can never truly succeed as a human society. Since the system of nature cannot be altered, no human strategy can compensate for the error of departing from it.
Undoubtedly, the entire material world is formed through the union of negative and positive particles. This harmony holds the physical universe together. However, if these two particles became identical in their properties—that is, if the characteristics of the negative particle became the same as those of the positive particle, and vice versa—the entire material universe would instantly disintegrate.
