Before the coming of islam, the condition of women was a very sad and sorrowful one. There was no respect and reverence for women on this earth. Before Islam, men thought nothing of women, except that they were a means of satisfying their carnal desires. Women spent their days and nights serving their men. Their condition was
such, that even the money they earned from working as domestics for others, was given to their husbands, who showed no thanks, but further oppressed and ill-treated them.
Men before Islam, beat their wives severely like people would beat their animals. When women were disrespectful or disobedient, then men in that era of ignorance would torture and torment them, by cutting off parts of their ears etc. In many instances, women were killed for minor errors. In the early days, before Islam, the ignorant Arabs buried their daughters alive as they looked down on the birth
of females.
Before islam women were not allowed any part of inheritance fromthe wealth of their parents, brothers or sisters. Women could notown anything. They were not allowed to have authority overanything. In the days of ignorance, some Arabs imprisoned widowsin small shacks for a complete year after the death of theirhusbands. After a year had expired, these women would be dressedin rags and paraded like animals throughout the city. Like these,there were various other wicked ways that were used to oppresswomen.
Women spent their entire lives in pain and discomfort, waiting forthe end of their lives to come. In places like India, the women werealso treated with great disrespect and were oppressed by theirspouses. These women were treated so harshly, that just the
thought of this makes one uncomfortable. It was part of the Hindu way for the woman to worship her husband (Pati Pooja), and on his death, she would be placed on his burning funeral bier, to be burntalive with him. This oppression of females was present in every country, every race and every tribe in the world.
The lives of women became bad and none was there to free them from this oppression. Women had no rights. All a woman could do,was to hope and pray that Almighty Allah, through His Mercy wouldsend a Savior towards the human race. In a time like this, Almighty Allah sent Rahmatul lil Aalameen (Mercy unto the Worlds) Hazrat
Muhammad Mustafa  as the Savior and the Protector. The coming
of the Prophet  opened a new page in the History of the World and
a new page in the lives of women.