Final answer:
Muhammad's teachings significantly improved the status of women by recognizing their roles in society, encouraging the emancipation of enslaved people (including women), and supporting their engagement in commerce. Influential Muslim women like Khadija supported Muhammad and shaped the early Islamic community. Historical figures like Sha'arawi and al-Ghazali advocated for continued advancements in women's rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
How Muhammad's Teachings Raised the Status of Women
Muhammad's teachings played a significant role in elevating the status of women in society. His first wife, Khadija, was a successful merchant who became the first person to convert to Islam, demonstrating the importance of women in the early Islamic community. She provided critical support to Muhammad and had a substantial influence on his success as a preacher.
Muhammad encouraged actions such as the freeing of enslaved people, which impacted women significantly given that in the Islamic world, women outnumbered men two to one among the enslaved. He also affirmed the children born to enslaved women and their owners were free, challenging the permanence of an enslaved population.
Additionally, Muhammad promoted the role of women in various capacities, including in business where working-class women could manufacture and sell goods. The Islamic world also saw women taking part in female-dominated trades and Sufi orders. Such inclusion represents a widening of opportunities for women in contrast to previous norms.
Throughout Islamic history, individual female voices like Huda Sha'arawi and Zaynab al-Ghazali have emerged, advocating for women's education and political participation. Their contributions further cement the notion that women's roles in society were progressively expanding, influenced by Muhammad's teachings.