Islam elevated women in a time when they were viewed as inferior to men or simply property.
Prior to Islam, a common practice among some Arab tribes was female infanticide, where baby girls were buried alive. Among other tribes, women were inherited like property. But in the words of Umar ibn al-Khattab, one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
“In the pre-Islamic period, we used to have no regard for women whatsoever. But when Islam came and Allah made mention of them, this caused us to realize that they have rights upon us.”
The arrival of Islam in Arabia brought a halt to female infanticide, condemning it in the strongest of terms, and instigated a new era of women’s rights. Women gained the right to refuse marriages they weren’t interested in, own property, testify in court, maintain their own financial interests, seek divorce, and speak up when they faced injustice.