Ms. Rath Ruded, author of the entry "Women and the Qur'an" in the Leiden Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, has provided a report on the status and rights of women based on Qur'anic teachings. According to some statements, women are placed in a position subordinate to men, and their character is deemed inferior to that of men. In fact, she claims that, according to the Qur'an, men are superior to women. Ruded derives this understanding from the mention of women among orphans, children, and men incapable of war (Al-Nisa, 2-3), the "guardianship" of men (Al-Nisa, 34), the "rank" of men (Al-Baqarah, 228), and the creation of women for men (Al-Shu'ara, 166).
In this research, the author's claim was initially cited referencing the aforementioned article, followed by an examination of the interpretations of the verses she cited, providing the viewpoints of commentators and linguists on those verses to assess the validity or falsity of her claim. By referring to the opinions of commentators and linguists, it was found that the guardianship of men and their "rank" over women never implies superiority and domination over women. Of course, women sometimes have distinct rights and duties from men, arising from their physical and psychological differences, but this does not equate to one gender being superior to another. Furthermore, considering the historical context and the circumstances of the verses mentioned, the placement of women among orphans and their creation for men has reasonable and logical justifications that are never consistent with Ruded's claims.