If a Man and a Women Does Equal Amount of Righteous Deeds, will their Reward be Equally Balanced

Question:

If a man and a women strive equally and does equal amount of righteous deeds, will their reward be equally balanced I’m asking this because I recently came across this in Tafsir ibn Kathir surah Baqarah In Verse 228:

Allah said:

وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌ

Which translates as:

“But men have a degree (of responsibility) over them.”

This Ayah indicates that men are in a more advantageous position than women physically as well as in their mannerism, status, obedience (of women to them), spending, taking care of the affairs and in general, in this life and in the Hereafter. (quoted from tafsir ibn kathir). It says in the hereafter too, the men will be higher in status.
Isn’t the daraja in jannah in the order of one’s deeds alone?

Answer:

Generally speaking, the male gender is better than the female gender because of the Prophet’s statement: “O women give in charity because i see that you are the most in the fire.”

And Maryam’s mother said:

{وليس الذكر كالأنثى}

“And the male is not like the female.”

And likewise when it comes to inheritance the male gets double the portion of the female, and certain positions are only given to the men, like the position of the Imam/leadership, the role of wazir (minister), masul (guardian), wali (ruler), etc. All these affairs are in the hands of the men. So generally speaking the male gender is better. However when it comes to the individuals you may find some women who are better than some men. When you look at Abu Lahab, Abu Jahl and the likes of these men, then an earth full of them do not equal a believing woman who dies upon Islam. And from amongst the women are those who have fadaail (superiority) which is specific to them like Fatimah, Aasiyah, Maryam. These women are better than many men.

One must not get consumed in the thoughts of whose better. Instead we must pay attention to being sincere in our worship and following the sunnah so that our actions will be righteous and acceptable.

As for him saying: ‘I strive hard and she strives hard….’ then of course the men must do more than the women because lets say for example, a man and a woman-based on the question- do equal amounts of deeds, and let’s say even in ikhlaas (sincerity) they’re at the same level, and in their obedience their at the same level, and in their khushu their at the same level and in the rest of the deeds, their at the same level. So whats the ruling?

We say, a woman is going to come and she menstruates and this is her deficiency in her religion as clarified by the Prophet, so she does not pray nor does she fast. So in any case one should not busy themselves with these things, but instead one should occupy themselves with worshipping their lord and rectifying themselves. Whether or not a man is better than Zaid and Ubaid or a woman is better than so and so, you must do righteous good deeds and call on Allaah عز و جل. Allaah may grant this woman from rewards what He does not give to this man. And this man could do righteous good deeds and out do the woman but maybe he falls into some sins which turn against him. He looks at the haraam and listens to the haraam while she’s in her home, covers up, obeys her lord, and does all that Allaah asks of her.

Answered by: Shaikh Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ba Jamaal (May Allah preserve him)

Source: https://t.me/OfficialChannelShaykhBaajammaal/115

Translated by: Umm Yusuf bint Abi Bakr