The Middle Eastern region and its inhabitants have always represented a wonder for Europeans, since the years before the advent of Islam and in the years following the Arab conquest. Today the Islamic world extends from the corners of the Philippines to the borders of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith and this fusion of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, religion defines and enriches culture and consequently culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not just a religion, it is in its own way a culture. Perhaps this is precisely what Europeans have not yet understood, that is, how much religion plays a significant role in the life of a Muslim. One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of Shariah is the role of the family, particularly the role of women in the family and in the society in which it lives. A woman's actual role in a particular Muslim community may vary depending on the part of the world she lives in, however all Muslim women abide by the same basic rules and regulations that the religion clearly defines. Both the Quran and the Hadith are detailed sources describing the role of women in Islamic history. Women's rights and responsibilities are equal to those of men, even if they are not identical to them. The difference is understandable because men and women are not identical but are created equal. Equality is desirable, right, right: but similarity is not. People are not created identical but are created equal. With this distinction in mind, there is no room to imagine that women are inferior to men. The fact that Islam grants women equal - but not identical - rights demonstrates that it takes them into due consideration and recognizes their independent personality. The position of women and the role of the family coexist in an Islamic community. Since ancient times the family has been mentioned as the fundamental unit for protection, income and status in a society. The larger the family, the better equipped it will be financially and in times of danger. Each person in the family depends on the other and this develops into a closely linked relationship within the family. The ind...... half of the paper ......the other depends on each other. The family adapts to the conditions of society, and the ratio of men and women should be adequate enough to raise the family and support it financially. Family structure differs across the Middle East and with it the culture of each region. The status of women in Islam is something unique, with no similarities to any other system. Muslim women have a great responsibility towards their family. They were raised to focus on family rather than fend for themselves alone in the male-dominated outside world. The situation in today's world is that women find themselves alone and helpless, yet an Islamic family role provides them with security and ensures them a social and economic refuge, first within the family and then in the community. As strange as family life and relationships between Muslim men and women may seem to outsiders, the Muslim family system has given rise to stable and productive Islamic communities around the world. Bibliography Fernea Guest, page 165 Fernea Guest, page 166 Dawood Tales From The Thousand And One Nights page 184 Officials responsible for a particular city of the Islamic Empire