There had been different traditions in the past that were unjust to women and Islam did away with them.
This is according to Hojat-ol-Islam Hadi Abbasi Khorasani speaking in a session on interpretation of Surah Al-Baqarah. Following are excerpts from his remarks at the session:
God says in Verses 238 and 239 of Surah Al-Baqarah:
“And preserve the prayers and the middle prayer, and stand obedient to Allah. And if you fear, then (pray) on foot or riding. But when you are safe, then remember Allah, as He has taught you what you did not know.”
The relation between these verses and those before them is in the fact that if we preserve our prayers, we will be safe from many harms, including harms to the family.
Imam Sadiq (AS) said in a Hadith that the daily prayers are like a fountain of clean water right in your home, which removes, five times a day, the dirt, which settles on your body and soul.
Another point is that the daily Salah is a Wajib (obligatory act) that cannot be abandoned in any conditions.
The importance of Salah is such that according to some Hadiths if someone rejects Salah, it is tantamount to Irtidad (becoming a Kafir and unbeliever). Of course sometimes abandoning Salah is out of neglect and while it is a sin, it does not mean Irtidad.
Verse 239 orders the Salah of Khawf (fear). It is the prayer said by fighters in the battlefield when they fear the enemy might attack. Islam says in such conditions one can say prayers even if he is riding a horse or even when drowning.
In the next verse (Verse 240), a law about family is mentioned: “Those who die and leave wives behind should bequeath to them a year’s maintenance without causing them to leave their homes; but if they leave, no blame shall be attached to you in what they do with themselves kindly. Allah is Mighty and Wise.”
In the past, there had been traditions and customs that were unjust to women. For example when a man died, his wife would be buried with him, or she would not be allowed to marry again, or sometimes they kept women at home and did not allow her to leave home. Islam abolished all of these.
This verse says that men who leave wives behind should make a bequest in favor of their wives of maintenance for a year without turning them out.
Source: IQNA