The Qur An Analysis

Amina Wadud, a historical Muslim feminist argued the absence of women’s voice within the structure of Islam. In observing many parts that govern Islam, it is men that control them and it is women that are left out of the equation. Amina recognizes that Islam is a religion of equal rights, however through the examination of the sacred text the Qur’an and the language it only refers to men, the presents of men’s voice in the writing of traditional tafasir, and even the position of leading the people religiously. This radical convert questioned these actions and as a result she went against them being the first Muslim women to deliver Friday payer to mixed gender congregations and has also given her own interpretation of the Qur’an within the

Historically, “Women and Gender in Islam” discusses the social, political, legal, and religious discourses and structures that have shaped the experience of Muslim women

Aisha bint Abu Bakr was a leader, a woman, a wife, a theologian, a scholar and a political activist. She was precocious, loyal, brave and remarkably intelligent. These aspects of her humble life have allowed her to make a powerful impact on the development and expression of Islam that “no woman [has] reached”[1]. Not only did she influence the position of women in Islamic society, Islamic ethics, and the understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an, but she also modelled these qualities for the men, women and children of Islam.

Throughout centuries of human existence, women have been deemed as inferior to men in multiple different cultures and religions. Men have developed a norm to be the individual who carries out duties to help maintain a stable life for himself and the family in which he is providing for. Because of this fundamentalist approach towards how society should be, women’s rights have been suppressed throughout political, social, and cultural actions. The Islamic religion in particular, is fond of abusing the rights of women and empowering the rights of men in such a way that it has created a permanent existence of conflict within countries who follow Islam. In fact, in the Quran it states that women must have lesser authority than men, therefore their

Yet inequalities may not be the case for women in more westernized nations as they receive greater freedom (60). This is where the great diversity between modernist Muslim’s and conservative Muslim’s come in. Modernist Muslims argue genuine Islam is compatible with modern west society and political ideas such as democracy and the equality of women. The views of women in society are supported by revelations of the prophet Mohammed. On the other hand we have conservative Muslims where they believe in

In my opinion, one of the author’s strongest points come from her treatment of Genesis 1-2. She convincingly presents an argument for equality and “sameness” regarding male/female roles in the creation account (26). For example, Belleville notes that both the man and the woman were given the commission to be fruitful and multiple, as well as have dominion over the earth (26), thus they are given equal standing/position from God at the beginning. Additionally, Belleville presents the idea that if there was any submission taking place in the creation account, it was both man and woman submitting to the commission of their creator, God (30). This point proves strong I believe,

There are many political, religious, and cultural factors that shape the lives of Islamic women many of them are completely different than factors in the lives of American women. Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions; however, Brooks argues that “Islam’s holiest texts have been misused to justify the repression of women, and how male pride and power have warped the original message of this once liberating faith.” The book also shows these factors have slowly been taking away women’s rights, rather than furthering them.

Her extensive knowledge of the history of Arabia, the language used and Islam as a whole made this book deeply informative. Throughout her book, Wadud speaks of the difficulty in translation of Aribic, specifically when it comes to gender. Pronouns exist in Aribic meaning singular male, singular female and plural female groups, and plural male groups however the pronoun used for the plural male group is also the gender neutral plural (equivalent to the English “they”), this makes translation tricky when it comes to gender. This made me think about the time in class when gender pronouns in reference to Allah came up. To refer to

In the story of creation, Eve causes sin and is the scapegoat for Adam’s actions and thus God then establishing punishments for humans. Woman have more devastating punishments than men: God said to woman “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). To man God said that he shall have to grow his food, there is no desire for his wife, physical trauma when making children or for his wife to rule over him. Women also have to grow food to live, but they have the extra punishment of birth and being inferior to their husbands. These messages are quite clear, and what the men who are writing these passages are trying to convey. The silence of the story and the message that is

The rise and expansion of Islam has had a significant impact on the role and rights of women throughout history. Since its origin in the seventh century until modern times, the Muslim faith has somewhat broadened, but has mostly restricted women’s rights in numerous Islamic communities. The history of Muslim women is complex, as it involves many advances and declines in numerous locations, such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iran, concerning several subjects, including both civil and social rights. Thus, in general, the rights of Islamic women did not improve significantly over time, instead, conditions remained the same or became worse for women as Islam evolved and spread as a world religion.

Unfortunately, the era of men and women being equal was hasty. Briefly after Mohammed’s death Islamic society changed, so did the interpretations of the Quran to meet different circumstances. Almost simultaneously women became inferior almost being viewed as possessions and property. Having choices was no longer an option for women, whatever the man said became the law. Girls at birth could be killed by their father’s because boys carried the name of the family while girls usually were concubines, workers, or sold. Most significantly women’s roles depended largely on what the husband’s economic status was. If the husband was a farmer the wife had to help in the fields or if the husband worked in the city she had to help run the business.

(Book: “The Story of the Qur 'an, its history and place in Muslim life.” Second edition. Author: Ingrid Mattson. Page 95) When looking at this passage in broader historical context you must start with the events leading up to this point. Muhammad was seen as god 's messenger. He would recite passages of the Quran and the word of god from memory which had been given to him by the Angel Gabriel. He would recite these passages orally, as he was illiterate and could not write. Many of Muhammad 's Sahaba(companions) were able to memorize the whole Quran by heart after Muhammad recited the passages. Once the Prophet died in 632 AD many wanted to complete the Quran and add the finals surahs(chapters of Quran). Many believe that this process was completed in two stages (Mattson, pg 94). The first stage was when Umar the Sahabi or senior companion of muhammad, went to Abu Bakr(father in-law) (the first caliph) and told him, he was concerned that many qurra(reciters) died in the battle of Yamama. He also worried that these qurra would also die in future battles and not be able to provide information on the Quran. In turn, Abu Bakr eventually agreed with Umar and gave the task of collecting the Quran to Zayd Ibn Thabit(one of prophets most reliable scribes). Zayd then proceeded to collect the Qur 'an passages from parchments, chest of men, and from the other companions themselves. (Mattson, pg 95). The general rule he followed was that the passages had to be verified by two witnesses.

Islam is a religion based on the interpretation and application of fundamental scriptures geared towards the need of a growing, modernizing religious community. The Qur’an and the Prophet Mohammed’s Sunnah and hadith serve as the main sources for attaining religious knowledge. Scholars of Islam, Ulema, delegated a mechanism in which they can gain knowledge after they have consulted the Quran and Sunnah through ijtihad and qiyas. The flexibility with which they can use reason, ijtihad, and analogies, qiyas, to answer questions of the time created doctrines that shed light onto the growing concerns within the Muslim community. This methodology has served to provide a path in which religious scholars can apply Islam to the changing dynamics of gender roles. The modernizing world provided the framework for female scholars to enter the field of religious study and interpret Islam on their own. Drawing on their reasoning and their ability to make analogies to stories within Islam helped women develop sound arguments within Islam that codified women’s rights. Muslim feminist used the religion of Islam as the backbone of their movement by highlighting their rights and freedoms within Islamic scripture. They opened the gates of ijtihad to reevaluate scripture pertaining to their rights in a marriage free from the nuisances of male scholars. Religious tools in extracting knowledge within the folds of Islam allowed women to challenge existing marriage norms and gender roles based in

The Quran is a religious manuscript with a unique effect on the legal, social, and political organizations of the numerous societies of Muslims since ancient times until today. Apparently, in the majority of Muslim states, their constitutions are usually canonized by the Islamic regimens. Consequently, the Quran is the foundation of the legal principles in such nations. The basis of numerous lawful codes in ancient Muslim kingdoms was primarily outlined in the Quran and was vastly referred by jurists especially in court proceedings. Additionally, the set of rules marks an integral position in the religious lives of Muslims. It encompasses the five prayers that are typically recited daily, and they entail the

In discussing the role of women in contemporary society there are three main areas that can be addressed. The perceptions of woman within contemporary Muslim societies. The status, position and role of woman in the Qur'an and in early Islam