A British Muslim's interpretation of Women and Islam.

There is a dominating view of women’s position in Islam which marked by essentialized notions rather than knowledge. These essentialized notions depict the Muslim woman as confined by the oppression of her patriarchal society and religion. Therefore - it is only fair to assume that this prevalent conception would deem the Qur’an as a patriarchal and misogynist text, which completely dismisses the idea that the Qur’an either is or can be a source for women’s liberation. Also, what is becoming more shockingly noticeable is the tendency to blame Islam for oppressing Muslims rather than blaming Muslims for misreading Islam. Thus, the aim of this article is to challenge oppressive readings of the Quran and how its epistemology is inherently anti-patriarchal. As it is imperative to challenge these authoritarian and patriarchal readings of Islam that are profoundly affecting the lives and future of Muslim women and cultivating stronger 'orientalist' thought. 

As numerous scholars have pointed out for example Barlas & Wadud, inequality and discrimination derive from the secondary religious texts, the Tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis) and the Ahadith (Hadith) which enables the codified textualization of misogyny in Islam. These texts have come to eclipse the Qur’ans influence in most Muslim societies today. As a result, we confuse the Qur’an with its Tafsir, and therefore confuse Islam with patriarchy and the practices of repressive Muslim states that have a history of using Islam for their own political ends. Firstly, I will explain the nature of the primary religious texts of Islam, analysing specific readings of the Qu’ran in which women are presented as equal to man. Secondly, I will extend my explorations to an analysis of the relationship within and between the Qur’an and the Haddiths. I will be focusing on differing views of sacred and secular time and will explain how these shape our understanding of the Qur’ans teaching and I will take the example of the conservative exegesis of the verses on the “veil”.

The Qur'an

The rationale for studying the position of women comes from within the most ‘reliable’ source of Islam itself – the Qur’an. For Muslims, the Qur’an is the source of truth and it is the quintessential source of language and faith. The text provides a unifying moral framework for Islamic praxis and it also has been the base of classical Muslim law (Shari’ah). The Qur’an, composed into 114 Suras (Chapters), are the total revelations believed to be communicated through the “divine” to Prophet Muhammad over a 23-year period in the seventh century C.E. in Arabia, first in the city of Mecca and then later in Medina. It is believed the revelations were received supernaturally through the power of trance. Nevertheless, from a historian’s perspective, the sacrality or holiness of a book is not a prior attribute of a text but one that is realised historically in the life of the community who has responded to it. The Qur’an was also the starting point for all the advances in Islamic society: Arabic grammar was developed to maintain understanding of the text, the study of Arabic phonetics was pursued in order to determine the exact pronunciation of Qur’anic words and even the art of Arabic calligraphy was cultivated through the composition of the text. The entire religious life of the Muslim world is built upon the very foundations of this text.

Yet, since the Qur’an was revealed into an existing patriarchy and has been interpreted by adherents of similar patriarchal societies, Muslim women have become a part of discourse of exegesis that has been easily misconceived. I wish to argue that the Qur’an’s epistemology is inherently anti-patriarchal and it is imperative to challenge the authoritarian and patriarchal readings of Islam as the status of women are based “solely in terms of the Qur’an and/or other Islamic sources are too often taken out of context. I propose that there is no essential difference in the value attributed to men and women in the Qur’an. This does not mean that I reduce the notion that the Qur’an can be read in patriarchal modes (as favouring men) and I do not deny that there are cases of oppressive practises in Muslim societies that confused and assume this to be Islamic norms and strictures. Yet, the Qur’an is polysemic and thus open to variant readings.

The Qur’an does not define women and men in terms of binary oppositions, nor does it portray women as lesser or defective to men, or that the two sexes are incompatible or incommensurable. In fact, man and woman are two categories of the human species given the same or equal consideration and endowed with the same or equal potential. The Qur’an encourages all believers, male and female, to follow with their faith. Thus, the Qur’an does not make a distinction between man and woman.  “They bid to honour, and forbid dishonour; they perform the prayer […] and they obey God and his Messenger”. Amina Wadud sees man and woman in the Qur’an as pairs that are addressed of equal manner. The recurring theme that women and men are commenced from a single “self” and constitute a pair is integral to Qur’anic epistemology and is repeated in different contexts through the text: “It is God who hath produced you from a single person”. In the text God did not create the man biologically first, and also it does solely blame Eve for the original sin in the Fall. Thus, equality is based on the moral praxis of both men and women and this allows a mutual recognition of individuality. It is this mutuality that proposes the absence of patriarchy amongst the sexes that provides the ethical and epistemological framework, which we need to understand the Qur’ans teachings about sexual relationships. Yet, society (not only Muslims) continues to view them as binary opposites and as unequal.

Moreover, it is important to examine the rights that women can claim contractually through a marriage. The Qur’an’s teaching on divorce tries to establish the value of tolerance and encourages ethical behaviour of both spouses. The Qur’an warns men to treat their wives justly and not to harass, hurt them or turn them out of the house, even during the tribulations of a divorce. In the Qur’an, it commands men to divorce their wives in the best possible way. In this verse, with regard to treatment, there are dimensions of equitable courtesy towards women. This can also be substantiated by the Qur’an stating that divorced women must be guaranteed financial security in order to safeguard her continued financial well-being: The Qur’an furthermore protects a woman’s interests (property) by stating that she retains what her former husband gave her while they were married. Lastly, Muslim men are required to house their ex-wives until a suitable home can be arranged for her: Thus, Islamic morality prevents women from suffering any financial difficulties and that the man’s primary role is to protect the rights of women. With regards to matter related to the subject of women, like divorce, the Qur’an responded to particular circumstances in Arabia at the time of the revelation.

The Haddiths 

The Qur’an does not constitute the sole source of doctrine and legislations. The Hadiths are also considered by many Muslims to have been produced during the first centuries of Islamic history. The records began to be compiled over a century after Prophet Muhammad’s death and were not completed until three hundred years later. This means the Hadiths are a collection of oral reports derived from, or ascribed to the Prophet. The contradiction here is that the Qur’an has similar historical flaws. Yet, due to the authoritative nature of the Qur’an, de-historicising the text itself, or by viewing it’s teaching a historically undermines its sacred and universal character. The Hadiths are classified according to the reliability of source and the quality of the narrators: Shahih is the scrupulousness of the narrator and the historical authenticity of their content, Hasan takes into consideration of the forgetfulness of narrators and then Daif which place weak hadiths which do not fulfil the criteria of integrity of the narrators. But if we are able to cast doubt about a Hadith’s authenticity the historian should dismiss it entirely, unless it is partially problematic. The historian must justify the source in a circumscribed manner with the full knowledge and awareness that it cannot constitute a reliable source. Nevertheless, this source was accessed online as book that has been authored by Waleed Al-Essa. He only includes the “authentic” tradition of the Prophet and it also includes a reference section, which shows each narrator that reported each Hadith.

Anna Barlas argues that this exegesis of the Qur’an is where the patriarchy lies and hence negates women’s position in Islam. It is precisely the nature of this interpretative process in the methods that generate the Qur’an’s exegesis, that we can find reason for why some readings of the Qur’an are unfavourable to women. Ideas and customs deeply rooted in the misogynistic medieval Muslim world are penetrated into Shar’ia law by being formulated from the Hadiths, which are also associated with Arab and Mediterranean culture (as well as Judaism and Christianity). Thus, it was the Hadiths that introduced images and connotations of women being the weaker and vulnerable sex. Women are made directly comparable to donkeys in the presence of the Prophet. It was also the hadiths that introduced ideas of women being morally and religiously defective, evil temptresses that are the greatest temptation for men, unclean due to menstruation, a larger part of hell if they are unfaithful or ungrateful to their husbands and lastly having weaker intellectual powers. 

The Veil 

I will now show through the intertextuality between the Qur’an and Hadiths that on matters such as women there is an inherent contradiction. I used the veil debate to explore the relations between both texts and how this shaped Qur’anic exegesis. There are two sets of verses on the basis of which conservatives legitimize a generalized model of veiling for all Muslim women within the Hadiths.

“O Prophet, say to they wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veils close to them; so it is likelier- they will be known, and not hurt. God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate” (33:59-60)   

 “Say to the believing men, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts; that is purer for them. God is aware of the things they work. And say to believing women, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment save to their husbands, or their fathers …” (24:30-31)

The theme of equality and dualism is highlighted once again; both men and women are expected to uphold identical standards or moral praxis in this passage.The verse instructs the Prophet to tell “believers, that they cast down their eyes” – this required both men and women to dress modestly. From a feminist perspective the emphasis on the “eyes” alludes to the male gaze that is characterised as phallic and sexual and thus has encouraged the empowerment of man to force women to either wear the hijab (a head veil that leaves the face uncovered) or the burqa (a head-to-toe shroud that hides even the feet; some models even mandate wearing gloves so as to hide the hands). However, this verse rules out all sexual activity by eliminating the gaze itself, and it does so by introducing a dress code. Moreover, responsibility has been shifted entirely to the discretion of the woman, “and let them [decide]” this is important as no one can force a moral praxis upon a person as the Qur’an itself says “let there be no compulsion in religion”. This passage is a representation of the limitations of using English translated text in all passages where there explicit references to the word “veil”. Yet this term (alongside hijab) does not occur in the Arabic version. The genuine text uses words such as “jilbab” (cloak) and “khumur” (shawl) both of which, in ordinary usage, cover the bosom (juyub) and neck and not the face, hair, hands or feet. Thus, conservative views are both a cause and a consequence of redefining and universalising the “jilbab”. However, the Hadiths have spawned views and forms of veiling that the Qur’an does not mandate and this has deflected attention from its true purpose. The issue of veiling in currently framed in most Muslim societies in a way that results in misrepresenting the Qur’ans form and focusing on teachings from the Hadiths. Thus, the “Islamization” of the veil has made it synonymous today with the rule of Islam. I want to also highlight that I do not reject the ways in which the veil can liberate women however there is a clear disturbance in societies misrepresentation of the Qur’ans purpose in formulating a specific dress code.

“Narrated By Anas: The Prophet stayed for three days between Khaibar and Medina, and there he consummated his marriage to Safiyya bint Huyai. I invited the Muslims to the wedding banquet in which neither meat nor bread was offered. He ordered for leather dining-sheets to be spread, and dates, dried yoghurt and butter were laid on it, and that was the Prophet's wedding banquet. The Muslims wondered, "Is she (Safiyya) considered as his wife or his slave girl?" Then they said, "If he orders her to veil herself, she will be one of the mothers of the Believers; but if he does not order her to veil herself, she will be a slave girl. So when the Prophet proceeded from there, he spared her a space behind him (on his she-camel) and put a screening veil between her and the people.” (Sahih Bukhari Volume 007, Book 062, Hadith Number 022)

This passage refers specifically to women’s expectation during their marriage (nikah). The story is of the Prophet’s wedding with Safiyya bint Huyai and their guests, who were discussing whether his wife was a slave girl as she was unveiled. It was therefore the Prophet’s duty to correct this issue, stating, “but if he does not order her to veil herself, she will be a slave girl”. This shows precisely how Qur’anic exegesis can be misconstrued and show tones of patriarchy. The shift in language from the Qur’an to the Hadith shows the deterioration from the woman’s complete independence of thought to the expected submission and obligation to man.  This idea is reinforced in the Hadiths spoken by Bukhari, that discuss the difference between menstruating and unveiled women in religious gatherings. The verse insinuates menstruating women are below women who are unveiled, establishing successfully a hierarchy amongst women that is designed by man. It is these forms of classical exegesis that has changed the position of women over time. These claims led not only to forms of veiling that involved covering head but also the shifted the power of choice to a religious obligation, however none of these ideas are espoused in from the Qur’an’s teachings.

If the veils persistence in its most un-Qu’ranic forms of a complete facial covering in some Muslim societies raises troubling questions about how Muslims read the Qur’an, it also raises issues within non-Muslim societies where the veil has become even more of a Muslim cultural icon. Then it becomes crucial to study women’s personal accounts on how they view their gender within their religion. More so, it is important to study personal accounts of Muslim women in particular to examine a first hand account of the role of the state and of interpretive communities in their application of Islamic teachings

Conclusion

I concentrate on recovering the liberating and egalitarian voice of Islam that is rarely heard today but which I feel needs to be greater communicated. I argued on both historical, political and hermeneutic grounds that the Qur’an is inherently anti-patriarchal however readings of the Hadiths encourage negative images of women that anticipates the possibilities of its own misreading. Yet, if we were to hold the Hadiths responsible for its misreadings – on the grounds that is uses allegory that can lead to abuse (of women) – what does that say about the power of human interpretation? The text itself should bear no responsibility for how it is read and more so how it is abused. The inter/intratextuality between the Qur’an and the Hadiths show a clear contradiction on vital matters about women, this could be justified by error of oral memory by the Prophets followers and/or the change in societies while both texts were either revealed or collated. This contradiction is particularly felt through the discussion of veil, intertextuality highlights the transformation of the topic from the freedom of choice to a religious obligation.  Islam as a religion promotes and elevates the status of woman however certain exegesis can imply misinterpretation that places women as vulnerable in the eyes of society throughout time.