Abstract
In Decoding the Egalitarianism of the Qur'an, Hasan uses a Qur'an-only methodology to propose new interpretations of Qur'anic scriptures related to gender and the family. She shows that a reading of the Qur'an that is independent of hadiths, fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence, tafsir, and other traditional methods is not only conceivable but also significant and useful. She uses this to reinterpret verses like 4:34, which is commonly taken as giving husbands authority to physically beat their wives, and others that address issues like polygyny, the hijab, child marriage, and the belief that men are superior to women. She uses her knowledge of Qur'anic linguistics to highlight what she thinks are the original, intended meanings of the passages at question by analyzing the context of each verse and selecting significant phrases. For instance, she challenges the conventional wisdom that men or spouses are the intended listeners for many verses that explicitly address women’s or men’s sexuality and offers up some alternative interpretations.
There are five parts to the book. In chapter one, Hasan offers a thorough explanation of many interpretational flaws that have caused the Qur'anic text to become divorced from its rich message of gender equality. She then applies these errors to individual verses in the Qur'an to show how the traditional interpretations of such verses diverge from the original. The best way to interpret the Qur'an, she argues, is to pay close attention to its exact words and to seek an interpretation of the Qur'an as a whole that avoids attributing any inconsistencies to its divine message. In this chapter, she exposes the various fallacies of interpretation that have historically led to the systematic misinterpretation of Qur'anic passages about women and their interrelationships with men. The second chapter cites various verses from the Qur'an, beginning with the story of Adam and Eve, to show that the text does not promote male dominance and instead recognizes the equality of men and women. The chapter’s final two sections provide support for this viewpoint through a careful semantic analysis of two pivotal Qur'anic expressions (Qur'anic concept of qiwama and daraja).
In Chapter 3, we learn what the Qur'an says about healthy marital sexuality, as well as the essence and purpose of marriage. Hasan shows that the Qur'anic stance on divisive topics such as child marriage, domestic abuse, and polygyny is radically different from that of mainstream Islamic philosophy, which has prevailed for the better part of the last 14 centuries. In this chapter, she argues that the Qur'an views marriage as a holy link between equal partners and she dispels a number of common patriarchal interpretations of the Qur'anic text that have been made about marriage. She asserts that the Qur'an defines marriage as a solemn agreement between two people who pledge to treat each other with love and kindness in order to establish mutual tranquility in their marriage. This article shows that interpretations of the Qur'an that use the scripture to justify abusive relationships between spouses or marriages between minors are unfounded. Twenty arguments are offered to support the author’s position that the verse Q.4:34, which has been interpreted as justifying wife-beating, actually has nothing to do with marital dispute. Among them are (1) the translation of “rijal” in Q.4:34 as “husbands” is a matter of interpretive linguistic choice, as the word “rijal” literally means “men.” (2) Similar to the previous issue, the translation of “nisa'” as “wives” is a matter of interpretation and could be substituted with its literal meaning, which is “women.” (3) The conventional interpretation of QS.4:34 does not accurately deal with marital conflicts. The term “nushūz” is often mistakenly limited to marital disputes, but it’s actually a broader term in the Qur'an that can encompass any form of assertiveness or high-handed behavior, whether it occurs within or outside the context of marriage, and others. Similarly, it is shown that the traditional understanding of Q.4:128—which has been seen as denying women of part of their rights in marriage—is wrong. The Qur'an also addresses the topic of polygyny. She differentiates between what she calls “Islamic polygyny” and what she calls “Qur'anic polygyny,” the actual teaching of the Qur'an, which prohibits men from having more than four wives. She shows how the former became mixed up with the latter, and she argues that polygamy in the Qur'an is only permissible if men marry the mothers of fatherless children, and even then, there are various restrictions.
Men and women alike are encouraged to strive for sexual modesty in the Qur'an, specifically in Chapter 4, which deals with the topic of female body ownership. Moving on to the debate over whether or not Muslim women should wear the hijab, or veil, the article claims that covering one’s hair is one of many ways that women might subtly signal to the world that they are only interested in committed partnerships, as opposed to casual sex or aimless dating. It also suggests that women who choose to observe the hijab are less likely to feel obligated to contribute to their own sexualization by revealing their bodies in public. According to the author, women should not be forced to wear the hijab or any other form of Islamic dress because it is their personal decision and the Qur'an makes it clear that this is the case. The author concludes by arguing that the Qur'an urges women to break free not only from societal pressures to dress modestly but also from their own ideas about themselves as mere objects of sexual desire.
For the conclusion, Chapter 5 shows that the Qur'an fully supports women’s religious, political, and economic agency. It cites the story of Maryam from the Qur'an as evidence that the Qur'an recognizes women as prophets and the story of the Queen of Sheba as evidence that the Qur'an recognizes women as having equal governing ability to males. Further, this chapter argues that the Qur'an affords women equal rights as citizens (including the right to vote), as workers (containing the right to be rewarded for domestic labor), and as mothers (including the freedom to choose whether or not to work outside the house).
What makes this book so intriguing is the author’s call for a new interpretation of the Qur'an and Islamic pedagogical traditions in order to recover a neglected but rich humanitarian and gender-equalitarian corpus of texts that has been insufficiently and haphazardly managed throughout the centuries. The book stresses the importance of studying the language choices made by jurists and exegetes over the past 14 centuries to alter the meaning of the original Qur'anic text. Following a thorough examination of chosen verses and commentaries, the author concludes that many interpretations of the Qur'an are governed by sociopolitical factors that have little to do with the text’s basic qualities.
As of now, this work represents the most substantial new contribution to the ongoing discussion about Islam and gender. Women’s and gender studies, Qur'anic studies, religion and gender, and tafsir studies are only a few of the fields that will benefit from this book. As such, it will be especially helpful in college and university-level seminars on gender and religion.
