Islam and Women: Indian Muslim Scholarship-II

As discussed in my previous column (dated March 21, 2024), numerous works have been written from different perspectives on ‘Islam and women’ and Muslim scholars of India have also contributed, and are contributing, to this discourse. Two more recently published English works on this theme include Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah (2020) by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and Women in Islam—What the Quran & Sunnah Say (2020) by Abdur Raheem Kidwai.

Maulana Wahiddudin Khan (1925-2021)—an Indian Muslim (spiritual) scholar, a Qur’an commentator, an ardent advocate of peace, interfaith dialogue, social harmony and gender justice—is a significant contributor to this discourse as he has authored Women between Islam and Western Society (2014; originally published in 1995 and available in Arabic and Urdu versions as well); Aurat: Maemaar-e-Insaniyat/ Woman: The Builder of Humankind (2018 [2004]), Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah (2020; originally published in 1995), etc.

Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah consists of eleven (11) chapters and discusses the status of women in Islam in the light of teachings of the Qur’an and hadith, womanhood in Islam, qualities of (or to be possessed by) Muslim women, rights and duties of husband and wife in first five chapters, and presents a detailed discussions on concepts and issues related to divorce, polygamy, dowry, hijab, etc. in the light of Islamic teachings and history in chapters 6-10, and ends with a chapter on the “success in marriage”.

He begins the ‘Foreword’ (pp. 11-14) with Edward William Lane’s statement that “the fatal point in Islam is the degradation of woman”. For Khan, this “ill-considered observation gained such currency” in the succeeding centuries that instead of having “elapsed since then”, it has so “deepened” as “if it were an established fact” (p. 11). In this backdrop, he, thus, asserts: “To interpret the Islamic concept of woman as ‘degradation’ of woman is to distort the actual issue. Islam has never asserted that woman is inferior to man: it has only made the point that woman is differently constituted” (p.11).

This is precisely the main theme and thesis of Khan’s book.
Quoting several Qur’anic verses and Ahadith related to women, Khan, in chapter 1, “Qur’an and Hadith” (pp. 15-19) underscores that the foundational sources of Islam not only “give detailed commandments regarding women” but they also “lay down clear guidelines for the relationship between men and women” as well as bring into sharp light the “position that a woman occupies in Islam” (pp. 15, 17). In the second chapter, “The Qualities of a Believing Woman” (pp. 20-27), he refers to thirteen (13) ‘Basic Attributes of Men and Women’ as depicted in Surah al-Ahzab (33: 35) and al-Tahrim (66: 1-12), which collectively, “constitute an ideal, not just for men, but for both sexes” and they “form the basis of Islam” and are, thus, “true means of salvation in the world to come” (p. 25). Similarly, in the 3rd chapter, “Womanhood in Islam” (pp. 28-37), Khan demystifies the notion that “Eve was created from Adam’s rib” by referring to Q. 4:1 and states that there is not a single verse in the Qur’an which supports this notion. On the contrary, the fact is that “Eve was created—not from Adam himself—but from the same species as Adam”, as is elucidated in several verses such as Qur’an 16: 72; 30: 21; and 42: 11, wherein the word for “Soul (nafs) has been used to mean ‘species’” (pp. 28-29).

“The Status of Woman” (pp. 38-48) is highlighted in the 4th chapter, and Khan accentuates, in unequivocal terms, that in Islam “a woman enjoys the same status as that of a man”, as is evident from Q. 3: 195 (“You are members, one of another”).

“There is no difference between man and woman as regards status, rights and blessings both in this world and in the hereafter. Both are equal participants so far as the carrying out of the functions of daily living is concerned” (p. 38).
In the 5th chapter, he highlights the contribution of some “Muslim Women” in Islamic history, who have “played significant roles” demonstrating “the exaltedness of the position accorded to women in Islamic society” (p. 49).

In the 6th chapter he discusses the “Rights of Husband and Wife” (pp. 79-94) in the light of the “basic principles which are laid down in the Quran and the Hadith, which serve as the basis of the Islamic way of life” (p.81), like ‘Dower’, ‘maintenance’, ‘proper behavior’, ‘obedience’, ‘guarding of the secret’, ‘management of the home’, etc., and argues that the “rights of men and women, in reality, are not a matter of legal lists, but rather a matter of good living” (p. 93). The next four chapters (7-10) provide a detailed discussion, in the light of Islamic teachings and historical evidences, on concepts and issues “concerning divorce”, “polygamy and Islam”, “Dowry”, and “Hijab in Islam”, respectively (pp. 95-114, 115-24, 125-,40, and 141-50).

Abdur Raheem Kidwai’s Women in Islam is a succinct, slim and simple volume which highlights the rights, status, role, and contribution of Muslim women in its real context as well as demystifies and deconstructs the main misconceptions and misconstructions on this vital but sensitive issue. Divided into three main sections, Women in Islam attempts to providing readers with an “opportunity to consider some of the references to women in authentic Islamic sources in order to shape an informed view” as well as to “let readers appreciate the high status that women enjoy in Islam” (p. vii).

A simple compilation of those passages from the Qur’an and hadith collections which ‘refer to or address women specifically’, it highlights the “Islamic stance on womanhood: her existence as a creation of Allah, her purpose of life as a slave of Allah, her capacity for attaining self-development and proximity with Allah and her accomplishments”, and brings into the sharper light the fact that in the Quran “men and women are both accorded the same respect, dignity and honour as human beings”, and both are repeatedly addressed and urged “to be active, positive stakeholders in the construction of God-conscious society and for attaining salvation as pious individuals” (pp. viii, ix).
In Section-I, ‘Quranic Verses and Ahadith Addressing and Referring to Women (pp. 3-136), the author presents a collection of seventy six (76) verses from the Quran, which either address men and women collectively (e.g., Q. 9: 71-72; 16: 9; 33: 35; 48: 5; 57: 12; etc.) or to women specifically (as in Q. 2, 4, 24, 33, etc.), followed by a brief explanation of many of these verses contextualising and demonstrating ‘gender parity’ by explaining the verses related to men as guardians of women, inheritance, polygamy, divorce, dower, etc.

This is followed by a collection of 102 Ahadith (the Prophetic Traditions) from various authentic Hadith books and some classical Islamic sources (like Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Tabaqat Ibn Sad, etc.) related to different aspects of women in different contexts.

In Section-II, ‘Women Specifically Mentioned in the Quran’ (pp. 137-158), it provides an account of those ‘Believing Women’ in the light of the Qur’an and other authentic Islamic sources who are portrayed as “role models” by the Qur’an (p. 139) and are praised for their various virtues: Maryam (Mary), Queen of Sheba, Pharaoh’s believing wife (Asiya), Prophet Moses’s mother, Prophet Shuayb’s daughters, etc.

This is followed by Section-III, ‘Women Hadith Narrators and Teachers’ (pp. 159-69), which provides a list of some prominent Hadith scholars from early Muslim history with a view to exemplify the dynamic contribution that Muslim women have made to Islamic history.

The Books in Sum: Keeping in view the overall subject-matter and the issues and topics highlighted, Khan’s Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah makes a significant contribution to this much hyped (but misconstrued) topic.

Similarly, Kidwai’s Women in Islam portrays the place, rights, role, responsibilities and contribution of women in its real context and defies the misconceptions about Muslim women. Thus, demystifying many misconceptions, both these works collectively highlight the real status, role, rights, responsibilities and contribution of women in Islam.

The author is Assistant Professor, Islamic Studies, GDC Ganderbal (J&K).