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WOMEN & THE KORAN.
Term Paper ID:26652
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Social, religious & familial roles, conduct, rights & obligations, sexuality, protective vs, punitive aspects, salvation, as set forth in Islamic Scriptures.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Social, religious & familial roles, conduct, rights & obligations, sexuality, protective vs, punitive aspects, salvation, as set forth in Islamic Scriptures.
Paper Introduction:
Women and the Koran
Introduction
As Islam has become more familiar to the world's people, one of the focuses of the West has been on the position of women within Islamic societies. There has been much criticism of the constraints on women that have resulted from religious beliefs and practice. However, the countries which have a majority of Islamic adherents vary widely in their practices. It is not always clear what social practices result from cultural tradition and which practices emerge from the Koran and Islamic tradition. The intent in the following pages is to explore the rights and obligations of women in Islam as set forth in the Koran.
The Qur'an and Women
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Specifically, both undertake ritualpurification and wear white garments symbolizing this purification(Esposito, 1991). Both men and women are obligated to this pilgrimage, witha few separate requirements. This creation of the canon was completed by the immediate post-Muhammad period, long before the modern era. For example, the matter of inheritance is dealt with in verse seven.There is clearly states that both men and women shall have a share in whattheir parents and kinsmen leave. This has been the approach of feminist scholars in many of the major worldreligions, including Christianity. These are the verseswhich guide Muslim understanding of human rights and obligations. Hassan also contended that there has been much misinterpretation ofthe verses regarding women's dress and conduct, with scholars focusing onthe necessity of women maintaining their chastity, rather than on theoriginal intent of protecting women from harassment in their lives. In contast, itis interesting to remember that women in the United States in the 19thcentury did not always have this right to inheritance. It is only recently that feminist theologians from within the Islamictradition have begun to reexamine the interpretation of scripture withinIslam. Sura 4:32 One of the verses that Hassan quoted as support for her contentionthat the obligations of women in term of dress and conduct were protective,rather than punitive, was Sura 4:32. Although their participationis circumscribed, nonetheless, it is recognized that the Qur'an supportsthat right. However, there are twomethods of dealing with the text. However, there are also obligations,injunctions, protections, and prescriptions that are specific to women.Some specific passages: It would not be possible to discuss all the passages which refer towomen or to the conduct of women. There are some differences, however. In his discussion of shari'ah, Doi (1984) described the Qur'an asorganized into four different categories. Women are enjoined to turn theireyes away from temptation, preserve their chastity, cover their adornments,draw their veils over their bosoms, not reveal their finery except tocertain specific categories of people, and not stamp their feet in walkingso that they do not reveal their hidden trinkets (24:31). Both feminist theologians and religious scholars agree, however, thatIslam represented an advance for women in terms of both rights andobligations. Some theologians have attempted to restore Islam to its originalstate, finding that the Qur'an is less restrictive in its teachings thanthe traditions that developed in conservative societies (O'Neill, 199 ).Others have noted that the nature of arabic allows for differentinterpretations of important scriptures from Islam. (1984). Feminist scholars contend that Muhammad and the Qur'an are relativelyegalitarian in their approach to the rights and obligations of men andwomen, although not totally so. NY: Paulist Press. Finally, the fourth categoryincludes verses which contain the commandments or injunctions of Allah forgoverning the conduct of all people, men and women. Again, this is an obligation ofwomen, as well as men. While some cultures have denied women theirrights under the Qur'an in practice, those still exist in the scripturesthemselves. This is a month-long fast in which people abstain from food,drink, and sex from sunrise to sunset. Unlike other holy scriptures, it is the result of therevelation to one man at one time in history, which is relatively well-attested to historically (Renard, 1992). This is the profession of faith andthe core of Islam. These are the major elements of Islamic practice and they are specificreligious obligations of both men and women. The obligations and injunctions which theMuslim woman attends to leads inexorably to eternal rewards from Allah.The Sura further notes that these good women shall not suffer the leastinjustice. This, too, was thelaw. Sheasserted that the Qur'an is not biased against women and does notdiscriminate against them, but that the interpretation of the Qur'an by menhas led to a distortion of the truth which has created a condition ofspiritual, as well as physical, bondage for most women in the Islamicworld. Theintent in the following pages is to explore the rights and obligations ofwomen in Islam as set forth in the Koran. These prayers are performed five times each day,beginning with the shahada. They are also provided with the right to seek specificagreements with their husbands if they fear ill-treatment or desertion(4:128). Al-Nur, Chapter 24 This chapter deals with several different matters, including the codeof conduct for women, adultery, and false accusations. NY: Penguin Books.Doi, A.R.I. The adulteress can only marry anadulterer, not another true believer. The believerhas a right to expect certain things from Allah as long as she follows theinjunctions of the Qur'an. This has become a more general practiceduring the contemporary period, as Islamic women are reclaiming both theirrights and obligations in terms of Islamic practice (O'Neill, 199 ). Thus,she noted that verses in both chapter 24 and chapter 4 indicate that theintention of the injunctions was to make it safer for women to conducttheir daily business, including earning an income, without the sexualharassment of men. Theseinjunctions are, therefore, part of religious law. Al-Nisa, Chapter Four This chapter is also a relevant one in thinking about the rights andobligations of women in terms of relationship. Thus, male children are entitled to inherittwice as much as female children. In addition, culturalbias may mean that verses are misapplied, taken out of their originalcontext. There are other verses in this chapter which solidify this potentialfor independence by providing protections for women. However, this chapter has also been interpreted as giving menauthority over women because they are superior, and requiring women to beobedient to men. For the most part, Islam is a religion that focuses on the veryspecific, and detailed, path that is laid out for the believer. Any Muslim who denies this profession of faithimmediately becomes an unbeliever, or apostate, punishable in Islamic lawby death. Riffat Hassan is one of the major scholars working with the Qur'an.For her, the Qur'an is the liberator of women, if properly understood. NY: OxfordUniversity Press. The organization of the Qur'an does not represent a chronology of therevelations to Muhammad. In the contemporary world, this right hsenabled many Arabic women to become quite wealthy through obtaining theirinheritances. One of the major voices of Sufiism,Rabi'a, is also a rare female voice (Hirschfield, 1994). Islam itself has developed fromthe intersection of the Qur'an, the tradition that emerged around it, andthe ongoing interpretation of holy men of the meaning of both of those. As an example, the hadd punishments areall detailed injunctions, which leave no room for consultation by thecommunity. Prayer is preceded by purification rituals andgenerally includes prostration and recitation of fixed prayers that includepassages from the Qur'an. Instead, the shareof their inheritance legally went to their husbands. Thisprovided them an important measure of protection for that time, ensuringthem some real financial independence. Thus, Hassan noted that Sura 4:15 is often used to justifyconfining women to their homes in order to protect their chastity, when itwas originally meant only as a punishment for the unchaste woman, not thenormal way of life for every woman. Hirshfield, J. Finally, the fifth obligation is the pilgrimage of Hajj. Renard, J. On the other hand, women also haverights and protections in this situation. and a move to Yithrab in 622C.E., Muhammad's prophethood and the new revelation began to solidify(Renard, 1992). It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, and specificallyto the Ka'aba, and is to take place during the twelfth month of the Muslimlunar calendar. There has been much criticism of the constraints on women thathave resulted from religious beliefs and practice. Over several years, he gathered agroup of followers in Makka, with some splitting off to other locations.With a major mystical experience in 621 C.E. Hassan, R. The moretheological, and sometimes mystical, elements of exegesis have often beensuspect or thought heretical, as with Sufiism in different eras. For example, itprescribes the penalties for adultery, with both the adulterer and theadulteress being given a hundred lashes. Even in Sufisim, which is a mystical aspect of Islam,women have been less influential. This zakat is designed tosupport those in need within the entire community, as stated in Sura 9:6 ,in which alms are to be used for ransoming captives and debtors, forsupporting the poor, destitute, wayfarer, and those who have converted tothe faith. Doi (1984) further divided these verses into four separate categories,including the consise injunctions, the concise-cum-detailed injnctions, thedetailed injunctions, and the fundamental principles of guidance which arederived from these injunctions. She noted that Arabic allows for readers andtranslators to choose more than one possible reading of a verse, and thatthese readings can be influenced by cultural bias. This chapter further continues to enjoin both men and women to behavechastely and purely, although women are provided with more detailedinstructions in their code of conduct. This, then, provides the justification by which women claima right to participate in the work force. It seems to indicate that men can punish disobedientwomen by putting them apart or beating them (4:34). It isfundamentally a legalistic tradition, based on these injunctions andbehaviors further elucidated in the shari'ah. These are prescribed punishments for specific actions.However, some of the major principles in Islam are part of the concise, butnot detailed, injunctions, such as the injunction to prayer, fasting, andpilgrimage. In the footsteps of Muhammad. Itis holy "men," rather than men and women who have primarily influenced thedevelopment of Islam. A third category provides versesteaching about death and eschatology. In the Qur'an, these rewards to the believer are many. This organization was gradually accomplishedduring the course of the revelations and the course of the development ofthe revelations into the body of scripture currently identified as theQur'an. This seems to be a form of early income tax which was inherentto Islamic religious practice. At the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, women hadessentially no rights in society, or obligations that would put them on anequal basis with the men. Women in praise of the sacared. Muslims as a whole have avery specific code of conduct and way of behaving which is prescribed forboth men and women. (1992). The fourth obligation of the religious Muslim is to honor the fast ofRamadan. The problem, they assert, is with the moreconservative cultures and scholars that have distorted that original Islam. (1991). (1974). Althoughthis mystical aspect remains one element of Islam, there is a primacy oflaw over theology in Islamic tradition (Esposito, 1991). However, the countrieswhich have a majority of Islamic adherents vary widely in their practices.It is not always clear what social practices result from cultural traditionand which practices emerge from the Koran and Islamic tradition. (1994). Maryknoll, NY:Orbis Books. They are protectedfrom forced marriages, from having their dowries taken back, and frommarriages to kinsmen (4:18-23). It is a time for spiritualreflection, transformation, and returning to right practice and rightrelationship. Women are also repeatedly provided with important rights in terms ofprotecting themselves against ill-treatment. Shari'ah. As noted earlier, they canobtain arbiters to work in reconciling with their husbands in situations ofconflict. In the first category, versesare designed to teach people through remembrance of the gifts of Allah.The second category includes verses which teach people through theremembrance of specific happenings. Again, this is a requirement of all adultMuslims, not a suggstion (Esposito, 1991). Women are further provided with rights similar to those that menhave in terms of divorce, although men have a higher status (2:228).Additionally, they are provided with guaranteed child support, with theadmonition to men that they must be maintained and clothed by the father ina reasonable manner (2:233). It helps to explain why Saudi Arabia, which is veryconservative in terms of Islamic law, has long recognized the rights ofSaudi women to participate in the work force. A third important obligation is to almsgiving, or payment of the zakatwhich supports the community. Women in Islam are enjoinedto the same religious obligations as men, the same chaste behavior, and thesame participation in community. The first requirement of the believer is to adhere to the fundamentalformulation of Islamic faith, which is that there is no god but Allah andthat Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. Although the prophet's wife and daughter wereinfluential during the early years of Islamic development, that wasatypical for Islam. They govern theconduct of women, and men, during the course of their lives and in theirrelationships with others. Again, this is a significant right givento women which had not previously been available to them. This is an instance in which a verybrief mention of a topic becomes quite important in terms of Islamic law.This verse is quite short and has several separate aspects. In this section of the chapter, specificmoieties are prescribed for different relatives, including children,parents, and wives (4:11-12). However, this inheritance right is also modified in a later verse, sothat women inherit unequally. Thus, itenjoins people not to envy the rewards of their neighbors, while alsospecifically recognizing that both men and women shall be rewarded fortheir labors. Esposito, J.L. They have the right to obtain dowries,even if they are slaves, as long as they are honorable and chaste. Salvation, 4:122, 4:124 Ultimately religions promise their believers certain things. In the next verse,however, there is provision for mediation between men and women inconflict, in which the woman's arbiter is equal to the man's (4:35). Thus, the ultimate right or promise of communion with Allah andeternal life in Paradise is directly related to the obligations enjoined onwomen throughout the Qur'an. While the Qur'anic injunction may not always have been followed inpractice, it is Islamic law. Some of thoseare controversial, and have led to inequalities between men and women. The Koran. Women and the Koran Introduction As Islam has become more familiar to the world's people, one of thefocuses of the West has been on the position of women within Islamicsocieties. Muhammad initially was uncertain about hisvisitations, but gradually came to accept them and acknowledge the commandto recite (literally, make qur'an). These are considered to be legal injunctions, not suggestions. It is clearly stated that anyonewho accuses an honorable woman and cannot produce four witnesses is to begiven eighty lashes and their testimony will no longer be admissible. On the other hand, Riffat Hassan (1982) has studied the Qur'an overmany years and believes that this passage, and many other passages, havebeen interpreted incorrectly. Thus, women are ensured of obtaining atleast part of the inheritance of parents, children, or spouses. Inthe following pages, the intention is to explore specific passages thatdeal with the rights and obligations of women in Islamic society. It is also generally true that theinjunctions that apply to men, apply to women. Women speaking, women listening. London: Ta Ha Publishers. The Qur'an and Women The Qur'an (variously spelled Koran or Quran or Qur'an) is the holyscripture of Islam. NY:HarperPerennial. Theprimary source of shari'ah, or Islamic religious law, is the Qur'an. In other words, it is not the governmentwhich is requiring people to share their wealth with the less fortunate,but Allah. Again, it is important to notethat this is part of Islamic law, one of the injunctions, rather than asuggestion. There are several differentmatters that are dealt with in this chapter, often quite briefly. Friday's noon prayer is a congregational prayerwhich only men are required to attend, although women may attend at thelocal mosque (Esposito, 1991). Bibliography Dawood, N.J., Trs. Islam -- the straight path. (199 ). Development and Organization of the Qur'an The Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad over the course of more than twodecades and in two different cities, both Makka and Madina (again, thereare variant spellings). (1982). Both the legalistic method, which is thebasis of most practice and law, and the theological method, which is moresuspect, are part of the exegesis of the Qur'an (Renard, 1992). They maypromise that believers who follow a certain path will be rewarded withmaterial things, or with good fortune, or with long life, or with eternallife. O'Neill, M. Thus, the believing woman is specificallypromised that if she does good works, she will enter the gardens ofParadise (4:124) and be admitted to gardens watered by running streams,there to abide forever (4:122). The Five Pillars of Islam In terms of basic obligations, both men and women in Islam are equal.All are called to the obligatory practice of the five pillars of Islam,although in slightly different ways in some instances. The second obligation is to prayer. Thus, in relationships with men, women have many specific rights whichwere not previously available to them, including the right to inheritproperty, the right to divorce, the right to dowry and to retain thatdowry, the right to seek mutual agreement with their husbands, the right toan arbiter to speak on their behalf, the right to child support, and theright to generally good treatment and equal treatment from her husband. Thispilgrimage is a requirement for every adult Muslim who is physically andfinancially able to do it. On human rights and the Qur'anic perspective.Journal of ecumenical Studies, 19, 51-65.
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