Document Type : Academicm and Research

Authors

• Abolhasn Barani ¹
• Esmat Nayyeri ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Teachings, Faculty of Theology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

² Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Islamic Teachings, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Teachings, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

Islamic feminism, as an intellectual movement that supports the application of Islamic principles with the goal of gender equality, analyzes gender issues from an Islamic perspective. The theorists of Islamic feminism believe in equal rights and obligations for men and women, on the basis of which they consider gender justice as equal to the principle of equality. This view has led to certain implications in the interpretation of verses related to women. This article delves into a comparative analysis of the implications of the feminist point of view with emphasis on the views of Allamah Tabatabai.

Analyzing Islamic feminist views in verses related to women

1. Limiting the verses to the Age of Revelation

The approach of feminist exegetes in interpreting the verses related to the domain of women based on gender justice has caused them to make the age of revelation effective in understanding the verses, not in the way that many exegetes have stated under the causes of revelation, but rather, they have interpreted the meaning of the verse specific to the era early Islam.

Review: The justification of verses based on historical contextualization leads to many implications and harm, some of which are the following: limiting the Quran to the Age of Revelation, lack of coherence in the text of the Quran, ignoring the phenomenon of revelation, limiting the revelatory teachings to a period in history, the expiration of the laws over time, and the negation of the eternality of laws, which are all contrary to definite proofs.

2. Providing a trans-textual interpretation

One of the other implications of feminist exegeses with a gender justice approach is providing an interpretation beyond the text. In this method, unlike classical hermeneutics, which is an attempt to understand the text, the exegete provides a point of view beyond the text. In a sense, anything beyond the words of the Quran can be considered trans-textual, rejection of the text, post-textual, or even a way of saying no.

Review: Feminist exegetes have moved away from classical and text-centered exegesis because these researchers consider prevalent exegeses as revealing the assumptions of the exegetes about gender, which are the result of the cultural and historical environment of the age of revelation.

3. Polytheism in gender discrimination

One of the most important implications of the approach of feminist exegeses is the concept of polytheism in any theory that causes gender discrimination from the point of view of these exegetes, in the sense that creating a hierarchy between people and trying to evaluate the superiority of a person or group means playing a role that belongs only to God. This action is considered as placing oneself in the position of God and sharing in God's sovereignty; therefore it is polytheism.

Review: The hierarchical division of genders does not lead to God-like authority and as a result, it is not polytheism because these feminist researchers themselves have accepted the existence of hierarchies in the laws of society and do not consider them to lead to polytheism.

4. The concept of exegeses being patriarchal

Of the other implications of feminist exegeses based on gender justice is the concept of the men-centricity of exegeses of the Quran. Such researchers believe that the exegeses of the classical period and most of the exegeses of the post-classical period were formed based on the experiences of men and men-oriented issues.

Review: Firstly, feminist exegetes consider their main duty to express the egalitarianism of the Quran through alternative interpretations. Therefore, feminist exegetes do not accept any reading of the Quran that is not consistent with the basis of gender equality. Thus, the classical exegeses of the Quran, the purpose of which was to discover the meaning of the speaker (i.e. God) have been considered patriarchal.

Secondly, from the point of view of Islamic exegetes, men and women are equal in reaching spiritual positions, but the fact that there are differences between men and women in some rulings is due to their essential nature. According to Allamah Tabatabai, men and women are the same in the nature of humanity and in their legal and spiritual personality, but each of these two genders will have differences from the opposite gender due to their physical creation and specific characteristics.

Thirdly, Islamic and feminist exegetes actually have different views. From the study of the views of Allamah Tabatabai and other exegetes, it is understood that because the natural capacities that creation has given to these two human genders are different, in some legal, social, and financial system rulings of women, such as inheritance, alimony, and dowry, men and women are different. And on the other hand, feminist exegetes, who are looking for equality and the principle of equality between men and women, consider both of them to have completely similar rights.

Conclusion

To prove their point of view, feminist exegetes have interpreted verses related to women based on the principle of equality, which has led to certain implications. The notion of exegeses being patriarchal, polytheism in gender discrimination, trans-textual exegesis, and limiting the verses to the Age of Revelation, are among the implications of feminist exegeses. In contrast, Islamic thinkers, including Allamah Tabatabai, believe that gender justice means that the rights of men and women should be given based on the essential differences between them. The essential difference of beings is necessary for the system of cause and effect, and men and women, who are part of this world of creation, are not exempted from this rule. Therefore, men and women will have different rights. As Allamah Tabatabai has stated, in the rulings that Islam has established regarding the two genders of men and women, it has generally considered the traits and qualifications of each, and in the common laws, the same generic commonality has been considered and it has made these two genders as close to each other as possible; however, where differences are seen, it has emphasized conformity (to those differences).

References

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Keywords

• women in Islam
• gender justice
• Allamah Tabatabai
• Islamic feminism

Main Subjects

• Islamic