Gender Equality in Islam

Riffat Hassan’s primary approach to gender equality in Islam is to clarify the Qur’an’s teachings on the creation of man and woman. While she finds that virtually all Muslims believe in the apocryphal story of the first woman being made from the rib of the first man (making her secondary), the Qur’an clearly teaches differently. Specifically, “…the Qur’an locates the origins of both women and men in a single nafs (self)” (Barlas 259). Hassan also seeks to dispel the myths of female responsibility for the fall of humankind, and that woman was created for man’s use and enjoyment.

Hassan argues that, by regarding men as superior to women, Muslims have elevated the interpretive tradition of hadith above the actual teachings of the Qur’an. This acceptance of tradition over and above the words of the holy book runs contrary to correct practice. The flaw in this approach is that “…Muslim men project their own androcentrism and misogyny upon the Prophet of Islam…” (Hassan 81). In Islamic religion, the Qur’an should always take precedence over custom, personal prejudice, or even hadith.

Azizah Al-Hibri agrees with Hassan’s reading of the creation story, but focuses her argument for equality on the tawhid, or unity of God (Barlas 260). She argues that the differences between man and woman were intended by God, but the unified nature of the divine justifies the ultimate equality of the genders.

Al-Hibri stresses that God’s valuation of humankind is based upon the virtue of piety above all else. The human tradition of patriarchy and coercion is, according to her, fundamentally impious. The arrogance of patriarchy stems from the actions of Satan himself in the creation story, in which his arrogance led to his fall from grace. “Domination is contrary to piety. It is the consequence of Satanic logic, not divine wisdom” (Al-Hibri 71). It is for this reason that Al-Hibri rejects the patriarchal idea that western nations should impose their own model of gender-rights legislation onto Muslim countries, as such coercion is merely another form of domination (Al-Hibri 55). In suggesting, on the other hand, an international council dealing with women’s rights (such as allowing women to drive) in Muslim countries, one which respects the cultural differences of these societies, Al-Hibri believes that the people of these countries may begin to accept that laws protecting women are not necessarily contrary to divine will.

Al-Hibri states that the divine will intends to safeguard men and women from the prejudices of their culture. Beyond merely stating the equality of men and women, the Qur’an explicitly “…put in place certain mechanisms that would help women navigate the treacherous waters of the world in which they live” (Al-Hibri 61). In this way, Al-Hibri demonstrates that the Qur’an not only declares quality, but actively works against dominance and patriarchy.

Despite their different approaches, Both Hassan and Al-Hibri regard gender equality as clearly based in the Qur’an. They also reject the harmful influence of patriarchal interpretive traditions, which are contrary to God’s word, yet have remained dominant into the present day.

Works Cited

Al-Hibri, Azizah Y. “An Introduction to Muslim Women’s Rights.” Windows of Faith. Ed. Gisda Webb. Syracuse: Syracuse UP, 2000.

Barlas, Asma. “Women’s readings of the Qur’an.” The Cambridge Companion to the Qur’an. Ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe. New York: Cambridge UP, 2006.

Hassan, Riffat. “Women’s and Men’s Liberation.” Contributions in Philosophy 45 (1991).