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Page last edited on 12 March, 2003
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INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY
Islam and Cultural Practices
When writing or speaking about the Islamic position on any issue, one ought
to clearly differentiate between the normative teachings of Islam and the diversity
of cultural practices prevalent among its adherents that may or may not be
consistent with those teachings. This paper discusses the normative teachings of
Islam with regard to the standing and role of women in society as the criteria
by which to judge the practice of Muslims and to evaluate their compliance with
Islam.
Primary Sources of Islam
In identifying what is "Islamic" it is necessary to make a
clear distinction between the primary sources of Islam -- the Qur'an and
the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (P) -- and legal opinions derived from them by scholars in regard to specific
issues.
Factors in Interpretation
The process of extracting laws from the primary sources is a human
function. The surmise of legal practitioners may therefore vary considerabley
and be influenced by their specific times, circumstances and cultures.
Obviously, opinions and verdicts of human beings do not enjoy the autheority or
the finality accorded to the primary sources, which God revealed. Futhermore, interpretation
of the primary sources should consider, among other things:
1. The context of any statement or commandment in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
In the case of the Qur'an, this includes both the context of the surah and
the verses under examination, as well a sthe general perspective of Islam, its
teachings, and its world-view. As for the Sunnah of the Prophet (P) the
same applies to its texts.
2. The occasion of revelation that is, the historical background
providing the primary reasons or causes underlying revelation of a Qur'anic
portion or verse to the Prophet (P), which may help to better elucidate its
meaning; and, with regard to the Sunnah, the event or the incident that
occasioned the statement or action of the Prophet.
3. The role of the Sunnah in explaining and defining the meaning of
the Qur'anic text.
To Muslims, Sunnah is a form of revealation given to Prophet Muhammad (P),
but not verbatim, as is the case with the Qur'an. As such, authentic Sunnah is
the second primary source of Islamic teachings, after the Qur'an. It plays the
important roles of defining, explaining and elaborating the Qur'anic text. for
example, the second "pillar" of Islam, prayer, is mentioned in the
Qur'an but without details about how it should be performed. Such details were
left for Prophet Muhammad (P) to explain based on the instructions of angel
Gabriel.
Disregard or ignorance of sunnah may lead to serious errors of
interpretation. At times, the literal or lexical meaning of a term used in
the qur'an may not be its correct meaning if the Prophet (P) qualified or
specified what is meant by it. erros are multipled when an erroneous literal
meaning is translated from the original Arabic text of the Qur'an into
another language, which, in turn may have its own connotations for the
translated words used. A detailed illustration of this type of error is provided
in endnote.
Following the above methodology,
and for the reader's convenience, the
issue of gender equity is discussed under four broad headings:
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Chapter 1: The Spiritual Aspect
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Chapter 2: The Economic Aspect
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Chapter 3: The Social Aspect
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Chapter 4: The Political and Legal Aspect
It is hoped that, insha'Allah (God willing), this humble contribution may
help in providing a basic frame of reference for more detailed treatments of
this vital topic, from an Islamic perspective.
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