Re-reading the Qur'an for Gender Equality

The assignment content discusses the concept of reading the Quran in a way that is free from patriarchal influence, arguing that the Quran needs to be read by itself and not through the lens of hadith or sunnah. Barla suggests that the Quran promotes gender equality and argues against patriarchal interpretations, citing various verses and examples. The assignment also discusses how polygyny and wife-beating can be seen as collapsing when viewed through a perspective of freedom, love, equality, justice, and tenderness.

Running head: Critical analysis
“Does the Qur'an Support Gender”-
By Dr. Asma Barla

Critical analysis 1
Table of Contents
Dr. Asma Barla’s - "Does the Qur'an Support Gender Equality- ANALYSIS..................2
References.............................................................................................................. 7

Critical analysis 2
Dr. Asma Barla’s - "Does the Qur'an Support Gender
Equality- ANALYSIS
In this paper, we are analyzing the views of Barla over the status of women as given by
Islam as stated in Quran. We have an argument whether Qur’an supports gender
inequality or not and we are going to answer this by critically reviewing and analyzing
Barla’s paper in terms of its implications, the research methods used, the main findings of
this paper and the conceptual bases taken while writing this paper. Barla’s paper has
shared her views regarding Muslim women being “born accused” and that Qur’an doesn’t
support gender equality.
Barla’s study is about analyzing the reason behind the veil (burqa) used by the Muslim
women. She has justified the western perspective by saying that call veil as an "imaginary
anchor." According to her, Qur’an has opposed the system of patriarchy, which gave birth
to the theory of sexual equality and inequality in Muslims(Ghauri,2015). Since ages,
women’s right has been the major issue in the Muslim society. She stated through her
paper that Muslims have two kinds of religious knowledge. The first is the sacred
knowledge about Islam that is taken from Qur’an and the second is the religious
knowledge about Islam that is derived from history and by decoding the teachings of
Qur’an’s through their own interpretations. Sacred knowledge is unchangeable whereas
religious knowledge is subject to the human knowledge. According to her, both the
knowledge are inter-connected, though with many gaps. For example, the Anti-women
program in Afghanistan in no way represents any kind of Qur’an’s teaching. Qur’an
teachings don't stop women from working or mandating them to wear the burqa. Qur’an
is rather against those men who treat women badly or oppress them.

Critical analysis 3
If we analyze the history, we can see, before the coming of Islam, most of the Arabs used
to follow rituals like burying females alive after their birth and making them dance naked
for their joy and used to treat women as sexual objects. Before Islam, women had no
prestigious position and no rights. Qur’an stated the women’s rights and a prestigious
position in the society. Arabs had a viewpoint that women are being possessed by sin and
wickedness whereas men used to symbolize nobility, which was broken by Qur’an.
Qur’an has defined women as being created from the same soul as of men. The teaching
of Islam regarding women can be understood by analyzing of its context about women’s
position and their rights provided in the society. Through this, we can consider whether
Qur’an offers any theory about gender equality or not.
Barla in her paper, argues that Qur’an offerings depend entirely upon the person who is
reading it. Historians viewed Islam as a religious patriarchy which stamps the
subservience of females as compared to males. The Qur’an’s reading has been misread
and was decoded in one single way. The final research reached by Barla argues that
Muslims not only misread Qur’an’s readings but also misread the readings that were
proposed even before Qur’an came into existence. She argued that the Qur’an needs to be
read by the Qur’an. Reading the teachings of Qur’an in the light os sunnah and hadith
has created problems both theological and methodological for the interpreters. Sunnah is
not after the Qur’an rather it is prior to Qur’an as per the history. Hence, the sunnah need
not be derived from the Qur’an which many scholars have done which in turn has
resulted in misinterpretation of the Qur’an.
Barla suggested that Qur’an must be read by way of Qur'an (i.e. through the textual
holism and the theological way). The Qur’an itself states that whole of it has come from

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God and those reading it partially need to be criticized. The verses of Qur’an also reveals
how sinful it is to use its revelations for showing purposes and one must not fit its own
mindset. As stated by a verse in Qur’an: “And there are among them illiterates who know
not the Book but only lies, and they do but conjecture” which means that in the history
there were common Jews which were not aware of the details about their faith. Qur’an
here referred to the people who chose to read the verses into them and who were blind to
drive benefit from these teachings of Qur’an. Similarly, today also the religion and its
teachings are used wrongfully to seek one’s own materialistic aspirations. The problem is
still there as Qur’an still is not read as for its "best meanings." The best meaning was not
defined properly in the Qur’an itself rather is left entirely up to the discretion of the
mankind (Rinaldo, 2014). The most argued topic regarding the position of women and
their rights in Islam has been set up in the Qur’an but is interpreted in one’s own way.
This has restricted us from reaching to a single notion about the status of women.
Barla has focused on the anti-patriarchal meaning of Qur’an and for which she has
referred to the concept of tawhid in Islam. Tawhid is about having faith and believes in
the unity of God (i.e. He is the one ruler who sovereigns and who has not been created,
neither a male nor a father and neither a son). This proved that if sayings of Qur’an and
which are unchangeable then how can it be patriarchal?
Qur’an itself forbids the use of metaphors for God. Thus, Qur’an is anti-patriarchal and
doesn’t support patriarchy. Barla has argued that since Qur’an does not represent God as
a father, son or husband, and has also forbidden Muslims from the use of such terms for
God, so in that sense, it does not support patriarchy. Only speaking about patriarchy is
very different from promoting or advocating it. Qur’an does not, in any of its contexts

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support the patriarchal system or oppression of women. Qur’an has also treated both man
and woman differently on some occasions, but still, it does not support any kind of
inequality. Women are not described, in any way, lesser than men. Several verses of
Qur’an are there which promote the equality of women and men, and there is no verse
which promotes inequality.
Barla has also argued about the misconception of inequality of women as taught by the
Qur’an. Women are also independent human beings and all the human beings stand
accountable for their own good and wrong deeds and are rewarded/punished for their
own actions. If men were supposed to be responsible for the deeds done by women, then
the accountability at the “Day of Judgment” would be on men’s shoulder. The verse about
Judgment Day states that "no human being shall be of the least avail to another human
being" which means that on the Day of Judgment nobody will be treated differently on
the basis of gender, sex, race or color. Though there are certain verses of Qur'an which
provide support to gender equality before God. As given in Qur'an: “…And they
(women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them, according to what is
equitable…” [Surah al-Baqarah: 228]. Muslim women’s status is defined in the Qur’an
stating that they makeup half of the society and are responsible for nurturing and guiding
the generations of both women and men.
The different treatment given to women and men in Qur’an does not constitute gender
inequality. By reading the Qur’anic verses, we must make efforts to break the shackles of
hermeneutics (Bauer, 2015). To get the real meaning of these verses which Muslims refer
and quote while justifying a man to be superior and to be the guardian of women, Qur’an
has to be read by moving out of the systems of patriarchy. Each concept as discussed in

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the Qur’an will automatically change by changing one’s own perspective. For example,
Barla says that polygyny and wife-beating and many other similar concepts regarding the
status of women will come to a collapse once it is understood that the Qur’an has always
been speaking about the freedom, love, equality, justice and tenderness. The Qur’an is
being sent for all and promotes the mankind to use its own intellect while decoding its
meaning.
Barla finally concludes by claiming that Islam is mostly dominated by the people who do
not even own it and does not even belong to it and doesn’t have any belief in it.
It is not completely, though partially possible for us to free ourselves from the patriarchal
theory of Muslims. But it is almost impossible to unchain ourselves from the shackles of
Non-Muslims Anglo-Europeans.

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References
Bauer, K. (2015). Domestic Violence and the Islamic Tradition: Ethics, Law, and the
Muslim Discourse on Gender. By Ayesha Chaudhry. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
December 2013. Pp. xx+ 258. HB£ 34.99. ISBN 78-0-19-964016-4.
Abukari, A. (2014). Education of women in Islam: a critical Islamic interpretation of the
Quran. Religious Education, 109(1), 4-23.
Rinaldo, R. (2014). Pious and critical: Muslim women activists and the question of
agency. Gender & Society, 28(6), 824-846.
Ghauri, N. (2015). Domestic Violence (Q. 4: 34) and the Qur’Ānic Model: Q. 4: 34–
Hermeneutical Analysis of Verse 34 and the Surrounding Controversy. Browser
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