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Women in Islam

After a quick historical survey, one is safely justified to believe that throughout history and in different societies and cultures, women have been looked upon as second-class human beings; such a view that entails tangible practical consequences even to this very day and even in modern societies. ‘Women in Islam’ is among the topics that have been approached by mixed attitudes. From some Muslims who whitewash their local/cultural discriminative practices against women under the label of Islam; to the non-Muslim outsiders who don’t bother to analyze and distinguish different cultural and religious elements in various Muslim societies. All of these compel us to refer to the primary teachings of Islam and the historical and socio-political context within which Islam was born, to find out more about ‘Women in Islam.’

Islam emerged as a religion and also a socio-political revolution in the Arabian Peninsula, 7 ^thcentury AD. Different dimensions and multitude of such a social revolution with regards to women’s conditions can be appreciated better only if the pre-existing social status of women is depicted realistically. In what follows we shall have a quick list of pervasive views on women in Pre-Islamic Arabia:

• Woman was known for her deception, she was associated with Evil;
• Misfortunate incidents were often associated with female members of a family or a tribe, a newborn daughter or a newlywed bride; and they were discriminated harshly thereupon; This was most of the time unique to women and hardly ever bad omen was attached to male members;
• Hard conditions of living in the desert and continuous conflicts have shaped a particular tribal system in which Daughters were not just regarded as useless in wars, but also sources for disgrace if taken captive by an enemy tribe, thus, in a relatively common practice, they were buried alive upon birth;
• As if they were embarrassed for having a female family member, Arab men would refer to their wives with words such as: sheep, goat, shoe, shackle, tied chain;
• Woman’s consent was not a necessary condition in her marriage;
• There was no particular condition or limit for the number of wives, a man could marry as many women as he wished;
• She was forced to shave her hair after her husband’s death;
• Daughters had no right of inheritance;
• Female-bearing (a quality for someone whose children are mostly female) and sterility very essentially the same thing, and often it was women who were blamed for these negative qualities;
• Lineage and tribal affiliation is only transmitted through male offsprings.

Islam’s reactions to such practices and views were in two domains: to change mentalities and reshape practical norms. Following is a short list of the attempts Islam made in reshaping social status of women:

• Great spiritual significance was attached to woman; a female infant brings angels to home; daughters are manifestations of divine mercy and raising female children is rewarded by paradise;
• It is the bliss and fortunate fate of a family to have a daughter;
• Abortion and infanticide, whether male or female is regarded heinous crime with serious penalties;
• Muslim man is encouraged to consider his wife as a flower, not a house maid; Muslim woman does not have to carry out household duties;
• Consent of the bride is a necessary condition for marriage, and the dowry is her own, not her father’s or her family’s;
• In addition to limit of numbers (only 4 at a time), a man in polygamous marriage is required to maintain financial justice among his wives;
• Women are prohibited to shave their head because of the death of their husbands;
• Daughters have inheritance rights;
• Lineage can be preserved through female children; in fact, the lineage of Prophet Muhammad is preserved through his only daughter, Fatima.

For a typical reader today, these views and rights seem very natural and common; however, things did not use to be as easy as they seem to us today, it would take complicated efforts to change social norms with such verity and multitude. Islam took the burden and paid the price for such a revolution not because of some superficial show, but mainly because of its spiritual principle about the role of human beings. In Islamic spiritual teachings, righteous human beings are like mirrors, they reflect and manifest divine attributes, and there are certain divine attributes, like mercy and caring that can only be mirrored and manifested best in Women. Such is the basis of spiritual equality between man and woman in Islam.

Dr. Hossein Latifi

Course Syllabus

Description

Doctrinal Beliefs of Islam are those pivotal principles around which other Islamic teachings and practices are systematically arranged. Knowing the Islamic doctrinal beliefs is a necessary constituent in understanding Islamic creed as a whole, and interpreting ritualistic practices and behaviors of Muslims. The course aims at providing a general outlook of Islamic systematic theology based on its most essential themes, like God and Divine attributes, Prophethood, Human freewill and Eschatological beliefs. Like any other human phenomenon, Islamic theological discussions have emerged, developed and evolved within a certain context and in reaction to their external surroundings; thus, the socio-politico backgrounds and ramifications of such discussions, along other schools of thought and religious traditions influencing and influenced by Islamic theological debates are to be addressed and analyzed in the course.

Aim

To familiarize students with doctrinal beliefs and systematic Islamic Theology

Objectives

Students are supposed to gain basic information about and acquaintance with:

• Doctrinal beliefs of Islam
• The system of Islamic Theology as a whole
• Main Theological Divisions and Denominations in Islam
• Similarities and Differences in general themes of Islamic theology and other religious traditions
• Other schools of thought influencing and influenced by Islamic theological discussions

Course Content

1. Introduction
   1. Origins of Religious Teaching in Islam
   2. The Ternary Division of the Religious Teachings
   3. Sectarian differences in beliefs and authorities
   4. Defensive theology (Apologetics) and Speculative Theology
2. Kalam or Islamic Theology
   1. Meaning, Methods and Goals
   2. Historical Origins, Developments and Evolution
   3. Foreign influences on Islamic Kalam
      1. Greek, Hellenistic Philosophy
      2. Biblical Tradition
      3. Persian, Indian traces
   4. Its Scope and Main Themes (Kalam’s borders with Philosophy and Mysticism)
   5. Classical Works and Literary Styles
   6. Main Kalami Schools
      1. Shia
      2. Sunni
   7. Influences of Islamic Kalam on other Traditions
   8. Modern Kalam
3. God
   1. Arguments for Existence
      1. Argument from Design
      2. Argument based on Fitra (Human innate nature)
      3. Cosmological Argument
      4. The Wager argument
      5. Arguments based on Function and Pragmatism
   2. Divine Attributes
      1. Attributes of Beauty & Attributes of Majesty
      2. Entitative & Operative Attributes
      3. Main Divine Attributes:
         1. One; Unique; Living; Eternal; Self-Sufficient; Beneficent; Omnipotent; Omniscient; Benevolent; Just; Wise; Creator; Merciful; Forgiving
      4. Restrictedness of Divine Names
   3. Divine Creatorship and Lordship
   4. Existential & Legislative Lordship
   5. Divine Unity in Worship (Uluhiyya)
4. Angelology
   1. Iblis, Satan
5. Prophethood
   1. General Prophethood
      1. Miracles
      2. Infallibility
   2. Prophethood of Muhammd
      1. Seal of Prophets
      2. Qur’an; Nature, Integrity and Interpretation
         1. Reason and Revelation
6. Eschatology
   1. End of Times
      1. Coming of the Savoir
   2. Death & Barzakh (residence of souls until final resurrection)
   3. Day of Judgment (Resurrection)
7. Justice
   1. Freewill
   2. Problem of Evil
8. Imamate (Leadership) and Caliphate (Successorship to Muhammad)
9. Modern Kalam
   1. Rational Analysis of Religious Teachings
      1. Dogmatic Beliefs
      2. Historical Reports
      3. Moral Teachings
   2. Science and Religion
   3. Religious Experience
   4. Religious Tolerance and Pluralism

Course Assignment

Papers, class presentations or mid-term quizzes (depending on regulations or other conditions)

Course Methodology

Lectures, Presentations and Tutorials

al-Qazwini, S. M. (1999). Discovering Islam.Orange County, California: The Islamic Educational Center of Orange County.

al-Shahrastani. (1984). Nihayatu' l-Iqdam Fi Ilm l-Kalam (Summa Philosophiae).(A. Guillaume, Trans.) London: Oxford university Press.

Ess, J. v. (2019). Theology and Society in the Second and Third Centuries of the Hijra(Vol. 3 & 4). Leiden: Brill.

Goldziher, I. (1981). Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law.Princeton : Princeton University Press.

Goldziher, I. (2008). The Zahiris, Their Doctrines and Their History, A Contribution to the History of Islamic Theology.Leiden : Brill.

Gulevich, T. (2004). Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions .Detroit : Omnipraphics, Inc.

Lammens, S. J. (1929). Islam Beliefs and Institutions .London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.

Martin, R. C. (1997). Defenders of Reason in Islam.Oxford: Oneworld Publications.

Rizvi, S. M. (2004). Islam: Faith, Practice & History.Qom: Ansariyan Publications.

Schmidtke, S. (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology.Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sobhani, J. (2001). Doctrines of Shi'i Islam.London: Islamic Publications Ltd.

Stefon, M. (2010). Islamic Beliefs and Practices.New York: Britannica Educational Publishing .

Tusi, M. b. (n.d.). Tenets of Islam.Islamic Seminary Publications.

Winter, T. (2008). The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Comparative Studies, Rewards and Challenges

In the age of massive circulation of information, misunderstandings are highly likely, and can be dangerous. Along many other benefits of comparative studies, the particular function of such endeavors in honest clarification of truth and avoidance of misunderstandings, make them an imminent necessity, rather than a fancy pursuit of exploring an exotic culture. Taking them as serious as such, one must be ready to adopt the most effective yet simple methodology in correctly understanding and presenting two different thought worlds. In what follows I try to outline some of the key methodological tips which will turn a comparative study to a clear and fruitful discussion.

Following a division between “internal elements” and “external/structural relations” of two given concepts, this methodological approach presents the similarities and differences between two given concepts in two different thought worlds as clearly as possible. Also, in any accurate comparison, awareness of “chronological evolution and developments” plays a significant role in avoiding misunderstandings and confusions.