Open AccessFeminist Reinterpretation of the Qur’an
Author(s) -
Niurmila
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of qur'an and hadith studies /journal of qur'an and hadith studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2089-3434
pISSN - 2252-7060
DOI - 10.15408/quhas.v2i2.1312
Subject(s) - reinterpretation , interpretation (philosophy) , injustice , interpreter , islam , meaning (existential) , perspective (graphical) , epistemology , economic justice , sociology , philosophy , social psychology , psychology , law , aesthetics , political science , theology , linguistics , artificial intelligence , computer science , programming language
This article argues that no Qur’anic interpretation is objective. Qur’anic interpretation is influenced by the interest, values and the background of its interpreters. This article will identify some of the biases in the existing Qur’anic interpretations, which are mostly written by male scholars, on gender issues such as the first human creation and male leadership, and will re-interpret the verses from equal gender perspective. This article will also argue that the correct interpretation is the one which is closer to the fundamental teaching of Islam, mainly equality and justice. Only Allah knows the ma‘na (the real/correct meaning) of the haqiqi Qur’an, but if Muslims believe that Allah is just, then it is impossible for Allah to reveal its message in the Qur’an to support injustice. Therefore, if Muslims interpret the Qur’an to support injustice, then their interpretations may be incorrect because they contradict the nature of God, who is just.