Amina Wadud

A Muslim feminist? Believe it, sister. This book is an excellent introduction to how believing Muslims read the Qur'an as an indictment, not a justification, of the oppression of women and privileging of men. It takes on all the passages often cited as placing men above women and reads them in context, convincingly showing that traditionalists have for centuries been playing fast and loose with the sacred text. What's more, this reading of the Qur'an is not something sister Amina dreamed up show more on her own: She draws on the work of many revered past scholars and disputes well and honestly with the traditional views. The only flaw in the book is the author's academic style, which makes hard work for the reader at times. Still, I think every Muslim who can handle college-level reading in English should read this. show less

Wadud takes an interesting and novel approach to Islamic theology and grounds her arguments in Islamic terms, but ultimately, her argument is based on a single verse from the Quran, khalifah or agency. Unfortunately, most Muslims would not accept her arguments as valid; furthermore, she glosses over or completely ignores much of the built-in Islamic misogyny.

What Wadud does in Qur’an and Woman is not an attack on the prophet, the Qur’an, or God. She simply explains and puts certain verses into context, and some things are simply reminders of what Muslims already know. I could tell by her words that this is a woman who has a deep love for the religion and is not trying to change Islam to suit Western ideas of what is proper. At least she doesn’t do this in Qur’an and Woman. If anything, I think she shows that Islam is just and fair.

I show more enjoyed Qur’an and Woman, even if it was a bit over my head at times when Wadud discusses Arabic grammar and differences in vocabulary. I think she had the best intentions in writing this, and I think it’s a little ridiculous that some label it as bad, wrong, or offensive without even reading it, simply because of who she is. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that Islam or the Qur’an is sexist of oppressive to women as this book shows only that it is based on justice. show less