Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil.
“The Utilisation of Scripture in the Feminist Debate in Islam with Particular Reference
to Amina Wadud’s Qur’an and Woman (1992) in Conversation with Classical
and Contemporary Qur’anic Exegetical Works”.
Amina Wadud’s name figures prominently as one of the pioneering personalities in the
modern upheaval of feminism in Islam during the last few decades of the 20th century. Her
1992 publication, Qur’an and Woman, has attained almost classical status. However, when
discussing the contribution of Wadud to feminism in Islam, she is usually pictured within the
frame of her later publications, particularly Inside Gender Jihad (2006), The focus is then on
the more mature and informed views of Wadud, neglecting the idiosyncrasies of her first major
book. The present thesis, to the contrary, endeavours to highlight the early phase of Wadud’s
feministic thinking by paying exclusive attention to Qur’an and Woman (1992).
Scripture plays a central role in the Islamic version of feminism. Feminists believe that the
preferential position of the male within Muslim societies is due to traditional convictions
informed by a specific, mostly literal reading of Qur’anic texts. They therefore insist on an
alternative exegetical approach, which (according to them) would reveal clear tendencies
towards gender equality.
In the present thesis Amina Wadud’s perspectives featuring in Qur’an and Woman (1992)
were analysed per chapter, subdivisions and subsections, firstly in general and secondly from
a fourfold viewpoint, focusing respectively on [1] the overall structure of the book and
chapters, [2] the utilization of scripture (e.g. hermeneutic approach), [3] interaction with others
(overtly and covertly), and finally on [4] perspectives pertaining to Wadud as person.
Results obtained from the focus on the above selected features are revealing. [1] Chapters are,
for example, independently structured, selectively choosing themes and material with clear
gender objectives. [2] Selection and use of scripture is subservient to gender orientated
presuppositions, with textual strategy favouring the interpretation of particular expressions in
the light of general Qur’anic principles. [3] During the course of her argumentation, overtly
mentioned sources are nearly exclusively used in support of her gender-equality convictions,
while covertly mentioned sources reflect views counter to her own. Commentaries and
exegetical works frequently consulted by Wadud are al-Zamakhshari (AD 1075-1144), Sayyid
Qutb (AD 1909-1966), Abul A’ala Maududi (AD 1903-1979) and Fazlur Rahman (1919-...