Education of Women in Islam: A Critical Islamic Interpretation of the Quran

Abstract

In Islam, knowledge, its acquisition and application is a fundamental requirement for all Muslims to enable them to believe, think, and act according to the principles of the religion. However, differences in style of interpretation of the Qur’an have led to text being interpreted against its own fundamental worldview; an example is the recent attempted assassination of a Pakistani girl for advocating female education. Based on analysis of selected verses, this article argues that the worldview of the Qur’an places importance on gaining knowledge of different kinds to fulfill divine requirements as well as all forms of human endeavor.

Acknowledgments

Notes

Used to writers who are inclined to the liberal democratic tradition in Western Europe and North America.

Used as an alternative to term for “fundamentalist.”

Used as a term to cover perspectives such as Islamic Feminist, modernism, and Islamic postmodernism.

The Qur’an says: “By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it. And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right—Truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it.” [Qur’an 91:7–10]

This refers to God.

Unlike the Christian doctrine that stipulates that Jesus died to atone for our sins.

¹This article is dedicated to my beloved mother, Hajia Nafisah Issah, who passed away on January 27, 2013. May her soul rest in perfect peace.