The Muslim News - Book Review: Position of women under Islamic Law

Issue 247, Friday 27 November 2009 - 10 Dhu al-Hijjah 1430

Book Review: Position of women under Islamic Law

By Abdul Adil

Muslim women in law and society: annotated translation of al-Tāhir al-Ḥaddād’s Imra’tuna fi ‘l-shari‘ah wa ‘l-mujtama‘ with an introduction. By Ronak Husni and Daniel L Newman. London, Routledge. 2007.pp215. HB. Ł65.

The book is a translation on the role of women in Muslim society by the early twentieth century thinker al Tahir al-Haddad. It is considered as one of the first feminist works in Arab literature. The translation is preceded by a general introduction on al-Haddad’s predecessors and their views on the role of women in society, in general, and the position of Muslim women, in particular. The book also has a biography of al-Haddad.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the position of woman according to Islamic law. He argues that the texts should be interpreted with the conditions of the time. In the case of woman, this means that her status should reflect the changes in the socio-historical environment.

In the second part, he deals with the position and conditions of Muslim women in Tunisia, focusing on the role of woman in marriage and the importance of education.

He was viciously attacked by many of the ‘ulamas for his views and vilified as a heretic and he in turn publishes a number of articles defending himself. He died at a young age of 36.

However one might disagree with the views of al-Haddad, the book is a valuable source to understand the arguments put forward by feminist thinkers of the 1930s. Many of the arguments that he discusses in his book on the hijab, polygamy, marriage, divorce and inheritance, are still being debated. The issue of the interpretation of the texts is still a hot topic and we haven’t moved much since then.

Abdul Adil

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