New Age Islam

The Medieval Era Rooted Qur’an Conflicting Muslim Personal Law (Sharia Law) Must Be Reformed To Avoid Injustices to Muslim Women – An SOS to the Indian Ulema Fraternity

By Muhammad Yunus, New Age Islam

24 June, 2014

(Co-author (Jointly with Ashfaque Ullah Syed), Essential Message of Islam, Amana Publications, USA, 2009)

Having intensively researched into the Qur’an and secondary sources of Islam spanning over a decade, and co-authoring a focused Tafsir work (Essential Message of Islam), the author has absolutely no doubt in his mind that the traditional interpretation of many gender related Qur’anic verses are not consistent with the holistic message of the Qur’an. His joint research work has also established that the traditional translations / Tafsir are rooted in the Tafsir works of early centuries of Islam and are accordingly informed by the civilisational paradigms and gender dynamics of the era. Since the civilisational paradigms and gender dynamics of human society have seen a sea change over the last century, the traditional interpretation of many gender related Qur’anic verses stand unjust and oppressive to the Muslim women today in civilisational relativism.

Unless these verses are reinterpreted in line with the Qur’anic holistic message that espouses gender equitability, and mercy and compassion in man-woman relationship, the Indian Ulema collectively may stand as criminals in divine court for doing injustice to their own women – a matter that is drawing the concern of their Hindu brethren who have already reformed their own laws and thus mitigated the injustices to which their women were historically subjected. The author therefore lists the links to a set of his articles with concluding remarks drawn on his joint research work (ref. above) that was published by a leading American Islamic publication house, Amana Publications (2009),following approval of its manuscript by al-Azhar al-Sharif, scrutiny and restructuring by a Syrian origin Canadian scholar, Afra Jalabiand endorsement and authentication by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, the Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law, who is, among other things, an internationally recognized authority on Qur’anic exegesis, Islam’s secondary sources and Sharia Law. The work focuses on clear commandments of the Qur’an and is based primarily on the Qur’an’s internal vocabulary and illustrations and attempts to expound its universal message including the detail of its personal laws. It is designed to be a focused Tafsir e Qur’an by the Qur’an which is regarded as the highest form of Tafsir. Therefore, its insights and interpretations as tabled selectively in the articles indicated below are worthy of serious consideration. 

http://newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/muhammad-yunus,-new-age-islam/the-medieval-era-rooted-qur%E2%80%99an-conflicting-muslim-personal-law-%28sharia-law%29-must-be-reformed-to-avoid-injustices-to-muslim-women-%E2%80%93-an-sos-to-the-indian-ulema-fraternity/d/97692