Questioning Female-Male Power Relations In Islam

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam 5 October 2022 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the wake of Hijab controversy, this article looks into problematic patriarchal understanding of male-female relation. Brutalized patriarchy is often permeated through the classical Islamic literature. But the fact is that even these bodies of work are strong legal and didactic critique of patriarchy practiced by Muslim communities. This article is the rebuttal of dehumanization of women using authentic classical Islamic sources. The clamour for reforms in patriarchal interpretations of religious scriptures is gradual continuance of this vibrant culture. The reform project is just the demand of time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Qivama, the jurisprudential part which discusses male-female relation, should be understood as a evangelically structured system to protect women's rights and women themselves instead of a male-dominated system of authority. It can be assessed that men and women should follow each other in Qivama, whatever democratic human values are followed by the leader and superiors who lead a national system, office system or party when interacting with their colleagues. Just as structural alignment for administrative convenience exists at occupational levels, Qivama points to the tenuous existence of the basic social institution of the family. The 34th verse of Surat al-Nisa is the most hotly debated Qur'anic verse in discussions of power relations between men and women in general and in feminist discourse in particular. It is assigned primary meanings such as 'men have control over women', man is the steward of women'. This practice has been active in classical Muslim scholarly circles as a system based on the principle of maintaining the family rather than holding power. This system is generally referred to as Qivama. The Qur'an introduces it with the term ‘Qawwamoon’. The significance of this is that men are the ‘Qawwamoon’ of women. ‘Qawwamoon’ is derived from the root word Qiwama. The Qivama is an important resource in feminist thought and in discussions of Qur'anic teachings in general. The resource value of Qivama in such discourses is that it is interpreted as a mechanism for maintaining authoritarianism and supremacy. Therefore, an attempt is made here to examine how the system of Qivama has been understood in the traditions of Qur'an interpretation that have stood over time. It must be understood fundamentally that medieval Qur'anic interpretations have given the concept of Qivama a bewildering range of meaning, and that this essay is not part of an attempt to polish the Islamic tradition of women in a patchwork of relegating religious values to the framework of modern logic. It is childish to assume that the classical Muslim Qur'an commentators who interpreted the Qivama were all misogynists. They have succeeded in reading the elements of authoritarian values in living environments and contemporary dominant discourses into the universality of humanistic values of Islam. Consequently they were instrumental in breaking away from the medieval rule of patriarchal norms. Definition ‘Zamakhsari’ was an Iranian scholar who lived in the eleventh century and who fundamentally analysed the literary values of the Qur'an. He makes it clear that a man should act in Qivama as a leader acts towards his ranks and a king acts towards his subjects (Tafseer al-Kasaf). The 13th-century Iranian scholar Al-Bailavi (Tafseer al-Bailavi) and the 19th-century Alusi (Ruhul Ma'ani) of Baghdad have explained the Qivama with the same metaphors. The famous fourteenth-century Qur'anic commentator Ibn Kathir explained the Qivama as the man who is the guardian of the woman, superior to the woman, and entitled to take disciplinary action over the woman. (Aleem in Tafseerul Qur'an). The modern commentator Wahba Suhaili (Atafseer al-Munir) also presents the same idea about Qivama while retaining the said expressions. Muhammad Abdu, a modernist scholar in Egypt, has envisioned Qivama as a male leadership position in his Tafseer al-Manar. For this he uses the word Riasa which means leadership. He dictates that the guided woman should follow the decisions of the male protagonist. But this does not mean that the woman is oppressed and denied the fundamental right to make decisions, and explains that the role of the man inside the Qivama is only as a guide (irshad) and observer (Muraqaba). Imam Qurtubi, who wrote a commentary on the Qur'an in the field of ritual science, observed that the duty of working for the improvement of the woman's life and protecting her from the evils of life is to be performed by the man through Qivama (Al Jami'u Liahkamil Qur'an). Ibn Ashur (Attahrir Watanweer), a Tunisian who lived in the 20th century, evaluates the responsibility of the man in the Qiwama by putting the concept of the protector of the woman in front. Like Qurtubi, he considers it a part of protecting a woman to earn the necessities of life. One of the authoritative voices of the eleventh-century Maliki madhhab, Ibn al-Arabi, understood the Qivama as a system in which men and women shared rights with each other. In his Ahkamul Qur'an, Ibn al-Arabi observes that duties performed individually by men and women become rights of each other. He interprets it as the husband's responsibility to pay the wife's Mehr (dower) and living expenses, to treat her in the most desirable manner, to keep the marital relationship sacred and secure, to lead the woman to divine thought, and to protect her husband's property, serve the family, and behave according to his instructions in his absence. Ibn al-Arabi's explanation is that mutual duties imply complementary rights at the same time. Mutawalli Alsha'arawi, an Egyptian Mufassir who passed away in 1998, sees Qivama as a system that covers all the women and men of the family, not limited to the husband and wife. In his al-Qawathir, Sha'rawi, who gained fame both inside and outside Egypt for his constant lectures on Qur'anic interpretation, criticizes the downplaying of Qivama as a mechanism that works only between couples. Sharawi's assessment is that fathers have an obligation to protect their children and brothers have an obligation to protect their sisters. Sha'ravi also observes that Qivama's desire is for men to guide women in all spheres, moral, ethical and spiritual. He points to a verse in the Qur'an as evidence. In Sura Tawaha, the 20th chapter of the Qur'an, there is an instance where Allah tells Adam that he must protect himself and his fellow man from falling into the trap of Iblis or else he will fail. Allah praises Prophet Adam as follows: ‘O Adam, he is an enemy of you and your fellow man. Therefore, it should not be the case that he expels both of you from heaven. If so, you will be a loser’. Here Allah is using the verb form of the Arabic grammar in the two persons of the enemy in the expressions "the enemy of both of you" and "both of you will be out". But only where it is used as a loser, the verb form is used to address the individual/Adam only. Because, the interpretation given by Sha'rawi is that the Qur'an was used in this way to show that the moral responsibility of guiding the woman in a straight way should be carried out by the man. ‘Tafdeel ’: Is Man Better Than Woman? ‘Tafdeel ’ means natural preference of men over women. ‘Tafdeel ’ and ‘‘Infaq’ are introduced by the Qur'an as the two authentic key words that legally, sociologically and familially validate Qivama. These are the adverbs of the verb forms ‘Faddala’ and ‘Anfaqa’ respectively. The essence of this is that the man has the right of control, protection and responsibility over the woman as long as the two reasons of ‘Faddala’ (man is given innate ability over woman in some matters) and ‘Anfaqa’ (man pays Mehr for the woman and always finds a means of living) exist. Pickthall paraphrases ‘Faddala’. Yusuf Ali's translation is ‘Has Given the One More Strong than Another’. Imam Razi understood the principle that men are superior to women in this way: Since God commanded men to pay Mehr to women and take care of her livelihood, it is the woman's right to receive Mehr and expenses in due time. Thus the superiority of the inheritance to the male is settled by the right of the female to dowry and expenses. Consequently the woman has no ultimate superiority over the man or the man over the woman (Faqa Annama La Fallah Albatah). (Mafatihul Ghayb. 10:90). Imam Razi clarifies that it is remarkable that responsibilities such as Mehr and living expenses are vested only on men, while men and women are equal partners in terms of sexual satisfaction. Therefore, ‘Tafdeel ’ is the excellence of man, Imam Razi ironically suggests that it should be understood as a social responsibility rather than an exercise of power. Shaarawi develops this concept further. Both men and women experience sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, and the consequent joy of procreation. But Sha'rawi's explanation while describing ‘Tafdeel ’ is that the responsibility of the family and children, which is a sociological product of this, is assigned only to men. He also observes that no matter how wealthy a woman is personally, the ultimate responsibility rests with the man. (Al-Qawathir). Both the man and the woman experience the joy of the resulting fertility. But Sha'rawi's explanation while describing ‘Tafdeel ’ is that the responsibility of the family and children, which is a sociological product of this, is assigned only to men. He also observes that no matter how wealthy a woman is personally, the ultimate responsibility rests with the man. (Al-Qawathir). In al-Bahr al-Muheet, the prominent Qur'anic commentator Abul Hayyan al-Andalusi represents a broader stream of Qiwama. That is, his argument is that not all men in the world are superior to all women, and some men are superior to some women, as it is a well-known fact that there are many women who are ten times better than men in many areas of life. Then, he argues that the Qur'anic statement that men are made superior to women is a relative reference, and the definition of ‘Tafdeel ’ can change and gain scope depending on the time-space-karma consideration. This explanation shows that ‘Tafdeel ’ is not a principle which the Qur'an seeks to establish universally. Moreover, the Qur'an does not explicitly say that men or women are used to make some people better than others. Andalusi's explanation is that the Qur'an uses such ambiguous syntax to convey the idea that men and women are superior to each other in various fields, rather than to suggest that all men are ultimately superior to women. With this, it is evident here that al-Andalusi validates the hermeneutical development of Tafdeel in the fourteenth century itself. Imam Qurtubi defines ‘Tafdeel ’ in such a way as to rule out even the subtle possibility of making a woman a victim of exploitation. Qurtubi clarifies his position with the comprehensive statement that the benefit of ‘Tafdeel ’ ultimately returns to the woman herself. In other words, there are no interests in Tafdeel that exceed the woman's protection. Qurtubi's view is that since men naturally have more physical and mental capacity (Tafdeel ) than women, manhood cannot be achieved through ‘Tafdeel ’, which exceeds the natural justice of entrusting men with the responsibility of interfering in public spaces that are naturally inaccessible to women. Hence the understanding that Qivama is not a system of absolute power but a system to liberate women from the worries of life's complexities is changing. Through this reading, it is also possible to reach the meaning of Qivama that the woman solves certain social duties that are generally inaccessible to men, and the man solves some social duties that are generally inaccessible to women. Qurtubi fundamentally rejects the validity of the concept of Tafdeel as the social security and cost of living of women are not guaranteed. (Qur'an 5:169 in al-Jami'u li Ahkam). This rejection of Qurtubi reinforces Imam Razi's Fa Kaannahu La Fadla Albatah (the fact that men and women perform complementary duties and that ultimately one is not superior to the other), and identifying with it. This view of Qurthwubi has an extraordinary relevance as he is one of the prominent people who interpreted the Qur'an from the basis of the philosophy of karma. When discussing ‘Tafdeel ’, it is also relevant to examine how Qur'anic commentators interact with current scientific thought. Both Qurtubi and Razi agree that men are superior to women in the areas of intelligence, physical ability, and leadership. Razi and Qurtubi believe that the attributes of tenderness (Ruthubah) and tenderness (Buroodah) are inherent in women and firmness (Yabusah) and fervour (Hararah) in men. Because of this, it is also clear that the arduous tasks such as taking care of livelihood are essentially assigned to men. There is nothing anti-feminist to be found in this explanation other than to read the difference between men and women in the light of existing scientific consciousness. Syed Qutb is the prominent person who observed the complementary gender relations of Qivama using some sociological criteria. The family is the most valuable social institution in the process of making man, the most exalted being in the universe. Sayyid Qutb argues that only the most suitable people should be selected to take responsibility for the family, considering that only the most suitable candidates are appointed as managers of economic, industrial and commercial institutions that are relatively less important than the family (Fee lilalil Qur'an. 2:650). Qutb's view is that the selection in question must be based solely on the pure nature (fitrah) of man, as it is not rational to make it accidental or random. The Qutb also clarifies the approach to ‘Tafdeel ’ where it explains what the innate scents of pure nature are. Therefore, Qutb understands that it is a manifestation of God's supreme justice to endow each sex with the appropriate biological and psychological characteristics and skills for the life situations they are likely to encounter. It can also be re-read as a proof of God's supreme justice by assigning different roles and duties to men and women based on the natural differences that Tafdeel validates. Qutb is very careful not to use negative phrasing regarding women as inferior to men, as traditional Mufassirs have generally done in interpreting the Qur'anic verse about Qivama. Instead, he uses it as a positive phrase that one is superior to the other in terms of both sexes. It is observed that women are superior to men in terms of gentleness, tenderness, and reacting to problems in a superficial manner without going into more practical considerations, and men are superior to women in qualities such as tactfulness, spiritedness, and responding to problems with practical indifference. He uses it as a positive phrase that one is superior to the other in terms of both sexes. It is observed that women are superior to men in terms of gentleness, tenderness, and reacting to problems in a superficial manner without going into more practical considerations, and men are superior to women in qualities such as tactfulness, spiritedness, and responding to problems with practical indifference. He uses it as a positive phrase that one is superior to the other in terms of both sexes. It is observed that women are superior to men in terms of gentleness, tenderness, and reacting to problems in a superficial manner without going into more practical considerations, and men are superior to women in qualities such as tactfulness, spiritedness, and responding to problems with practical indifference. Ibn Ashur, a North African scholar who made many seminal contributions to Islamic jurisprudence in the 20th century, understood ‘Tafdeel ’ as a means of protection for women. He argues that it is a fact of life that generations of women need men to protect them, whether they are weak or strong (Attahrir Watanweer. 5:38). Ibn Ashur sees no other reason why Tafdeel is divine than the natural difference between man and woman. However, it is notable that Qutb avoids the terms weak and dependent that is prominent in medieval Tafsirs about women, and instead emphasizes a single concept of natural characteristics (al-Masaya al-Jibilliyyah). Another modern Qur'anic commentator, Wahba Suhaili, has developed the concept of ‘Tafdeel ’ using somewhat more medieval terminology. Wahba Suhaili attributes to the man such attributes as flawless creation, perfect sense of smell, perfect wisdom, balanced emotions, balanced body structure (Tafseerul Muneer). He argues that these give superiority (Tafdeel ) to men over women. But Suhaili does not see such adjectives as a means of dominating a woman. On the contrary, he believes that it is because he is the bearer of the embodied nature that the man is obligated to undertake the duties of woman's needs. ‘Infaq: Fundamental Rights of Women ‘Infaq is the financial role of men in the family. From the analysis so far, it can be understood that ‘Tafdeel ’ is a broad concept that includes the innate differences between men and women, the differences in appearance and character expressed by both identities, and the different tasks (gender roles) that men and women should undertake in the construction of society as a result of these two. But ‘Infaq is a declaration of two fundamental rights of women which are definite and absolute. The first is Mehr, and the second is the fulfilment of living expenses (Nafaqa). At the same time both act as the responsibility of the man and the fundamental right of the woman. Although the ultimate responsibility to fulfil these lies with the man, the woman seizes the power and the right to diminish the quantity and quality. Judging the interpretations of the Qivama through the lens of ‘Infaq, the economic significance of the Qivama can be seen. Let us take Qurtubi's commentary as an example. Qurtubi insists that if a man fails to establish and maintain the woman's ways of life, he immediately loses his status as a woman's guardian (Qawwam). (Al Jami'u li Ahkamil Qur'an, 5:169). From this it can be judged that even the failure to engage in the economic sphere, which is only one of the rhetorical scope of the concept of Qivama, cancels the man's responsibility of Qivama towards the woman. That is, the principle put forward by the Qur'an is that the existence of a man who does not have the power to ensure the physical-psychological-social security of the woman and the security of the family has no relevance or validity in the Qivama. When it comes to future property, the importance of the financial sphere of the Qivama increases even further. According to the distribution theory of inheritance, the primary rationale behind paying a man twice as much as a woman is that the man has the full financial responsibility of the woman. Alusi, Razi and Wahba Suhaili confirm this logic. Under Islamic law, except for this fundamental difference in inheritance, women are free to make all other financial transactions. And that the man has no power to usurp discretionary power to buy or sell the wealth acquired or inherited by the woman. But the woman is also free to share the wealth with her husband according to the exigencies of life's circumstances. Without understanding the Quranic principles in the entirety of its principles, the feminists are seen to be taking issue with women's share of inheritance. The Christian tradition treated women as property without actually giving them power over their wealth. In the Christian tradition where the wife was regarded as one of her husband's property, her freedom to inherit was unthinkable. (Shareef Abdel Azeem, Woman in Islam versus woman in Judeo Christian tradition: the myth and reality). It must also be appreciated that it was only at the end of the sixteenth century that women were given the right to inheritance in traditions outside the Muslim world. (Mary F. Radford, the Inheritance Rights of Women under Jewish and Islamic Law). It is from this background that the value and relevance of the right of inheritance given to women by Islam in the 7th century must be assessed. The explanation of Imam Tabari, one of the foremost scholars of the middle ages, is quite remarkable in terms of delineating the economic sphere of Qivama. He cites several explanations of the Prophet's followers without breaking the chain of narrators to explain the Qivama based on ‘Tafdeel ’ and ‘Infaq. (Jamiul Bayan, 3:2287). However, Tabari does not show the tendency to explore the meaning of Tafdeel as in post-Tabari commentaries. Rather, he merely cites Ibn Abbas' explanation, which separates Tafdeel from other interpretations and reduces it to a mere financial obligation. There is no other meaning beyond ‘Infaq in the explanation of Ibn Abbas, who has the title of Ra'iz al-Mufassireen (Foremost among the commentators). In other words, Ibn Abbas observes that no man is superior to a woman except that he takes over the financial burden of the woman. Conclusion As mentioned earlier, the position of man in Qivama is non-authoritative, complementary, and loving. Qivama should be understood as a evangelically structured system to protect women's rights and women themselves instead of a male-dominated system of authority. It can be assessed that men and women should follow each other in Qivama, whatever democratic human values are followed by the leader and superiors who lead a national system, office system or party when interacting with their colleagues. Just as structural alignment for administrative convenience exists at occupational levels, Qivama aims at the tenuous existence of the basic social institution of the family. It is logical to judge that the family system that does not emphasize on human values such as harmony, mercy, love, friendship, dependency, and justice is not relevant in Qivama, just as other exploitative tendencies beyond administrative convenience are not relevant at job levels. Moreover, it must also be read that family systems, which radical feminists view as systems of male authority at the micro and macro levels, cannot enter the meaning of Qivama in any way. Islam does not support patriarchal local customs. ----- A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist. 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