The Premises of Intellectual Deviation of Amna Wadoud in her Book “Quran and Women”

Abstract

The present study explores the intellectual premises on which Amna Wadoud relied in her interpretation of the Quranic verses related to the status of women and their relationship with men in her book (Qur’an and Women). The study also criticizes these premises using both textual and rational evidence and discusses Wadud’s most important views regarding the status of women in the Qur’an. The main findings of the study are:

First: Amena Wadoud bases her views on modern intellectual premises, which resulted in judgments contradicting the Quranic views on women’s issues.

Second: Wadoud’s feminist reading of the Quran serves two main goals:

1. Contesting Muslim scholars’ exegetical heritage and portraying it as a subjective masculine interpretation.

Legitimizing gender equality and the views of extremist feminist organizations which seek to liberate women from the rulings of Islam.