Women in the Qur'an: An Emancipatory Reading Kindle Edition

Great book to know how Islam look at women and how they are valued and having higher rank than men in the eye of Quran. So many examples were made.

Great to learn about women in the Quran from a woman's perspective. We need more books like this that challenge problematic matters in dominant interpretations, or at least that provide a different point of view.

Review of the English translation of Asma Lamrabet’s book, Le Coran et les femmes: une lecture de liberation.I want to start this review of the English translation of Asma Lamrabet’s book, Le Coran et les femmes: une lecture de libération, by putting my cards on the table. First, I know the author well, and have a great deal of respect and affection for her, as a scholar and a friend. Second, I have read the book in its original French version as I have read several others of Lamrabet’s excellent books. Third, my primary reason for buying the English translation of the book (available at Amazon) was to assess the quality of the translation before recommending it to English language readers.I started reading the rather long introductory chapter (24 pages in the French version, 19 in the English) with both versions in hand, paragraph by paragraph, always starting with the French. When I finished, I re-read the chapter in its entirety, in both French and English. Afterwards, I continued with the English translation, but going back to the original French, as needed.The translator, Myriam François-Cerrah, has done a remarkable job translating a somewhat difficult book to capture, and I applaud her efforts. In my view, the English version would have been much stronger had Ms. Cerrah tried to convey the essence of the text rather than seeming to be primarily concerned with the transmission of the meaning of just about every word, resulting in the book appearing rather repetitive at times, especially to the English-language ear. Having said that, the English translation of this important book is not only worth reading but is a must read for Anglophones interested in the position of Women in Islam as portrayed by Islam’s holiest book, the Qur’an.Herself a devout Muslim, Dr. Lamrabet is among the most knowledgeable contemporary Muslim scholars, the majority of whom are men. With remarkable skill and delicacy, Dr. Lamrabet discusses the status of women in Islam, held a hostage by two opposing but equally extreme perspectives – one rigid conservative Islamic, the other western, ethnocentric, islamophobic – pointing out that despite their great differences, they always end up at the same impasse, generated by each side’s equally impaired vision, thus rendering a meaningful dialogue between the two camps virtually impossible.Rather than being satisfied with criticizing the West for its poor portrayal of Muslim women, Dr. Lamrabet, in a radical departure from what she refers to as centuries-old, unchallenged parochial interpretations of the Qur’an, interpretations that have become almost a part of the “sacred,” hence absolute, thus copiously sheltered from critical examination and reflexion, she urges learned Muslims, men and women, to differentiate the “Sacred” from the “interpretation of the Sacred.”Dr. Lamrabet laments the inclination of Muslims and non-Muslims alike to embrace human, hence forcibly subject to error interpretations that have contributed to the thriving of a culture that devalues women, rather than staying steadfast to the meaning of the Divine. She affirms that, as believers, Muslims, women and men, are entitled to question the common assertion that only men have the authority and the right to interpret the pronouncements of God. This leads her to probe the logic behind the absence of even a single exegesis (tafseer) by a Muslim woman, throughout the long history of Islam! Here, she promptly stresses that the endgame of her book is not the promotion of an exclusive feminine interpretation, at the expense of centuries-old classical exegesis, or to deny the extremely rich legacy of classic exegesis, essential for any in-depth study of the Text, or to marginalize it. Rather, it is to unveil the historical preconceptions and discriminations against women, instituted by flawed human interpretations of the Sacred Text.Referring her readers back to the Sacred Text, Dr. Lamrabet questions deep-rooted understandings in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, including the assertion of woman’s inferiority in relation to man, using as evidence the understanding that Woman was created from Adam’s rib, that Eve is the leading cause of Adam’s expulsion from heaven, and that Woman was created for his pleasure. Dr. Lamrabet argues that there are no verses in the Qur’an that support such interpretation.As I said above, Dr. Lamrabet’s book is essential for a better understanding of the role of women in the Qur’an. For Anglophone readers, Myriam François-Cerrah’s translation of Le Coran et les femmes: une lecture de libération is a very good facilitator of such understanding.Muneera Salem-MurdockWashington DC

Translation made reading very choppy

There are some interesting ideas but it really lacks the depth in the explanation of what are the real struggles, feelings and wants of Islamic women...

Women in the Qur'an by Asma Lamrabet translated by Myriam Francois-Cerrah is a VERY bold read. This book of 177 pages is divided in an introductory section, a part one that deals with 'When the Qur'an speaks OF women' and a part two 'When the Qur'an speaks TO women.'The author Asma Lamrabet is a pathologist in Morroco's Avicenna Hospital. She's also an award winning author of many articles tackling Islam and Women's issues. On the other hand, the translator, Myriam Francois-Cerrah is a writer, broadcaster and academic with a focus on current affairs, France, Islam and the Middle East. She writes for many accredited news magazines and channels like Al Jazeera English.To continue, I found this read particularity bold and daring because it's a tafsir-exegesis- of the holy verses we have been exposed to all our lives about the women we already know but by a women's perspective that is very dismissive of many popular and biased male's interpretations of the Qur'an which at some point were deeply ingrained to us as a collective as the norm for nearly 15 centuries.Some of the women cited are Awa (as), Bilqis (as), Maryam (as), Hagar (as), Sarah (as). You get the gist, women after which great miracles were bestowed upon, holy rituals were fashioned after or great doom descended upon because of their betrayal such as the wives of prophets Lut and Noah (as).I'm sure there is a history of books that critically interpret the scriptures from a women's perspective but this is the first one I read. I have always thought that certain religious Muslim men since the time of rassullulah sallalahu aleihi wassalam to today were and are bonified dictators, patriarchs, and who could never see a woman as their equal even if their faith in Allah and Islam were/are steadfast. It's an oxymoron indeed. Thus, I'm sure many of them made sure to reduce the meaning of certain verses pertaining to fairness and equality toward women. I also have this strong feeling that many works by Muslim women weren't promoted and subsequently died out or weren't preserved the same way men's works and stories were. It's a shame.Now, did I find Women in the Qur'an blasphemous at times? Yes! But is that because I have never challenged and critically analyzed my past exegeses about women in the Qur'an written by prominent Muslim scholars? Probably. The book is thought provoking, makes many valid points, and also supports exegeses by Muslim men who support Lamrabet's point of views.With all that being said, this book is needed because no matter how much the Qur'an and the Sunnah vouch for an equality between the sexes, for the fair treatment of women, for the inclusion of women in social events, the reality on the terrain is different. There is a big majority of Muslim women who are still oppressed by imposed and cultural patriarchal ways when it should be the Muslim woman's choice to decide to work, to go pray at the mosque, to have children when in a marriage, to accept or refuse a suitor, to pick her own husband, to wear hijab, to be educated, etc. Unfortunately many Muslim women can't escape their husbands and families (in-laws, biological or even elder non-relatives) making choices for them.I also believe that this wrong will be right as we all speak up and ask about a change like Lamrabet started. In my opinion, there is also a reason why women will start to outnumber men at the crack of doom; a thing that is already noticeable as the numbers of baby girls born are slightly over the baby boys born. Now, when the women have the majority, it's imperative to stay fair to men, to not act like non-Muslim feminists who can't seem to accept or recognize Muslim Feminists. Jahannam will have a larger number of women and I hope none of the ummah will dwell there because they left sirat-al mustakim.Furthermore, just because an increase of independent women is a sign of the end times, it doesn't mean women should be kept under a tight leash. I actually see men controlling everything a woman does as a way to stop times. I see it as a way to worship dunya. Everything has an expiration date and things will follow their course no matter what. It's the qadr of Allah. It's been written eons ago. Why fight it?**I received a free hard copy for my honest opinion**

As a revert Muslim woman I'm so excited to read this book! From it's description it seems to be a must for every Muslim woman nowadays. PS: not so important info but the book is so beautiful and can be used also as decoration once you've read it!Edit: I would like to complement my previous commentary and add that it is a must for every Muslim, not just women, as it will help to end misconceptions and misinterpretation of the status and rights of Muslim women.

I have not read this book because I bought it as a gift, however, the physical book itself is of high quality. I really like the feel of it and the cover looks better in person then in the picture. The small photos at the front and back do look slightly creepy because of the colours, but I can see what they were going for when they designed it like this.

This is a wonderful book for those who are looking to understand more about muslim women in the Qur'an. The writer takes a modern feminist approach to interpretation of Quranic text which is both insightful and interesting to read. Definitely inspired me to look deeper into the subject of the rights of women in Islam and what the scholarship is saying.

This is a very important subject matter and unfortunately, this book lacks depth because it is VERY poorly written. It could just be a poor translation but even then, the arguments are not clearly or fully developed so you're pretty much reading what seems like an opinion or a rant. For readers who may be looking to enhance their learning on women's status in Islam and the Qur'an, I would suggest turning to Amina Wadud's 'Qur'an and Woman' instead.

Well research in the Quran. I think it is really good book.