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In recent decades, a novel approach to the Qur’an and its hermeneutics has emerged among a group of Muslim women scholars. The novelty of this approach consists primarily in the questions it poses to the Qur’an regarding gender justice, women’s rights, and similar issues. In this approach the scholars aim to develop an interpretation of Qur’an that does not endorse patriarchal ideas deeply entrenched in the Islamic tradition of tafsīr. Instead, they intend to unveil gender justice in the very text of Qur’an and, based on this, challenge the patriarchal elements in other fields, particularly in the realm of Islamic jurisprudence. However, some skeptics have questioned the possibility of an interpretation of the scripture that aligns with modern expectations of justice for women. Certain verses in the Qur’an appear to be obviously misogynistic, posing challenges to an anti-patriarchal reading. To address this issue, scholars such as Amina Wadud advocate for “saying no to the text” (Wadud, Inside the gender Jihad: women’s reform in Islam. Oneworld, 2006: 191). The verses in question could be seen as a “hermeneutical dead end” for the project of a feminist reading of Qur’an, which compels the scholars to critically reflect, reassess, and transcend the presupposed religious dogma of the Qur’an as the very word of Allah. This chapter will firstly bring out what I referred to as “the hermeneutical dead end” based on the hermeneutical endeavors of some Muslim “feminists” such as Amina Wadud and Aysha Hidayatullah. Secondly, it will argue that the dogma of the Qur’an being the literal words of Allah has often been questioned by Muslim philosophers such as Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Arabi, and others. These philosophers have then proposed various theories to elucidate the dynamics of revelation, highlighting the active role of Muhammad in creating the scripture. I will argue that this neglected capital in the Islamic philosophy can contribute to the project of feminist reading of the Qur’an. Finally, it will briefly outline Ṣadr al-Dīn Shīrāzī’s theory of revelation, arguing that it can be applied to the verses that lead to “the hermeneutical dead end” providing assistance in moving beyond a literary understanding of the scripture on the one hand and preventing the attribution of misogynistic verses to Allah himself on the other.

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From Dead End to New Horizons: Feminist Hermeneutics of the Qur’an and Mullā Ṣadrā’s Theory of the Revelation

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Mansooreh Khalilizand

摘要

In recent decades, a novel approach to the Qur’an and its hermeneutics has emerged among a group of Muslim women scholars. The novelty of this approach consists primarily in the questions it poses to the Qur’an regarding gender justice, women’s rights, and similar issues. In this approach the scholars aim to develop an interpretation of Qur’an that does not endorse patriarchal ideas deeply entrenched in the Islamic tradition of tafsīr. Instead, they intend to unveil gender justice in the very text of Qur’an and, based on this, challenge the patriarchal elements in other fields, particularly in the realm of Islamic jurisprudence. However, some skeptics have questioned the possibility of an interpretation of the scripture that aligns with modern expectations of justice for women. Certain verses in the Qur’an appear to be obviously misogynistic, posing challenges to an anti-patriarchal reading. To address this issue, scholars such as Amina Wadud advocate for “saying no to the text” (Wadud, Inside the gender Jihad: women’s reform in Islam. Oneworld, 2006: 191). The verses in question could be seen as a “hermeneutical dead end” for the project of a feminist reading of Qur’an, which compels the scholars to critically reflect, reassess, and transcend the presupposed religious dogma of the Qur’an as the very word of Allah. This chapter will firstly bring out what I referred to as “the hermeneutical dead end” based on the hermeneutical endeavors of some Muslim “feminists” such as Amina Wadud and Aysha Hidayatullah. Secondly, it will argue that the dogma of the Qur’an being the literal words of Allah has often been questioned by Muslim philosophers such as Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Arabi, and others. These philosophers have then proposed various theories to elucidate the dynamics of revelation, highlighting the active role of Muhammad in creating the scripture. I will argue that this neglected capital in the Islamic philosophy can contribute to the project of feminist reading of the Qur’an. Finally, it will briefly outline Ṣadr al-Dīn Shīrāzī’s theory of revelation, arguing that it can be applied to the verses that lead to “the hermeneutical dead end” providing assistance in moving beyond a literary understanding of the scripture on the one hand and preventing the attribution of misogynistic verses to Allah himself on the other.