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WHEN THE QUR’AN SPEAKS OF WOMEN

A story of all women

The Qur’anic text often cites, and at different points in the history of humanity, characters, male or female, with the constant objective of erecting them as living models for those who ‘believe’.

These women and men are sometimes models of virtue to ponder upon and follow, sometimes models of vicissitude to recognize in order to know to avoid … .

At times idealized characters, but never dehumanized, whom God cites all through His message not with the objective of distracting us but in order for us to extract a teaching, a route, a path to follow … . .

Each woman and each man cited in the Qur’an have a singular history, a particular spiritual struggle, a different path, which distinguishes them from one another. God made things this way so that each of us, whoever we may be, can recognize ourselves one way or another, in their journey.

Their struggles, challenges, defeats or their victories are in a little way our own, if we know how to read them, if we know how to interpret them, how to translate them into the language of daily life.

Whatever the context, the location or the era, these beings chosen by God are signs all through the sacred book designed to remind us that we might advance in this life, slowly, patiently, inescapably towards His light … . Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), ‘Isa (Jesus), Muhammad … . But also Asiah, Sarah, Umm Musa, Maryam, Balkis … . and so many others whose names were sometimes deliberately omitted because the example is not so much in the name as in the path and the moral conduct. It is also in the example set. And as believers, they are all, male and female, eternal models for us to return meaning to our history and our present … .

God, through their respective tales, calls on our understanding, our reasoning and our capacity for discernment as human beings:

Indeed, in their stories […] there is a lesson for those who are endowed with insight.¹ (Yusuf 12: 111)

In addition, it is interesting to note that in the history of the great Prophets of humanity the particular presence, even crucial presence, of women as mothers in the paths and lives of these Prophets.

In fact, Isma’il (Ismael), Musa, ‘Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them) were all under the particular protection of their respective mothers, whereas history rarely reports a significant role for the father who is often absent or even inexistent, as in the story of ‘Isa … . .

These women who, in addition to their natural maternal role, have accompanied and protected God’s emissaries on Earth. We, therefore, note throughout the history of these Prophets the pre-eminence of women – mothers – in the education, the protection and the diffusion of the Prophetic message. Women who have been veritable intermediaries of the sacred … . .

And who would be surprised of this very feminine capacity to endure, resist and suffer all the contingencies of revelation? Their influence and involvement in the success of the transmission of the Divine message is evident and oft related in the sacred text.

But, far from enclosing women singularly in her natural – and no less important – role of mother, as many seem to do, the Qur’an on the contrary outlines a variety of women’s profiles, from the female governor represented by Balkis, to Zulaykha, the passionate woman, via the spiritual woman such as Maryam or the woman symbolising sacrifice, such as Asiah … .

Ultimately, the Qur’anic vision refutes the traditional Muslim view which only recognizes and praises women as mothers first and foremost and which makes abstraction of her femininity.

In very many Islamic publications, women are only valued through their role as mothers, sisters or spouses. Never simply as women … .

It is a concept which remains at odds with Islamic religious culture, despite the fact the Qur’an never ceases to underline the other dimensions of the feminine personality through the different representations of women cited in the text.

We too often forget that before being mothers, sisters or spouses, a woman is first and foremost a woman and that her femininity is an integral part of her personality as a human being.

Thus, through the different female characters described in the Qur’an, who transcend the share of humanity common with men, it is first and foremost the female side which is exalted through her abilities, her values, her abnegation, but also her faults and weaknesses … .

And on this topic of female deficiencies, the Qur’an gives two examples which could be deemed pejorative, the remainder of the characters mentioned are in reality unquestionably positive models of womanhood. The two pejorative examples concern the spouses of Prophet Nuh (Noah) and Lut (Lot). This is how God describes them in His sacred Book:

For those who are bent on denying the truth God has propounded a parable in [the stories of] Noah’s wife and Lot’s wife: they were wedded to two of Our righteous servants, and each one betrayed her husband; and neither of the two [husbands] will be of any avail to these two women when they are told [on Judgment Day], “Enter the fire with all those [other sinners] who enter it!” (al-Taḥrīm 66: 10)

It is interesting to note in this verse, that the negative aspect of these two women lies in their betrayal of their husbands as messengers of the Divine revelation. In fact, as Ibn ‘Abbas clarifies in his exegesis,² it is not a question of a conjugal betrayal, but of a moral betrayal … Various classical commentaries report that Noah’s wife condemned her husband’s spiritual activity to his enemies and used to mock his belief, branding him a madman, while the wife of Lut advocated sodomy and openly derided the moral values which he was trying to propagate among the people.

According to the majority of classical commentators, the critique which seems to be directed at them concerns their disloyal behaviour towards their partners.

The marital union which bound them implies respect of this alliance and thus a certain faithfulness, among others, to the spiritual undertakings of these two Prophets which the Qur’an refers to as virtuous men. They did not respect the message of justice and morality which these men, each according to their distinct path, sought to try and transmit to their respective peoples and worse, they denounced them to their enemies while denigrating their moral and spiritual aptitudes. It is here that resides any meaning to the condemnation of these women by the Creator … The Qur’an here condemns the worse kind of betrayal, a moral betrayal which in addition places in peril the spread and viability of a message which was seeking to rehabilitate the utterly dissipated mores and customs of the time.

Aside from these two negative examples of women, the Qur’an revives the story of other women who each shone through a particular facet of their personality, while supporting their primordial role in the transformation of customs and traditions found throughout the history of humanity.

When the Qur’an speaks of women, it is all about love, beauty, intelligence and mercy which is read through words, signs and omissions … yes, omissions, because one must know how to read not only what the Qur’an says clearly and what it implies, but also what it omits … An omission which can be very telling because it is symbolically very evocative … .

Balkis, Queen of Sheba: A democratic queen

Whoever reads the Qur’an and stops on the verses of the Surah entitled ‘The Ants’ (al-Naml) might ask themselves why God gave the Queen of Sheba as an example. Historians have given her the name of Balkis³ and assert that she reigned over the people of Sheba, the kingdom of which was in Yemen. The people of Sheba and their sovereign were known for their idolatry and history states that Balkis lived in a palace with three hundred and sixty windows in order to let the light of the sun through, before which she would prostrate every morning.⁴

Balkis one day received a message from the Prophet and no less King Solomon (Solomon) asking her to submit to the Creator of the world. What is interesting in this story told in the Qur’an is God’s description of this woman. In fact, while the majority of kings and male governors referenced in the Qur’an are despots, as in the case of Pharaoh or Neron and others, the model of Balkis, female sovereign, is that of a monarch certainly, but a fair and enlightened monarch.

The depiction is of a female leader who was apparently very scrupulous concerning the political principles of equity and justice. The Qur’anic verses are in fact very explicit concerning the manner of governance of this illustrious woman. As soon as she receives the message from Solomon, she immediately convenes a council of dignitaries, conveys the content of the letter to them and asks them to reflect on the political decision which should be taken. This is what the Qur’an reports her as saying:

She added: ‘O you nobles! Give me your opinion on the problem with which I am now faced; I would never make a [weighty] decision unless you are present with me. (al-Naml 27: 32)

A female leader of one of the richest kingdoms of the era and who makes the effort to consult the elected representatives of her people! The latter inform her that the final decision rested with her alone, but that she could rely on their physical and material strength:

They answered: “We are endowed with power and with mighty prowess in war - but the command is thine; consider, then, what thou wouldst command”. (al-Naml 27: 33)

The famous exegete al-Zamakhshari⁵ explains in his commentary that the representatives consulted by Balkis, while leaving the ultimate decision with her, undertook a demonstration of their force and power, suggesting they would rather be in favour of bellicose action. However, Balkis did not agree with this approach, since she suggested a peaceful solution as a first response, namely the act of sending Solomon a gift with the objective of testing his reaction.

This pondered political decision reflects the great wisdom of this queen, who in passing, also made a pertinent remark on the despotism of kings … An intriguing comment, considering she herself was a queen, but one can also read therein her concern to avoid precisely the type of corruption typically associated with autocratic power.

(Said she: ‘Verily, whenever kings enter a country they corrupt it, and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject. And this is the way they [always] behave? Hence, behold, I am going to send a gift to those [people], and await whatever [answer] the envoys bring back.’) al-Naml 27: 34–35

An attentive reading of these verses indicates the extent to which the observations of this queen are politically grounded. The political message which she sought to transmit here could not be clearer. It represents an acerbic critique of all forms of despotism which can be found recurrently in the history of humanity with their corollaries of humiliation and oppression experienced by peoples who, as she says so well, go so far as to ‘lose their human dignity’ under the governance of authoritarian political powers.

What is more, her political analysis is of great relevance for those observers of the disastrous management of politics in Muslim lands and enlightens us, where needed, on the necessity of justice and fairness in the Qur’anic message. A requirement which constitutes the cornerstone of the Islamic moral and legal system. Ibn ‘Abbas, the famous and first Muslim exegete, nicknamed the ‘Interpreter of the Qur’an’ or,‘Turjuman al-Qur’an’ attributes the following verse ‘This is the manner in which they usual behave’ to God Himself, responding to Balkis’ commentary and confirming her earlier analysis on dictatorial political systems. What more telling testimony than this one could we need to illustrate the judgement and political perspicacity of this woman?!

Thus, Balkis demonstrated political wisdom but also intelligence, because in sending the present to Solomon, she was judiciously disregarding the rash proposition of her advisers in order to avoid an unnecessary war and, by the same token, she was buying time to reflect in order to study the personality of this king.

Balkis wanted to test Solomon and see what was behind this message in which he was exhorting her to submit to the One God. If the king accepted her present, it would mean his mission reflected earthly ambitions, however, any refusal would suggest Solomon’s motivation was more profound, in other words, of a spiritual order … A veritable diplomatic strategy!

Sayyid Qutb perceives, through the character of this Queen, the essence of woman in all her femininity, the woman who through her instinct and her innate female intuition refuses wars and conflict and prefers peace and dialogue.⁶ Is it not said that women embody a part, however minute, of the infinite mercy or Rahma of God on earth? This quality which some interpret as a sign of weakness in women, is on the contrary symbolized in the Qur’an as a sign of intelligence and great moral force in this woman queen. A sovereign who reigns politically, with reason and wisdom, while maintaining her woman’s humanity as a gift from God. It is as though in some ways, she humanizes her political action through her feminine sensibility which makes her closer to the daily human realities.

The description which the Qur’an makes of this woman head of state is in and of itself an undeniable refutation of all the allegations of the hyper-emotionalism of women who are said to reason-less well than men due to the hyperemotivity of their personality and who, according to the same logic, cannot lead, politically speaking, an entire people! This is the explanation found in the discourse of almost all the Muslim scholars, and this regardless of the era.

Women are said to be very sensitive, excessively sentimental and therefore vulnerable, emotionally speaking, which renders her incapable of using her reason, and in the management of state affairs; there is no room for feelings or emotions reason rules.

However, putting forth arguments which suggest that women reason less or that their ability to reason is subject to her emotions is equivalent to saying that she is less human. In fact, if we were to distinguish human beings from the other terrestrial creatures, one would note that it is indeed reason, this essentially human ability, which differentiates us from the rest of Divine creation and which allows us to accede to this privileged dimension of human beings through our faculties of reason and discernment.

In assuming that women have deficiencies in this area, they are being deprived quite simply of a part of their reason and, therefore, of their humanity.

In Islamic literature, validating these sorts of theses from the religious standpoint has always been an easy task given the anchoring of such traditions in the popular imagination which stipulates the supremacy of man regardless of the context or social environment. Concerning political affairs and governance, given the assumption that man is stronger, less emotional and, therefore, more reasonable, he is definitively viewed as more apt than women at managing these sorts of situations. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that these sorts of macho assumptions are not specific to Muslim peoples alone, far from it. They can be found in all societies, even in those considered most advanced. In France for example,⁷ the land of human rights and the cradle of feminism, the parliament is composed of 89% men and women’s struggle for political equality still has a long way to go.

Nonetheless, it remains true that in our Muslim context, women’s access to positions of political responsibility is often, if not always, forbidden in the name of Islam … And it is just as surprising to see how the so-called ban on women acceding to the highest spheres of political governance is Islamically justified through a single hadith – only one – which has become the norm, if not the sword of Damocles brandished over heads each time the issue of women’s political participation is raised in the lands of Islam.

There does indeed exist a saying from the Prophetic tradition which states: ‘A nation cannot succeed if it is led by a woman or if it leaves political power in the hands of a woman …’.⁸

On the other hand, one must underline that the context in which this hadith was formulated has often been ignored, which significantly restricts the account of its true significance … In fact, it occurred when the Prophet had learned that Chosroes II, Emperor of Persia and inveterate enemy of the Muslims, had died and that his daughter had taken over leadership in his place … The Persian empire of the time was governed with a hand of steel by the ruling family which was known for its insidious despotism. The Prophet was seeking through this phrase to denigrate the daughter of the emperor due to the state of war which prevailed between the two peoples and due also to the politically autocratic regime which lived there and not, to criticize the fact she was a woman. We can at this level pose the question differently: would the Prophet have glorified the ascension to power of the Persian Empire if it had been the son and not the daughter of Chosroes II who had succeeded him? Evidently not. The Prophet criticized the nature of power and the entire political system of the Persian empire of the time! Yet, it is sad to note that a certain, profoundly misogynistic religious reading perceived, through this hadith, the absolute need to impose the nomination of a man for all positions of political responsibility.

It is interesting to note that Abu Bakrah,⁹ narrator of the hadith, recalled this particular hadith for the first time in a historical context as particular as that in which it was uttered by the Prophet!

Indeed, the story of the tradition states that Abu Bakrah recalled this hadith during the famous ‘Battle of the Camel’ in which were confronted the allies of A’ishah and those of Ali ibn Abu Ṭalib.¹⁰ Abu Bakrah, himself an ally of A’ishah’s clan, justified his own refusal to participate in the battle on the basis that it was A’ishah, a woman, who was leading the political action! Abu Bakrah thus made the link between the hadith he had heard from the Prophet and the context of conflict which opposed A’ishah to Imam Ali and which sadly turned to tragedy.

Having interpreted the hadith literally, he considered illicit any participation in an activity led by a woman even if, in this case, it was A’ishah who he held in very high esteem according to certain Islamic sources.¹¹

It is important to note in this regard and concerning this political episode, that the justification given by Abu Bakrah was not repeated by any of the great companions of the Prophet at the time, who themselves abstained from participating in the battle of the camel based on other considerations.

Whereas the Prophet criticized a political framework due to its authoritarianism, Abu Bakrah understood this to mean – as many of the scholars after him did – that it was all political representation of women which should be forbidden.

The following generation of scholars ended up inserting this hadith into the register of recommendations in favour of the prohibition of all political participation by women despite, the fact the Prophet never enjoined anything on the subject. He was merely making an observation of the Persian political situation of the time, and any instrumentalization of this hadith has been undertaken in defiance of the context in which it was formulated and with the intended objective of denying women any form of political participation.¹²

What’s more, some thinkers, notably contemporary ones, affirm that this hadith, being a simple ahad hadith (hadith reported by a single narrator), cannot logically, therefore, be used as a single source of legislation.¹³

The interpretation of this hadith has had the most widespread impact we know, with the corollary of justifications, the most in vogue of which remain the notion of the structural weakness of women. The scholars banned women from having access to all political responsibility due to this alleged structural weakness, which puts them in a state of moral and intellectual incapacity to manage the affairs of the State! Women are said to be weaker due to their physical constitution and their biological propensity to conceive of everything on an emotional level, which is said to render them predominantly irrational. What is being confused here are emotional predispositions and intellectual capabilities. Yet, there is a big difference between saying that women have a greater inclination towards sensitivity and affectivity – which in no way represents a weakness – and suggesting they are somehow handicapped by this! Is the suggestion that a female neurosurgeon who operates each morning in order to extract cerebral tumours from men is incapable of controlling her alleged over-emotionalism in the political sphere, when she clearly does so without issue on the operating table?

All these affirmations, in addition to being erroneous and unjustified, are in flagrant contradiction with Qur’anic principles. The Qur’an has never advocated any sort of weakness which is singular to women and nowhere does it stipulate that man is endowed with greater reason or that women are more deficient than men or that women are devoid of rationality. Nowhere … ! However the Qur’an has stated that human beings in general are weak:

man has been created weak. [...] (al-Nisā’ 4: 28)

The weakness referred to by the Qur’an here is a deficiency linked to the creation of human beings themselves, due to their incapacity to control their negative impulses, a weakness intrinsic to human beings and which transcends gender.

What is more, through the example of Balkis, the Qur’an counters all the presumptions which tend to paint women as inferior and exclude her, politically speaking, by raising a woman to the height of wisdom, as a democratic political leader, fair and capable … Infinitely wiser than all of those men she consulted and who appear to be the dignitaries of her people. And, yet, it is deplorable to see how certain classical Muslim commentators have strongly criticized the person of Balkis. Whereas the Qur’an speaks of her in glowing, respectful terms which could not be clearer nor more precise, many exegetes have a pernicious approach to this individual and a number of them get mired in very long, harsh and often very disagreeable commentaries!

Whosoever reads the various works of exegesis will recall the awkwardness, the reticence, even the hostility of certain exegetes faced with a female personality reigning on a magnificent throne¹⁴ and who in addition, displayed intelligence and wisdom! It is worth noting here that the Qur’an describes the throne, emblem of her power, as magnificent, suggesting a significant intellectual capacity of this woman who managed this vast and rich kingdom with such know-how!

Some erudite Muslims avoid the crux of the matter, namely the extraordinary personality of this queen as described in the Qur’an, as well as her political capabilities, in favour of a very reductive approach which sometimes veers into deeply disparaging. This is the case of a famous theologian of the early period of Islam who describes her as a ‘iljatu’, a pejorative term which means ‘donkey’ or ‘disbeliever’, an expression often used to refer disparagingly, even insultingly to non-believers. This scholar expresses surprise at seeing men allowing themselves to be governed by an ‘iljatu’ who, being a woman is deemed weak and lacking in reason but who turns out to be, much to his disappointment, more intelligent than the men – said to be sages – who surrounded her! They push their derision to the point of inappropriately criticising her physique.¹⁵ One might ask what the link is between this woman’s physical appearance and her political decisions, her physical appearance having been born of Divine creation! And how can he vilify and belittle her entire person simply because she happens to be a woman?!

Other scholars go further and even suggest this poor queen has jinn ancestry! Balkis’ mother must be a jinn, and according to some even the leader of jinns!¹⁶ It is only by diminishing her humanity that the commentators can rest assured concerning her future as a woman … no need to take her as an example if she is really only half human! In reading the commentary attributed to the story of Balkis, one is stunned in the face of so much speculation and unlikely stories which turn the reader away from the true educational dimension of this story.

At the end of his commentary on these verses, Ibn Kathir almost apologizes for having had to report so many legends and mischievous tales concerning Balkis. He recognizes the improbable nature of a great number of the stories and inappropriate interpretations which run counter to the deference and the sobriety of the Qur’anic description.¹⁷

One is within one’s rights to ask questions and to query why this denigration occurs when God Himself in His Qur’an mentions Balkis in very respectful terms and with an extreme sensitivity. In fact, one notes that even in terms of her idolatry, God does not refer to her as a miscreant or impious but, rather, He depicts her as having been forced to submit to the religious culture of her people and was – somewhat despite herself – from a disbelieving people:

[And she has recognized the truth] although that which she has been wont to worship instead of God had kept her away [from the right path]: for, behold, she is descended of people who deny the truth!’ (al-Naml 27: 43)

In re-reading these verses concerning Balkis attentively, one is surprised by the enormous discord between the Qur’anic verses, full of regard for her person and the inconceivable interpretations which one finds in the classical books of exegesis. God, in His sacred Qur’an has never ceased to highlight the image of this woman, queen, non-believer, sage, defender of the values of Justice. One perceives, through the portrait painted by the sacred text and all along the Divine narration, the emotional and spiritual aptitude of this woman who ultimately was very sensitive to the message of Prophet Solomon. She must surely have discerned in this message the signs of this Truth which she had always sought from the depths of her soul … God wanted to deliberately embellish the image of this non-believing woman in order that we might better appreciate her once she had converted to the faith of the One God!

As it happens, the Qur’anic message couldn’t be clearer concerning the importance given to the consultation of governed peoples and to the values of ethics and justice which the government must reflect. Balkis, queen and woman, has perfectly symbolized this profile of a head of state at the extreme opposite of despotic power, which the Qur’an never ceases to reject throughout its message. Moreover, one might note that in the Qur’an, these authoritarian powers are almost always symbolized by male dictators! It even appears that she is the only political personality endowed with such authority and who was elevated as an ideal, strictly speaking, in the Holy Qur’an. Thus, she is an example of political management for all, men and women. It is also interesting to highlight the strong personality of this woman who, once convinced of the sincerity of Solomon and the veracity of his message, solemnly announced her submission to the Creator with much humility but also great dignity. In fact, the Qur’an reports her words as follows:

Cried she: ‘O my Sustainer! I have been sinning against myself thy worshipping aught but Thee: but [now] I have surrendered myself, with Solomon, unto the Sustainer of all the worlds!’ (al-Naml 27: 44)

It is with Solomon – and not for him – that she submits to the Lord of the universe! With him! A manner in which devotion to God is undertaken in the most spontaneous equality and the deepest freedom … Of course she was amazed by the supernatural powers of king Solomon and by his surprising abilities but she was conscious that all of his abilities were God given and that rather it was the Prophet and his spiritual message which had won his heart … . The story states that Solomon and Balkis married,¹⁸ though nothing can confirm this fact. Nonetheless, we would like to believe it! No surpris here if these two beings have admiration for one another! Were they not both enamoured by the values of justice and probity? Was it not submission to the Creator of the world which brought them together? It is a beautiful story of love and understanding which the Qur’an offers us here through this female character, a character which has little to do with what a number of exegetes have sadly reported.

Sarah and Hagar, emblems of monotheism

Sarah and Hagar represent without doubt the two female ancestors of monotheism.

Sarah, mother of Ishaq (Isaac) and Hagar, mother of Isma’il … Ishaq and Isma’il, two Prophets from the same father, Ibrahim and from whom the ineluctable separation will happen between two peoples who until today will live in perpetual confrontation … .

Prophet Ibrahim had as his first wife Sarah. All the monotheistic traditions agree on the fact she was a woman of extreme beauty. The Prophet described her as the most beautiful woman of humanity after Eve.¹⁹ Sarah and Ibrahim after many years of marriage were unable to have children. Abraham never complained but Sarah, through that specifically feminine perception, painfully felt, in the depths of her heart, the disavowed desire of her husband to have a child.

This is how, in conformity with the customs of the time which attributed sterility first and foremost to women – a custom which persists to this day – she offered her servant Hagar, brought from Egypt, to her beloved husband. Feeling guilty because of this sterility which she had to take upon herself alone, she thought to remedy this fault by offering him, with death in her soul, her young Egyptian servant.

Some time after, Sarah received news which would turn the rest of her life upside down and transform the destiny of humanity … She was with child! The Qur’an cites Sarah in the following verses describing her joy and happiness at the announcement by the angels of her future pregnancy:

AND, INDEED, there came unto Abraham Our [heavenly] messengers, bearing a glad tiding. They bade him peace; [and] he answered, ‘[And upon you be] peace!’-and made haste to place before them a roasted calf. But when he saw that their hands did not reach out towards it, he deemed their conduct strange and became apprehensive of them. [But] they said: “Fear not! Behold, we are sent to the people of Lot.” And his wife, standing [nearby], laughed [with happiness]; whereupon We gave her the glad tiding of [the birth of] Isaac and, after Isaac, of [his son] Jacob. Said she: “Oh, woe is me! Shall I bear a child, now that I am an old woman and this husband of mine is an old man? Verily, that would be a strange thing indeed!” Dost thou deem it strange that God should decree what He wills? The grace of God and His blessings be upon you, O people of this house! Verily, ever to be praised, sublime is He! (Hūd 11: 69–73)