Gunawan Adnan Women and The Glorious QurÞÁn: An Analytical Study of Women-RelatedVerses of SÙra An-NisaÞ erschienen in der Reihe der Universitätsdrucke des Universitätsverlages Göttingen 2004 Gunawan Adnan Women and The Glorious QurÞÁn: An Analytical Study of Women- RelatedVerses of SÙra An-NisaÞ Universitätsdrucke Göttingen 2004 Die Deutsche Bibliothek – CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Ein Titelsatz für diese Publikation ist bei der Deutschen Bibliothek erhältlich. © Alle Rechte vorbehalten, Universitätsverlag Göttingen 2004 ISBN 3-930457-50-4 Respectfully dedicated to My honorable parents ...who gave me a wonderful world. To my beloved wife, son and daughter ...who make my world beautiful and meaningful as well. i Acknowledgements All praises be to AllÁh for His blessing and granting me the health, strength, ability and time to finish the Doctoral Program leading to this book on the right time. I am indebted to several persons and institutions that made it possible for this study to be undertaken. My greatest intellectual debt goes to my academic supervisor, Doktorvater, Prof. Tilman Nagel for his invaluable advice, guidance, patience and constructive criticism throughout the various stages in the preparation of this dissertation. My special thanks go to Prof. Brigitta Benzing and Prof. Heide Inhetveen whose interests, comments and guidance were of invaluable assistance. The Seminar for Arabic of Georg-August University of Göttingen with its international reputation has enabled me to enjoy a very favorable environment to expand my insights and experiences especially in the themes of Islamic studies, literature, phylosophy, philology and other oriental studies. My thanks are due to Dr. Abdul RazzÁq Weiss who provided substantial advice and constructive criticism for the perfection of this dissertation. My special thanks go also to Prof. Thomas Crozier and Mrs. Christine Crozier Mrs. Linda North who corrected the English. The same applies to colleagues and society members of Seminar for Arabic who had been very pleasant partners in everyday discussions. Without the technical support of the Library and its Librarian of the Seminar for Arabic, Central University Library (SUB) and Göttingen University Computer Centre (GWDG), this dissertation would not have been technically feasible. To these institutions I express my deep gratitude and special appreciation. I owe my deepest thanks and appreciation to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) that has provided me with stipend and my financial supports. Special thanks are due to Dr. Dorothea Rüland, Dr. C. Klaus, Dr. J. Schneider, Mrs. Barbara Schwarz, Mr. Joachim Apweiler and all administrative staffs at the DAAD Referat 424 in Bonn for their kindly support and encouragement. My special gratitude and appreciation goes to The Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, particularly The faculty of Education and Arabic Department where I lecture, for giving the valuable chance for me to study abroad. Finally and most of all, I would like to express my deepest and heartfelt thanks to my beloved wife, Dr. med. Fita Drisma, my son, ÝAidil FigurraÎmÁn, my daughter, Natasha Rafflesia, my beloved parents, MuÎammad ÝAdnÁn Ali and ii NurÝaini and my respectful parents in law, Zulkifli Husin and Ellyza as well as to all member of my big family in Aceh, Bengkulu and Jakarta. Without their patience, sincere love, tolerance and supports as well as prayer this dissertation could not have been completed. Gunawan Adnan Göttingen, 2004 Although my specialty is medicine and not Arabic studies, when I came into contact with this book while it was still in the manuscript stage, I took the opportunity to read it. It was pure curiosity on my part to learn whether women's position in Muslim society today is actually based on the scripture of the Qur'an itself. I had read parts of the Qur'an over the years and had noted the very pragmatic approach it took to matters of daily life, such as the responsibilities of a person who can read and write towards those who cannot, or how an inheritance is to be divided amongst the male and female members of a family. The latter and other parts of the Qur'an seemed to confirm the general opinion that women always play a subordinate role in Muslim society. Reading this book I was surprised to find that there is a diversity of opinions regarding woman's role and that in some instances and in some social contexts, rules that appear at first glance to discriminate against women, actually give them a measure of protection and social standing. I was also quite amazed to learn from discussions with the author - a very enthusiastic young man - that the concept of polygyny, which one tends to regard as an integral part of Muslim society, was originally conceived as a measure of expediency to protect orphaned or widowed women when men were in short supply, and not as a standard practice. On the whole and in many ways I found this book and the discussions with the author informative and very illuminating. Prof. Thomas A Crozier iii BismillÁhir-rahmÁnir-raÎÐm (In the Name of AllÁh, the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful) “…And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little” Q.S. Al-IsraÞ / 17: 85 Say (O Muhammad pbuh) to mankind: “If the sea were ink for (writing) the words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished, even if We brought (another sea) like it for its aids.” Q.S. Al-Kahf / 18: 109 To AllÁh belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. Verily, AllÁh, He is al-GhÁnÐ (Rich, Free of all needs), Worthy of all praise. And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea (were ink wherewith to write), with seven seas behind it to add to its (supply), yet the Words of AllÁh would not be exhausted. Verily, AllÁh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Q. S. LuqmÁn / 31: 26-27 “…AllÁh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And AllÁh is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” Q. S. Al-MujÁdilah / 58: 11 iv Conclusion A. General Conclusion The QurÞÁn does not chronologically present the creation process of man and woman. It, nevertheless, does principally and essentially respect and view woman as just as an important a part of the whole cosmos as man. The existence of woman is considered by the QurÞÁn to be as urgent as the existence of man. God, The Almighty, as the QurÞÁn informs us, gives equal rewards to everybody who performs good deeds and gives punishments to those who commit evil deeds. There is no single verse that supports and promotes gender discrimination on the basis of gender. Unfortunately, in most societies, especially Muslim ones, the concept of gender, which is actually a product of a social construct tends to accord women a low status and often puts them in a non-advantageous position. It seems that many ancient values and traditions which might have been derived from classical cultural and religious teachings have thoughtlessly been adopted and continuously applied to the present day. Moreover, the exaggerated regards for the translation and interpretation of the meaning of divine scriptures and texts – including the QurÞÁn, Old Testament, etc. – as the source of a final and legitimate verdicts (fatawÁ), have made the position of women weaker and more advantageous. Therefore, it is a crucial necessity to promote gender equality through a reconstruction of gender relationships in a more just way. This task is not only the responsibility of women, especially Muslim woman, but also men. It is not a struggle and fight of woman against man. The gender bias in the interpretation of some religious or divine scriptures are understood by some to say that discrimination against and oppression of women are allowed and to make such attitudes permissible. There is therefore a need to reexamine and reinterpret certain gender-related verses, which can bring a fresh breeze to building an equal and harmonious inter-relationship between man and woman. Theologians, that is QurÞÁnic Commentators in this context, have an important role to play in reinterpreting religious texts. As has become clear in the passage of time, many interpretations of the meaning of divine scripture legitimased certain social and cultural constructs. Conversely, there were also many value systems and social constructs that were built based on a basis of understanding or interpretation of divine scripture, for instance, the Old Testament’s concept of the creation of woman (Eve), who was thought to have been created from Adam’s rib. The action of woman (Eve) were also regarded as the main reason for God expelling mankind to this earth, so that v woman is guilty and deserved to carry inherited sins i.e. the Original Sin.1 This story has inevitably infiltrated into some QurÞÁn exegesis (commentaries [kitÁb tafsÐr]). The QurÞÁn acknowledges anatomical differences between man and woman. These differences, however, do not automatically make one sex more valuable than the other. The QurÞÁn, for instance, says that the essential concept of building a family life (marriage) is to gain the so-called mawadda waraÎma, namely, to enjoy a harmonious life full of peace and love. Gender-related verses in the QurÞÁn provide general guidance regarding how to simultaneously improve individual and social quality. The QurÞÁn does not burden one sex alone with the absolute and awkward responsibility for this; the most important aspect of QurÞÁnic spirit that must be learned by mankind is that how to share burdens or responsibilitiy between both sexes (man and woman) in order to achieve a happy life, both life in this world and in the next as well.