Sexual Ethics And Islam Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and Jurisprudence

by Ali, Kecia

• ISBN13: 9781851684564
• ISBN10: 1851684565
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-06
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Summary

"Whether exploring the thorny issues of wives' sexual duties, divorce, homosexuality, or sex outside marriage, discussions of sexual ethics and Islam often spark heated conflict rather than reasoned argument. In this ground-breaking, lucid, and carefully constructed work, feminist Muslim scholar Dr. Kecia Ali asks how one can determine what makes sex lawful and ethical in the sight of God." "Drawing on both revealed and interpretative Muslim texts, Ali critiques medieval and contemporary commentators alike to produce a balanced and comprehensive study of a subject both sensitive and urgent, making this an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and interested readers."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Kecia Ali is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Note on texts, translation, and transliteration	xi
Introduction	xii
1 Marriage, Money, and Sex	1	(23)
"And according to what they spend from their wealth..."	3	(3)
Sex	6	(7)
Intermarriage	13	(8)
Conclusion	21	(3)
2 Lesser Evils: Divorce in Islamic Ethics	24	(15)
Untying the knot	25	(4)
Extreme circumstances	29	(5)
Prospects for reform	34	(2)
Conclusion	36	(3)
3 "What your right hands possess": Slave Concubinage in Muslim Texts and Discourses	39	(17)
Islam and slavery: overview of sources and history	44	(3)
Women, war captives, and withdrawal	47	(5)
Conclusion	52	(4)
4 Prohibited Acts and Forbidden Partners: Illicit Sex in Islamic Jurisprudence	56	(19)
Protecting chastity: the classical texts	60	(6)
Paternity, legal fictions, and non-marital sex in contemporary Muslim thought	66	(6)
Conclusion	72	(3)
5 Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Same-Sex Intimacy in Muslim Thought	75	(22)
History	79	(6)
Don't ask, don't tell	85	(6)
Same-sex marriage	91	(4)
Conclusion	95	(2)
6 "Reduce but do not destroy": Female "Circumcision" in Islamic Sources	97	(15)
Islamic or un-Islamic?	99	(6)
"Reduce but do not destroy"	105	(4)
Conclusion	109	(3)
7 "If you have touched women": Female Bodies and Male Agency in the Qur'an	112	(23)
To whom am I speaking?	113	(4)
A difficult verse	117	(9)
Garments for one another	126	(5)
Conclusion	131	(4)
8 The Prophet Muhammad, his Beloved Aishah, and Modern Muslim Sensibilities	135	(16)
Apologetics and polemics	138	(6)
Searching for solace	144	(3)
Conclusion	147	(4)
9 Toward an Islamic Ethics of Sex	151	(7)
Notes	158	(35)
Bibliography	193	(20)
Index	213