Description
Book SynopsisWhether 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 updated and expanded edition of her ground-breaking 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.
Trade Review‘Relevant to most readers’ daily experience of discussion about Islam. The book is well worth reading.'
* The Muslim World Book Review *
‘It’s great to have a new edition of this foundational work in Muslim feminism that, ten years down the road, widens and deepens the important questions raised by the first edition.’
-- Dr. Judith Plaskow, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Manhattan College
‘An important and daring book. It not only deals with deeply controversial issues, but also suggests principled and ethical answers within an Islamic framework.’
-- Dr. Ziba Mir-Hosseini, legal anthropologist, activist and a founding member of Musawah, the global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family
‘Compulsory reading for anyone interested in grappling with the enormously challenging questions of sexual ethics in contemporary Islam.’
-- Ebrahim Moosa, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Notre Dame
‘For too long debates over sexuality and religion have lapsed into a ‘don’t ask-don’t tell’ state of mind. Professor Ali is willing to ask the tough questions.’
* Contemporary Islam Journal *
"Ali is willing to ask the tough questions. A refreshing analysis of sexual ethics in Islam."
* The Globe and Mail *
‘In this important revised edition of Ali’s major treatise on a feminist approach to Islam, she offers a broad and comprehensive view of how sexual ethics have been defined in Islam throughout history, and how those understandings inform and define Islam today... This is a significant addition to the feminist understanding of Islam and its complex views of sexuality.’
* Publishers Weekly *
"This book is a vigorous and engaging contribution to a very important dialog."
* American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences *
"With unwavering focus, clarity and scholarly confidence, Dr. Ali advances our understanding of profound ethical questions far beyond the apologetics and polemics of current Islamic discourse."
-- Abdullahi An-Na`im - Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University
Table of ContentsIntroduction
1 Marriage, Money, and Sex
“And according to what they spend from their wealth ... ”
Sex
Intermarriage
Conclusion
Coda 1
2 Lesser Evils: Divorce in Islamic Ethics
Untying the knot
Extreme circumstances
Prospects for reform
Conclusion
Coda 2
3 “What your right hands possess”: Slave Concubinage in Muslim Texts and Discourses
Islam and slavery: overview of sources and history
Women, war captives, and withdrawal
Conclusion
Coda 3
4 Prohibited Acts and Forbidden Partners: Illicit Sex in Islamic Jurisprudence
Protecting chastity: the classical texts
Paternity, legal fictions, and non-marital sex in contemporary Muslim thought
Conclusion
Coda 4
5 Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Same-Sex Intimacy in Muslim Thought
History
Don’t ask, don’t tell
Same-sex marriage
Conclusion
Coda 5
6 “Reduce but do not destroy”: Female “Circumcision” in Islamic Sources
Islamic or un-Islamic?
“Reduce but do not destroy”
Conclusion
Coda 6
7 “If you have touched women”: Female Bodies and Male Agency in the Qur’an
To whom am I speaking?
A difficult verse
Garments for one another
Conclusion
Coda 7
8 The Prophet Muhammad, his Beloved Aishah, and Modern Muslim Sensibilities
Apologetics and polemics
Searching for solace
Conclusion
Coda 8
9 Toward an Islamic Ethics of Sex
Afterword to the 2016 edition
Notes
Bibliography
Index
