No Truth Without Beauty : : God, the Qur'an, and Women's Rights.

• Superior document: Sustainable Development Goals
• Author: El-Ali, Leena.
• TeilnehmendeR: El Fadl, Khaled Abou.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2021.; ©2022.
• Year of Publication: 2022; 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Sustainable Development Goals
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (314 pages)

In this comprehensive open access book, written for readers from any or no religious background, Leena El-Ali does something remarkable. Never before has anyone taken on every last claim relating to Islam and women and countered it not just with Qur’anic evidence to the contrary, but with easy-to-use tools available to all. How can a woman’s testimony be worth half of a man’s? How can men divorce their wives unilaterally by uttering three words? And what’s with the obsession with virgins in Paradise? Find the chapter on any of the seventeen topics in this book, and you will quickly learn a) where the myth came from and b) how to bust it. The methodology pursued is simple. First, the Qur’an is given priority over all other literary or “scriptural” sources. Second, the meaning of its verses in the original Arabic is highlighted, in contrast to English translations and/or widespread misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- About the Author -- Part I: First the Qur'an, then Islam -- Chapter 1: A Spiritual Journey -- Embarking on a Personal Journey -- The Journey Continues, in a More Distressing Environment -- The Challenge of hadith vs Qur'an -- Chapter 2: Hadith Corpus -- The Fluid Boundaries of hadith -- The Factual Case for the Qur'an Compared to hadith -- Chapter 3: Hadith Content -- Some of It Requires a Big Pinch of Salt -- Attribution: Who Said That? -- Transmission: Weak hadiths (and Bad Laws), Myths, Forgeries and Mixed Intentions -- Process: Far from a Perfect Methodology -- Chapter 4: Women and the Development of hadith Literature -- Unsung Heroines -- Reflections -- : AT A GLANCE: First the Qur'an, then Islam -- Why the Qur'an Must Come First -- Hadith in Its Totality: Strengths and Weaknesses -- Additional Challenge: Twentieth-Century "Corrections" to Ninth-Century hadith -- Part II: The Nature of Women -- Chapter 5: Women Were Not Created of Inferior Celestial Material -- Why Treating Women as Second-Rate Beings Is Illogical -- Qur'anic Verses on the Creation and Origin of Women -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Women's Origin: Crooked as a Rib! -- "From Your Own Souls" -- All Life on Earth Was Created in Pairs -- What Explains Societal Deviation from the Qur'anic Pillars of Creation? -- Chapter 6: Eve Is Not Blamed for the Fall from Eden, Nor Are Women Guilty by Association -- Qur'anic Verses on the Fall from the Garden -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Eve: Guilty and Solely Responsible! -- Chapter 7: Women Are Not a Constant Source of Social Discord: Nor Naturally Conniving! -- Qur'anic Verses on Social Discord, or fitna -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Women's Character: Hell Is Full of Women!.

Chapter 8: Women Were Created with the Exact Same Spiritual and Intellectual Capacity as Men, So of Course They Can Lead -- Qur'anic Verses on Women's Spirit and Intellect -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Women as Heads of State: But Women Are "Losers"! -- The Pushback of Ir-rationalisation on Women as imams: Grasping at Straws -- Historical Evidence and Medieval Jurist Support for Women as Leaders -- Chapter 9: When Men Deprive Women of Their Free Will, They Are Not Protecting Anyone: They Are Obstructing God's Plan -- Qur'anic Verses on Free Will and Accountability -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Women Having Free Will: Not Just Immoral and Intellectually Lacking, But So as Not to Defy the Prophet! -- Chapter 10: God Does Not Prefer Sons Over Daughters (!) -- Qur'anic Verses on Gender Equality -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Women Being Equal to Men: Morally and Intellectually Unworthy! -- Part II: AT A GLANCE: The Nature of Women -- Reclaiming Women's Origin, Innocence, Morality, Capacity, Freedom and Equality -- Part III: The Rights of Women -- Introduction -- Chapter 11: Women Were Not Meant to Be Subordinate to Men -- Guardianship: The Qur'an Defines Women and Men as Mutual Protectors (walis) -- Participation: Women and Men Are Jointly Responsible for Shaping Society -- Historical Evidence of Women's Full Participation -- The Alleged Pushback of the Qur'an on Guardianship and Participation: But Verses 4:34 and 2:228 Say Men Are Superior and Therefore in Charge! -- Chapter 12: Inheritance: No, Women Did Not Get the Short End of the Stick -- Overview of the Eleven Inheritance Verses -- The Big "Why" -- The Technical "Whys" -- How Fairness Turns to Injustice Over Time When We Overlook Just One Verse.

Chapter 13: Nuptials: Women Do Have the Right to Choose Their Own Spouse, and How the Qur'anic Nuptial Agreement Advocates for the Bride -- Qur'anic Verses on Women's Nuptial Rights -- The Alleged Pushback of the Qur'an on a Woman Choosing Her Own Spouse: But It Is for Her "Guardian" to Decide! -- The Pushback of Society on the Nuptial Agreement: Don't Be Greedy, Woman! -- Historical Evidence of Women Exercising Their Nuptial Rights -- Chapter 14: Marriage: A Sublime Institution, Not Mere Social Contract -- Qur'anic Verses on Marriage -- How Monogamy Is the Norm in the Qur'an (as in Reality) -- The Pushback of Myth: But Any Man Can Have Four Wives! -- Muhammad's Marriages -- Interfaith Marriage-If Everyone Agrees That Muslim Men Can, Why Can't Muslim Women? -- The Pushback of Patriarchal Views on Muslim Women Marrying "Out": But the Children Wouldn't Be Muslim Then! -- Chapter 15: Divorce: Men Do Not Hold all the Cards-The Qur'an Actually Levels the Playing Field Through Mandated Process and Etiquette -- Qur'anic Verses on Divorce -- The Pushback of Patriarchy on Women Initiating Divorce, and on Custody Issues -- The Pushback of Dogma When Men Initiate Divorce: Three Months for You, But Just Three Words for Me! -- Part III: AT A GLANCE: The Rights of Women -- A Frequent Clash between the Qur'an and Patriarchal Preferences -- How the Qur'an Institutionalises Women's Socio-economic Identities and Rights -- Part IV: Some Inconvenient Truths -- Introduction -- Chapter 16: Clothing: There Is No Dress Code for Women Beyond Covering their Private Parts, as with Men -- Qur'anic Verses that Mention Clothing -- What of hijab? -- The Pushback of Jurists: Stretching the Meaning of (Natural) "Adornment" and a Couple of Specific Instructions, and Back to the Ever-Flawed Woman of Alleged hadith.

The Pushback of Alleged hadith on Women's Clothing: The Modesty-Redefined and Faux-fitna Combo -- Colour Is Good -- Chapter 17: Segregation: There Is No Restriction on Men and Women Mingling -- Extending the "Elite" Rules Applicable Only to the Prophet's Wives to all Women, While Re-interpreting Them -- Historical Evidence of Men and Women Mingling Naturally -- Chapter 18: Witnesses: A Woman's Testimony Is Worth the Same as a Man's, Except in Two Cases Where It May Count for More or Less -- Qur'anic Verses on Giving Testimony -- Part IV: AT A GLANCE: Some Inconvenient Truths -- Clothes Should be Beautiful, Practical and Cover People's Private Parts -- There Is No Mention of Women Needing to "Stay at Home" or Apart -- A Woman's Testimony Is Equal to a Man's -- Part V: Carnal Matters -- Introduction -- Chapter 19: Sexual Misconduct: What the Qur'an Tells Us about Pre-Marital vs Extra-Marital Sex -- Qur'anic Verses on Sex Outside Marriage -- The Pushback of Jurists on "Light" Penalties for Sexual Misconduct: But Some Verses in the Qur'an Cancel Out Others! -- The Pushback of Culture on the Qur'an Itself: Stone to Death, Kill for Honour or Flog with Abandon -- Qur'anic Advocacy for Women in Response to Malicious Accusations -- Extraordinary hadith on Illicit Sex That We Do Not Hear About -- Chapter 20: Domestic Violence: The Qur'an Does Not Instruct Husbands to Hit Their Wives for "Disobedience" or Anything Else -- Qur'anic Verses That Prove That Wife-Hitting Is not Prescribed -- The Pushback of Myth on the Qur'an Itself: But God Told Job to Hit His Wife-It Says So in the Qur'an! -- Chapter 21: Virgins: There Are No 72 Virgins Waiting for Anyone in Paradise -- Qur'anic Verses on Women and Men in Paradise -- The Pushback of Alleged hadith: 72 Virgins Are Promised…Or Perhaps 70 -- Part V: AT A GLANCE: Carnal Matters -- Putting Illicit Sex Back in Its Place.

No Husbands Hitting Wives-Ever -- Paradise Regained -- Epilogue -- Appendix: On Contraception and Abortion -- References -- Index.