The first pro-faith attempt by a Muslim woman to present a comprehensive, female-inclusive reading of the Qu'ran, the sacred Islamic text The first pro-faith attempt by a Muslim woman to present a comprehensive, female-inclusive reading of the Qu'ran, the sacred Islamic text. Preface ix(11) Preface to the First Edition xx(3) Acknowledgments xxiii(2) Glossary xxv Introduction: How Perceptions of Woman Influence Interpretation of the Qur'an 1(14) Background Methodology: A Hermeneutical Model Language and Prior Text The Prior Text of Gender-specific Language Perspectives on Woman Distinctions between Men and Women Key Terms and Concepts in the Qur'an A Word about Quotations and Translations of Qur'an Chapter Outlines 1 In the Beginning, Man and Woman Were Equal: Human Creation in the Qur'an 15(14) Creation and the Language of the Unseen Creation of the First Parents The Creation of Humankind The Origins of Humankind: Ayah; Min; Nafs; Zawj The Dualism of the Creation The Events in the Garden Conclusion 2 The Qur'anic View of Woman in This World 29(15) How the Qur'an Teaches the Reader through the Events in the Lives of the Individuals It has Mentioned The Signifance of the Women Mentioned or Referred to in the Qur'an Woman as an Individual Distinctions between Individuals: Taqwa Distinctive Female Characters in the Qur'an 3 The Equity of Recompense: The Hereafter in the Qur'an 44(18) The Hereafter and Creation Values of the Hereafter Stages of the Hereafter Death Resurrection Judgment The Equity of Recompense Recompense of the Individual The Final Abode Hell Paradise Companions in the Hereafter Hur-al-`ayn in Qur'anic Discussions of Paradise Zawj in the Hereafter The Hereafter from Allah's Perspective (`inda Allah) Summary 4 Rights and Roles of Women: Some Controversies 62(32) Functional Distinctions on Earth Woman is not just Biology Darajah Faddala Nushuz: Disruption of Marital Harmony The Significance of Context and Chronology in Qur'anic Social Reforms for Women Divorce Patriarchy Polygamy Witness Inheritance Male Authority Child Care Conclusion 94(12) Appendix: List of Female Characters Mentioned in the Qur'an 106(3) Bibliography 109(8) Index 117