Assalamu aleikum!
#MuslimBookClub is a new collaboration by several online Muslim readers and book clubs to amplify Muslim voices. Our first initiative to discuss, educate, enlighten, support Muslim women and businesses amongst other things starts with a book titled Women in the Qu’ran.
So what has the ummah been saying about Women in the Qur’an?
Fofky’s Review
“Women in the Qur’an by Asma Lamrabet translated by Myriam Francois-Cerrah is a VERY bold read…Now, did I find Women in the Qur’an blasphemous at times? Yes! But is that because I have never challenged and critically analyzed my past exegeses about women in the Qur’an written by prominent Muslim scholars? Probably. The book is thought provoking, makes many valid points, and also supports exegeses by Muslim men who support Lamrabet’s point of views.”
No book is ever perfect. Is it? So now for a more challenging review.
“In her effort to deconstruct a patriarchal reading of the Qur’an, Asma Lamrabet offers up a new reading, but one that is neither evidence-based nor convincing.
This book was frustrating for me. I really wanted to like it; I was hoping it would be able to offer newer, more progressive views on gender to replace older, problematic ones. While Lamrabet does offer many new interpretations, they are unsubstantiated, and for a Muslim, an interpretation is only as valuable as its evidence.”
While many won’t agree with the above review, it makes and contributes to a well-rounded debate on the book. Let’s see what the next reviewer has to say.
Emanbookshelf’s IG review
“Women in the Qur’an by Asma Lamrabet which I picked up at Al Saqi bookstore in Bayswater, London (great store for Islamic literature and loads of titles in Arabic too!) This book will give you all the feels, it’s empowering, it’s inspiring and it simply asks you to think critically and question what can sometimes be an accepted patriarchal norm in Islamic thought, be it in everyday conversations you hear, or in verses of the Quran pertaining to women, marriage, divorce etc.”
SAFFRON: A Collection of Personal Narratives by Muslim Women is an anthology of writing that draws on the lived realities of Muslim women. Food and cooking, hardship and conflict, intimacy, baby-making, children, living with in-laws and self-esteem are some of the experiences unpacked in this collection of poignant personal narratives. This collection will remind and reassure that, although life brings with it many challenges, you as a woman are never alone in what you go through – many women walk the journey with you.
Muslim women need to get on the same wavelength to change the lives of our Muslim women in need around the world. So check out SAFFRON on Amazon or DKP today. All proceeds are going to a women’s charity.
Below are displayed some of the future books that we will read, keep an open mind about and discuss in #MuslimBookClub. If you’ve already read them, please send us your small review and your link to the full post insha’Allah. Furthermore, if you have a great book suggestion to add to the book club, don’t hesitate to reply to the newsletter to tell us. We’re looking forward to hear from you, Muslim readers!
“A must have for every Muslimah! It follows the hijri calendar so it’s perfect for weekly self-reflections masha’Allah.”— Papatia Feauxzar
“While I like bold reads, I couldn’t finish the book. The dismissive statement about Arabic not being a sacred language played a huge role.” — Fofky’s
Drawing on over two years of ethnographic research, Su’ad Abdul Khabeer illuminates the ways in which young and multiethnic U.S. Muslims draw on Blackness to construct their identities as Muslims.
In this engaging study, Dr Amina Wadud, an Afro-American Muslim herself, introduces the feminist movement in Islam and delves into its challenges, its textual foundations in the Qur’an and its achievements. Beginning with her own place in the effort for greater justice for women in Islam, Wadud goes on tackle a number of pertinent issues, including the state of Muslim women’s studies as a discipline in mainstream academia and the role of Muslim women in the domestic space.
To go back to our first read, many Muslim readers are reserving Women in the Qu’ran for a Ramadan read insha’Allah. If you already finished reading Lamrabet’s book, please share your thoughts with us on IG with the hashtag #MuslimBookClub.
If you plan on reading it, don’t forget to share it on social media to spark the conversation about women, Islam, and the Qu’ran. For more about Women in the Qu’ran check the IG hashtags #womeninthequran and #asmalamrabet .
Read more blog posts about supporting women in the ummah here and here.
Join the conversation today on Instagram or by signing up for our newsletter on www.fofkys.com ! And read past newsletters here.
Thank you for reading,
Papatya* The Barista
Between Sisters, SVP! 