Chennai, August 22: Making a strong case for reinterpreting Islamic law, eminent scholar Asghar Ali Engineer said that the present day Shariah is not based on the Quran and therefore “there is nothing divine about it.”
He was speaking at a meeting on “Islam and Gender Justice”, organised by the Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought in Islam.
Expressing anguish at the denial of equal status to Muslim women, he said: “The entire discourse about women in Quran is rights-based and for men it is duty-based. However, this was reversed by jurists and as a result today we find that in the Shariah law the entire focus is on duties of women and rights of men.”
On polygyny, he was of the opinion that it was permitted only in case of widows and orphans to take care of them and their properties.
“Justice is central issue here, not the number of women one can marry. But again men saw to it that number became more important than justice. Verse 4:129 of the Quran says that even if you want to you cannot do justice and hence, do not leave the first wife suspended. This clearly shows that polygyny is not a privilege for men, but a rigorous duty to take care of helpless women,” he pointed out.
Chief guest Habibullah Badsha said: “Gender justice is inherent in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet. It is up to Muslims to understand it in the proper context and practice it in society.”
Forum president Zackriah Badsha wondered “When the Quran describes the Prophet as ‘mercy unto all mankind’ how can Muslim men deny justice to their women?” He said the silence of the Muslim moderates on this issue would have serious consequences for the society.
Forum secretary-general and student of comparative study of religions A Faizur Rahman said that all exegetes of the Quran have been men to the total exclusion of women.
The meeting was well attended with women outnumbering men.
-Agencies