Role of women in Islam: analysis of the term al-Nisa' in the Qur'an

Abstract

This qualitative study attempts to analyse the term al-nisa’ in its narratives about the role of women in Islam. This is achieved by examining Qur'anic verses which mention the term al-nisa’ in conveying women’s affairs. This study merges the terminology of the term and its interpretations from the scholars of tafsir to form an interpretation through which the role of Muslim women is assessed. In the terminology approach, semantic analysis is used to present the nature of the meaning of al-nisa’ in the Qur’an. The subject of women through the term al-nisa’ facilitates the understanding of the role of women in Islam. The study then scrutinizes textual materials to identify the various aspects of women’s roles in the domestic and public spheres of Islamic society. Previously, the role of women in Islam is examined from the normative perspective of Islam to identify the basic framework of the study. The study found that the role of women in Islam can be observed in family and social activities. The social activities are delineated in three areas; economy, education, and politics. The historical approach also verifies the different ways in which women were treated based on what is norm in their culture before and after the coming of Islam, by exploring the improvements that took place in women’s role with the advent of Islam. As such, this study proposes a solution to remedy the invisibility of women in Islam and their roles by creating a terminology approach to the causes of the said invisibility. Hence, it improves knowledge in this area by analysing women’s history in Islam.