Hadia Mubarak’s Book A Welcome Addition To Qur'anic Studies, Studies On Gender, And Modern Islamic Thought

By New Age Islam Correspondent 12 September 2025 Rebellious Wives Neglectful Husbands: Controversies in Modern Qur'anic Commentaries by Hadia Mubarak Oxford University Press 368 pages 13 July 2022 Summary: Rebellious Wives, Neglectful Husbands is more than a history of Qur'anic commentaries; it compels Muslims to re-examine how they approach their holy book. Hadia Mubarak demonstrates that readings may shift according to context. By reviving feminist and reformist thinking, she demonstrates that Islam may endorse fairness and equity. For Indian Muslims, the book provides both motivation and confirmation. It promotes a strong connection with religious texts that is honest but also questions things, based on tradition but willing to accept new ideas. In a time when fairness for genders is still a big issue, Mubarak’s work is important, brave, and necessary. It should be read by scholars and students as well as anyone who cares about how faith and justice can work together in today's world. Books that resist conventional options for understanding sacred texts are often both exhilarating and uncomfortable. The same is true for Hadia Mubarak's latest book, Rebellious Wives, Neglectful Husbands: Controversies in Modern Qur'anic Commentaries (2022). It is a welcome addition to Qur'anic studies, studies on gender, and modern Islamic thought. The book, written in plain scholarly prose, takes stock of how Muslim scholars, both men and women, understood some disputed verses of the Qur'an, especially those that concern gender relationships. The book highlights that the interpretative approach to scriptures has a direct bearing on social, political, and cultural settings, more than being neutral or transcendental. She makes a valuable point: understanding the Qur'an has little to do with the book and everything to do with power, authority, and lived experience. Central Argument of the Book The author is especially concerned with close reading of a few choice verses from the Qur'an, and verse 4:34 in particular, a crucial verse within the controversy over Islam and gender. The verse has classically been translated to make husbands entitled to corporal punishment over wives. Mubarak presents how scholars from the earlier to the contemporary period have cited the verse to defend male dominance over women. The author contrasted that with current exegesis by feminist and reformist scholars, who question traditional understanding. Instead of putting forth the Qur'an as a single text and a single meaning, Mubarak demonstrates that the text may be understood in diverse ways. Interpreters use their own worldviews, politics, and experiences to interpret the text. For example, some early scholars believed men were superior as a naturally occurring element within a society. Other later reformists, who wrote while living under colonial and postcolonial regimes, tried to reconcile Qur'anic verses with modern ideas such as equality and human rights. Key Points One of Mubarak's main points is that the meaning that people understand from the Qur'an itself varies over time. She notices that scholars across different times have cited the same verses yet concluded differently. The dynamism proves Tafsir (exegesis) both rich and fragile. It is rich as the Qur'an has applicability in various contexts; fragile as some exegeses would legitimize oppressive structures. For instance, Mubarak examines classical scholars such as al-Tabari, al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir that presented their patriarchal social milieux. Then she discusses contemporary reformers such as Muhammad Abduh, Rashid Rida, and contemporary feminist scholars such as Amina Wadud and Asma Barlas. Through a contrast between these groups, she illustrates how societal changes—such as colonial interactions, the emergence of nation-states, and women's movements—impact the meaning that is drawn from the Qur'an. Mubarak makes a useful observation: feminist voices are not strange to Islam today or in the past. They are a continuation of the rich Tafsir tradition. By placing the modern feminist voices within that tradition, she argues against the belief that they are Western. They are, indeed, replies to Muslim women's daily experience and are securely rooted in their faith and scriptures. Style and Readability Mubarak writes well, yet she has written a scholarly book. She doesn't use jargon and spells out hard ideas that laypeople might comprehend. The book is especially worthwhile for students, reporters, and activists who are unfamiliar with Qur'anic studies yet want to comprehend how arguments on gender and Islam are taking shape. The author writes a story about Muslim men and women while trying to understand their religious texts and balance faith and justice. The incorporation of a story engages the audience and demonstrates just how current the material is. The readings are more than abstractions—they impact real lives, relationships, and societies. The Argument Over Verse 4:34 The book revolves around verse 4:34, best known as a "verse of discipline." Mubarak accounts for how that one verse was used to justify men's authority in marriage, such as husbands disciplining wives. She goes into tremendous detail on how classical scholars interpreted the verse, most times in harmony with the male-dominated worldview they were surrounded by. Yet she also refers to contemporary scholars who are sceptical about these perspectives. For instance, some scholars today assert that the verse has been misrepresented and that its language is actually one of gathering people rather than punishment. Others contend that it must on no account be invoked for purposes of violence. By referring to these debates, Mubarak illustrates how the Qur'an is an ongoing text that is receptive to disparate opinions and reinterpretation. More Than 4:34: Other Verses and Ideas Whereas 4:34 gets a lot of attention, Mubarak also covers some other verses which have been a point of controversy, for example, those on inheritance, witness, and polygamy. The expositions thus expand the scope of the book from marriage and stretch the theme to that on gender justice within Islam. There is a tendency at work here: the Qur'an instructs us in fairness, compassion, and justice, and yet men have been inclined to read the Qur'an against the notion of hierarchy and dominance. Mubarak asks us to re-read the verses and be attentive to context and to the moral character of the Qur'an. The Author’s Voice Hadia Mubarak isn't observing from the sidelines. The voice of a Muslim woman scholar is unmistakable in every aspect of the book. She recognises that these debates are important to her: they are more than schoolwork, they are personal and community concerns. The integration of faith, study, and activism in her work makes the book robust and emotional. The Book Has Several Strengths Worth Highlighting: Mubarak offers a precise close reading while never being less than comprehensible to average readers. Historical perspective: She contrasts classical and contemporary commentaries to illustrate the ages-long history behind today's arguments. Inclusion of feminist views: She includes feminist Tafsir within the conventional Islamic method of interpreting. Engagement With Real Life: She reminds us that how people understand things affects how Muslims live, not just how they think. No book is perfect. Some would want Mubarak to interact more with the voices on the right than just recording what they say. Some would want more academic debates with South Asian scholars, for that region has a vast population of Muslim people. Still, those are small criticisms for a book that is otherwise crucial. Why This Book Matters In many Muslim societies, issues about gender are still debated a lot. The control men have over women, domestic violence, and women’s access to education and jobs—these topics are discussed using religious texts. Mubarak’s book shows that the Qur’an does not give just one clear answer; instead, it is the interpretations that have been influenced by people’s biases. By allowing for feminist and equal readings, she gives hope for a fairer future. Her research also applies beyond Muslim settings. It resonates for anyone concerned about the use of holy scriptures to legitimise power within Christianity, Judaism, or wherever. The big point is a simple one: texts are meaningful by virtue of interpretation, and that every time we interpret, we are talking about politics. Relevance to Indian Islam The book is especially relevant for India. Muslim citizens are India's largest minority. They are heterogeneous in thoughts and practices. Indian Islam arguments on gender—like the triple Talaq controversy, the right of Muslim women to enter mosques, and reformation within Muslim Personal Law—mirror many of the arguments presented by Mubarak. For example, when instant triple Talaq was stalled by the Indian Supreme Court in 2017, hard-liners said that religious law was being compromised, while modernisers and feminists said that a ban was necessary for equity. The central question in that debate is the same one that Mubarak addresses: how do we interpret scripture by the standards of equality and dignity today? Mubarak's writings would make Indian Muslim women realise that reformist and feminist perspectives are not against Islam but are a continuation of the rich tradition of tafsir. Tafsir, according to her, is adaptive and that empowers Indian Muslim women who desire changes in marriage, divorce, and inheritance laws. Moreover, India's heterogeneous environment requires fairer interpretations. Indian Muslims are a minority living under strict observation, and opponents frequently employ conventional practices to present the community as outdated. Indian Muslims would be able to enhance relationships between men and women within their community and counter stereotypes in the general populace by embracing perspectives that highlight the fairness and compassion of the Qur'an. Mubarak addresses how the colonial and postcolonial times affect understanding, which is very central to India. As did Arab modernists in response to colonial changes, Indian Muslim modernists like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad re-read the Qur'an in their times. Indian feminists, as did Asghar Ali Engineer and women's reform associations, persist in holding that view. Mubarak's book integrates those efforts within an international dialogue. Conclusion Rebellious Wives, Neglectful Husbands is more than a history of Qur'anic commentaries; it compels Muslims to re-examine how they approach their holy book. Hadia Mubarak demonstrates that readings may shift according to context. By reviving feminist and reformist thinking, she demonstrates that Islam may endorse fairness and equity. For Indian Muslims, the book provides both motivation and confirmation. It promotes a strong connection with religious texts that is honest but also questions things, based on tradition but willing to accept new ideas. In a time when fairness for genders is still a big issue, Mubarak’s work is important, brave, and necessary. It should be read by scholars and students as well as anyone who cares about how faith and justice can work together in today's world. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/hadia-mubarak-quranic-gender-islamic/d/136811 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism