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Reconstructing the Understanding of Gender Relations: Toward an Egalitarian and Humanistic Spirit of Islam
23
Jun
Islam came with a message of justice, dignity, and mercy. It teaches that every human being is honored by Allah, not because of gender, social status, wealth, ethnicity, or biological difference, but because of faith, piety, and moral responsibility. In this sense, Islam does not place men and women in a relationship of superiority and inferiority. Both are servants of Allah, both are morally responsible, and both are entrusted with the duty of building goodness on earth.
However, in many Muslim societies, this egalitarian spirit is often hidden beneath patriarchal culture. Male dominance is sometimes justified through religious language, even though the roots of that dominance are more cultural and political than theological. Religious texts are occasionally read in a way that places women as secondary beings, while men are treated as naturally superior. As a result, women may be excluded from education, leadership, public participation, or decision-making in the name of religion.
This problem needs to be examined carefully. Islam should not be blamed for every form of gender injustice found in Muslim societies. Many inequalities are actually produced by social customs, historical power relations, and biased interpretations of religious texts. Siti Musdah Mulia, in Islam dan Inspirasi Kesetaraan Gender, argues that gender justice is part of Islam’s ethical mission because Islam recognizes the dignity and responsibility of both men and women (Mulia, 2007). Therefore, reconstructing the understanding of gender relations is not an attempt to change Islam, but to return to its deeper message of justice and humanity.
The Qur’anic Foundation of Human Equality
The Qur’an presents men and women as sharing the same origin of creation. One of the most important verses in this discussion is Surah an-Nisā’ verse 1:
يٰٓاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوْا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنْ نَّفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ وَّخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيْرًا وَّنِسَاۤءً ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ الَّذِيْ تَسَاۤءَلُوْنَ بِهٖ وَالْاَرْحَامَ ۗ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيْبًا
“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate, and from the two of them spread many men and women. Fear Allah, in whose name you ask one another, and maintain family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful over you” (Qur’an Kemenag, 2019).
The phrase nafs wāḥidah, or “a single soul,” is very important. It shows that human beings come from one essential origin. Men and women are not two separate species with different levels of dignity. They belong to the same human reality. Nasaruddin Umar, in Argumen Kesetaraan Gender Perspektif Al-Qur’an, explains that the Qur’an’s language of creation does not support the idea that women are ontologically inferior to men. On the contrary, it affirms their shared humanity and equal moral status (Umar, 2001).
This is also reinforced by Surah al-Ḥujurāt verse 13, which states that human beings were created from male and female and made into nations and tribes so that they may know one another. The most noble among them, according to the Qur’an, is not the man over the woman, or one ethnicity over another, but the one who is most pious before Allah. This verse provides a strong ethical foundation for rejecting all forms of discrimination, including gender-based discrimination.
Rethinking the “Rib” Narrative
One of the most debated issues in gender discussions is the classical interpretation that women were created from Adam’s rib. Some exegetes, including al-Qurṭubī, connected the creation of women with a prophetic tradition that compares women to a rib: if one tries to straighten it harshly, it may break; therefore, men are advised to treat women kindly.
This tradition has often been misunderstood. In some social contexts, it has been used to portray women as weak, crooked, or naturally dependent on men. However, such a reading can create a hierarchy that is not supported by the broader Qur’anic vision. The main message of the hadith is not to degrade women, but to remind men to treat them with gentleness, patience, and kindness.
M. Quraish Shihab, in Perempuan: Dari Cinta sampai Seks, dari Nikah Mut’ah sampai Nikah Sunnah, dari Bias Lama sampai Bias Baru, emphasizes the need to read religious texts carefully and contextually. He shows that many assumptions about women are shaped not only by revelation, but also by cultural bias and inherited social norms (Shihab, 2005). In his Tafsir al-Misbah, Shihab also explains that the Qur’an’s message must be understood through its moral purpose, not only through literal fragments separated from context (Shihab, 2002).
Therefore, the “rib” narrative should not be used to justify female inferiority. If read within the broader spirit of Islam, it should instead encourage tenderness, respect, and ethical responsibility in gender relations.
Partnership, Not Domination
The Qur’an describes the relationship between men and women not as domination, but as partnership. In Surah at-Taubah verse 71, Allah says that believing men and believing women are awliyā’ ba‘ḍuhum li ba‘ḍ, protectors and helpers of one another. This verse is powerful because it presents men and women as partners in faith, morality, and social responsibility.
They command what is right, prevent what is wrong, establish prayer, give zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. These are not duties assigned only to men. They are shared responsibilities. This means women are not passive objects in religious life. They are active moral agents who participate in building a righteous society.
Amina Wadud, in Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective, argues that the Qur’an should be read through its larger ethical worldview, especially its emphasis on justice, reciprocity, and human dignity (Wadud, 1999). From this perspective, gender relations should not be based on power hierarchy, but on cooperation, compassion, and shared responsibility.
The Qur’anic concept of zaujiyyah, or pairness, also supports this idea. Men and women are created to complement one another, not to dominate one another. Complementarity does not mean inequality. It means that both have value, both have roles, and both deserve respect. When complementarity is turned into domination, the Qur’anic spirit is lost.
The Shared Mandate of Khilafah
The equality of men and women is not only related to their origin of creation. It is also related to their purpose in life. The Qur’an teaches that human beings are entrusted with the role of khalīfah fī al-arḍ, or stewards on earth. This mandate is not limited to men. It belongs to humanity as a whole.
As stewards, both men and women are responsible for creating goodness, preventing harm, caring for the earth, building families, educating society, and upholding justice. Women’s contributions in domestic, educational, social, intellectual, economic, and public life therefore have theological legitimacy. They are not outside the mission of Islam.
Historical restrictions on women’s roles were often shaped by social and political conditions, not by the essential teachings of the Qur’an. In many cases, culture was stronger than scripture. Patriarchal societies read religious texts through patriarchal assumptions, then treated those assumptions as if they were divine law. This is why contextual rereading is necessary.
To reconstruct gender relations in Islam, Muslims must distinguish between revelation and interpretation, between divine values and cultural habits, between the Qur’anic message and patriarchal traditions that developed in certain historical contexts.
Piety as the True Measure of Nobility
The Qur’an is clear that the true measure of human nobility is piety, not gender. Surah al-Ḥujurāt verse 13 states that the most noble person before Allah is the most pious. This principle destroys the foundation of biological superiority. A man is not more noble simply because he is male. A woman is not less valuable simply because she is female.
The same message appears in Surah al-Aḥzāb verse 35, where the Qur’an mentions Muslim men and Muslim women, believing men and believing women, obedient men and obedient women, truthful men and truthful women, patient men and patient women, humble men and humble women, charitable men and charitable women. The verse places men and women side by side in spiritual responsibility and reward.
This is one of the strongest Qur’anic arguments for gender equality. Before Allah, both men and women are addressed as moral subjects. Both can worship, think, choose, struggle, contribute, and attain spiritual excellence. Therefore, any religious understanding that permanently places women below men must be questioned in light of the Qur’an’s broader moral vision.
Returning to the Humanistic Spirit of Islam
Gender justice is not a foreign idea imposed on Islam. It is part of Islam’s own mission of justice. The Prophet Muhammad SAW came to transform a society where women were often treated as property, denied inheritance, and deprived of dignity. Islam improved women’s legal, social, and spiritual status in a historical context that was deeply patriarchal.
The challenge today is to continue that ethical movement. Muslim societies should not stop at the social norms of the past. They must continue to realize the Qur’an’s values of justice, mercy, and human dignity in changing contexts. This requires courage to reread inherited interpretations critically, while remaining faithful to the ethical spirit of revelation.
Reconstructing gender relations does not mean creating conflict between men and women. It means building a more just relationship between them. It means recognizing that men and women are partners in worship, family, education, society, and civilization. It means refusing violence, discrimination, exclusion, and domination in the name of religion.
In the end, Islam places men and women in equal dignity as creations of Allah. Both come from the same human essence. Both carry the mandate of stewardship on earth. Both are judged by piety and good deeds. Gender inequality in Muslim societies is therefore not the pure teaching of Islam, but the result of patriarchal culture and biased interpretation.
To restore the egalitarian and humanistic spirit of Islam, Muslims need a more critical, contextual, and justice-oriented reading of religious texts. When this spirit is revived, Islam will not be used to justify domination. It will become a source of liberation, compassion, and dignity for both women and men.
By Noviyatul Badriyah, Student of the Ulama Cadre Education Program of Grand Mosque Istiqlal.
