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Islam: The Empowering of Women
Aisha Bewley
65 Pages Paperback A5 ISBN 1 897940 75 0
Published by Taha Publishers London
History describes the activities of Muslim women in all
areas of life, then it suddenly stops. What happened? How and why have
things changed in the last three hundred years to the extent that few
women are involved in the Islamic sciences and few men would even consider
being taught by a woman? This book gives numerous examples of how women
acted in the past, to help us escape the limiting perspectives which
have come to be the norm.
'Reading historical sources
throughout the centuries of Islamic history, we find lots and lots of
women active in all areas of life, and then suddenly it stops. What
happened? How and why have things changed in the last three hundred years
to the extent that it is unusual to find women involved in Islamic
sciences and, unlike in the past, very few Muslim men would even consider
being taught by a Muslim woman? This is a phenomenon which requires
in-depth research.
It is time to re-examine the
sources and re-assess how Muslim women in the past acted so that we can
escape the limiting perspectives which have come to be the norm. To this
end, we will examine three perspectives: the Scholarly Woman, the
Political Woman, and the Spiritual Woman.'
Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana
Bewley is one today’s most prolific translators of classical Arabic
work into English. Aisha Bewley not only understands Arabic but she is
also aware of the basic meanings and nature of teachings and history of
Islam. Her knowledge is born of experience and direct transmission, not
merely academic theory and learning by rote. For more than twenty-five
years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical
works in Arabic more Accessible to English-speaking readers for the first
time, including Ash-Shifa of Qadi “Iyad.
She
is co-translator The
Noble Qur'an A New Rendering of its Meaning in English. Other works
include -Al-Muwatta
of Imam Malik , Glossary
of Islamic Terms, Islam:
The Empowering of Women, Muslim
Women A Biographical Dictionary,
"Men and women who are Muslims,
men and women who are muminun,
men and women who are obedient,
men and women who are Truthful,
men and women who are steadfast,
men and women who are humble,
men and women who give sadaqa,
men and women who fast,
men and women who guard their private parts
men and women who remember Allah much
Allah has prepared forgiveness for them and an immense reward."
[al-Ahzab 35 - The Noble Qur'an - A New Rendering of its Meaning in English - Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley]
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