I'm sure you're waiting with bated breath for "Sexual Ethics and Islam" by Kecia Ali. And if not, you should be. It will be available shortly in fine bookstores everywhere, insha'Allah, and if you don't have a fine bookstore near you, then get on over to Amazon. But its very title has sparked a curious line of thought.
If Muslims are to strive for moral excellence, I can't see how this would exclude intimate acts and relationships. Passages of the Qur'an would concur with this view, but the Qur'an also condones certain acts that would now be seen as morally repugnant (sex with slaves, sex with those who would now be considered underage), and condemns certain acts that many don't consider immoral in this day and age. Classical fiqh can complicate this issue, lending authority to ideas that now seem hopelessly outdated, if not repellent. There are arguments to support the maintainance of tradition, and equally sound arguements to support change that is consistent with Qur'anic injunctions of justice, mercy, and respect for universal human dignity. So my question: how do we find the eternal ethical and moral principles that should guide us through the ages? Preserving the past for the sake of preserving the past isn't any more consistent with the Qur'an's teachings as change for the sake of change. In the bedroom and beyond, Muslims will need to separate fads from new moral insights, and outdated custom from established moral principles. It may be a mood killer, but before we turn down the lights, we're going to need to have a discussion on how to follow the straight path- even when it's strewn with discarded clothing.ÂÂ
I read some of her stuff way back when she was with the feminist sexual ethics project at Brandeis. Should be interesting.
I ordered them both from Amazon two days ago, which should mean I get them today......
I've had my head in Hannah Arendt and Ibn al-Arabi for a paper I am writing on the ethical problem of the existence of 4:34 in Qur'an. These books are exactly what I need to read, right now.
Look forward to your review!
"Preserving the past for the sake of preserving the past isn't any more consistent with the Qur'an's teachings..."
Why not, FM? Isn't the opposite the case -- if the Qur'an decries something, shouldn't that injunction be preserved even if in some other light it appears inappropriate? Or are you offering an opinion less as a Muslim and more as a progressive who seeks to reform Islam? I ask as a neophyte about Islam.
My second question: Does this book address Aisha's relationship with the Prophet?
Perhaps you misunderstood the phrase you quoted. Doing something merely because it has been done before is actually criticized by the Qur'an, while doing what's right should be done as long as it is right. The Qur'an's injunctions are to be preserved, according to the Qur'an, as long as it does not violate other Qur'anic injunctions, or the spirit and intent of the text. One should fast in Ramadan, but not if it would harm you. One should pray at the appointed time, but not in the midst of a road, where you could harm yourself and others. You cannot force a mother to breastfeed if she has an infection that would be exacerbated by nursing. I'm offering this opinion as a progressive Muslim; one who believes in Islam as the way forward, not as a destination that you cannot move forward from.
The last chapter is devoted to Aisha's marriage.
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