Public talk on the study of Islam and gender
THE Centre for Contemporary Islam, at the University of Cape Town, in collaboration with Claremont Main Road Mosque, has the pleasure of inviting you to a public lecture on the critical study of Islam and gender.
Muslim marriage and Muhammadi masculinity: reclaiming the legacy of Khadija
This lecture undertakes a feminist rereading of the prophetic legacy. Using masculinities studies as a conceptual framework, we examine the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Khadija bint Khuwaylid (d. ca. 620) to question hegemonic narratives on ‘ideal’ Muslim marriages. Muhammad’s (SAW) marriages—and, by extension, his masculinity—are often portrayed as expressions of power disparity, however loving, with Nabi Muhammad (SAW) marrying multiple wives significantly younger in age.
Due to the normative place of ‘prophetic precedent’ (sunnah), these historical narratives have exerted a lasting impact on marital ethics and law. Yet, the example of Khadija, on multiple levels, paints a very different picture of Muhammadi masculinity (and prophetic precedent). This paper asks, what can we – as Muslim feminists committed to gender egalitarian partnerships in our own contexts – learn from this premodern marriage, and how can we reclaim it as a model for contemporary Muslim masculinities?
Speaker: Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla
Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla is a lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. His primary interest lies in the relationship between religion, power and resistance, exploring how religious texts can be interpreted to challenge structures of social domination, including poverty, patriarchy, racism and empire. He is author of Qur’an of the Oppressed: Liberation Theology and Gender Justice in Islam (Oxford University Press, 2018).
Venue: Snape Building, Teaching Studio 2C, Upper Campus (Park in Lot P 11 in front of Leslie Commerce)
Date: Monday, January 23, 2023
Time: 5 for 5.30 pm
- The Snape building is in cell B4 on the accompanying map of UCT. It is located behind Leslie Commerce and Menzies buildings. The closest parking is P11 or P12.
Issued by the Centre for Contemporary Islam, at the University of Cape Town
