GENDER

GENDER

Traditionally Islam has been seen as a male dominant society and Quran has been read and interpreted as such, mostly by males also.

But what is the reality? Reason ? revelation ? of such interpretation.

Know that Quran is the Book of Allah, addressed to soul. We all are from a single Universal soul. A single universal soul essentially has various properties. Every property it owns has a unique essential image in soul.

A combination of various images combines various properties and these combinations can run into infinite new combinations.

Soul has dominance over physical world and it modifies the shape of physical matter according to its combinations and properties.

Hence a set of physical characteristics reflects the underlying properties of soul and vice versa.

For the sake of gender discussion, if a soul has more stability, is productive, has nourishment but is fixed and dense these properties invite a female appearance from physical matter. If on the other hand a soul has volatility, lightness, power and will, it invites a male appearance from physical matter. It does not necessarily follow that all male phenotype have these properties all the time. What matter is what properties dominate at the time of combination of soul and physical body. When a male or female phenotype is fixed at this union these properties can interchange and thus a male body can have properties listed under female soul properties.

Thus at the level of soul you have no gender but properties, weak or strong, emotional or intellectual, submissive or aggressive, all in opposite combinations.

Quran addresses the soul and various orders in Quran keep the balance of soul properties.

For example when Quran says “ nisa” it refers to weak soul, soul which tends to forget. When it says “ rajal” it refers to soul walking about, hard worker, effort maker. When it says “ zakar” it refers to acting soul, one who acts. When it says “ unsa” it refers to soul upon whom act is performed, hence submissive.

So when a soul read Quran it is more concerned with the task and function revealed in the Quran rather than its own physical appearance.

Does such interpretation of soul differ from the traditional view? Yes. Occasionally.

So at the level of soul there is no gender arguments. If you want to discuss the gender in Islam look at your soul. A Muslim society should be more concerned with the functional capabilities of soul rather than only physical appearance only. When applying the orders in Quran this functional aspect should be kept in mind so as to make a much better and meaningful society reflecting the true spirit of Islam.