UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law

Given the central role the hadith tradition and sunna of the Prophet play in forming the doctrine of Islamic theology and law, they have been the focus of modern criticism and reinterpretation when it comes to the issues of women and gender in Islam. However, the thrust of the hadith and sunna pull indifferent directions and can be read both to support and to undermine patriarchy. This Article, therefore, begins with a description of “tension reports” in the Islamic narrative tradition, arguing that there is just as much material that celebrates the memory of liberating moments for women as there are reports bolstering male dominance. Tension reports preserve moments defying the institutions of patriarch in early Islamic history. Next, I discuss what I describe as misogynistic traditions in the hadith and the three main interpretive strategies employed by Muslim women scholars in their approach to this material. I assess the merits of these strategies and offer an alternative. Rather than a wholesale rejection of the hadith and sunna, as some have proposed, I argue for a more circumspect approach. As critical components of the Islamic tradition, the hadith and sunna must continue to serve as the source for dynamic and inventive solutions even to deeply entrenched challenges such as patriarchy. Reasonable interpretation offers the promise of maintaining an ethically sensitive and dynamic approach to resolving even the most intractable issues.