Sexual Ethics and Islam Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith and Jurisprudence

Whether exploring the thorny issues of wives’ sexual duties, divorce, homosexuality, or sex outside marriage, discussions of sexual ethics and Islam often spark heated conflict rather than reasoned argument. In this updated and expanded edition of her ground-breaking work, feminist Muslim scholar Dr Kecia Ali asks how one can determine what makes sex lawful and ethical in the sight of God.

Drawing on both revealed and interpretative Muslim texts, Ali critiques medieval and contemporary commentators alike to produce a balanced and comprehensive study of a subject both sensitive and urgent, making this an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and interested readers.

Dr. Kecia Ali is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University. She previously held research and teaching fellowships at Brandeis University and Harvard Divinity School.

Introduction

1 Marriage, Money, and Sex

“And according to what they spend from their wealth ... ”

Sex

Intermarriage

Conclusion

Coda 1

2 Lesser Evils: Divorce in Islamic Ethics

Untying the knot

Extreme circumstances

Prospects for reform

Conclusion

Coda 2

3 “What your right hands possess”: Slave Concubinage in Muslim Texts and Discourses

Islam and slavery: overview of sources and history

Women, war captives, and withdrawal

Conclusion

Coda 3

4 Prohibited Acts and Forbidden Partners: Illicit Sex in Islamic Jurisprudence

Protecting chastity: the classical texts

Paternity, legal fictions, and non-marital sex in contemporary Muslim thought

Conclusion

Coda 4

5 Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Same-Sex Intimacy in Muslim Thought

History

Don’t ask, don’t tell

Same-sex marriage

Conclusion

Coda 5

6 “Reduce but do not destroy”: Female “Circumcision” in Islamic Sources

Islamic or un-Islamic?

“Reduce but do not destroy”

Conclusion

Coda 6

7 “If you have touched women”: Female Bodies and Male Agency in the Qur’an

To whom am I speaking?

A difficult verse

Garments for one another

Conclusion

Coda 7

8 The Prophet Muhammad, his Beloved Aishah, and Modern Muslim Sensibilities

Apologetics and polemics

Searching for solace

Conclusion

Coda 8

9 Toward an Islamic Ethics of Sex

Afterword to the 2016 edition

Notes

Bibliography

Index