An Analysis of the Anthropological Foundations of Women’s Family Rights from the Perspective of the Qur’an and Their Comparison with Feminism

Abstract

The aim of this study is to comparatively examine the anthropological foundations of the Holy Qur’an and feminism regarding women’s rights within the family. The main research question is: What are the anthropological foundations of the Holy Qur’an and feminism concerning women’s rights in the family, and what are the points of convergence and divergence between these two systems of thought in the domain of women’s family rights? This study employed a descriptive-analytical method based on documentary and comparative analysis of religious sources (the Qur’an and authoritative commentaries) and contemporary feminist theories. The findings indicate that, from the perspective of the Holy Qur’an, women’s rights within the family are grounded in such principles as the dual-dimensional nature of the human being as consisting of body and soul, human free will, purposiveness, dignity, and trusteeship. In feminism, by contrast, these rights are based on the deconstruction of nature, social constructionism, individualism and self-autonomy, and power struggle. Although the two perspectives converge in affirming women’s dignity, opposing violence, and emphasizing the necessity of eliminating oppression and discrimination against women, they differ fundamentally in their theoretical foundations and practical structures. According to Qur’anic anthropological foundations, women and men are equal in their essential humanity, inherent dignity, and capacity for spiritual perfection; however, on the basis of complementarity between the sexes, they possess just rather than necessarily identical or equal rights and duties. Moreover, according to the principle of fitrah (innate human nature), despite meaningful physical and psychological differences between women and men, they share fundamental innate dispositions. By contrast, within feminist anthropological frameworks, women’s family rights are generally formulated on the basis of identical and equal rights and obligations, with differences often regarded as manifestations of oppression and discrimination, while marital relations are interpreted within the framework of conflict theory and as an arena for the acquisition and negotiation of power.