From Text to Context: Hermeneutics of Sacred Texts and Gendered Public Sphere in Islam

Abstract

The Quran is a primary sacred text for all Muslims which provides a basic idea of Islamic legislation and women role in politics. There are numerous verses in the Quran that teaches the followers to understand and support the participation of women in politics in a given context. Hermeneutics of Quran and the gendered public sphere have complex and critical relationships with each other. The sacred religious text of the Quran is interpreted in multiple perspectives depending on socio-cultural and historical context. Society largely reconcile its intellectual tone through interpretation of text and knowledge production. The paper is an attempt to elaborate on the hermeneutics of the Quran in the context of women's politics. There is a contradictory hermeneutical debate on Quranic text on the issue of women existing in the political sphere. Interpretation is a continuous process and deeply embedded in socio-cultural dynamics. Based on a principles of hermeneutics, Quran is considered to be for all times and ages. As per the rhetoric of the 21stcentury, the contemporary hermeneutics of the Quran provides equal human space to all genders.