Hermeneutics[1] is the theory and methodology of interpretation,[2][3] especially of sacred texts,[4][5] and Islamic feminism has a long history upon which to draw.
These include focusing on women (opposing conventional male centrist gender bias), giving primacy to equality and gender justice, reinterpreting relevant religious texts, and investigating, contesting and exposing the historical contexts of religious texts and conservative interpretations which cause perpetuate injustice and inequality.
[10] Social, cultural and political behavior of Muslim individuals, groups, institutions and states are deeply influenced today by Islamic advice literature, including religious interpretive traditions.
[11] According to several scholars, including Shemeem Burney Abbas, many hadiths were corrupted or even fabricated after the death of Muhammad.
Abbas posits the creation of hadiths was possibly a recreational activity, sharing stories for public entertainment; for others, it was an opportunity to exploit a skewed interpretation for vested interests in a culture of fiercely competitive power dynamics.
[7] Contemporary Islamic scholars, encouraged by the awareness of the present reality and to meet scientific standards support the use of hermeneutics as a method of interpreting the Quran.
[20] Islamic feminist figures who developed their thoughts on the Quranic interpretation methodology, including Aminah Wadud, Musdah Mulia, Aysha A. Hidayatullah and Kecia Ali.
Amina Wadud, through her Qur'an and Women, Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, developed her thoughts on the methodology of Quranic interpretation.
Wadud referred to contemporary Islamic thought, Fazlur Rahman, to dismantle the gender biases that colored the Quranic interpretation tradition so far.
[18] Wadud initiated feminist-based hermeneutics, a method of interpreting the Quran that refers to the idea of gender equality and justice and rejects the patriarchal system.
This Assistant Professor of the University of San Francisco presents a comprehensive analysis of contemporary feminist interpretations of the Quran.
The historical contextualization method is to interpret the Quran by paying attention to the context of time and the background of the verse or revelation (asbab al-nuzul).
Historical contextual methods place the role of history in giving birth to gender biases and biological essentialism in classical interpretations.
[22] If a woman is said to have an imperfect capacity, then this is clearly a mistake in understanding God's intention about humans as caliphs on earth.
The Professor UIN Syarif Hidayatulah Jakarta is known as a persistent and consistent champion of gender equality and justice.
[23] Musdah has long been aware that women are confined in theological prisons, due to gender biases in the interpretation of the Quran.
Through his work Sexsual Ethics & Islam: Reflections on the Feminist Qur'an, Hadith and Jurisprudence (2012), Kecia Ali discusses sexual violence against women and shows a collision between morals and law.
According to Kecia Ali, a progressive approach to the Quranic text cannot be limited to the selective presentation of egalitarian verses in isolation from the context of the vast holy book.
[29] Hermeneutics Feminism is composed by formulating the thoughts of Islamic feminist figures regarding the methodology of Quranic interpretation.
Historical contextualization method, namely paying attention to the context of time and the background of the verse or revelation (asbab al-nuzul).
Tauhid is a key method in hermeneutic of feminism for the interpretation of the Quran and is a doctrine of God's incomparable unity.
[15] Sadaf Jaffer in her research article points out 'Pakistani Atheist and Agnostic women' are very clear in their (online) autobiographies that, they appeal to alternative sources of ethical values based on humanism and constraining in 'Islamic' is fundamentally flawed in its assumptions and projection of identities.