Margaret Huffman
Lost in Translation?
The varying interpretations of the Quran and hadiths indicate an occasionally ambiguous or contradictory stance towards women living under Islamic rule. Leila Ahmed’s book, Women and Gender in Islam, contains a chapter aimed at clarifying the reason for many discrepancies. “The Transitional Age,” or the time after Mohammed’s death and when the hadiths were being transcribed, is the crucial time when “two distinct voices within Islam, and two competing understandings of gender” emerged.[1]
Since then, there has been an unending debate on how exactly Islam regards women. Ahmed asserts that the first Muslim society following the Prophet’s death called for a much more positive position towards women’s rights than the later Abbasid society exhibited toward them.[2] This is primarily due to differences in interpretation; the Abbasid society’s interpretation of holy dictates reflects their adherence to a more strict system of patriarchy. The emphasis on patriarchy is congruous with the assumption that as time progressed after Mohammed’s death, women’s rights typically declined.
Examples of varying interpretations include the decision to marry girls at young ages and hold concubines. More specifically, the Surah regarding The Light makes no specific mention of what should be used to cover women’s breasts. However, an English translation adds the word “veil.” The struggle of translating from Arabic into other languages is often because of two prominent errors: “addition and subtraction.”[3] By inserting or omitting words, even the slightest alteration in meaning can be substantial.
Translation is a prominent issue in studying Islam. However, the problem is not unique to Islam. The same problems affect Christianity. Varying interpretations may be as broad in nature as the Creation story. Did God really create the Earth in six days, or was it six much larger units of time as science would suggest? Christians conduct Communion in numerous ways; discrepancies exist about the proper way to dip the bread in wine (or juice). Varying methods of interpretation appear to be universal to the monotheistic religions. The only acceptable reactions are adherence to reliable historical texts and patience with those who may hold a different opinion.
[1] Leila Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam (New Haven, CN: Yale University Press, 1992), 65.
[2] Ibid., 67.
[3] Bernard Lewis, Islam and the West (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 64.