Maryam Amir – Why does the Quran say men have a level or women or address men about menstruation

			Music.
		

			Hi Alan. My name is Miriam, and I
specialize. I'm in an Islamic law.
		

			I love the questions you're asking
and how critically you're thinking
		

			about the passages that you're
reading of the Quran. And those
		

			same passages are the ones that I
read in translation and couldn't
		

			understand what they actually
meant, which is why I ended up
		

			spending so much time studying you
asked some questions I want to
		

			explore very quickly with you
here. One, with regards to
		

			menstruation, women are the ones
who menstruate. So why are men
		

			being addressed when it comes to
menses? And two, why does the
		

			Quran say that men have a degree
over women? And the translation
		

			you read said responsibility and
authority? So quick background,
		

			the Quran was revealed in an
incredibly misogynistic society,
		

			men would inherit women like
property. A husband would die. She
		

			would be inherited to his brother.
Baby Girls were buried alive by
		

			the fathers of those baby girls,
with the support, very often, of
		

			the mothers of those baby girls.
You can imagine how men looked at
		

			women in a society like that, and
the value that women didn't see in
		

			themselves in a society like that.
So then Angel Gabriel starts
		

			bringing the Quran, and the Quran
is completely shifting the
		

			narrative on who women are. So men
are starting to accept Islam, and
		

			they are having to completely
reframe everything they thought
		

			about women and the value and the
worth of women, this didn't come
		

			from like a societal movement for
women's rights. What we have are
		

			statements from men, for example,
a man who said that we used to
		

			think of women as absolutely
nothing, until God revealed what
		

			he revealed and gave them rights.
So now we have a society of men
		

			trying to understand women's
rights and how to interact with
		

			women in an honorable way, which
is why the question on Mensis is
		

			addressed to men, because the
first part of that verse says they
		

			ask you, the men are asking, how
do we how do we be intimate with
		

			women in this vulnerable time of
menstruation? There is scientific
		

			evidence that links penetrative
* during Mensis with
		

			physical problems for women, and
in a society where men didn't see
		

			women have rights, God is not
telling women do not approach men
		

			when you have Mensis in that
society, God is addressing men.
		

			Because when you look at the power
dynamic, it makes sense that God
		

			is going to be telling the one who
could potentially take advantage
		

			of someone in a vulnerable
circumstance that you have to give
		

			women physical space in this time
now, sexual rights are really
		

			important in Islam, including for
women. Obviously we have,
		

			historically, menses has been
weaponized against women, to make
		

			them feel dirty, to isolate them.
Different religious traditions
		

			don't allow women to eat from the
same utensils as men or other
		

			women who are not menstruating.
This is still something that goes
		

			on today in different cultures and
religious communities. So why
		

			would God care about menstruation
as a woman, knowing that I know
		

			people personally whose religious
faith doesn't even allow them to
		

			eat at the same table. For me,
it's important that God addresses
		

			Mensis and teaches us through the
example of the Prophet Muhammad,
		

			peace be upon him, that Mensis is
a time of blessings, of rewards,
		

			while still honoring the fact that
partners may still want to be
		

			intimate in this time, women
included, and that's why we have a
		

			number of narrations of women in
the time of the Prophet Muhammad,
		

			peace be upon him, talking about
how they were sexually intimate
		

			with their partner without being
penetrative. Now, the next point
		

			was about men having a degree over
women
		

			in modern terms, the way that I
would explain that is male
		

			privilege. Men have male privilege
in our society. We can see it in
		

			societies all over the world. That
verse is connected to divorce
		

			laws. Divorce is a very vulnerable
time for anyone going through
		

			divorce, but historically, until
today, women are often even more
		

			vulnerable. So the verse is
acknowledging the fact that there
		

			is male privilege, by then
requiring men to use that
		

			privilege to support women,
because it says men have a degree
		

			over women, and what is that
degree responsibility towards
		

			women that women do not have
towards men. The Quran and the
		

			prophetic narrations are filled
with this shift, like we talked
		

			about earlier on, how men must see
women who they used to think of
		

			them as to now as the Quran
describes their allies and as a
		

			Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, talks about their partners.
		

			Also with regards to women being
addressed directly, there are a
		

			number of verses where God
revealed the verse because a woman
		

			asked the question, like the
concept of mankind in English,
		

			mankind includes men and women.
It's just a function of language
		

			that in Arabic, the.
		

			Masculine generally includes men
and women, unless there's a
		

			specification that it's two men or
that it's two women. So you're
		

			also going to see a lot of that
throughout the verses. You will
		

			definitely be coming across other
verses that are going to make you
		

			pause I did when I was reading the
translation. And I know there's a
		

			trend on Tiktok right now where
people are reading the translation
		

			of the Quran, and I think that's
so beautiful, and I'm so grateful
		

			for any of you who are taking the
time to learn about what Islam is
		

			about. If it's helpful, I'll try
my best answer. It would be an
		

			honor if you disagree or want to
challenge anything I'm saying.
		

			Please know that you are welcome
to do so, and I'm always open for
		

			discussion. I'm also sorry in
advance if I respond a little bit
		

			late. I just travel a lot, so
sometimes it's hard for me to
		

			reply right away. Bless you.
Hello.