Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication
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Journal of Interdisciplinary Qur’anic Studies Vol.2, Issue 1, June 2023, 27-42
The story of Human Creation in the Qurʾan and the
Old Testament: A Linguistic-Narrative Approach
for Reconstructing the Dominant Gender Discourse
Ghasem Darzi
1
Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Qur’anic Studies Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti
University, Tehran, Iran
3 202 April 22 ; Accepted 3 202 January 10 Received : History Article
ABSTRACT:
The application of the gender approach to the holy books has expanded with
the rise of feminism in the modern era. The study and extraction of the
gender discourses that dominate these books can help in the reconstruction
and understanding of relevant historical features. Comparing the gender
approach of these books can also introduce us to paradigm shifts in different
historical periods. For this purpose, firstly, we have shown in this study that
the Qurʾan employs a moderate, complex and hybrid form of all three
feminine, masculine and egalitarian discourses.
Secondly, the linguistic/narrative approach to the pre-Qurʾanic scriptures
and its comparison with the Qurʾanic approach shows the extent of the
masculine and sometimes misogynistic approach of these books. A review
of some post-Qurʾanic exegesis and hadith books also shows that their
gender discourse is more compatible with the masculine approach of pre-
Qurʾanic books than the moderate Qurʾanic approach. Due to the large
number of sources required for this research, only the gender discourse in
the creation story was chosen as a case study.
KEYWORDS: Human creation, Pre-Qurʾanic scriptures, Gender discourse
1. Corresponding Author. Email Adress: gh_darzi@sbu.ac.ir
Original Paper