Women in the Qurʾān: A Brief Analysis of the Discourse on Naming Women by Batool Dasan

Women in the Qurʾān: A Brief Analysis of the Discourse on Naming Women

There is no doubt that women have an important presence in the Qurʾān. However, while the Muslim Holy Book acknowledges the names of more than 26 men including prophets and well-known figures, there is only one woman named explicitly, “Maryam,” the mother of prophet Isa. There are also about 19 men mentioned implicitly. The phrases “the two sons of Ādam” and “brothers of Yūsuf ” are the only verses in which men are brought up in a social capacity related to another man is an example to this. As for the rest of them, they were referred either as a king, a man from the city, the people of the cave, and so on. The number of women who were implicitly introduced is approximately 17. All of them except for one—who is the Queen of Sheba—were spoken of in their social relation to men as wives, mothers, or daughters. This disparity must be considered. In this short article, I will attempt to scratch the surface to answer the question: Why did the Qurʾān hide women’s names, and why did it reveal the name “Maryam” specifically?

Al-Qurtubi argues that the Qurʾān only discloses her by name to prove a theological point about Maryam and `Isa, and didn’t do that with other women’s names because nobles and kings at the time avoided using their wives’ names in public, using titles instead, except for female servants. Also, because Christians have different beliefs about the status of Maryam and her son in comparison to Islam, she is mentioned by name. This explanation goes a long way to explain, from the perspective of the classical and modern exegetes, why one woman only is specified so explicitly with also an entire chapter named after her. She symbolizes purity and chastity:

“O Maryam, indeed, Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.” (Aal-e-Imran: 3)

Exegetical texts explain in a variety of ways why Maryam is honored so highly. Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir state that Maryam suffered almost like the Qurʾānic prophets.  But because there cannot be a female prophet, Allah honored her for what she endured from the people who accused her of having an illicit relationship and giving birth to Isa illegitimately. Others, however, state that Maryam’s virginity was a fundamental factor in affirming her purity, and that it is a core value that the Qurʾān seeks to emphasize (Al-Khalidi, 1998). Whatever the reason, it is clear that Maryam is exceptional.

Women Identified as Wives in the Qurʾān

The first woman—Hawwa (Eve)—is recounted in a passing reference as “wife” when Allah commanded Ādam to dwell with his wife in Paradise, but her role is not as central as it is in the Torah (Al-Baqara: 35). The woman known extra-Qur’anically as “Asiya” was the Pharaoh’s wife. She is honored and given a quite significant role, perhaps for the same ironic reason: she had the highest level of faith, despite the fact that her husband was… Pharaoh! (Al-Qasas: 11). The two wives of prophets mentioned in the context of severe condemnation are “The wife of Nūḥ and the wife of Lūṭ…” who are held up as exemplars of betrayal (At-Tahrim: 10). The reason for calling out these two women as spouses may be to highlight the ironic contrast, whereby they were in open disbelief despite being wives of prophets. Is this interpretation sufficient to explain the absence of their names? Many exegetical texts assert that what the Qurʾān omits is unimportant and adds no value to its meaning. Yet, why does this reasoning apply more frequently to women’s names than to men’s? This is a question worth pondering from a theological-gender perspective.

“Asiya” being a woman in a position of authority was not enough for her to be mentioned by name, just like the story of the Queen of Sheba, who had great influence and also wisdom that surpassed the wisdom of the men among her advisors, as the Qurʾān states; and yet remains un-named (An-Naml: 22). Not using Asiya’s name may serve to take the narrative out of the realm of historical storytelling and focus on the lesson and message only without making her a historical figure for her own sake.

Another powerful woman is the wife of Abu Lahab (Surat Al-Masad: 4), who, along with her husband, became one of the fiercest opponents of Islam. Perhaps introducing her as the spouse of Abu Lahab—the Prophet’s uncle and enemy—points to the role of kinship in motivating her fierce enmity to the Prophet: she was not just an individual but the partner of the Prophet’s most important enemy.

The Unique Case of “The Wife of Al-Aziz”

A very distinctive case is “the wife of Al-Aziz,” the Egyptian minister. The Qurʾān narrates the story of this woman who initially tried to seduce prophet Yusuf. This character, who represents desire, deception, and evil plotting was, according to all interpretations, a character more important than her husband, “Al-Aziz = the minister,” who listened to her suggestions and carried them out. So why is she attributed to him? The common understanding is that as the spouse of Al-Aziz, she had a special kind of influence. This was more relevant to the depiction than her name, since her influence granted her the ability to play such a central role.

Cultural Reflections

Al-Zamakhshari states that the Qurʾān mentions those things that have a noticeable benefit in understanding and application. However, what does the role of omission play in the Qurʾan? In pre-Islamic Arabia, calling a woman’s name was not a disgrace in all tribes, but in many contexts, it was avoided for cultural considerations, as seen in poetry and as adduced by al-Qurtubi above. Could the avoidance of women’s names in Arab culture, combined with the Qurʾān’s linguistic style, have contributed to reinforcing the modern patriarchal discourse in Islamic or Arab-Islamic societies?

That is a question for another sociolinguistic article.

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References

Al-Qurtubi, A. ibn A. (1273). Al-Jāmi‘li Aḥkām al-Qurʾān (Vol. 11, pp. 3–50). Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.
Al-Tabari. (n.d.). Tafsir al-Tabari (Vols. 1–30). Dar al-Ma’arif.
Ibn Kathir. (n.d.). Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Azim (Vols. 1–4). Dar al-Taybah.
Khalidi, S. (1998). Al-Qasas al-Qur’ani: Ard Waqa’i wa Tahlil Ahdath (Vol. 4, p. 164). Dar al-Qalam.
Zamakhshari, A. M. (2009). Al-Kashshaf (Vols. 1–4). Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi.

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Batool Dasan is an accomplished Arabic language educator and scholar with a strong academic and professional background. She holds an undergraduate degree in Islamic Studies and Tafseer from Jordan, a master’s in Curriculum and Teaching Methods, and she is a PhD student in Arabic Linguistics from Indiana University (IU) with minors in Islamic Studies and Gender Studies. She has taught Arabic for the Peace Corps in Jordan and played a key role in designing and delivering curricula at Qasid Institute from 2014 to 2024. She is passionate about sociolinguistics and gender issues in the Arab world.