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Unveiling the Shared Roots: Islamic State Gender Policies and the Ahl al-Hadith Manhaj

 

Unveiling the Shared Roots: Islamic State  Gender Policies and the Ahl al-Hadith Manhaj


based on the following academic article

The Islamic State's brutal treatment of women has shocked the world. Forced veiling, severe restrictions on movement, and the revival of sexual slavery are just some of the policies that have sparked outrage. While traditional Sunni scholars have condemned IS practices, this essay argues that a closer look reveals alarming similarities in how both groups interpret Islamic texts, particularly those related to gender.

The Open Letter to Baghdadi, signed by over 100 traditional Sunni scholars, seeks to delegitimize the IS by highlighting its "deviant methodology." They argue:

  • IS issues fatwas without the necessary scholarly qualifications.
  • IS oversimplifies Sharia and ignores established Islamic sciences.
  • IS fails to consider modern realities when deriving rulings.

However, the letter also reveals fundamental points of agreement between the traditionalists and the IS, particularly in the acceptance of harsh hudud punishments. This suggests that both groups draw upon similar interpretative frameworks, despite their disagreements.

That framework is the neo-Ahl al-Hadith approach, a methodology popular among prominent Saudi Arabian scholars. This approach:

  • Elevates hadith to the primary source of Islamic law, often above reason and contextual understanding.
  • Claims to be the sole inheritor of the Salaf, the pious early Muslims, and argues that its interpretation of Islam represents an unbroken chain back to the Prophet.

This strict literalism and focus on the practices of the earliest Muslims create a powerful justification for the IS's policies.

  • The niqab, for example, is considered obligatory based on hadith describing women covering their faces during the Prophet's time. Saudi scholars utilize the same hadith and interpretations of verses like 24:30-31 and 33:59 to arrive at the same conclusion.
  • Similarly, the IS's insistence on strict gender segregation stems from the view of women as sources of fitna (temptation and chaos). Saudi scholars utilize the same concept, citing verses like 33:32-33 and 33:53 and numerous hadith to justify restricting women's movement and interaction with men.

Most shockingly, even the IS's revival of sexual slavery finds support in the opinions of Saudi scholars like Al-Fawzan and Al-Munajjid. They argue that enslaving female captives of war remains permissible according to Islamic law. The justification? The Quran does not explicitly forbid it, and the Prophet and his companions engaged in the practice.

The shared interpretative flaw in both the IS and neo-Ahl al-Hadith approaches is a limited engagement with the historical context of the Quran and Sunna. While they acknowledge the historical setting of the revelations, they fail to grapple with the implications of that context for interpretation. This leads them to:

  • Treat historically contingent practices like slavery as timeless and universally binding principles of Islam.
  • Overlook the overarching ethical trajectories of the Quran and Sunna. These trajectories, when interpreted holistically, point towards a just world that rejects slavery and uplifts the status of women.

While the Open Letter to Baghdadi condemns IS brutality, it inadvertently reveals a shared interpretative DNA between the groups. This points to a troubling reality: the neo-Ahl al-Hadith approach, with its strict literalism and focus on hadith, provides fertile ground for the justification of extremist policies, including those that harm and dehumanize women. A critical re-examination of these interpretative methods is urgently needed to prevent further abuses and to promote an understanding of Islam that is both authentic and ethically grounded.

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