The Incoherence of Islamic Feminism and the Danger of Interpreting Texts According to Whim

The essence of contemporary feminist thought is based on making the female the primary reference and the axis around which all rulings revolve. This orientation necessarily clashes with the requirements of submission to the Sharia text. If a text contradicts feminist desires, adherents of this thought resort to arbitrary interpretation to suit their whims, or to the denial of the Prophetic Sunnah, even if it is of the highest degree of authenticity, such as Sahih al-Bukhari.

A characteristic of this path is labeling any scholar or jurist who does not align with their propositions as a proponent of patriarchal thought; meanwhile, his words are accepted and celebrated if they happen to agree with their desires. This makes intellectual conformity the criterion rather than Sharia evidence. Placing feminist ideas above Sharia texts is, in reality, taking one's whim as a god besides Allah.

{They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God.}

Surah At-Tawbah, Verse 31

This noble verse refers to the path of the People of the Book in tailoring religious texts to suit their desires—the very same path pursued by feminism today, which cherry-picks from religion what suits it and forcibly reinterprets the rest. Therefore, there is no such thing as Islamic Feminism, just as there is no such thing as Islamic Atheism; Islam is a complete religion with its Divine reference, while feminism is a human ideology with its own distinct reference.

For further detail on this intellectual deviation, we recommend reviewing the book Women Between Islam and Atheism to understand the dimensions of this issue.