ISLAM AND GENDER EQUALITY: A CRITICAL RE-EXAMINATION OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Indonesia 
Malaysia Malaysia 
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Gender Equality, Islamic Teachings, Social Justice
Abstract
Gender equality remains a contested issue in contemporary Islamic discourse because women’s rights are often interpreted through overlapping religious, legal, cultural, and historical frameworks. This study aimed to critically re-examine Islamic teachings on women’s rights and social justice by distinguishing normative revelation from juristic interpretation and lived Muslim practice. A qualitative library-research design combined textual analysis, critical hermeneutics, comparative jurisprudence, thematic coding, historical contextualization, and maq??id al-shar??ah-based ethical evaluation. The analytical corpus included selected Qur’anic passages, authenticated Prophetic traditions, classical exegetical and legal works, and contemporary gender scholarship. Results showed that primary Islamic sources strongly support women’s dignity, moral agency, legal capacity, property rights, and protection from injustice. Gender inequality appeared more prominently in historically conditioned interpretations of qiw?mah, guardianship, obedience, leadership, and differentiated family responsibilities. Justice-oriented readings emphasized reciprocity, accountability, consultation, public welfare, and freedom from harm. The study concludes that gender equality in Islam should be understood as equal human worth, equitable access to rights, and fair responsibility rather than identical social roles.
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