Muslim women in Islam have lived under interpretations of faith that often silence their voices and restrict their rights. One source is patriarchal traditions that place men in positions of control. Another is cultural conditioning that reinforces gender inequality. The last is historical context, where outdated practices were carried forward as religious truth. However, at the heart of Islam lies a message of equality and justice. What happens when women reclaim that truth for themselves?

In this episode, Eram Saeed sits down with Dr. Sitara Akram, a scholar and researcher passionate about justice and women’s rights. Together, they challenge outdated assumptions and explore the historical context of the Quran. They uncover how many restrictive ideas about women were never Divine law but rather human interpretations shaped by societal norms, power, and politics. Through critical reflection, they reveal a faith rooted in fairness, dignity, and spiritual equality.

This conversation is an invitation to think differently, to question what we have been told, and to reclaim the Quran’s message with clarity and courage. It is a call for women and men alike to embrace justice, honor the truth of our shared humanity, and restore the balance that God intended. If you have ever wrestled with questions about faith, gender, and equality, this dialogue will speak to both your mind and your heart.

Reclaiming Women’s Voices in Islam

When one delves into the history of Islam, the conditions of seventh-century Arabia come alive. Communities faced social struggles, economic disparity, and cultural practices that often harmed women. Into this setting came the Quran, speaking to real people in a real society. It addressed their needs, challenged their injustices, and offered a vision of justice rooted in compassion.

Eram introduces Sitara Akram in this context—a scholar whose research bridges Islamic law, economics, and women’s rights. With a PhD and years of teaching, she brings both scholarship and community engagement to the discussion. Her perspective highlights how historical awareness allows Muslims to reconnect with the Quran’s timeless principles. Restoring women’s voices, she argues, is not innovation but a return to the core message of equality.

Without historical awareness, interpretations become rigid and disconnected. References to rain, trade, and family customs lose meaning when stripped of context. What was once a message for a living, breathing society risks being reduced to abstract rules. Understanding revelation as part of history uncovers a Quran that is dynamic and just. It allows believers today to rediscover principles that transcend culture and time.

The Revolutionary Nature of Islam

Islam’s arrival reshaped society in radical ways. Spiritual devotion was tied directly to action and accountability. Prayer, charity, and justice were inseparable. Worship could not stand apart from service to people. This transformed the idea of faith from private ritual to collective responsibility.

The Quran placed the vulnerable—widows, orphans, and the poor—at the center of community life. Justice became a binding principle rather than a lofty ideal. This legal and moral framework challenged power structures and demanded compassion in governance. It was revolutionary then, and it remains powerful today.

The Journey of Muslim Women in Islam

Generations of Muslim women in Islam have lived under interpretations that diminished their worth. Many internalized beliefs that they were less capable or less intelligent. These messages created wounds of shame and disconnection. Yet a closer reading of the Quran reveals an empowering truth: women stand equal before God in dignity and responsibility.

Eram shares her own journey of wrestling with inherited interpretations before finding healing in the Quran’s message. Sitara echoes the importance of reclaiming agency in interpretation. For many women, questioning unfair traditions is the beginning of spiritual renewal. Claiming the right to study and understand scripture restores confidence and connection to God. This act of reclaiming is not rebellion but fidelity to divine justice.

The Role of Women in Islamic Society

Women once held visible and respected roles in the earliest Muslim community. They narrated hadith, advised leaders, and transmitted knowledge that shaped Islamic civilization. Their contributions are part of the faith’s foundation, though often erased in later narratives. What remains in much of collective memory is a distorted history shaped by patriarchy.

Correcting that distortion requires honoring women’s original place in scholarship and leadership. Sitara stresses that women must reclaim their voices not as an exception but as a right. Their perspectives bring balance to religious understanding and ensure justice in practice. Without them, the message of equality remains incomplete. Restoring this legacy strengthens the community as a whole.

The Testimony of Women in Islamic Law

Verses about testimony are often misunderstood. In reality, they addressed contracts and trade, not crime or moral reliability. The rule was designed to support women in a field where they had little exposure at the time. It was a practical safeguard, not a claim about intellectual capacity.

Over centuries, interpretations shifted into tools of exclusion. Women were barred from authority or decision-making under the pretext of these verses. Sitara calls this a betrayal of the Quran’s intent. Restoring context restores fairness. Reinterpreting these passages with integrity brings the focus back to justice, not control.

The Hijab and Its Historical Context

Veiling long predated Islam, appearing in Greek and Persian societies as a marker of class. Aristocratic women veiled to signal privilege, while enslaved women were forbidden from covering. By the time of the Prophet, these customs were already widespread. Islam addressed them within that cultural framework.

The Importance of Agency and Autonomy for Muslim Women

Choice lies at the heart of faith. Muslim women in Islam has the right to decide how to practice, including whether to veil. Agency means acting from conviction, not fear. Autonomy honors sincerity to God above societal pressures.

Historical Background of Veiling

Veiling also reflected economic realities. Clothing was expensive, and covering oneself fully was a marker of wealth and class. Over time, these markers were rebranded as signs of piety. Culture slowly merged with religion until the two were seen as inseparable.

Societal Context and Harassment of Women

In Medina, women endured harassment from men who used social status as an excuse. The Quran’s guidance on outer garments sought to remove that pretext. It was a form of protection in a hostile environment, not a restriction. The principle was safety and dignity, not uniformity.

Quranic Verses and Their Implications

Several Quranic passages highlight fairness and equality when placed in their context. They addressed urgent challenges of the time while setting lasting principles for humanity.

• Surah An-Nisa 4:1 – Men and women come from a single soul, equal in creation.
• Surah Al-Ahzab 33:35 – Men and women share equal accountability and reward.
• Surah Al-Baqarah 2:282 – Women’s testimony in contracts reflected trade norms, not inferiority.
• Surah Al-Ahzab 33:59 – Outer garments aimed to protect women from harassment.
• Surah An-Nur 24:30–31 – Both men and women are told to lower their gaze and protect modesty.

Interpreting Islam Through Context

Many restrictions come from culture, not revelation. Misinterpretations take root when verses are lifted from history. Examining the Quran through its context allows believers to separate principle from practice. Justice, mercy, and dignity remain the core of the message. With this lens, faith regains its power to liberate rather than oppress.

Training the Gaze and Responsibility

The Quran calls men and women to modesty alike. Responsibility is shared, not shifted onto women alone. Teaching boys respect and discipline is as vital as teaching girls dignity. A just society begins with accountability for all. When modesty is practiced equally, women are not burdened unfairly.

Reclaiming Faith and Moving Forward

The conversation closes with a call to reclaim the Quran’s message of justice. Muslim women in Islam are encouraged to embrace agency, pursue knowledge, and resist unjust traditions. Critical thinking becomes a duty for every generation. Without it, faith risks distortion and misuse. With it, the community moves closer to fairness and balance.

Sitara Akram’s Journey

Sitara Akram’s journey to becoming a respected scholar and advocate for women’s rights in Islam began in a household where education was valued equally for both boys and girls. Growing up, she developed a love for learning, fostered by a father who encouraged intellectual curiosity. This set her on a path to academic success, culminating in a PhD in Islamic finance from the University of Leeds. Her early life was filled with books, questions, and a commitment to personal growth, but her journey truly transformed when she moved to the UK. This is when she encountered a more conservative form of Islam that made her question the values she had always taken for granted.

Raising her children in a society where their Muslim identity was questioned forced Sitara to become not just a mother, but an informed and engaged scholar. She found herself in a position to answer her sons' critical questions about their faith. She had to dig deeper into Islamic texts and challenge the interpretations she had once accepted. This personal struggle led to a broader professional mission: Sitara sought to reclaim the true, inclusive values of Islam that had been obscured by patriarchal interpretations over time. From then on, she set out to elevate the voices of women scholars whose contributions had been erased by history.

Today, Sitara is a leading voice in the push to redefine the body of how Islamic scholars approach Muslim doctrine, especially regarding women’s rights. Her work, which spans across Islamic law and finance, aims to challenge patriarchal practices and restore the empowering teachings of Islam. She continues to inspire Muslim women around the world to reclaim their space in both their faith and society. Her journey is a testament to the transformative power of education, resilience, and a commitment to justice.

Expert Advice & Powerful Quotes

“On one hand, we would say Islam is timeless. But on the other hand, when we try to interpret Islam, we say that we should practice Islam as it was practiced 1400 years ago, without really giving cognizance to the fact that 1400 years ago, society was very, very different.”

“So if a man has been created in the best of molds, a woman has also been created in the best of molds. So that tells you that in Allah's eyes, there is no bias around gender.”

“Women and men have hair, that's not what the Quran is saying. The thing with hijab is that it's not mentioned in the Quran. The word hijab as a covering is not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran mentions hijab as a curtain.”

“The obsession with clothing is taking us away from those really high level goals, the high level goals of being a good human being, a compassionate human being, charitable human being, a financially independent human being who can then do charity with her wages.”

“It divides us. So, rather than us working collaboratively, we're all sat in our rooms judging each other on our clothes, whereas we could actually have higher level shared goals.”

Step Toward True Equality and Justice

For generations, the idea that men are superior to women has been repeated in Muslim societies. But repetition does not make it true. Much of this belief comes from cultural conditioning, patriarchal traditions, and interpretations that ignore the historical context of the Quran. When we return to the setting in which revelation took place, a different picture emerges. 

1. Listen to the Full Episode – In this conversation, Eram Saeed and Dr. Sitara Akram challenge deeply rooted assumptions about muslim women in Islam. They examine verses often used to limit women. It includes testimony, veiling, and modesty, and places them back into their historical and social context. This restores the Quran’s original intent: justice, fairness, and compassion, not control.
2. Reflect on Your Own Beliefs – Ask yourself: Where did your understanding of gender roles come from? Have you read the verses in their historical context, or only heard secondhand explanations? This episode invites both men and women to examine inherited beliefs and recognize the agency God has given every believer to seek truth directly.
3. Explore More – Visit Jamali.love for more episodes blending faith and transformation. Find stories, live sessions, and resources to guide you in your journey of growth and healing.

True liberation begins when we move beyond cultural distortions and reclaim the Quran’s message of equality. This episode is a call to return where dignity is shared by all and no gender holds superiority over the other.