al-Mar'a al-Arabiyya fi Jahiliyyatiha wa Islamiha
- Author died
- 1364 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Thaqafah
al-Mar'a al-Arabiyya fi Jahiliyyatiha wa Islamiha ("The Arab Woman in Her Pre-Islamic Era and Her Islam") is a historical and socio-literary study authored by the Egyptian scholar and royal imam Abd Allah al-Afifi (d. 1363 AH / 1944 CE), examining the status, virtues, and historical roles of Arab women from the pre-Islamic period through the Islamic eras and into modern times.
Purpose and Approach
Al-Afifi composed the work amidst contemporary debates regarding women's social awakening and reform, directing his discourse to both women and men. He argued that contemporary Arab women seeking advancement should draw inspiration and ethical models from their early Arab and Muslim foremothers rather than imitating European models, which he viewed as emphasizing material progress over moral refinement.
The author frames the history of the Arab woman as an evolution: in the pre-Islamic period (al-Jahiliyya), she possessed high esteem, resolute character, and an influential voice among her people, yet she remained vulnerable to societal disorder and harsh practices such as captivity (al-siba') and female infanticide (al-wa'd). With the advent of Islam, these injustices were abolished, and women were endowed with unprecedented legal rights, moral dignity, and avenues for intellectual and societal participation, which al-Afifi grounds in the Quran, the prophetic Sunnah, and classical historical reports.
Structure and Contents
In the book's general introduction, the author outlines a structure divided into four main parts:
- Part One: Explores the condition of Arab women during the pre-Islamic era, analyzing their social position, moral traits, literary expressiveness, and familial standing, alongside the adversities they faced during tribal warfare.
- Part Two: Focuses on the Muslim Arab woman during the early eras of Islam, addressing the rights granted to her by Islamic legislation, her role as the bedrock of the family, and her active involvement in public events, politics, warfare, and cultural development.
- Part Three: Traces the second epoch of Arab women in Islamic history across later imperial phases, including the social shifts and changing perceptions of women during the Abbasid era and coverage of women in regions such as the Islamic West (the Far Maghrib).
- Part Four: Treats the modern Arab woman, detailing her state across the Arabian Peninsula based on local testimonies and accounts left by European Orientalist travelers, as well as her circumstances in various Arabized regions.
Publication
The work was printed in Cairo, notably appearing in a second edition issued by Dar al-Ma'arif in 1933 CE. While the author designed the text as a four-part study in his preface, biographical sources such as Umar Rida Kahhala's Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin also record its publication in three volumes.
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