Female Kin, Procreation, and Parenting

Abstract

This chapter provides a female-centric lens on kinship relations in the Qur’an. It considers Qur’anic depictions of mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters. In addition to many general descriptions of childbearing, childrearing, and parent–child relationships, the Qur’an includes figures that epitomize nearly all of the different constellations of parent–child relationships, including foster mother figures and their sons (Joseph and Moses) and a father figure with his foster daughter (Mary). The Qur’an consistently depicts daughters and sisters as morally upright, while by contrast, it contains multiple narratives of sons and boys who are morally corrupt. Qur’anic narratives depict several female figures leveraging their kinship networks to the benefit of vulnerable male figures in distress. The chapter provides detailed intra-textual analysis of concepts related to female reproduction, including the womb and motherhood.