Aug 7, 2020

Gender and Succession in Medieval and Early Modern Islam

Bilateral Descent and the Legacy of Fatima

Alyssa Gabbay

Hosted by Shehnaz Haqqani

Summary

In this episode, we speak with Alyssa Gabbay about her recent new book Gender and Succession in Medieval and Early Modern Islam: Bilateral Descent and the Legacy of Fatima (I.B. Tauris, 2020). The book shows that contrary to assumptions about Islam’s patrilineal nature, there is in fact precedent in pre-modern Islamic history of Muslims' recognition of bilateral descent, or descent from both the mother and the father – though, of course, bilateral descent was by no means universally acknowledged.

Although not the only example of this argument, Muhammad’s daughter Fatima is essential to the study because of her status in both Sunni and Shi’i societies historically as well as because especially Shi’is have used the example of Fatima, through whom Muhammad’s lineage can be traced, to argue in support of bilateral descent. In our conversation, we discuss the concept of bilateral descent and its three components of women as mothers, heiresses, and successors; Fatima’s relevance and significance to the discussion of descent and as a representative of bilateral descent; parallels between Mary the mother of Jesus and other pious women in Muslim history; Fatima’s claim to fadak as her inheritance and its impact on Sunni and Shi’i history; and female rulers in Muslim history. The book would make for an enjoyable and educational read for anyone interested in gender studies, Islam and gender, female authority, biographical studies, medieval Islam, and Islamic history, and would make for a great resource for both undergraduate and graduate Islam courses.

Shehnaz Haqqani is Assistant Professor of Religion at Mercer University. Her primary research areas include Islam, gender, and questions of change and tradition in Islam. She also vlogs on YouTube; her videos focus on dismantling the patriarchy and are available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClvnmSeZ5t_YSIfGnB-bGNw She can be reached at haqqani_s@mercer.edu.

Your Host

Shehnaz Haqqani

Shehnaz Haqqani is a scholar of Islam whose research focuses on gender, sexuality, religious authority, and Muslim lived experience. She earned her PhD in Islamic Studies with a focus on gender and sexuality from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. Her first book, Feminism, Tradition, and Change in Contemporary Islam: Negotiating Islamic Law and Gender, was published by Oneworld Publications in 2024. Her current book project examines Muslim women’s interfaith marriages and relationships, exploring questions of religious authority, agency, family, and lived experience. Her research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Project Development Grant, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, among others. She can be reached at shaqqan@emory.edu.

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