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This chapter lays the foundation for establishing and maintaining peaceful families through a detailed explication of Qur’anic rulings, prophetic traditions, and jurisprudence that relate to the concept, structure, and relationships of families in Islam. The author highlights the Islamic sources of knowledge and its paradigm for family relations. A positive Qur’anic model is constructed based upon a textual analysis of relevant Qur’anic concepts and an examination of the Sunnah. Cases are examined that reflect the misunderstanding of Islamic concepts and teachings that may lead to aggression in contemporary families in America. The issue of domestic violence is studied within the context of the family and within the epistemological framework of Qur’anic concepts. The Islamic concepts and guidelines for consultation, authority, parenting, and prevention of abuse are analyzed.
About the Author
Zainab Alwani teaches Arabic studies at The School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She also teaches and is Director of the Islamic and Arabic Studies program (including Middle Eastern studies) at Northern Virginia Community College’s Loudoun and Reston campuses. She teaches Qur’anic Studies and Women & Family in an Islamic Context at the Graduate School of Islamic Social Sciences (GSISS). From 2003-2006 she was recognized for her teaching in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. She has studied Shari’ah and Law at Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan, holds a master’s in Islamic Studies from GSISS, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Islamic Studies at the International Islamic University of Malaysia in the area of fiqh and usul al fiqh. Ms. Alwani has published numerous works, and has several upcoming publications focused on Qur’anic studies, Shari’ah, fiqh, education, and women and family studies in Islam. She is a member of the Fiqh Council of North America. Ms. Alwani works with many social service organizations and offers frequent workshops about the role of women and family from an Islamic perspective. She has led many group studies for women and youth to promote Islamic education and to advance mental and spiritual inner peace, and participates in interfaith dialogues and conferences to promote positive understanding among faith communities. |
