DefinePK

Abstract

The study examines the subtle construction of the categories of gender within Quranic/Hadiths and Biblical texts through a comparative analysis between their exegeses and the social practices built around them in Muslim and non-Muslim societies. Engaging Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity (1990), the analysis emphasizes that gender in Islam and Christianity is not exclusively prescribed through scripture but is being constructed through interpretive traditions and cultural contexts. The research included a qualitative analysis of the selected Quranic/Hadiths and Biblical verses to investigate the tension between scriptural texts and experiential lives of gender. The results foreground the understanding of gender as neither a fixed nor monolithic concept but is a fluid process formed through sociopolitical, theological, and hermeneutical frameworks. Adding to the wider discourse on gender and religion, this study calls for a nuanced understanding that departs from simplistic binary models, with an emphasis on the agency of both Muslim and non-Muslim reformers in re-conceptualizing gender norms.