Abstract
The Status of Muslim Women in Medieval India provides a comprehensive description of Muslim women’s social position in India during the Mughal Empire (reign of Muslim kings) from 13th to 18th centuries. The book’s chapters are divided to provide a social, economic, political, and cultural profile of Muslim women during this time period. Relying on archival works based on memoirs of kings, diaries of Christian travelers, Hindu and Persian writings, edicts, anecdotes, and tales, Sharma provides a bird’s eye view of life for various classes of Muslim women during this era. The book’s significant contribution is its illustration of how the Mughal emperors’ reign intermingled with local Hindu customs to create uniquely complex and oppressive conditions for various classes of women.
The book’s introductory chapter provides an important foundation about the origins of Islam. Sharma credits the rise of Islam for significantly improving the conditions and dignity of women in Arabian tribal and nomadic societies in which infanticide, regressive marital arrangements, and widespread misogyny and exploitation were common. Sharma also highlights that when Islam spread beyond Arabia in different cultural contexts, an Islamic-inspired governance system necessitated an infusion with local cultural norms and customs. Hence, when Muslim conquerors reached South Asia, a necessary strategy for the Mughals to gain local acceptance of their conquest was to perpetuate and further cement many local patriarchal conditions.
Sharma describes the social environment of this era as generally lustful and degrading toward women as customs and beliefs rendered them as second-class citizens from birth to death. For instance, girl-child births were mourned, girls were forced into early marriages, polygamy and secluded quarters for women (harems) were typical, and the pressures of a dowry system for brides were prevalent. The reader also learns of some progressive elements of this society including an elaborate financial and economic system of women-led commercial activities. In addition, there was organized alms distribution, pensions, grants, and alimony to financially support widows and poor and unemployed women. Interestingly, many financial policies favoring women’s financial stability were implemented at the behest of powerful women figures in the royal court.
Culturally, the observance of purdah (seclusion or secrecy) for women was widespread during this era. Across social classes, women were generally confined to the domestic sphere and cordoned off from the outside world. However, class differences allowed royal women to be relatively more comfortable and enjoy entertainment while observing purdah relative to poor women who were primarily isolated and dependent on men for basic needs. This environment also explains the latter’s complete exclusion from political participation (compared to royal family women who engaged in politics for enjoyment).
Sharma relies on innumerable anecdotes and references to historical figures and events for illustration purposes. At times, it is difficult to keep up with these details as key individuals are frequently named with inconsistent and incomplete titles (see, e.g., pp. 10, 20–23 in which Prophet Muhammad is referenced as Prophet Muhammad, Muhammad, and Prophet; p. 30 in which Caliph Umar is first mentioned as Umar and subsequently explained as Umar, the second caliph). A factual error related to Islamic history also appears (see p. 23, where Prophet Muhammad’s adopted son’s name is attributed to his wife). Such issues make the book a dense and difficult read especially for readers unfamiliar with South Asian and Islamic history.
Overall, the book makes an important contribution to document a key time period in South Asian women’s history. However, it could have been useful if the book’s concluding chapter had linked the historical discussion to current issues faced by Muslim women in India. Nevertheless, social workers may find this book helpful to understand the historical legacies of oppressions faced by women in the South Asian region. The book may also assist social workers to dismantle contemporary Islamophobic sentiments that falsely blame the Islamic faith for promoting women’s oppression. Specifically, social workers may appreciate that the book uncovers how original Quranic scripts were deliberately misconstrued by male religious and political figures to justify the suppression of women’s economic, political, marital, and social rights.