Women of Islam - 6

Laleh Bakhtiar (USA, 1938-Present)

 

Laleh's Quran translation, "The Sublime Quran" (2007), is the first translation of the Quran into English by an American woman.

 

Her translation incorporates alternative meanings to Arabic terms that are ambiguous or whose meaning scholars have had to guess due to the antiquity of the language.

 

Notably, her translation of Chapter 4, Verse 34 has gained a lot of attention. She translates the Arabic word daraba as "go away" instead of the common "beat" or "hit."

 

Her Quran translation is used in many mosques and universities and has been adopted by Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad of Jordan.


From Huffington Post



Women of Islam - 5

 

Nana Asma'u (Nigeria, 1793-1864)

Nana was a princess, poet and teacher. She was fluent in Arabic, Fulfulde, Hausa and Tamacheq and well versed in Arabic, Greek and Latin classics. In 1830, she formed a group of female teachers who journeyed throughout the region to educate women in poor and rural regions. With the republication of her works, that underscore women's education, she has become a rallying point for African women. Today, in northern Nigeria, Islamic women's organizations, schools and meeting halls are frequently named in her honor.

 

(Photo: Fula women.)

From Huffington Post