REWRITING WOMEN’S HISTORY IN ISLAM: HAJAR/HAGAR AS AN EXAMPLE

Abstract

This article reflects on the story of Hagar/Hajar, the Egyptian housemaid/slave of Sarah/Sarai, wife/concubine of Abraham/Ibrahim (the father of prophets), who became the mother of a nation and faith. It is aimed at understanding what is beyond the narrative given by the Jewish and Islamic accounts of her life. Then the article re-reads the significance of her representation and symbolism. The questions this article raises are: From where do we get Hajar’s voice? What does she mean to women and Islamic culture at large? How did she participate in building Islam’s theology and practice as we know them today? How did she affect the way we imagine women’s power or submissiveness in Islam? Also, her strengths and weaknesses, leadership and obedience? The answers vary from one person to another, and one generation to the next, but this article gives Hajar a voice she has been denied. It explores significant aspects of her personality, life, heritage and Herstory from as many angles as possible: imagined, symbolic and historical. The rest is left to the reader to add what they find most touching to their heart and soul.