Barren Women : Religion and Medicine in the Medieval Middle East

Barren Women is the first scholarly book to explore the ramifications of being infertile in the medieval Arab-Islamic world. Through an examination of legal texts, medical treatises, and works of religious preaching, Sara Verskin illuminates how attitudes toward mixed-gender interactions; legal theories pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance; and scientific theories of reproduction contoured the intellectual and social landscape infertile women had to navigate. In so doing, she highlights underappreciated vulnerabilities and opportunities for women’s autonomy within the system of Islamic family law, and explores the diverse marketplace of medical ideas in the medieval world and the perceived connection between women’s health practices and religious heterodoxy. Featuring copious translations of primary sources and minimal theoretical jargon, Barren Women provides a multidimensional perspective on the experience of infertility, while also enhancing our understanding of institutions and modes of thought which played significant roles in shaping women’s lives more broadly. This monograph has been awarded the annual BRAIS – De Gruyter Prize in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World. Acknowledgements 7 Contents 11 Studying Infertility in the Medieval Islamic World: Why and How 15 Part I: Infertility and Islamic Law Throughout the Life Cycle 39 Introduction to Part I 39 1 Infertility and the Purposes of Marriage in Legal Theory 40 2 Law and Biology: Menstruation, Amenorrhea, and Legal Recognition of Reproductive Status 71 3 Islamic Law and the Prospects of Women Presumed to be Infertile 107 Conclusion to Part I: The Intersection of Islamic Law and Women’s Biology 125 Part II: Arabo-Galenic Gynecology and the Treatment of Infertile Women 131 Introduction to Part II 131 4 Gynecological Theory in Arabo-Galenic Medicine 137 5 Physicians, Midwives, and Female Patients 189 Conclusion to Part II: Medicine and Sexism 217 Part III: Healing and Religious Vulnerability 221 Introduction to Part III 221 6 Religiously Classifying the Medical Marketplace of Ideas 225 7 Heterodoxy and Healthcare Among Women 251 Conclusion to Part III: A Tafsīr about the First Woman’s Fertility and Theological Vulnerability 285 Epilogue: Infertility and the Study of Women’s History 290 Bibliography 299 Index 317 "Barren Women is the first scholarly book to explore the ramifications of being infertile in the medieval Arab-Islamic world. Through an examination of legal texts, medical treatises, and works of religious preaching, Sara Verskin illuminates how attitudes toward mixed-gender interactions; legal theories pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance; and scientific theories of reproduction contoured the intellectual and social landscape infertile women had to navigate. In so doing, she highlights underappreciated vulnerabilities and opportunities for women's autonomy within the system of Islamic family law, and explores the diverse marketplace of medical ideas in the medieval world and the perceived connection between women's health practices and religious heterodoxy."-- Back cover This book explores the ramifications of being infertile in the medieval Arab-Islamic world by examining legal texts, medical treatises, and works of religious preaching. Sara Verskin illuminates how attitudes toward mixed-gender interactions legal theories pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance and scientific theories of reproduction contoured the intellectual and social landscape infertile women had to navigate.