Marriage, Money and Divorce in Medieval Islamic Society (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)

High rates of divorce, often taken to be a modern and western phenomenon, were also typical of medieval Islamic societies. By pitting these high rates of divorce against the Islamic ideal of marriage,Yossef Rapoport radically challenges usual assumptions about the legal inferiority of Muslim women and their economic dependence on men. He argues that marriages in late medieval Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem had little in common with the patriarchal models advocated by jurists and moralists. The transmission of dowries, women's access to waged labour, and the strict separation of property between spouses made divorce easy and normative, initiated by wives as often as by their husbands. This carefully researched work of social history is interwoven with intimate accounts of individual medieval lives, making for a truly compelling read. It will be of interest to scholars of all disciplines concerned with the history of women and gender in Islam. Cover......Page 1 Title page......Page 7 Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Glossary......Page 12 Abbreviations......Page 13 Introduction......Page 14 Sources......Page 21 CHAPTER 1. Marriage, divorce and the gender division of property......Page 25 The dowry......Page 27 Dowry and inheritance......Page 31 Land, cash and credit: elite women in the economy......Page 35 Impact of the Black Death......Page 39 CHAPTER 2. Working women, single women and the rise of the female ribat......Page 44 Women and the textile industry......Page 45 Single women: the ribat......Page 51 Pilgrims, beggars and spinners in Jerusalem......Page 57 CHAPTER 3. The monetization of marriage......Page 64 The marriage gift......Page 66 Marital support and cash allowances......Page 72 The marriages of Zumurrud......Page 77 CHAPTER 4. Divorce, repudiation and settlement......Page 82 The threat of repudiation......Page 83 Divorce and the Islamic courts......Page 87 Divorce and the military courts......Page 92 Divorce in fifteenth-century Cairo......Page 95 CHAPTER 5. Repudiation and public power......Page 102 The power of divorce oaths......Page 104 Ibn Taymiyya on divorce oaths......Page 109 Ibn Taymiyya on trial......Page 114 Divorce oaths and the medieval state......Page 118 Conclusion......Page 124 Medieval works......Page 128 Modern works......Page 134 Index......Page 146 Back cover......Page 152 "In medieval Islamic society, divorce was commonplace. Although Islamic law regarded it as a patriarchal privilege, the prevalence of divorce undermined the social order by destabilizing households and increasing the number of unattached single women. In this fascinating account of domestic life in Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem, Yossef Rapoport explores this trend through a radical rethink of the economic and legal dimensions of gender relations. Using a variety of legal, documentary and literary sources, he demonstrates that women possessed a surprising level of economic independence, both within and outside marriage, and that women manipulated patriarchal ideals and used their economic leverage to initiate divorce as often as men. The book covers a range of topics including dowry, women's access to waged labour, and oaths of repudiation. It is a compelling read and promises to make a substantial contribution to the social history of a relatively understudied period." Yossef Rapoport explores the prevalence of divorce in medieval Islamic society. In so doing, he reveals that women possessed a surprising level of economic independence which they manipulated to initiate divorce as often as men. The book makes a significant contribution to the social history of an understudied period

The author explores gender relations, marriage and divorce in medieval Islamic society.