• Paperback: 95 pages
• Language: English
• Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 5.1 x 8.4 inches

This exceptional and thorough study is of interest to everyone, as it deals with a primal and universal relationship. It is also an important work for Muslim women, their children and for scholars with a particular interest in the status of women in Islam.

Dr. Aliah Schleifer relies on the basic sources of Islam -- the Quran, Hadith, and Fiqh, as well as numerous original Arabic sources. Use is made of tafseer, or commentary, of Al Tabari, Al Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir, thus providing an overview of classical exegeses which include fiqh representing the schools of opinion existing at that time and juridical rulings.

Hadith concerning motherhood in Islam are central to the book and emphasis is given to the Sahihain of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Great care was taken with checking the authenticity and accuracy of all the hadith. Generally, more has been written about the contemporary Muslim woman and society, often contrasting her life with that of Western women, rather than investigation made of the formal Islamic bases of her status. This work is recommended by Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

Dr. Aliah Schleifer lived, studied and worked in the Middle East for thirty years. Her interests and publications in the field of Islamic Studies range from the classical commentaries on the Qur’an, the prophetic traditions and Islamic jurisprudence, to Morisco Studies and Islamic mysticism.

This work is a popular reference on the subject, and has been used as a textbook at the American University in Cairo, where Dr. Schleifer was a professor for many years. Her other work published by Fons Vitae, Mary the Blessed Virgin of Islam, is the text of her doctoral dissertation at The University of Exeter in England.