Reading the Hadith Anew: Gadamerian Hermeneutics and the Reconstruction of Marriage Criteria in Islamic Thought
Keywords:
Gadamerian hermeneutics, hadith interpretation, marriage criteria, gender studies, patriarchal critiqueAbstract
The prophetic hadith concerning criteria for selecting a marital partner, “Women are married for four reasons: for their wealth, their lineage, their beauty, and their religion; so choose the one who is religious,” has historically been subjected to selective and literalistic interpretations that privilege material qualities over spiritual and ethical dimensions, thereby reinforcing patriarchal assumptions about marital eligibility. Such readings, which treat the hadith as a prescriptive hierarchy rather than a descriptive social commentary, fail to account for the sociohistorical circumstances that shaped its articulation and perpetuate reductive frameworks for evaluating prospective spouses. This study offers a systematic reinterpretation of the hadith through the lens of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, emphasizing the constitutive roles of historically affected consciousness (Wirkungsgeschichtliches Bewusstsein), pre-understanding (Vorverständnis), and the fusion of horizons (Horizontverschmelzung) as instruments of critical interpretive engagement. Drawing on a qualitative-critical methodology that integrates classical Islamic heritage (turāth) with contemporary scholarship in philosophical hermeneutics, gender studies, and Islamic epistemology, this research concludes that religion within the hadith functions not merely as one among four equivalent criteria but as a normative corrective to the materialistic and prestige-driven social hierarchies endemic to pre-Islamic Arab society. Non-material qualities comprising ethical uprightness, moral responsibility, and reciprocal regard constitute the essential religious values that ought to take precedence in spousal selection. By repositioning the hadith as a dynamic moral compass through the Gadamerian framework, this study contributes to the broader project of constructing marital relationships that are equitable, balanced, and liberated from patriarchal constraints, while reaffirming the centrality of substantive religious values in contemporary Muslim practice.
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