A&S Research Proposal Template Draft

Haneen Abu Al Neel

Professor Ladelle McWhorter
The expectation of the Lifestyle of women in latter Quranic Surahs (verses)

Part 1: Aims (Abstract of 200 words or fewer): As concisely as you can, state the objectives
of your project. Explain your project in terms that will be understandable to a general, nonspecialist audience.

In this research, I am aiming to tackle the issue of the desired lifestyle of women in Islam by
using the heart of Islam, The Quran. The Quran is a series of revelations to the Prophet starting
in 610 that were written down by his closest followers and companions after his death in 632.
Following the foundational part of the preaching of Islam in Mecca, the Muslims had to flee
violence to Madina in 622. Naturally, as the audience changed and Islam prospered to further
spread outside the Arabian Peninsula, Islam teachings got more specific and complex to pertain
to the growing diversity of Islam Followers. The word lifestyle of women in my research
corresponds to the forbidden actions, mannerisms, and image in society.

Part 2: Background: Identify a context for your work and orient the reader/reviewer. What
knowledge frames this project? What should a reader know to understand your questions?
Give references to specific research that provides a context for your ideas and approach.
In order to fully understand what the scope of this research is about, it first must be
understood that there are some common misconceptions in Islam regarding womens rights.
Common beliefs in Islamic communities are that women must wear Hijab (veil), her
testimony is not worth that of mans, and as for inheritance she gets only half of what her
brother gets. Finally, the main misconceptions I am looking to explore is the idea of women
being completely financially, religiously, and personality wise dependent on and subordinate
to men.
Second, there is the historical context to add to the picture. When the revelations started,
the most vibrant place for trade and travel was Mecca. There was the long silk-road along the
Hijaz line of mountains now in Jordan, and this road used to allow merchants coming from
what is now Yemen to go to what is now Syria. Among the many items traded were spices
and silk. The actual market for all this trading was in Mecca, the most cosmopolitan place in
the Pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula. Mecca was controlled by the strongest tribe at the time,
Quraysh, who were following a polytheist faith.
Finally, religious context on how Islam started. The Prophet Muhammed was born in
Mecca and belong to the Bani-Hashim (sons of Hashim). His clan had very little wealth, and
much less social power. The Prophet used to sit in solitude meditating the nature of Earth and
life. The angel Jibreel is believed to have come down to give him his first revelation, that he
will be the prophet of his people. From that point on, the angels visits started regularly
reoccurring, pertaining to current political events, guiding the Prophet and his followers, as
well as telling the stories of adversities facing them. The Qurans miracle is believed to be in
the beauty of its poetic phonetics and syntax. The miracle is verified by Qurayshs inability
to create anything like the Quran, albeit being known for the best poets in the region.

Part 3: Argument and Significance: State the point of your project. What issues will you be
examining? What specific question will be answered, problem solved, or hypothesis tested

through your research? Is there a controversial idea you propose to address or missing
information you propose to provide? What might this projects results add to our
understanding of a particular problem or area of study? Explain why your audience should
care about your work.
The following are some guiding questions to help narrow down the scope of research; can
women speak to men with no restrictions? Can women act as main reference and source of
knowledge? Can women be religious and/or social leaders? How should a woman think of
herself? What are the characteristics attached to her by the language of the Quranic verses
directed at her? Through answering those sub-questions, the issues of ethics and mannerism
expectations of Muslims in Quran are revealed. Understanding the intended ethics of the
Muslims leads to a more holistic conclusions about the logic of Islam, keeping the early
teachings in mind. This research aims to combat the stereotype of Islam being discriminatory
towards women, through finding the expectations of Muslim women. If this hypothesis is proven
to be true, a whole new perspective for Muslims and non-Muslims to look at Islam is built.

Part 4: Project Design/Methods/Results: State the research methods you will use, and explain
how these will address your questions. What will you do? Where will the work be done?
What will your results look like (quantitative, qualitative, creative)? What methods will
you use to analyze, interpret, and assess results? How will you communicate your results to
others?

I will be looking at all the Surahs revelations in Madina to make note of and follow the
development of the way womens image is perceived, and reproduced by Islamic ideology. I will
be looking at the Surahs in a chronological order. I will be specifically looking at the language
used to describe and instructions directed at women. After gathering that information, I am going
to place the regulations and directions of the lifestyle of women in the historical context in the
Islamic Umma that time. As Islam teachings follow the most recent revelations/ Surahs, I will be
focusing on revelations happening after the Prophet and Muslims flee violence to Madina in 622.
I will specifically focus on Surahs of great relevance, such as the following Surahs; Nisaa
(women) and Tahrim (banning). After reading and analyzing them, I will put them into historical
and geographical context make sense of the logic. The results will finally be written in a
conclusion on the final research paper, and in the abstract.
Part 5: Literature Cited: Provide a bibliography of any works referenced in the preceding parts.
References demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and with the scholarly background of
your research project.
Donner, Fred M., and Hugh Kennedy. "The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near
East from the Sixth to the Eleventh Century." Speculum 65, no. 1 (1990): 182.
doi:10.2307/2864513.
Hitti, Philip K. History of the Arabs, from the Earliest times to the Present. London: Macmillan, 1956.

"Oxford Islamic Studies Online - Oxford Islamic Studies Online." Oxford Islamic Studies Online Oxford
Islamic
Studies
Online.
Accessed
March
03,
2016.
http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/
-

Abdel Haleem, and A.J. Arberry. "Log In." - Oxford Islamic Studies Online. 1995 and 2004.
Accessed March 01, 2016. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/book/quranboth/sura-1.
"Log In." - Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Accessed March 02, 2016.
http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Timeline.html?topic=th1.

Yalman, Suzan. "The Birth of Islam | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The
Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. October 2001.
Accessed March 01, 2016. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/isla/hd_isla.htm.