Modernity imparted a new theoretical significance to the issue of gender reform in the Muslim world. This dissertation examines the impact of modernity on the hermeneutical approaches and interpretations of three modern exegetes on significant gender issues in the Qurʾan. It compares the tafsīr works of Muḥammad ʿAbduh, Sayyid Quṭb, and Muḥammad alṬāhir ibn ʿĀshūr with those of pre-modern exegetes concerning three Qurʾanic verses: 2:228, 4:3, and 4:34. These verses, among others, gained significance in modern exegetes’ quest to articulate Islam’s position on gender, a debate that was tied to the larger ideological question on whether or not Islam was fit for modern times.
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