Your Women Are a Tilth for You Means the Place of Benefit and Procreation
Editorial verification status: This atom has been extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and it has now been linked to the closest books within the Shahrur project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur reads “Your women are a tilth for you” to mean that women are the place of tillage, procreation, and production, not merely a sexual description.
Explanation
He considers the woman here to be a site into which seeds are cast and from which the intended productive effect is sought, like land in relation to sowing. He connects this to the context of “So come to your tilth as you wish,” on the basis that the matter concerns the manner of approach within what is permitted. In his interpretation, the verse speaks of the function of procreation and the expansion of offspring within the framework of the human project. He also employs this meaning to link it to the concept of “tilth” as gain.
Its place in the episode’s argument
This atom is the heart of his transition from the agricultural example to the marital relationship.
It is also part of his broader project of reinterpreting terms through functional, not merely formal, relationships.
Limits of the claim
It does not say that woman is merely an instrument; rather, it speaks of the function of tilth in the context of family and procreation.
Brief witness
“Your women are a tilth for you”
Related links
- Shahrur - The Qur’an
- Shahrur - Islam and Faith
- Shahrur - Righteous Action