Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009)
The discourse on gender roles remains one of the most debated issues in modern Malaysia. While the country’s identity is rooted in religious and cultural heritage, a minority continues to promote gender debates through Western liberal philosophies, feminist critiques, and secular paradigms that emph...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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NUN Gemilang ENT.
2025
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| Online Access: | https://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45725/ |
| _version_ | 1848827495135051776 |
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| author | Mohd Ezamir Azral, Mohd Azrul Wan Ahmad Fauzi, Wan Husain |
| author_facet | Mohd Ezamir Azral, Mohd Azrul Wan Ahmad Fauzi, Wan Husain |
| author_sort | Mohd Ezamir Azral, Mohd Azrul |
| building | UMP Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The discourse on gender roles remains one of the most debated issues in modern Malaysia. While the country’s identity is rooted in religious and cultural heritage, a minority continues to promote gender debates through Western liberal philosophies, feminist critiques, and secular paradigms that emphasise individualism and relativism, often diverging from Malaysia’s socio-religious foundations. This study contributes to gender scholarship by proposing an alternative framework based on the maqasid al-shari‘ah and watanic jurisprudence, offering holistic, Quranic approaches to understanding gender. The research employs a qualitative case study design, analysing two Malaysian short stories written in English: Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S. M. Zakir’s A Sword-Fighter’s Love (2009). Methodologically, the analysis combines the maqasid al-shari‘ah with the watanic jurisprudential continuum, which contrasts Qur’anic integration of law and revelation with secular dichotomies that separate them. This dual approach enables a contextual reading that is both normatively grounded and culturally coherent. Findings indicate that, when examined through the maqasid–watanic framework, gender roles in the texts reflect balance, complementarity, and mutual responsibility, serving as divinely entrusted functions that uphold moral order, social cohesion, and spiritual wellbeing. This contrasts with secular-liberal interpretations, which often reduce gender to a matter of individual autonomy or power relations. The study argues that embedding maqasid and watanic jurisprudence in gender discourse allows for a more coherent and civilisationally authentic worldview, preserving Malaysia’s Islamic identity while critically engaging with global debates. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T04:01:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | ump-45725 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Pahang |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T04:01:37Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | NUN Gemilang ENT. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | ump-457252025-09-25T03:35:13Z https://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45725/ Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) Mohd Ezamir Azral, Mohd Azrul Wan Ahmad Fauzi, Wan Husain BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc HQ The family. Marriage. Woman PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania The discourse on gender roles remains one of the most debated issues in modern Malaysia. While the country’s identity is rooted in religious and cultural heritage, a minority continues to promote gender debates through Western liberal philosophies, feminist critiques, and secular paradigms that emphasise individualism and relativism, often diverging from Malaysia’s socio-religious foundations. This study contributes to gender scholarship by proposing an alternative framework based on the maqasid al-shari‘ah and watanic jurisprudence, offering holistic, Quranic approaches to understanding gender. The research employs a qualitative case study design, analysing two Malaysian short stories written in English: Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S. M. Zakir’s A Sword-Fighter’s Love (2009). Methodologically, the analysis combines the maqasid al-shari‘ah with the watanic jurisprudential continuum, which contrasts Qur’anic integration of law and revelation with secular dichotomies that separate them. This dual approach enables a contextual reading that is both normatively grounded and culturally coherent. Findings indicate that, when examined through the maqasid–watanic framework, gender roles in the texts reflect balance, complementarity, and mutual responsibility, serving as divinely entrusted functions that uphold moral order, social cohesion, and spiritual wellbeing. This contrasts with secular-liberal interpretations, which often reduce gender to a matter of individual autonomy or power relations. The study argues that embedding maqasid and watanic jurisprudence in gender discourse allows for a more coherent and civilisationally authentic worldview, preserving Malaysia’s Islamic identity while critically engaging with global debates. NUN Gemilang ENT. 2025 Article PeerReviewed pdf en cc_by_4 https://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45725/1/Engendering%20a%20maqasid%20worldview%20of%20gender%20roles%20in%20Malaysia.pdf Mohd Ezamir Azral, Mohd Azrul and Wan Ahmad Fauzi, Wan Husain (2025) Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009). BITARA International Journal of Civilizational Studies and Human Sciences, 8 (4). pp. 65-82. ISSN 2600-9080. (Published) https://bitarajournal.com/index.php/bitarajournal/article/view/738 https://bitarajournal.com/index.php/bitarajournal/article/view/738 https://bitarajournal.com/index.php/bitarajournal/article/view/738 |
| spellingShingle | BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc HQ The family. Marriage. Woman PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania Mohd Ezamir Azral, Mohd Azrul Wan Ahmad Fauzi, Wan Husain Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| title | Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| title_full | Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| title_fullStr | Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| title_short | Engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in Malaysia: A content analysis of Che Husna Azhari’s Mariah (2003) and S.M. Zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| title_sort | engendering a maqasid worldview of gender roles in malaysia: a content analysis of che husna azhari’s mariah (2003) and s.m. zakir’s a sword-fighter’s love (2009) |
| topic | BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc HQ The family. Marriage. Woman PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania |
| url | https://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45725/ https://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45725/ https://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45725/ |