Ayatollah Yusuf Sanei’s Contribution to the Discourse of Women’s Rights

Ayatollah Yusef Sanei was a prominent contemporary Shia scholar whose particular methodological approach led him to issue some of the most progressive fatwas on subject women’s rights. However, ideas he expressed in last decades his life have scarcely been addressed English language scholarship. This article explores Sanei’s broader jurisprudential and how applied it analyzing often challenging traditional rulings related gender issues. The first differentiates towards jurisprudence from established methodologies, particularly relation consideration Sunna as secondary Qurʾān, rejection practice using consensus an independent basis legal rulings, idea that Sharia may change over time, strong emphasis Qurʾān’s messages justice human dignity. illuminates this combination challenge about men’s authority women, fixed socio-political role for superiority areas divorce rights, testimony worth blood money (dīya), while concurring with earlier scholars unequal division inheritance. Notwithstanding latter exception, demonstrates drew upon approaches arguing favor equality between men women many areas.