Gender and Reproduction in the Qur’an: Rereading Conceiving and Barren Bodies

Readers of the Qur’an often emphasize the verses outlining what we imagine as fetal development in “the wombs” as evidence of an inherent Islamic reverence for conceiving bodies. Yet, there is more to the Qur’an than a reading that values women based on their assumed fertility. Drawing on gender and disability studies, I argue that the Qur’an conveys a complicated relationship with women and reproduction, both affirming and unsettling binary understandings of female embodiment. While the Qur’an’s maternal citations support readings that elevate motherhood to a status that is almost sacred, its narrative dimensions hint at the complexities of these embodied experiences. The term “barren,” for example, is semantically linked to the notion of Divine Punishment; however, Sarah’s reaction to the annunciation suggests that she preferred her “barren” body and did not desire to achieve the conceiving ideal highlighted by many readers.