Female figures in the Quran

Women in the Qur'an are important characters and subjects of discussion in the stories and morals taught in Islam. Some of the women in the Qur'an are portrayed in a positive light, while others are condemned for their actions. Mary (Maryam - مريم) is the only woman mentioned in the Qur'an by name. The others' names come from other traditions. Most of the women in the Quran are represented as either the mothers or wives of certain leaders and prophets. Women in the Quran retained an amount of autonomy from men in some respects; for example, the Quran describes women who converted to Islam before their husbands did, or women who took an independent oath of allegiance to Muhammad.

While the Qur'an does not directly name any woman except for Mary, women play a role in many of the rich and varied stories that the Qur'an tells. These stories have been subject to manipulation and rigid interpretation in both classical commentary and popular literature from patriarchal societies. The cultural norms existing within patriarchy have shaped the way that these societies approached the text and created a pervading narrative that dictated the way future generations were set up to interpret these stories and the role of women within the Qur'an. Throughout history, different Islamic exegetes and lawmakers constantly reinterpreted the women presented in the Qur'an as a result of the dominating ideology and historical context of the time. In the wake of modernity and the rise of Islamic feminism, many scholars are looking back to the original text, reexamining the accepted classical interpretations of women, and reimagining the woman’s role within the Qur'an.

Eve, like all other women in the Qur'an, save for Mary, is not mentioned by name. However, in later hadith she is referred to as Hawwa. She appears in a total of three Suras, referred to both as Adam’s partner and wife, while Adam appears separately in an additional two. The Qur'anic narrative of Adam and Eve's creation and fall differs thematically from the more fleshed out story in the Jewish and Christian traditions. Similar to the Christian and Jewish tale, Allah created Adam and Eve and created a place for them to live, Paradise. However, in the Qur'an Hawwa’s role is minimal, as she is the accomplice to human sin rather than the instigator. It is Adam who is forewarned by Allah that Iblis, Satan, is his and Hawwa's natural enemy and the threat to getting them removed from heaven.

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