A Woman of Paradise: The Rebellious Queen of Pharaoh, Part II

Perspectives about the ideal Muslim woman continue to be a kaleidoscope of various readings of different Muslim women throughout history. The four women of paradise, as cited in hadith literature, refer to Lady Maryam (Mary), Lady Asiyah (the wife of Pharaoh), Lady Khadijah (the wife of Prophet Muhammad), and Lady Fatimah (the daughter of the Prophet). 1 Although they are all considered to be historical figures, and there is much to be said about them, only the first two have been mentioned in the Qur’an, and only Lady Maryam is mentioned by name. Lady Maryam and Lady Asiyah are particularly noted in the chapter al-Tahrim as mathal , or role models and examples, for all of mankind. In this paperwe hope to provide a brief biographical sketch as well as an analysis of the verses related to Lady Asiyah from classical Sunni and Shi’i commentaries of the Qur’an. We also hope to touch on the attention that Lady Asiyah’s famous sentence in Surah al-Tahrim has warranted from the gnostics ( urefa ) in exegetical commentaries by the likes of Allamah Tabatabai.