Woman, and “Giving a Clear Account in a Dispute” A Deliberation on āyah 18 of the sūrah Al-Zukhruf

The Qur’an’s view concerning women and their status is a topic which has always attracted the attention of thinkers and writers. In thisāyah, after mentioning the polytheists’ belief in femininity of the angels – despite their own dislike of being female – it reads, “Is then one brought up among trinkets, and unable to give a clear account in a dispute (to be associated with Allah)?” In this article, God’s intention of this verse, the signification of the single terms and adverbs of the verse, as well as its context have been explored by referring to tens of exegeses, the possibilities within the verse are introduced and evaluated. One possibility is that the description stated in the verse is the word of God, and by another possibility it is implied to be the words of the polytheists and about their own condition. Given the first possibility, its signification as to the reproaching of women remains to be further examined.