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Whether exploring the thorny issues of wives’ sexual duties, divorce, homosexuality, or sex outside marriage, discussions of sexual ethics and Islam often spark heated conflict rather than reasoned argument. In this ground-breaking, lucid, and carefully constructed work, feminist Muslim scholar Dr Kecia Ali asks how one can determine what makes sex lawful and ethical in the sight of God.

Drawing on both revealed and interpretative Muslim texts, Ali critiques medieval and contemporary commentators alike to produce a balanced and comprehensive study of a subject both sensitive and urgent, making this an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and interested readers.

Dr Kecia Ali is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University. She previously held research and teaching fellowships at Brandeis University and Harvard Divinity School.

“With unwavering focus, clarity and scholarly confidence, Dr. Ali advances our understanding of profound ethical questions far beyond the apologetics and polemics of current Islamic discourse.”
Abdullahi An-Na`im – Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University

“This is compulsory reading for anyone interested in grappling with the enormously challenging questiond of sexual ethics in contemporary Islam. Ali's approach is courageous without being dismissive; constructive for the present without being condescending to the past.”
Ebrahim Moosa – Associate Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Religion and director of the Center for the Study of Muslim Networks at Duke University