A Mythological and Quranic Reading: Woman, Water, and Tree

The myths across the world contain significant references to the beliefs of the past generations; since they have been mainly concerned with answering such major questions as the origin of the universe and resurrection. This is an undertaking which is best sought by the Holy Quran through its eloquent style of communication in the cosmic scale. However, there is no conflict between the grandeur of the Quran and its comparison with the mythological beliefs; since the comparative study of these myths and the Quranic narrations will occupy a new ground in the universal Quranic discourse. One of the mythological themes is concerned with the origin of the universe and man, with the women taking up a remarkable position. The present paper gives a concise account of the mythological-Quranic reading; and then, it embarks upon the comparative study of woman, birth, and life. One of the benefits of this issue is the consideration of the significant status of woman as viewed by the Holy Quran, which has been either neglected or misinterpreted. The Quranic view on woman, according to some thinkers, is limited to a number of jurisprudential decrees which are based on some imperfect understanding; as a result, some people have assumed that Islam is a patriarchal and discriminatory religion.