Wilāya, Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil: Q 9:71 and the Qurʾānic Ethic of Reciprocity in Gender Relations

Abstract This article examines Q 9:71 to articulate an alternative ethical framework for gender relations in Islam, one rooted not in hierarchy but in mutual care and reciprocity. While pre-modern Islamic tradition frequently interprets verses such as Q 4:34 through a hierarchical lens that reinforces male authority – both within marriage and the wider social domain – this study argues that Q 9:71 offers a radically different paradigm. Through a comprehensive linguistic and thematic analysis of the term wilāya across the Qurʾān, the article demonstrates that this concept consistently signifies mutual support, protection, and closeness, characteristics foundational to a non-hierarchical model of male-female relations. The verse’s adoption of wilāya with the communal command to “enjoin the good and forbid the evil” further signals an inclusive ethic that affirms women’s equal participation in social and political responsibilities. By contrasting the narrowly contextual marital framework of Q 4:34 with the universal address of Q 9:71 to believing men and women, the article highlights the latter’s potential as a normative ethical base. Furthermore, it explores how classical exegetes, including al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210), Ibn Kathīr (d. 774/1373), and Rashīd Riḍā (d. 1354/1935), at times hinted at the reciprocal and participatory ethos within Q 9:71, even if such interpretations were not fully developed. Drawing on contemporary scholarship, the article situates this Qurʾānic ethic within modern efforts toward Islamic gender reform, advocating for interpretive methodologies that both engage with tradition and reclaim the Qurʾān’s egalitarian potential.