The Qur'an and contemporary Muslim understanding of modesty: the case of the Aziz's wife

Abstract

The lecture begins in a typical Australian setting—the beach at Christmas, 2003—and presents a scene of Muslim men and women there. I pose the question of how Muslim men and women in Australia in particular appear to understand modesty in dress. I explore Sura 12 of the Qur'an to bring fundamental teaching about modesty to the discussion. The sura deals with the story of Yusuf and his attempted seduction by the Aziz's wife (she is known as Potiphar's wife in the account in the Jewish scriptures). I also use Sura 24, in conjunction with Sura 12, to highlight issues of sexuality, desire,and modesty and relate these back to the beach scene which I presented at the outset of the lecture.