Snow Essay/Blog 6

Jordyn Snow

WGS 3463-995 Women and Religion

Essay/Blog 6

Sarah’s role in the Hebrew Bible is much more extensive than the role granted to Abraham’s wife in the Qur’an. In the Bible, Sarai/Sarah speaks multiple times during the narrative and is usually voicing her own opinions. When we are first introduced to Sarai in the Hebrew Bible, she is very assertive and acts for herself. She cannot have children so she decides to give her slave girl, Hagar, to her husband in order to have children through her (Gen 16:2). Sarai is aggravated with Hagar after she becomes pregnant and treats her badly until she runs away, though she returns after reassurances from God. Later, Sarah once again displays her outspoken nature by dismissing the angels who explain that she will have a baby, despite the fact that she is very old (Gen 18:10-15). Sarah is not the type of person to be easily persuaded by words alone, she requires proof. In a way her reaction also displays a lack of trust and defiance towards God (Kaltner 99). However, after the angels chastise her, she denies having originally doubted what the angels told her (Gen 18:15). This is the only occasion when her confidence in herself wavers. After the birth of her son, Isaac, Sarah becomes more reverent towards God though she still harbors a dislike for Hagar and tells Abraham to kick her out (Gen 21:10). In reality, Sarah’s character did not change much over the course of her story. Even though she becomes more devoted to God, she still dislikes Hagar and treats her with contempt.  

Unlike the Bible, the Qur’an only mentions a character we can assume is Sarah because she is referred to as Abraham’s wife. There is also no narrative about her relationship with her slave girl. She only speaks up once, in a similar situation to Gen 18, when the angels reveal that she will give birth to a son. In this instance, she expresses her amazement at the suggestion (Q11:73). However, when the angels rebuff her she does not lie like Sarah from the Bible. The character of Sarah from the Quranic representation is much less outspoken and strong willed than the portrayal of Sarah from the Hebrew Bible. The Qur’an also takes away her individuality, reducing her to the nondescript position as Abraham’s wife.