FAITH AND FEMINISM:A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ELIF SHAFAK’S THE FORTY RULES OF LOVE AND UMERA AHMED’S PEER-E-KAMIL

Abstract

This paper examines the intersection of faith and feminism in Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love and Umera Ahmed’s Peer-e-Kamil (The Perfect Mentor). Both authors, writing from distinct Islamic and cultural contexts, reframe the role of women within faith-based systems, offering alternative readings of spirituality and gender. Through a socio-religious feminist critique, the study explores how both writers challenge patriarchal interpretations of Islam, reconstruct female agency, and reimagine piety as empowerment rather than subjugation. Shafak’s novel presents a Sufi-inspired Universalist feminism that celebrates love and spiritual awakening as pathways to liberation. Conversely, Ahmed’s narrative operates within orthodox Islamic discourse yet destabilizes its patriarchal control through Imama Hashim’s moral strength and agency. Using textual analysis and feminist hermeneutics, this paper argues that both authors reveal faith as a site of resistance, where women transcend institutional dogma to reclaim divine intimacy. Their works contribute to Islamic feminist theology by merging inner spirituality with social consciousness, demonstrating that belief and liberation are not contradictory but mutually sustaining.