"Whether exploring the thorny issues of wives' sexual duties, divorce, homosexuality, or sex outside marriage, discussions of sexual ethics and Islam often spark heated conflict rather than reasoned argument. In this ground-breaking, lucid, and carefully constructed work, feminist Muslim scholar Dr. Kecia Ali asks how one can determine what makes sex lawful and ethical in the sight of God." "Drawing on both revealed and interpretative Muslim texts, Ali critiques medieval and contemporary commentators alike to produce a balanced and comprehensive study of a subject both sensitive and urgent, making this an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and interested readers."--Jacket.;Acknowledgements -- Notes on texts, translation, and transliteration -- Introduction -- 1. MARRIAGE, MONEY AND SEX. "And according to what they spend from their wealth ... " -- Sex -- Intermarriage -- Conclusion -- 2. LESSER EVILS: DIVORCE IN ISLAMIC ETHICS. Untying the knot -- Extreme circumstances -- Prospects for reform -- Conclusion -- 3. "WHAT YOUR RIGHT HANDS POSSESS": SLAVE CONCUBINAGE IN MUSLIM TEXTS AND DISCOURSES. Islam and slavery: overview of sources and history -- Women, war captives, and withdrawal -- Conclusion -- 4. PROHIBITED ACTS AND FORBIDDEN PARTNERS: ILLICIT SEX IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE. Protecting chastity: the classical texts -- Paternity, legal fictions, and non-marital sex in contemporary Muslim thought -- Conclusion -- 5. DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL: SAME-SEX INTIMACY IN MUSLIM THOUGHT. History -- Don't ask, don't tell -- Same-sex marriage -- Conclusion -- 6. "REDUCE BUT DO NOT DESTROY": FEMALE "CIRCUMCISION" IN ISLAMIC SOURCES. Islamic or un-Islamic? -- "Reduce but do not destroy" -- Conclusion -- 7. "IF YOU HAVE TOUCHED WOMEN": FEMALE BODIES AND MALE AGENCY IN THE QUR®AN. To whom am I speaking? -- A difficult verse -- Garments for one another -- Conclusion -- 8. THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD, HIS BELOVED AISHAH, AND MODERN MUSLIM SENSIBILITIES. Apologetics and polemics -- Searching for solace -- Conclusion -- 9. TOWARD AN ISLAMIC ETHICS OF SEX. -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.