Dr. Aliah Schleifer relies on the basic sources of Islam — the Qur’an, Hadith, and Fiqh, as well as numerous original Arabic sources. Use is made of tafseer, or commentary, of Al Tabari, Al Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir, thus providing an overview of classical exegeses which include fiqh representing the schools of opinion existing at that time and juridical rulings.

Hadith concerning motherhood in Islam are central to the book and emphasis is given to the Sahihain of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Great care was taken with checking the authenticity and accuracy of all the hadith. Generally, more has been written about the contemporary Muslim woman and society, often contrasting her life with that of Western women, rather than investigation made of the formal Islamic bases of her status. This work is recommended by Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

This work is a popular reference on the subject, and has been used as a textbook at the American University in Cairo, where Dr. Schleifer was a professor for many years. Her other work published by Fons Vitae, Mary the Blessed Virgin of Islam, is the text of her doctoral dissertation at The University of Exeter in England.