A Glimpse at Early Women Islamic Scholars

Two article collected from Islam online.
net —1 ) A glimpse of early women Islamic

scholar 2) Women hadith scholar Part 1 and 2
A Glimpse at Early Women Islamic Scholars *
Dr. Mohammd Akram Nadwi
Both men and women today need

to revive the rich Islamic heritage
of Muslim women scholars.
Related Links
Two article collected from Islam online.net —1 ) A glimpse of early women Islamic
The following is a transcript of a lecture
Women Scholars of Hadith
delivered by Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a
(Part 1)
Research Fellow in Oxford University's Centre
Women Scholars of Hadith
for Islamic Studies, on the role of women
(Part 2)
scholars in preserving and transmitting
The Story of the Qur’an
prophetic tradition (Hadith) in Islam. The
Women: The Spiritual
original transcript has been edited by Imam
Aspect
Zaid Shakir to enhance readability.
Position of Women in
From the very beginning of the human saga,
Islam: Economic Aspect
Allah makes it quite clear that men and women
are equal beings created from one single soul, Position of Women in Islam
sharing the same father and mother, and
— Social Aspect
subservient unto the same Lord. The verse
mentioned above came to the Messenger of Hadith Textual Criticism: A
Allah (peace upon him) at a time when women
Reconsideration
were being humiliated and tortured.
The Sunnah: A Source of
Allah says: […and when the female child,
Civilization
buried alive, will be asked: For what sin was
she killed.] (At-Takwir 81:8-9) This refers to What is the Sunnah
an ancient practice of the Arabs (and even
It Is Reported That The
some modern societies through abortion) who
would kill their female children from fear of Prophet Said…
being humiliated in the community, or out of
fear that they would not have the means to
provide for them.
Islam came to eradicate these ignorant practices, amongst others, and after twenty-
three years of prophetic teachings, it had conferred unto women a status that was
previously unthinkable.
The first revelation: [Read in the name of your Lord who created…] (Al-Àlaq 96:1)
left the Prophet (peace upon him) severely shaken, for he could not comprehend such
an event happening to an unlettered, orphaned, desert Arab.
It is related that he was consoled by Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) who
believed in him and comforted him in a time of great need and distress. She was the
backbone of his initial efforts for the advancement of the new faith, and a noble
business woman of high lineage.
After three years of secrecy he was ordered by Allah to call his
The Prophet
own family to the faith. He (peace upon him) gathered his demonstrated that
family and openly called upon the tribe of Hashim and the women possess
tribe of Àbdul-Muttalib to believe in his message. independent
religious
Towards the end of the narration of this event, he (peace upon responsibility that
him) specifically says to ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib (may has no connection to
Allah be pleased with him): "I cannot benefit you on the Day their gender.
of Judgment." He uttered the same statement to his aunt,
Safiyyah bint ‘Abdul-Muttalib and to his daughter, Fatimah (may Allah be pleased
with both of them). He added: "Ask me of my wealth in this world, but on the Day of
Judgment I cannot avail you in any way."
In this address the Prophet (peace upon him) specifically named two women and one
man, demonstrating that women possess independent religious responsibility that has
no connection to their gender.
This independence in faith is exemplified by the fact that the wives of Noah and Lot
(peace upon them) both rejected faith. Hence, the Qur'an affirms that even the wife of a
Prophet is free to believe or disbelieve.
Furthermore, Umm Habibah became a believer while her father, Abu Sufyan, (may
Allah be pleased with them both), was a staunch opponent of the Prophet (peace upon
him). He possessed neither the power nor privilege to influence her independent
choice.
At the second Pledge of Àqabah, a covenant that involved specific political and
strategic obligations, the Prophet (peace upon him) took an oath from both men and
women. He was not content to have women confined to their houses, totally divorced
from any involvement in public affairs.
Women Perserving the Qur'an
The Qur'an, the most sacred and important source in Islam, was memorized by many
of the companions. After the Battle of Yamamah, where a large number of those
memorizers were killed, Ùmar (may Allah be pleased with him) advised Abu Bakr to
issue a standardized edition of the entire Qur'an in the dialect of Quraish, whose
protection he vouchsafed.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) issued such an edition. After his death it
passed into the protection of Ùmar (may Allah be pleased with him), and after his
passing, it was given to Hafsah bint Ùmar (may Allah be pleased with her) to be
carefully guarded and preserved.
During the caliphate of Ùthman (may Allah be pleased with In the time of the
him) it was noticed that divergent and erroneous recitations of Companions, the
the Qur'an were emerging among the newly converted non- question never
Arab people in places like Armenia and Azerbaijan. arose concerning
the validity of
Ùthman (may Allah be pleased with him) then borrowed the learning directly
edition of the Qur'an in Hafsah's protection (may Allah be from women.
pleased with her) to make six standardized copies to send to the
major political and cultural centers in the Islamic realm. He ordered all non-
standardized editions to be burned. It is clear here that no one questioned Hafsah's
trustworthiness (may Allah be pleased with her), as to whether she had altered the
edition vouchsafed to her in any way.
Women and Hadith Studies
In the time of the Companions, the question never arose concerning the validity of
learning directly from women. If we were to consider, for example, the books of
Prophetic tradition (Hadith), in every chapter you will find women narrating as well as
men.
Imam Hakim Naisapuri states: "One fourth of our religion depends on the narrations of
women. Were it not for those narrations, we would lose a quarter of our religion."
For example, Abu Hanifah considers there to be four units of supererogatory prayer
before the obligatory noon prayer, whereas the remaining Imams say that there are
only two. The latter depend on the narration of Àbdullah ibn Ùmar (may Allah be
pleased with him), while Abu Hanifah relies on Umm Habiba (may Allah be pleased
with her) and the other wives of the Prophet (peace upon him).
Abu Hanifah argues that since the Prophet (peace upon him), used to pray
supererogatory prayers in his house, the narration of his wives (may Allah be pleased
with them) is stronger.
Similarly, major events, such as the beginning of the call to the prophetic office, were
specifically narrated by women. Ài'shah alone narrates the tradition detailing the
circumstances of the first revelation, as recorded by Imam Bukhari, immediately after
the hadith mentioning that actions are judged based on the intention accompanying
them.
To give similar examples, we all know that performing ablution is essential for the
validity of ritual prayer (salah). A female companion, Rubiyya bint Muawidh ibn
Afrah (may Allah have mercy on her), whose family members died in the Battle of
Uhud, was a great narrator of Hadith.
Her narrations can be found in Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, and "There are many
other compilations. She narrated how the Prophet (peace upon men who have
him), performed ablution after actually witnessing his fabricated Hadith.
performance of the purificatory ritual. However, no
woman in the
The companions would go to learn from her despite the fact that history of Islam
Abu Bakr, Ùmar, Ùthman, Àli, Muàdh ibn Jabal, and has been accused
Àbdullah ibn Masùd (may Allah be pleased with them) were all of fabrication."
present in Madinah. She was regarded as the expert in the
performance of ablution. Her students included the likes of Àbdullah ibn Àbbas (may
Allah be pleased with him and his father) the great Qur'anic exegete, and also a
member of the family of the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah upon him). He never
asked: "Why should I learn from her when I am from the family of the Prophet and
great exegete?"
The same is true for Ali Zain ul-Abideen, the great grandson of the Prophet (peace
upon him) and a great scholar himself. Their philosophy was to go to whoever
possessed knowledge, irrespective of their gender.
Interestingly, there is no single Hadith which has been rejected from a woman on
account of her being a fabricating liar. Imam Dhahabi affirms: "There are many men
who have fabricated Hadith. However, no woman in the history of Islam has been
accused of fabrication." In light of this, if the intellectual integrity of anyone should be
questioned, it should be that of men. Women have always truthfully conveyed religious
knowledge.
Amrah bint Abdur-Rahman was amongst the greatest of the female Successors, the
generation that came after that of the companions of the Prophet (peace upon him). She
was a jurist, a mufti, and a Hadith specialist.
The great Caliph Ùmar ibn ‘Abdul-Àziz used to say: "If you want to learn Hadith go
to Amrah." Imam Zuhri, who is credited with compiling the first systematically edited
compilation of Hadith used to say: "Go to Amrah, she is the vast vessel of Hadith."
During that time, the Judge of Madinah ruled in a case involving a Christian thief from
Syria who had stolen something. The judge had ordered that his hand to be severed.
When Amrah bint Abdur-Rahman heard of this decision, she immediately told one of
her students to go tell the judge that he cannot severe the man's hand because he had
stolen something whose value was less than a single gold coin (dinar). As soon as he
heard what Amrah had said, he ordered that the man be released, unharmed.
He did not question her authority, nor did he seek a second opinion from other
scholars, who were quite numerous in Madinah at the time. They included the likes of
Saìd ibn Al-Musayyib. This incident is recorded in the Muwatta' of Imam Malik, and
this ruling is also his opinion in such cases.
One of great Successors, Umm Darda, taught in both Damascus, in the great Umayyad
Mosque, and Jerusalem. Her class was attended by Imams, jurists, and Hadith scholars.
The powerful Caliph Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan, who ruled an empire stretching from
Spain to India, had a teaching license from Àbdullah ibn Ùmar (may Allah be
pleased with him) who was considered the greatest jurist of his time in Madinah.
When Àbdullah reached old age, the people asked him: "Who should we seek
religious verdicts from after you?" He replied: "Marwan has a son (Abdul-Malik), who
is a jurist so ask him." Hence, Abdul-Malik was endorsed by Abdullah. Yet even
Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan would attend the classes of Umm Darda and he would never
feel ashamed of learning from her.
Furthermore, he would humbly serve her. It has been recorded that when Umm Darda
was teaching she would lean on the shoulder of Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan, due to her
being advanced years, to go to mosque for salah. He would help her return to her place
of teaching after the prayer.
The fact that these women taught men who were themselves regarded as great scholars
indicates the respect and status they had attained.
The mosque of the Prophet (peace upon him) is undoubtedly one of the most sacred
places in Islam, and his blessed grave is even more sacred. Around the beginning of
the 8th century of the Muslim calendar, Fatima bint Ibrahim ibn Jowhar, a famous
teacher of Al-Bukhari, under whom both Imams Dhahabi and Al-Subki studied the
entirety of Sahih Al-Bukhari appeared.
When she came for the pilgrimage (Hajj) her fame was such that as soon as the
students of Hadith heard that she had reached Madinah, they requested her to teach in
the mosque of the Prophet (peace upon him).
Ibn Rushayd Al-Subki, who traveled from Marrakesh, describes one of her classes
thus: "She was sitting in front of the blessed head of Prophet (peace upon him), and
[due to her advanced years] she would lean on his grave. She would finish by writing
and signing the license to transmit her narrations (ijazah ), personally, for all of the
Hadiths that were read by every student present."
This, and similarly stories, makes it clear that women can teach in the best of mosques.
Pathetically, today there are debates in the Muslim world as to whether they can even
come to the mosque for prayer. This is an indication of our ignorance of our own
Islamic heritage, and of our digression from the practices of our pious predecessors.
Aishah bint Abdul-Hadi used to teach in the grand mosque of Damascus. She was
appointed by the Sultan of that time as the Master of Hadith and taught the compilation
of Imam Al-Bukhari. She represented the whole community and they could not find
any man better than her. Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, considered by many to be the greatest
of all latter day Hadith scholars, traveled to Damascus and studied more than one
hundred books with her.
We do not have a
Today, it would be difficult to find a "sheikh" who even knows from women,
the names of her books, to say nothing of having read them. In because it was
addition to her intellectual acumen, her chain of narration in forgotten by the
Hadith is regarded as the strongest from her generation back to male Hadith
the Prophet (peace upon him). Between her and Imam Al- scholars.
Bukhari are eight transmitters, and between Imam Al-Bukhari
and the Prophet (peace upon him) there are variously, three, four or five transmitters.
No other chain of narrators allows one to reach the Prophet (peace upon him) with an
equal or smaller number of narrators.
If we consider the great role of women such as Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her
and her father) in the compilation of the Qur'an, and the role of women like Aishah
bint Abdul-Hadi in preserving and accurately conveying Hadith, it is clear that the two
most fundamental sources of our religion have been secured with the aid and blessing
of women.
Fatimah Al-Juzdani, a great scholar from Isfahan in present-day Iran, read one of the
great books of Hadith, Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabeer, with Abu Bakr ibn Rida, who himself
studied the entirety of the book with its author, Imam At-Tabarani. This book has been
published in thirty-seven volumes (unfinished). After mastering the book, she
subsequently taught it many times.
Not a single scholar alive today has studied this book, or even part of it with a teacher.
Furthermore, we do not have a single narration of this book except from women,
because it was forgotten by the male Hadith scholars.
In the time of Ibn Taymiyya, there were other scholars like Imam Dhahabi, Al-Mizzi,
Al-Birzali, Tajuddin Al-Subqi, and a little later, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Al-Qayyim, Ibn
Nasiruddin Al-Dimishqui, and Hafidh Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani. This was the golden age
of Hadith, when the development of Hadith literature and teaching was at its peak. Not
only were these men scholars, they were also reformers of their society.
At this very time, there was a woman in Syria, who was also known for her scholarship
and the powerful positive influence she had on society. She helped in the reformation
of communities in Damascus and Cairo by enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Ibn Kathir, the student of Ibn Taymiyya, has written in his highly acclaimed work of
history, Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya: "She reformed society by enjoining good and
forbidding evil, she accomplished what men are unable to do, that is to say, she did
more than the male scholars of her time." This testimony was written by a man. Hence,
no one can say it is the biased opinion of a woman, and thereby question its
authenticity. This was a golden age full of proactive, confident and talented women.
Hisham ibn Ùrwah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased Not only were women
with him), is the teacher of Imam Malik, Abu Hanifa, scholars allowed to give
Sufyan al-Thawri, Saeed Qahtan, and is acknowledged as binding religious verdicts,
a great Hadith scholar of that era. The most reliable but if they differed with
Hadiths narrated by him, found in both Bukhari and their male contemporaries
Muslim, are those he narrates from his wife, Fatimah bint there would be absolutely
Mundhir. Sadly, many Muslim men today would not no objections concerning
marry a woman more knowledgeable than themselves. their judgement.
The men of our past would proudly marry and learn from
them.
One of the best compilations in Hanafi fiqh is the masterpiece Badaya al-Sanaya by
Imam Kasani, whose wife was Fatimah Al-Samarqandiyya, daughter of Ala'addin Al-
Samarqandi. This book is a commentary on Tuhfat al-Fuqaha' written by the latter.
Fatimah was a great expert in Hadith and other religious sciences.
Imam Kasani's students narrate: "We saw our teacher at times would leave the
classroom when he could not answer a certain difficult question. After a while he
would return to elucidate the answer in great detail. Only later on did we learn that he
would go home to put the same question to his wife in order to hear her explanation."
Clearly, he depended on his wife in his scholarly life.
Not only were women scholars allowed to give binding religious verdicts (fatwas), but
if they differed with their male contemporaries there would be absolutely no objections
concerning their pronouncements. This was apparent from the earliest period.
Illustrative of this is the opinion of Fatimah bint Qais (may God be pleased with her),
who said that a husband need not provide support for his irrevocably divorced wife
during her period of waiting (‘iddah). She based her opinion on a narration from the
Prophet (peace upon him).
Despite the fact that Ùmar (may Allah be pleased with him) and other senior
companions disagreed with her, based on their understanding of a verse in the Qur'an,
they did not question her faith, impose sanctions on her, nor did they prevent her from
continuing to narrate the Hadith and issuing her fatwa.
This incident is interesting in that it presents the opinion of a woman that advances a
ruling that is not deemed favorable to woman. In so doing she opposes an opinion
advanced by men that is deemed favorable to women. If this incident had occurred in
our times it would have surely been the point of much contention and discussion.
The above are just some of the evidence that establishes the enormous contribution of
women to the Islamic scholarly enterprise. The book it is excerpted from contains
many more arguments and can be found at http://www.interfacepublications.com.
I hope that this article empowers us to help women attain the status and dignity that
was given to them by our pious predecessors, based on the inspiration they received
from the leader of all the prophets, our exemplary master, Muhammad, the chosen one,
(peace and mercy of God upon him).
* This article originally appeared in www.newislamicdirections.com. It is republished

here with kind permission.
Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi is currently a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for
Islamic Studies, Oxford. He specialized and taught Hanafi fiqh at the Nadwat al-‘Ulama
(India). He has written over20 books in Arabic — biographical studies of Islamic
scholars, Arabic grammar and syntax, Qur’anic sciences and Hadith sciences. He is
currently working on the introduction to a (just completed) 40-volume biographical
dictionary of women scholars of hadith in the Islamic world. He has just begun to write
books in English. The following are forthcoming in 2007: al-Fiqh al-Islami (Angelwing);
al-Muhaddithat: Women Scholars in Islam (Interface Publications,October 2006); and
Madrasah Life: A Day in the Life of a Student in Nadwatul Ulama (al-Turath
Publications).
Women Scholars of Hadith (Part 1) *

By Dr. Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi
• In the Early Days of Islam • Part

• In the Period of the Successors 1
• The Compilation of Hadith • Part
2
History records few scholarly enterprises, at least before

modern times, in which women have played an important
and active role side by side with men. The science of
Hadith forms an outstanding exception in this respect.
Islam, as a religion which (unlike Christianity) refused to
attribute gender to the Godhead, (1) and never appointed a
male priestly elite to serve as an intermediary between
creature and Creator, started life with the assurance that
while men and women are equipped by nature for
complementary rather than identical roles, no spiritual
superiority inheres in the masculine principle. (2) As a
result, the Muslim community was happy to entrust
matters of equal worth in God's sight to both men and
women. Only this can explain why, uniquely among the classical Western religions,
Islam produced a large number of outstanding female scholars, on whose testimony and
sound judgment much of the edifice of Islam depends.
In the Early Days of Islam
Since Islam's earliest days, women took a prominent part in the preservation and
cultivation of Hadith, and this function continued down the centuries. At every period in
Muslim history, there lived numerous eminent women scholars of Hadith, treated by their
brethren with reverence and respect. Entries on very large numbers of them are to be
found in the biographical dictionaries.
During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings After the Prophet's death,
be upon him), many women were not only the instance many women Companions,
for the evolution of many hadiths, but were also their particularly his wives, were
transmitters to their sisters and brothers in faith. (3) After looked upon as vital
the Prophet's death, many women Companions, custodians of knowledge.
particularly his wives, were looked upon as vital
custodians of knowledge, and were approached for instruction by the other Companions,
to whom they readily dispensed the rich store which they had gathered in the Prophet's
company. The names of Hafsah, Umm Habibah, Maymunah, Umm Salamah, and
À'ishah, are familiar to every student of Hadith as being among its earliest and most
distinguished transmitters. (4) In particular, À'ishah is one of the most important figures
in the whole history of Hadith literature—not only as one of the earliest reporters of the
largest number of Hadith, but also as one of their most careful interpreters.
In the Period of the Successors
In the period of the Successors, too, women held important positions as scholars of
Hadith. Hafsah, the daughter of Ibn Sirin, (5) Umm Ad-Darda' the Younger (d. AH 81/700
CE), and Àmrah bint Àbdur-Rahman, are only a few of the key women scholars of
Hadith of this period. Umm Ad-Darda' was held by Iyas ibn Muàwiyah, an important
scholar of Hadith of the time and a judge of undisputed ability and merit, to be superior to
all the other Hadith scholars of the period, including the celebrated masters of Hadith like
Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Ibn Sirin. (6) Àmrah was considered a great authority on
traditions related by À'ishah. Among her students, Abu Bakr ibn Hazm, the celebrated
judge of Madinah, was ordered by the caliph Ùmar ibn Àbdul-Àziz to write down all
the traditions known on her authority. (7)
After them, Àbidah Al-Madaniyyah, Àbdah bint Bishr, These devout women came
Umm Ùmar Ath-Thaqafiyyah, Zaynab the from the most diverse
granddaughter of Àli ibn Àbdullah ibn Àbbas, Nafisah backgrounds, indicating
bint Al-Hasan ibn Ziyad, Khadijah Umm Muhammad, that neither class nor gender
Àbdah bint Àbdur-Rahman, and many other women were obstacles to rising
excelled in delivering public lectures on Hadith. These through the ranks of Islamic
devout women came from the most diverse backgrounds, scholarship.
indicating that neither class nor gender were obstacles to
rising through the ranks of Islamic scholarship. For example, Àbidah, who started life as
a slave owned by Muhammad ibn Yazid, learned a large number of hadiths with the
teachers in Madinah. She was given by her master to Habib Dahhun, the great Hadith
scholar of Spain, when he visited the holy city Jerusalem on his way to the Hajj. Dahhun
was so impressed by her learning that he freed her, married her, and brought her to
Andalusia. It is said that she related 10,000 hadiths on the authority of her Madinan
teachers. (8)
Zaynab bint Sulayman (d. AH 142/759 CE), by contrast, was princess by birth. Her father
was a cousin of As-Saffah, the founder of the Abbasid dynasty, and had been a governor
of Basrah, Oman, and Bahrain during the caliphate of Al-Mansur. (9)Zaynab, who
received a fine education, acquired a mastery of Hadith, gained a reputation as one of the
most distinguished women scholars of Hadith of the time, and counted many important
men among her pupils. (10)
The Compilation of Hadith

This partnership of women with men in the
cultivation of the Prophetic Tradition continued in
the period when the great anthologies of Hadith
were compiled. A survey of the texts reveals that all
the important compilers of Hadith from the earliest
period received many of them from women
teachers: every major collection gives the names of
many women as the immediate authorities of the
author. And when these works had been compiled,
the women scholars themselves mastered them and
delivered lectures to large classes of pupils, to
whom they would issue their own ijazah
(permission to transmit hadiths or a book of Hadith).
In the fourth century we find Fatimah bint Àbdur-Rahman (d. AH 312/924 CE), known
as As-Sufiyyah on account of her great piety; Fatimah, granddaughter of Abu Dawud of
Sunan fame; Amat Al-Wahid (d. AH 377/987 CE), the daughter of distinguished jurist
Al-Muhamili; Umm Al-Fath Amat As-Salam (d. AH 390/999 CE), the daughter of the
judge Abu Bakr Ahmad (d. AH 350/961 CE); Jumuàh bint Ahmad, and many other
women, whose classes were always attended by reverential audiences. (11)
The Islamic tradition of female Hadith scholarship The Islamic tradition of

continued in the fifth and sixth centuries after Hijrah. female Hadith scholarship
Fatimah bint Al-Hasan ibn Àli ibn Ad-Daqqaq Al- continued in the fifth and
Qushayri, was celebrated not only for her piety and her sixth centuries after Hijrah.
mastery of calligraphy, but also for her knowledge of
Hadith and the quality of the isnads (chains of narrators) she knew. (12) Even more
distinguished was Karimah Al-Marwaziyyah (d. AH 463/1070 CE), who was considered
the best authority on the Sahih of Al-Bukhari in her own time. Abu Dharr of Herat, one
of the leading scholars of the period, attached such great importance to her authority that
he advised his students to study the Sahih under no one else because of the quality of her
scholarship. She thus figures as a central point in the transmission of this seminal text of
Islam. (13) As a matter of fact, writes Goldziher, “her name occurs with extraordinary
frequency of the ijazas for narrating the text of this book.” (14) Among her students were
Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi (15) and Al-Humaydi (AH 428/1036 CE–AH 488/1095 CE). (16)
Aside from Karimah, a number of other women scholars of Hadith occupy an eminent
place in the history of the transmission of the text of the Sahih. (17) Among these, one
might mention in particular Fatimah bint Muhammad (d. AH 539/1144 CE; Shahdah “the
Writer” (d. AH 574/1178 CE), and Sitt Al-Wuzara bint Ùmar (d. AH 716/1316 CE). (18)
Fatimah narrated the book on the authority of the great scholar of Hadith Saìd Al-Àiyar;
she received from the Hadith specialists the proud title of musnidat Asfahan (the great
Hadith authority of Asfahan).
Shahdah was a famous calligrapher and a scholar of great repute; the biographers
womanhood.” Her great-grandfather had been a dealer in needles, and thus acquired the
sobriquet “Al-Ibri” (needle-seller). But her father, Abu Nasr (d. AH 506/1112 CE) had
acquired a passion for Hadith and managed to study it with several masters of the subject.
(19)
In obedience to the Sunnah (the Prophet's way and teachings), he gave his daughter a
sound academic education, ensuring that she studied under many Hadith scholars of
accepted reputation.
She married Àli ibn Muhammad, an important figure with some literary interests, who
later became a boon companion of the caliph Al-Muqtadi, and founded a college and a
Sufi lodge, which he endowed most generously. His wife, however, was better known:
She gained her reputation in the field of Hadith scholarship, and was noted for the quality
of her isnads. (20) Her lectures on Sahih Al-Bukhari and other Hadith collections were
attended by large crowds of students; and on account of her great reputation, some people
even falsely claimed to have been her disciples. (21)
Also known as an authority on Al-Bukhari was Sitt Al-Wuzara, who, besides her
acclaimed mastery of Islamic law, was known as the musnidah (the great Hadith
authority) of her time, and delivered lectures on the Sahih and other works in Damascus
and Egypt. (22) Classes on the Sahih were likewise given by Umm Al-Khayr Amatil-
Khaliq (AH 811/1408 CE–AH 911/1505 CE), who is regarded as the last great Hadith
scholar of the Hijaz. (23) Still another authority on Al-Bukhari was À'ishah bint Àbdul-
Hadi. (24)
* Excerpted with some modifications from: www.studyislam.com
(1) Maura O'Neill, Women Speaking, Women Listening (Maryknoll, 1990CE), 31:
“Muslims do not use a masculine God as either a conscious or unconscious tool in the
construction of gender roles.”
(2) For a general overview of the question of women's status in Islam, see M. Boisers,
L'Humanisme de l'Islam (3rd ed., Paris, 1985), 104–10.
(3) Al-Khatib, Sunnah , 53–4, 69–70.
(4) See above, 18, 21.
(5) Ibn Sa`d, VIII, 355.
(6) Suyuti, Tadrib , 215.
(7) Ibn Sa`d, VIII, 353.
(8) Maqqari, Nafh , II, 96.
(9) Wustenfeld, Genealogische Tabellen , 403.

(10) Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad , XIV, 434f.
(11) Ibid., XIV, 441-44.
(12) Ibn Al-Ìmad, Shadharat Adh-Dhahah fi Akhbar man Dhahah (Cairo, AH 1351), V,
48; Ibn Khallikan, no. 413.
(13) Maqqari, Nafh , I, 876; cited in Goldziher, Muslim Studies , II, 366.
(14) Goldziher, Muslim Studies , II, 366. “It is in fact very common in the ijazah of the
transmission of the Bukhari text to find as middle member of the long chain the name of
Karimah Al-Marwaziyyah” (ibid.).
(15) Yaqut, Mu`jam Al-Udaba' , I, 247.
(16) COPL, V/i, 98f.
(17) Goldziher, Muslim Studies , II, 366.
(18) Ibn Al-Ìmad, IV, 123. Sitt Al-Wuzara' was also an eminent jurist. She was once
invited to Cairo to give her fatwa on a subject that had perplexed the jurists there.
(19) Ibn Al-Athir, Al-Kamil (Cairo, AH 1301), X, 346.
(20) Ibn Khallikan, no. 295.
(21) Goldziher, Muslim Studies , II, 367.
(22) Ibn Al-Ìmad, VI. 40.
(23) Ibid., VIII, 14.
(24) Ibn Salim, Al - Imdad (Hyderabad, AH 1327), 36.
Women Scholars of Hadith*

(Part 2)
By Dr. Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi November 30, 2005
In part 1, the author highlighted the scholarly efforts of
Muslim women in learning and teaching Hadith. He traced
these efforts in the early days of Islam, in the period of the
successors, and in the period of Hadith compilation. He
cited many names of women who participated, side by side
with men, in teaching Hadith, especially the Sahih of Imam
Al-Bukhari.
Apart from these women, who seem to have specialized in
the great Sahih of Imam Al-Bukhari, there were others,
whose expertise were centered on other texts. Umm Al-
Khayr Fatimah bint Àli (d. 532/1137) and Fatimah Ash-
Shahrazuriyah delivered lectures on the Sahih of Imam Muslim (Ibn Al-Ìmad IV: 100).
Fatimah Al-Jawzdaniyyah (d. 524/1129) narrated to her students the three Mu`jams of
At-Tabarani (Ibn Salim 16).
The lectures of Zaynab of Harran (d. 68/1289) attracted a large crowd of students. She
taught them the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the largest known collection of Hadith
(Ibn Salim 28f).
Juwayriyah bint Ùmar (d. 783/1381), and Zaynab bint Ahmad ibn Ùmar (d.
722/1322), who had traveled widely in pursuit of hadiths and delivered lectures in
Egypt as well as Madinah, narrated to her students the collections of Ad-Darimi and
Àbd ibn Humayd. And we are told that students traveled from far and wide to attend
her discourse (Ibn Al-Ìmad VI:56).
Zaynab bint Ahmad (d. 740/1339), usually known as Bint Al-Kamal, acquired “a camel
load” of diplomas; she delivered lectures on the Musnad of Abu Hanifah, the Shama’il
of At-Tirmidhi, and the Sharh Maàni Al-Athar of At-Tahawi, the last of which she
read with another woman traditionist, Àjibah bint Abu Bakr (d. 740/1339) (Ibn Al-
Ìmad VI:126; Ibn Salim 14, 18; Al-Ùmari 73). “On her authority is based,” says
Goldziher, “the authenticity of the Gotha Codex. ... In the same isnad a large number of
learned women are cited who had occupied themselves with this work” (Goldziher
II:407). With her, and various other women, the great traveler Ibn Battuta studied
traditions during his stay at Damascus (Ibn Battuta 253).
The famous historian of Damascus Ibn Àsakir, who tells us that he studied under more
than 1,200 men and 80 women, obtained the ijazah [a certificate of learning a number
or a collection of hadiths from a certain traditionist, entitling its holder to teach these
hadiths] of Zaynab bint Abdur-Rahman for the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik (Yaqut,
Mu`jam Al-Buldan, V:140f). Jalal Ad-Din As-Suyuti studied the Risalah of Imam Ash-
Shafiì with Hajar bint Muhammad (Yaqut, Mu`jam Al-Udaba, 17f). Àfif Ad-Din
Junayd, a traditionist of the ninth century after Hijrah, read the Sunan of Ad-Darimi
with Fatimah bint Ahmad ibn Qasim (COPL, V/i, 175f).
Other important traditionists included Zaynab bint Ash-Sha`ri (d. 615/1218). She
studied Hadith under several important traditionists, and in turn, lectured to many
students—some of whom gained great repute—including Ibn Khallikan, author of the
well-known biographical dictionary Wafayat Al-A`yan (Ibn Khallikan, no. 250).
Another was Karimah the Syrian (d. 641/1218), who is described by biographers as the
greatest authority on Hadith in Syria of her day. She delivered lectures on many works
of Hadith on the authority of numerous teachers (Ibn Al-Ìmad V: 212, 404).
In his work Ad-Durar Al-Karimah, Ibn Hajar gives short biographical notices of about
170 prominent women of the eighth century, most of whom are traditionists, and under
many of whom the author himself studied.2 Some of these women were acknowledged
as the best traditionists of their period. For instance, Juwayriyah bint Ahmad, to whom
we have already referred, studied a range of works on traditions, under both male and
female scholars who taught at the great colleges of the time, and then proceeded to give
famous lectures on the Islamic disciplines. “Some of my own teachers,” says Ibn Hajar,
“and many of my contemporaries, attended her discourses” (Ibn Hajar I, no. 1472).
À’ishah bint Àbdul-Hadi (AH 723–816), who for a considerable time was one of Ibn
Hajar’s teachers, was considered to be the finest traditionist of her time, and many
students undertook long journeys in order to sit at her feet and study the truths of
religion (Ibn Al-Ìmad VIII: 120f).
Sitt Al-Àrab (d. 760/1358) had been the teacher of the
well-known traditionist Al-Ìraqi (d. 742/1341), and of
many others who derived a good proportion of their
knowledge from her (Ibn Al-Ìmad VI, 208).3 Daqiqah
bint Murshid (d. 746/1345), another celebrated woman
traditionist, received instruction from a whole range of
other women.
Information on women traditionists of the ninth century
is given in a work by Muhammad ibn Àbdur-Rahman
As-Sakhawi (830–897/1427–1489), called Ad-Daw’ al-
Lami`, which is a biographical dictionary of eminent
persons of the ninth century.4 A further source is the
Mu`jam Ash-Shuyukh of Àbdul-Àziz ibn Ùmar ibn Fahd (812–871/1409–1466),
compiled in AH 861 and devoted to the biographical notices of more than 1,100 of the
author’s teachers, including over 130 women scholars under whom he had studied.
Some of these women were acclaimed as among the most precise and scholarly
traditionists of their time, and trained many of the great scholars of the following
generation.
Umm Hani Maryam (778–871/1376–1466), for instance, learned the Qur’an by heart
when she was still a child, acquired all the Islamic sciences that were being taught at
the time—including theology, law, history, and grammar—and then traveled to pursue
Hadith with the best traditionists of her time in Cairo and Makkah. She was also
celebrated for her mastery of calligraphy, her command of the Arabic language, and her
natural aptitude in poetry, as also her strict observance of the duties of religion (she
performed the Hajj no fewer than 13 times). Her son, who became a noted scholar of
the 10th century, showed the greatest veneration for her and constantly waited on her
towards the end of her life. She pursued an intensive program of learning in the great
college of Cairo, giving ijazahs to many scholars. Ibn Fahd himself studied several
technical works on Hadith under her (As-Sakhawi XII, no. 980).
Her Syrian contemporary, Bai Khatun (d. 864/1459), after having studied traditions
with Abu Bakr Al-Mizzi and numerous other traditionalists, and having secured the
ijazahs of a large number of masters of Hadith, both men and women, delivered
lectures on the subject in Syria and Cairo. We are told that she took special delight in
teaching (As-Sakhawi XII, no. 58).
À’ishah bint Ibrahim (760–842/1358–1438), known in academic circles as Ibnat Ash-
Sharaihi, also studied traditions in Damascus and Cairo (and elsewhere), and delivered
lectures which eminent scholars of the day spared no efforts to attend (As-Sakhawi XII,
no. 450). Umm Al-Khayr Saida of Makkah (d. 850/1446) received instruction in Hadith
from numerous traditionists in different cities, gaining an equally enviable reputation as
a scholar (As-Sakhawi XII, no. 901).
So far as may be gathered from the sources, the involvement of women in Hadith
scholarship, and in the Islamic disciplines generally, seems to have declined
considerably from the 10th century after Hijrah. Books such as An-Nur As-Safir of Al-
Àydarus, the Khulasat Al-Akhbar of Al-Muhibbi, and the As-Suhub Al-Wabilah of
Muhammad ibn Àbdullah (which are biographical dictionaries of eminent persons of
the 10th, 11th, and 12th Hijri centuries respectively) contain the names of barely a
dozen eminent women traditionists. But it would be wrong to conclude from this that
after the 10th century women lost interest in the subject. Some women traditionists,
who gained good reputations in the 9th century, lived well into the 10th and continued
their services to the Sunnah. Asma’ bint Kamal Ad-Din (d. 904/1498) wielded great
influence with the sultans and their officials, to whom she often made recommendations
which, we are told, they always accepted. She lectured on Hadith and trained women in
various Islamic sciences (Al-Àydarus 49).
À’ishah bint Muhammad (d. 906/1500), who married the famous judge Muslih Ad-
Din, taught traditions to many students and was appointed professor at the Salihiyah
College in Damascus (Ibn Abi Tahir; see COPL, XII, no. 665ff.). Fatimah bint Yusuf of
Aleppo (870–925/1465–1519) was known as one of the excellent scholars of her time
(Ibn Abi Tahir, see COPL, XII, no.665ff.). Umm Al-Khayr granted an ijazah to a
pilgrim at Makkah in the year 938/1531 (Goldziher II:407).
The last woman traditionist of the first rank who is known to us was Fatimah Al-
Fudayliyah, also known as Ash-Shaykhah Al-Fudayliyah. She was born before the end
of the 12th Hijri century and soon excelled in the art of calligraphy and the various
Islamic sciences. She had a special interest in Hadith, read a good deal on the subject,
received the diplomas of a good many scholars, and acquired a reputation as an
important traditionist in her own right. Towards the end of her life, she settled at
Makkah, where she founded a rich public library. In the Holy City she was attended by
many eminent traditionists, who attended her lectures and received certificates from
her. Among them, one could mention in particular sheikh Ùmar Al-Hanafi and sheikh
Muhammad Sali. She died in 1247/1831 (Ibn Humaid. See COPL, XII, no. 758).
Throughout the history of feminine scholarship in Islam it is clear that the women
involved did not confine their study to a personal interest in traditions, or to the private
coaching of a few individuals, but took their seats as students as well as teachers in
pubic educational institutions, alongside their brothers in faith. The colophons of many
manuscripts show them both as students attending large general classes, and also as
teachers delivering regular courses of lectures. For instance, the certificate on folios
238-40 of the Al-Mashikhat ma At-Tarikh of Ibn Al-Bukhari, shows that numerous
women attended a regular course of 11 lectures that was delivered before a class
consisting of more than 500 students in the Ùmar Mosque at Damascus in the year
687/1288. Another certificate, on folio 40 of the same manuscript, shows that many
female students, whose names are specified, attended another course of six lectures on
the book, which was delivered by Ibn As-Sayrafi to a class of more than 200 students at
Aleppo in the year 736/1336. And on folio 250, we discover that a famous woman
traditionist, Umm Àbdullah, delivered a course of five lectures on the book to a mixed
class of more than 50 students at Damascus in the year
837/1433 (COPL, V/ii, 54).
Various notes on the manuscript of the Kitab Al-Kifayah
of Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, and of a collection of
various treatises on Hadith, show Ni`mah bint Àli,
Umm Ahmad Zaynab bint Al-Makki, and other women
traditionists delivering lectures on these two books,
sometimes independently, and sometimes jointly with
male traditionists, in major colleges such as the
Àziziyah Madrasa and the Diy’aiyah Madrasa, to
regular classes of students. Some of these lectures were
attended by Ahmad, son of the famous general Salah
Ad-Din (Saladin).5
(Part 1)
Sources:
Al-Àydarus. An-Nur As-Safir.
Goldziher. Muslim Studies.
Ibn Battuta. Rihlah.
Ibn Hajar Al-Àsqalani. Ad-Durar Al-Karimah fi A`yan al-Mi'ah Ath-
Thaminah.
Ibn Al-Ìmad. Shadharat Adh-Dhahab fi Akhbar man Dhahab.
Ibn Khallikan. Wafayat Al-A`yan.
Ibn Salim. Al-Imdad.
Ibn Humaid, Muhammad ibn Àbdullah. As-Suhub Al-Wabilah Àla
Dara’ih Al-Hanabilah.
As-Sakhawi. Ad-Daw’ Al-Lami` li Ahl Al-Qarn At-Tasi`.
Al-Ùmari. Qitf Ath-Thamar.
Yaqut. Mu`jam Al-Buldan.
Yaqut. Mu'jam Al-Udaba’.
* Excerpted with some modifications from: www.studyislam.com.

1- Various manuscripts of this work have been preserved in libraries, and it has been
published in Hyderabad in 348-50. Volume VI of Ibn Al-Ìmad's Shadharat Adh-
Dhahab, a large biographical dictionary of prominent Muslim scholars from the first to
the tenth centuries of the Hijrah, is largely based on this work.
2- Goldziher, accustomed to the exclusively male environment of 19th-century
European universities, was taken aback by the scene depicted by Ibn Hajar. Cf.
Goldziher, Muslim Studies, II, 367: “When reading the great biographical work of Ibn
Hajar Al-Àsqalani on the scholars of the eighth century, we may marvel at the number
of women to whom the author has to dedicate articles.”
3- We are told that Al-Ìraqi (the best known authority on the hadiths of Ghazali's Ihya’
Ùlum Ad-Din) ensured that his son also studied under her.
4- A summary by Àbdus-Salam and Ùmar ibn Ash-Shamma` exists (C. Brockelmann,
Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur, second ed. (Leiden, 1943-49CE), II, 34), and a
defective manuscript of the work of the latter is preserved in the O.P. Library at Patna
(COPL, XII, no. 727).
5- For some particularly instructive annotated manuscripts preserved at the Zahiriya
Library at Damascus, see the article of Àbd Al-Àziz Al-Maymani in Al-Mabahith al-
Ìlmiyah (Hyderabad: Da’irat Al-Maàrif, 1358), 1-14.

A Glimpse at Early Women Islamic Scholars

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A Glimpse at Early Women Islamic Scholars

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Two article collected from Islam online.

net —1 ) A glimpse of early women Islamic

A Glimpse at Early Women Islamic Scholars *

Dr. Mohammd Akram Nadwi

Both men and women today need

* This article originally appeared in www.newislamicdirections.com. It is republished

Women Scholars of Hadith (Part 1) *

By Dr. Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

• In the Early Days of Islam • Part

History records few scholarly enterprises, at least before

In the Early Days of Islam

In the Period of the Successors

The Compilation of Hadith

The Islamic tradition of female Hadith scholarship The Islamic tradition of

* Excerpted with some modifications from: www.studyislam.com

(3) Al-Khatib, Sunnah , 53–4, 69–70.

(4) See above, 18, 21.

(5) Ibn Sa`d, VIII, 355.

(6) Suyuti, Tadrib , 215.

(7) Ibn Sa`d, VIII, 353.

(8) Maqqari, Nafh , II, 96.

(9) Wustenfeld, Genealogische Tabellen , 403.

(11) Ibid., XIV, 441-44.

(15) Yaqut, Mu`jam Al-Udaba' , I, 247.

(16) COPL, V/i, 98f.

(17) Goldziher, Muslim Studies , II, 366.

(19) Ibn Al-Athir, Al-Kamil (Cairo, AH 1301), X, 346.

(20) Ibn Khallikan, no. 295.

(21) Goldziher, Muslim Studies , II, 367.

(22) Ibn Al-`Imad, VI. 40.

(23) Ibid., VIII, 14.

(24) Ibn Salim, Al - Imdad (Hyderabad, AH 1327), 36.

Women Scholars of Hadith*

* Excerpted with some modifications from: www.studyislam.com.

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