islam advocates educating women and enlightening them about the teachings of religion, as this greatly influences the life of women as well as that of their children in the future. as hafiz ibrahim, the poet of the nile, said, "the mother is a school; if she is well-prepared, a noble nation is prepared."

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, addressed women with some of his admonishment and in many hadeeths (narrations) he used to say: "o womenfolk…." he even specified a day on which he used to address them, when some


female companions, may allaah be pleased with them, said to him, "men are always with you. so, specify a day for us." he indeed specified a day on which he met them, admonished them and commanded them…"[al-bukhaari and muslim]


the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to urge women to teach each other. for example, he said to ash-shifaa’ bint ‘abdullaah al-‘adawiyyah, may allaah be pleased with her, "teach hafsah the ruqyah (protective and healing supplications) for namlah (namlah literary means ant. it is a skin disease where pustules appear on the side of the body and they are swallowed like ants), just as you taught her writing." [ahmad and al-haakim]


the mothers of the believers, such as ‘aa’ishah and hafsah, may allaah be pleased with them, used to explain and teach matters of the religion to women. this was also the guidance of other male companions, may allaah be pleased with them, for they were keen to teach their women and inform them about the teachings of the religion, especially rulings that are specific to women, such as those related to ritual purification, menstruation, post-partum bleeding, prayer, marriage, divorce, breastfeeding, and so on. some companions, may allaah be pleased with them, used to hold gatherings of knowledge in their homes in order to teach their children and daughters.


an-nawawi, may allaah have mercy on him, transmitted on the authority of qataadah, may allaah have mercy on him, who was a taabi‘i (successor of the companions), that anas ibn maalik, may allaah be pleased with him, whenever he completed recitation of the whole quran, used to gather his family and supplicate allaah the almighty. [ibn abu daawood]


on the whole, scholars were keen to teach women. history has recorded the biographies of women who were knowledgeable in religion and were taught by their fathers, brothers and husbands. such men present shining examples in caring for and educating both men and women without discrimination.  life did not divert them from their duty towards their families until their sons and daughters grew into excellent role models in knowledge and piety.


here we mention the biographies of some women who learned from their fathers and husbands. the purpose of this series is to highlight the woman's position in islam. women scholars were appreciated by muslim biographers and therefore they included them in their classifications of great figures and biographies. it is hoped that this series will urge women students to exert their best efforts in learning religion and mastering what is beneficial for them in their scientific and practical life.


these women scholars specialized in different branches of knowledge at different ages, and their names have been arranged  alphabetically. the names of women companions, may allaah be pleased with them, have not been included because they are numerous and well-known. rather, we will mention women from among the taabi‘is (followers) and their successors:


asmaa’ bint asad ibn al-furaat


her father was maghrib’s (north-west africa) famous scholar and judge. she was her father’s only daughter and he used to teach her the quran, hadeeth (narration) and fiqh (islamic jurisprudence). she used to attend her father's assemblies of knowledge and contribute to debates. when her father was appointed as the army's commander in order to conquer sicily, he attained a great victory and besieged the city of sousse, but was killed there in 213 ah. asmaa’ married one of her father’s students whose name was muhammad ibn abu al-jawaad and who was a head of the hanafi scholars inmaghrib. asmaa’, may allaah have mercy upon her, died in 250 ah.


to know more about her biography, review ad-dibaaj al-math-hab by ibn farhoon (page 305) and faqeehaat ‘aalimaat by muhammad khayr (page 29).


the sister of al-muzani


she is sister of the shaafi‘i scholar, ismaa‘eel al-muzani, the companion of ash-shaafi‘i, may allaah have mercy on them, who died in 264 ah. his sister used to attend the fiqh lectures of ash-shaafi‘i, may allaah have mercy upon him. some of the shaafi‘i scholars used to transmit her fiqh opinions and her decisions regarding what she believed to be the most preponderant opinions. to know more about her biography, review tabaqaat ash-shaafi‘iyyah by al-asnawi (volume 1 / page 443)


hafsah bint seereen


she is sister of the noble taabi‘i, muhammad ibn seereen, may allaah have mercy upon him. she was trustworthy and knowledgeable  in fiqh as well as in other branches of knowledge. she was a sincere worshipper and one of the most prominent taabi’i women.  she completed memorization of the quran at the age of twelve and lived for seventy years. her brother, muhammad, used to ask her about what he did not have knowledge about in the quran. mahdi ibn maymoon mentioned that she remained in her place of worship for thirty years and did not leave it except for a siesta and answering the call of nature. she died after 100 ah. her traditions are mentioned in different books of hadeeth. to know more about her biography, review tahtheeb al-kamaal by al-mizzi (volume 35 / page 151) and siyar ‘alaam an-nubalaa ’ by ath-thahabi (volume 4 / page 507).


 

islam is a religion that is closely related to science, acquiring knowledge, learning and teaching. it is enough to remember that the first word in the constitution of islam – the quran - that regulates muslims’ life and legislates for them is…“read…”

in principle, seeking knowledge is a duty upon every muslim - male or female -- as stated by the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. [ibn maajah and abu ya‘la (al-albaani: saheeh - authentic)]


 


there are numerous quranic verses and prophetic hadeeths that call for learning, thinking, seeking evidence and searching for wisdom. for example, allaah the almighty says (what means):


 


·        {say, "are those who know equal to those who do not know?" only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.}[quran 39:9]


·        {allaah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. and allaah is acquainted with what you do.}[quran 58:11]


 


the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:


-      "when allaah wishes good for someone, he bestows upon him understanding of the religion (of islam).”[al-bukhaari and muslim]


-      “allaah makes the way to paradise easy for him who treads a path in search of knowledge.”[muslim, abu daawood, ibn maajah, at-tirmithi and al-haakim]


 


these texts are general, comprehensive and address both men and women equally and urge both of them to acquire and seek any knowledge that may benefit them in this world and the hereafter.


as for the texts that addressed women specifically, allaah the almighty says (what means): {and remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of allaah and wisdom. indeed, allaah is ever subtle and acquainted [with all things].}[quran 33:34]


 


the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, presented the best example in instructing the muslim women to learn and teach. for example, he asked one of the female companions to teach hafsah, may allaah be pleased with her, how to read and write.


 


he also educated ‘aa’ishah, may allaah be pleased with her, such that she became knowledgeable about the sharee‘ah. she was very intelligent, sharp-witted and a strong memorizer of all that she heard or knew.


 


al-a‘mash, may allaah have mercy upon him, said that muslim reported that masrooq said that he was asked, “was ‘aa’ishah competent inheritance rulings?” he answered, “yes, by allaah, i saw the senior companions of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asking her about inheritance affairs.” [ibn abi shaybah, al-haakim, at-tabaraani and ibn hajar]


 


‘urwah, may allaah have mercy upon him, said about her, '' i have not seen a more knowledgeable person in jurisprudence, medicine or poetry than ‘aa’ishah.” [ibn ‘abdulbarr, al-mizzi, ath-thahabi and ibn hajar]


 


‘ataa’ ibn abi rabaah, may allaah have mercy upon him, said, “she was the most knowledgeable of all people in jurisprudence and wise judgment.” [ibn ‘abdulbarr, al-mizzi, ath-thahabi and ‎as-suyooti]


 


‘aa’ishah, may allaah be pleased with her, was known for her extensive knowledge of sharee‘ah including tafseer (quranic exegesis), hadeeth, and fiqh (islamic jurisprudence), to the extent that al-haakim mentioned in al-mustadrak that one quarter of the rulings of sharee‘ah was reported from her.


 


that is why abu moosa al-ash‘ari, may allaah be pleased with him, said, “we, the companions of the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never asked ‘aa’ishah, may allaah be pleased with her, about a hadeeth regarding which we were in doubt without finding that she had knowledge of it.”[at-tirmithi, ibn ‘adiyy and ath-thahabi (al-albaani: saheeh - authentic)]


 


therefore, she remains considered as one of the most senior and revered teachers and educators throughout islamic intellectual history.


 


'urwah ibn az-zubayr, may allaah have mercy upon him, said to ‘aa’ishah, may allaah be pleased with her, “o my mother, the fact that you are knowledgeable about poetry and history does not astonish me, but what really astonishes me is your knowledge about medicine. i wonder, who taught it to you and how you were taught?” she placed her hand on his shoulder (she was his maternal aunt) and said, “my dear son, the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was sick at the end of his life and the visiting arab delegations that came from all over arabia gave him many prescriptions and it was me who used to treat him with these prescriptions.” [ahmad and al-haakim]


 


if we went on speaking about the influence of islam on women’s education, we would find countless examples of women who became knowledgeable about their religion and permanent attendees of knowledge sessions. for example:


 


 


-      ibn ‘asaakir, may allaah have mercy upon him, mentioned that he had eighty female teachers. 


-      al-balaathuri, may allaah have mercy upon him, mentioned in futooh al-buldaan that in his time the muslim women learnt how to read and write and that the number of known literate women was equal to half of the known literate men.


-       historians also mentioned that the female lecturers during the umayyad caliphate reached to being about eighty in number and that some of them taught medicine and other sciences.