Women Scholars [where are they?]

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Women Scholars [where are they?]
Anonymous
08/21/01 at 22:50:33
Assalamu Alaikum

Although I have been a muslim all my life, I have recently started to
take a proper interest in Islam and I am trying to understand more about
it.

I've noticed that all the talks I've heard on cassettes and at
conferences I've been done by men.  So my question is: Is there such a thing as
Women Scholars?  If so where are they?  

I thought Islam was about educating yourself as much as you can.  So
are women dicouraged by men at a certain point not to study more to
become a scholar?


Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
Haniff
08/21/01 at 23:36:45
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]SCHOLARS OF RENOWN

Aisha bint Abu  Bakr (Mother of the believers)

By Adil Salahi
[/center]

Aisha was the lady who had the second strongest influence in the Prophet's private and family life. In this respect, she comes second only to Khadeejah, his first wife who gave him six of his seven children. While the Prophet did not marry anyone else when Khadeejah was alive, Aisha was the one favoured with his love when he had several other wives. She was the daughter of his lifelong friend and closest companion, Abu Bakr, who succeeded him as ruler of the Islamic state. Although the Prophet loved her so much, he treated her in the same way as the rest of his wives.

It is not difficult to write a large volume as a biography of Aisha, for she had an interesting character, a unique position, and a life full of events in which she was a willing player. However, this series is concerned with scholars who achieved eminence in different periods of Islamic history. Hence, this biographical note will concentrate mainly on the scholarly aspect of Aisha's character, but we will also add a few points about other aspects of her life.

Aisha was a very eminent scholar of Islam. Some of the Prophet's wives also had good knowledge of Islamic matters, but none was a peer to Aisha in her extensive knowledge. She achieved eminence as a scholar during the reigns of the four rightly guided Caliphs and the following period. She was continuously visited by a stream of scholars and other people who asked her on a wide variety of questions and she answered them all in a very scholarly manner. Abu Salamah ibn Abdurrahman, a scholar of eminence says: "I have never seen anyone with better knowledge of the Prophet's sunnah, or who is better equipped to exercise scholarly discretion on any matter, or having greater knowledge of the meaning of any verse of the Qur'an, or of the inheritance system than Aisha." There are many testimonies like this from many knowledgeable persons who were well equipped to make such a judgement. Indeed Umar himself testifies to her broad knowledge. She tells us something of the breadth of her scholarship when she says that she learnt by heart more than 1,000 lines of the poetry of a famous pre-Islamic poet called Labeed.

Several factors contributed to her scholarly position. The first is the fact that she grew up in a family which appreciated scholarship. Her father, Abu Bakr, was among the most knowledgeable people in Quraish of Arabic poetry. It should be remembered that poetry was the top field of knowledge in pre-Islamic Arabia. The Arabs were highly eloquent people and they recorded every event of note in their poetry. In their society it combined the roles played in our modem times by the media and history. He achieved eminence in knowing the ancestry of all Arabian tribes. Indeed he was the top authority in this branch of knowledge which was of great value in that tribal society. This type of study required a student not only to learn the family lineage of every individual in a particular tribe. He also learnt about events that were of significance in the life of every tribe, clan and family. It was a documentation of the personal history of all Arabs.

Of course, Aisha's marriage to the Prophet gave her a great advantage to acquire knowledge of Islam directly from its original source. As she had an inquisitive mind and a scholarly inclination, she used this to good advantage. She always asked the Prophet about the meaning of verses, the significance of his Hadiths and the purpose of legislation. She says: "When a verse was revealed to God's messenger (peace be on him), we used to learn what it permitted, prohibited, commanded and forbade. Furthermore, she had a fine memory and a native intelligence which enabled her to retain whatever she learnt. She also acquired excellent knowledge of medical practices known in her time. Hence, it was only natural that she would become an indispensable source of knowledge, right from the time of the Prophet's successors. Masrooq, an eminent scholar of the following generation, says: "I have seen many of the Prophet's companions going to her to ask her about the division of inheritance. Whenever they differed on such a question, they sought her advice."

Aisha achieved eminence in her knowledge of the Qur'an. She heard it being recited in her home ever since she was a young child. Her father had a melodious voice and fine recitation. Then she married the Prophet, the man to whom the Qur'an was revealed and she learnt it directly from him. With a fine intelligence like hers, she was bound to be excellent in knowing the Qur'an. Indeed she had the distinction that some revelations were bestowed on the Prophet when he was lying in bed in her home. She asked the Prophet about the meaning of any verse which was not immediately clear to her, or which allowed different interpretations. Thus she was to become one of the leading scholars of interpreting the Qur'an, benefiting in that from her excellent knowledge of Arabic. In her interpretation, she often related different verses together. Thus she established the best method of interpretation, relating one verse to another in the same subject.

Aisha was also an eminent scholar of Hadith, relating no less than 2,210 Hadiths, many of which are related by no one else. These dealt mainly with family matters which naturally crept up in family settings. Hence, they were bound to come from the Prophet's family members. None of these was better equipped for the task than Aisha.

Her knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith placed her in a good position to achieve an excellent position in fiqh. She is indeed considered to be a scholar of high eminence in that field. She is quoted by major scholars of successive generations, including the founders of the four schools of thought. She would exercise her scholarly discretion in any matter that is put to her on which there is no directly related statement in the Qur'an or Hadith.

Indeed Aisha occupies a special position in this area. This is reflected in the fact that she differed with many scholars among the Prophet's companions on several matters. For example, she was of the view that a woman may travel alone, without having a close relative as a companion or mahram, provided that she is certain of her safety. Such differences enrich Islamic scholarship.

Aisha was also a fine scholar of Arabic, and a good orator. When she needed to make speeches, particularly after the assassination of Uthman, the third Caliph, her speeches were of superb literary quality. All this shows that she was a scholar of broad knowledge, fine grasp and great ability.

It is generally stated that the Prophet married Aisha when she was only a young girl of 9. I believe this not to be accurate. To start with, the Arabs at the time did not have any record of births or deaths. They did not even have a recognized calendar. They knew that a year is composed of 12 lunar months, each lasting 29 or 30 days, but they dated matters on the basis of major events in their community. Thus any event could be used as a point to estimate the date of a subsequent event. Hence, their dating was considerably lacking in accuracy. Moreover, the idea that the Prophet should marry Aisha came first from Khawlah bint Hakeem, the wife of one of the Prophet's early companions. She suggested to him that after the death of Khadeejah, he needed a woman companion. The Prophet asked her whom she proposed, and she named a mature woman, Sawdah, and Aisha. Since this took place, three years before the marriage of the Prophet to Aisha, it would mean that Khawlah was proposing that the Prophet should have a girl of 6 as a woman companion. That is totally illogical.

There is further evidence that Aisha was several years older than that at the time. Ibn Isshaq, the author of the main biography of the Prophet, mentions Aisha among the people who embraced Islam in its early years. He gives an exhaustive list of those early Muslims, who responded to the Prophet's call in the first five years. He adds as he mentions her that she was then a young girl. But for a girl to be mentioned among the believers in a new religion means that she was of an age when she could make a choice. We are not talking here of a baby, but a girl of at least 7 or 8 years of age. If she was that young in the fifth year of Islam, she would be at least 16 or 17 when she married.

To my mind, the most indicative evidence of her age is the authentic Hadith related by Al-Bukhari, which quotes her as saying: "I do not recollect my parents without remembering that they were believers." We know that Abu Bakr, her father, was the first man to become a Muslim from outside the Prophet's household. We also know that the earliest recollection an adult makes of childhood days brings images when that person was at least 3 or 4 years of age. It is extremely rare to recollect scenes that one witnessed earlier than that. What she would be speaking of here is recollection of seeing her parents praying or saying something clearly relevant to Islam. This means that she could not be less than 3 at the beginning of Islam, and that makes her at least 17 when she married the Prophet. If we take this as true, many of the events she reports of her life as the Prophet's wife acquire a better and more realistic significance.

Aisha died on Ramadan 17 in year 58 of the Islamic calendar, without having had any children.

[i]An excellent student from the Prophetic College of Islam - Haniff[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff (with 2 f's)

Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
jannah
08/22/01 at 01:37:29
wlm,

that's a good question anonymous.. there are a few knowledgable sisters around but they are maybe a handful. the problem exists perhaps first because of external reasons. the current atmosphere among muslims is detrimental towards muslim women learning/achieving. i mean how can we reach the level of scholarship when women aren't allowed in the majority of masjids in this country. the fulfillment and goal of a muslim woman's life by our culture now is to marry and to marry well. i've never seen any of the young girls in my community or others encouraged in their Islamic studies. Many have to struggle even to go to classes and learn against the opposition of their families who would rather have them either struggle for dunya or for their home lives.

the second problem is the lack of interest and dedication. sisters have to rise above their circumstances and try to live up to their true heritage as we have seen with the above posted article on Aisha ra. and this is being done...there are many sisters studying overseas learning Arabic, Tajweed, Islamic studies and there are a few here as well, and more on the way.

so if we ask where are women scholars.. we need to first ask ourselves what we are doing about it. either we are trying to fulfill this ourselves, encouraging others to, or learning enough to teach others and our children so that they in turn may one day become these scholars that we ourselves could not be.
Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
widad
08/23/01 at 12:54:13
Assalamu alykum warahamatullahi awabarakatuh
MY dear all,I have three points here:
1-Women scholars are everywhere,they are the mothers of the scholars that are travelling high and low giving as much ilm as they can...they are the mothers of all reknowned men all over the Islamic world,if they didn't receive the proper care and guidance from good caring mothers they would have never become scholars.
2-Let us also take alook at the scholar's wives...if they did not attend to the scholar's every detail in their lives and if they didn';t take care of the scholars' children,do you think these scholars could have acheived anything??
3-It is the duty of every man and woman to seek 3ilm and this is what the muslim women are doing .especially the wives of the sholars,they teach them at home and these women go to other women and teach them what they have heard from their husbands.
Isn't this what the quran says about teaching others what you (women )learn in your houses???
Bismillahi -rrahmani-rraheem
"And recite what is
Rehearsed to you in your
Homes,of the Signs of Allah
And His wisdom for Allah is All-Subtle."
(quran33:34)
NS
Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
Rabia
08/23/01 at 15:34:08
[slm]

After reciting Al-Shahada I asked myself the same question. The only way I obtained knowledge was reading books/listening to lectures and then going to male family members or my Imam to follow up. I wanted to so badly to attend a madraasa. Because so many women are in the mind set that we (Muslimahs) should just find a good brother and get married a lot of us never get to experience studying the din in an intitution/university.

It wasn't until recently that I realized how many Mu`minas' are persuing Islamic Studies. I believe that there is a great need for women scholars. I was asking a brother for his opinion concerning my Islamic Studies (what studies might be best, which madraasa, etc.,), He told me that if I felt the need to attend school and get "some kind of education" that I should just become a nurse or something, get married, and let my husband teach me Islam. "Good Muslim women stay at home and meet with other sisters' in the house, you know...haliqahs." ):(
Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
jannah
08/24/01 at 02:36:58
slm,

I was thinking about this thread as I was reading this excerpt Whenever I hear a real scholar of knowledge talking about Islam and women it lightens my heart. I think we just have to stop listening to ordinary people because they keep making up their own oppressive rules or taking a minor rule or taking something islamic to an extreme...

anyways may Allah produce from this ummah scholars that englighten us all women and men ...



Muslim Women


Part 2: Forgotten Stories from Our History

Chapter 7: Let us Learn the Correct Information


Mercy was not granted Muslim women in their history except for during their golden days at the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his guided caliphs!

Reflect with me upon the Prophet’s response to Jamilah Bint Aws when she complained to him. She said that she hates her marriage only because she doesn’t like her husband physically to the extent that she feels disgusted by him! The Prophet, peace be upon him, told her, “He gave you his garden as a dowry. Are you willing to give him his garden back?” She said, “Yes.” So, the Prophet ordered the man to divorce his wife and the man did!

A family cannot survive if the woman hates the man and desires to leave him. That is why Allah said, “And if you fear that they cannot keep within the limits of Allah, there is no blame on them for what she gives up to become free thereby.”[1]

Now, the research on whether the above Hadith indicates a “divorce” or a “nullification of the marriage contract” is irrelevant to mention here. What is relevant to say is that I am aware of an unjust Egyptian law that orders law enforcement officers to take the woman, by force, back to her home, which they called “the home of obedience,” and force her to sleep with a man she hates!! Another erroneous law, which was only a reaction to the above one, bans the man from ever entering his home if he utters the word, “I divorce you.” (!)

Why must we cause all these turbulences in not understanding what the Islamic Law is about and the way it should be implemented? How can we ignore the saying of Allah Almighty, “The couple should either hold together on equitable terms, or separate with kindness”?[2] It is amazing how Muslims sometimes miss the point behind the rulings of divorce, whether it is a divorce initiated by the man or the woman!

I will mention another story, with all sadness. Some sisters went to pray in a mosque and stood in a line at the very far end of the prayer hall. The Imam of the mosque came quickly towards them and exclaimed, “Mosques are only for men. Allah Almighty said, ‘In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them; there glorify Him therein in the mornings and the evenings, Men[3] …’[4]?” Those sisters came to me to describe what had happened. They looked utterly depressed. I said, “This is an ignorant man. Allah said, ‘Among the Believers are men (Arabic: rijal) who have been true to their covenant with Allah.’ But it is well known that giving covenants is not for males only! What are the following words of Allah supposed to mean, then? ‘I will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female, the one of you being from the other.’[5]”

It is a sign of ignorance that many Muslims ban women from going to the mosque saying, “it is an innovation in the religion.” (!) Similarly, they ban them from education also claiming, “it is a western fashion.” (!) They also forbid them from participating in public activities because, as they say, “It is an act of nosiness on their part.” (!)

How can a closed-minded woman be a good mother who is responsible for a family? How can she raise the next generations? Certainly, the backwardness of Muslims nowadays is a direct result of their misunderstanding of Islam’s views about women. This also explains why globalization from the West has triumphed over most of the world. Islam can only be introduced through the intelligent scholars, not the ignorant, who falsely claim to have knowledge.

-- Sh. Muhammad Al-Ghazali
   ______________________
     
   [1] Verse 2:229.
[2] Verse 2:229.
[3] “Men” is the literal translation. The Arabic word is “rijal,” which indicates both genders of mankind: men and women. However, nowadays, the word “rijal” is used in the Arabic dialects, which are different from the standard Arabic of the Qur’an, to indicate only men.
[4] Verse 24:36.
[5] Verse 3:195.  
Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
Barr
08/24/01 at 07:10:14
Assalamu'alaikum :-)

[quote]Whenever I hear a real scholar of knowledge talking about Islam and women it lightens my heart.[/quote]

MashaAllah... yes... I feel very appreciated as a woman and it does set my heart at ease to know that yes.. there are still people out there who strongly believe in us. Yusuf Qardawi, in his book "Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the next Phase" is another good book to read with regards to issues of women and their contribution. I'll try and post what he said later on, inshaAllah.

I think like it or not, women's contribution to Islam, has diminished over the years, such that Muslimah scholars whom we used to produce by the thousands during the tabi'in time have decreased to the minute few today.

[quote]Isn't this what the quran says about teaching others what you (women )learn in your houses [/quote]

Afwan, ukhti... but is it possible that you give us the reference as well? Jazakillah :)

[quote]1-Women scholars are everywhere,they are the mothers of the scholars that are travelling high and low giving as much ilm as they can...they are the mothers of all reknowned men all over the Islamic world,if they didn't receive the proper care and guidance from good caring mothers they would have never become scholars.
2-Let us also take alook at the scholar's wives...if they did not attend to the scholar's every detail in their lives and if they didn';t take care of the scholars' children,do you think these scholars could have acheived anything??
3-It is the duty of every man and woman to seek 3ilm and this is what the muslim women are doing .especially the wives of the sholars,they teach them at home and these women go to other women and teach them what they have heard from their husbands.[/quote]

I'm not trying to discount their contribution, but there is a difference being mothers and wives of scholars and being a scholar oneself. Being the strong woman that supports and help in the development of these scholars does not equate oneself to be an alima.

Looking at the present condition in typical modern societies, one would question the existence of such structure and system. What we do find are halaqas or usrahs usually conducted in houses that serve as a platform for transmission of knowledge, but to gain the level of sholarship, such existing platforms are insufficent and would not do justice to produce the fine calibre of women scholars.

Another problem that we find is that a woman's educational career, particularly in Islamic studies are more short lived. And example is that though there are more girls attending madrasahs in Singapore than boys. But the bulk of those who do continue their studies till universities and beyond would be the brothers. Hence, if this trend continues, we would definitely be a dearth of scholars in times to come.

As mentioned before, current social expectations and structures are less friendly towards the development Muslimah Scholars. It is not enough that parents (especially those who send their daughters to Madrasahs) see the need for such scholars to be produced, but there must be support systems within the community to help sustain this.

As mentioned before, women are expecte` to marry and have a family... but her contribution to the society, is somewhat minimised and limited to the home. I hope I don't sound as if I am discounting women and their roles at home, but the role of women scholars have to be reviewed. Is it just enough for them to be conducting classes in houses... how would their talents be maximised in a society that is different fron those 300 years ago and still be relevant?

How would their family support this role? What about husbands? How would they play a more supportive role than just having a share of household duties?

[quote]I thought Islam was about educating yourself as much as you can.  So are women dicouraged by men at a certain point not to study more to become a scholar? [/qoute]

Yes, Islam is based on ilm and commands us to be seekers of knowledge... but... I think Muslims are still in the process of reconciling the changing society with what is the role of women during these modern times, through the dynamism of Islam. Certain built-in mindsets that was shaped through decades of misconception may have to change but Minds, when they are set are the most difficult to alter... What is dangerous now is that times are moving faster than our minds... and when Muslims stop thinking... that would mark and draw us closer to our end.

Wallahua'lam... just my thoughts...
take care :-)





Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
Barr
08/28/01 at 08:38:15
Assalamu'alaikum :-)

Those in [color=blue]blue[/color] are from Yusuf Qaradawi's book: Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase

[color=blue] The Problem of Islamic Work in Women's Activity

The problem of women's Islamic work is that it is men who direct it, not women; and men are careful to maintain their grip on it and thus not giving the chance for flowers to blossom and female leadership to emerge. Men impose themselves on women's Islamic work, including even women's meetings, as they exploit the shyness of practising Muslim women and never allow them to take command in their own affairs. In this way, no female talents are given a chance to prove themselves in the pursuits of the Islamic Movement or to be seasoned by experience and struggle and learn from the 'school of life' by trial and error.

However, our Muslim sisters are not wholly free of blame, for they have surrendered to this state of affairs, contenting themselves with a life of ease and tranquility in which men think and choose for them. It is time that they took the initiative, opened wide the doors of effort and work for the da'wah and silenced those self-appointed female voices that claim to have an authority on the doctrine, laws and values of this Ummah. These strange voices, loud as they are, represent only a defeated down trodden minority that has no weight both in Deen and Dunya. [/color]


==========

I'd just like to include another paragraph... when it comes to marriage... I think this is a universal problem, not just the countries mentioned below.

==========

[color=blue]Another complaint from our sisters in Egypt and Algeria is that when an active and motivated sister marries a practising brother whom she came to know through da'wah related work, he forces her to stay at home and denies her participation in the Movement and thus putting out a torch that was once lighting the path of other Muslim sisters.

It has apparently become so common that an Algerian sister working in the field of da'wah once wrote to me asking whether it is haram for her to refuse marriage in the sake of avoiding that which has happened to other sisters who have ended up in a life of laziness and idleness, away from the field of the Movement and the da'wah, at a time when Communist, Secularist and Liberalist women are working for their causes [/color]

============

OK... I know this post may have raised a few eyebrows... but I think, if we wanna move on... then, some issues have to be addressed.

Wallahua'lam :-)


 
Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
jannah
08/28/01 at 17:19:02
wlm,

wow.. yusuf qaradawi is da maaan... err.. ma'shallah :)

imagine if you dropped that in your local mosque eh...

Re: Women Scholars [where are they?]
Arsalan
08/28/01 at 17:38:57
[slm]

Actually that whole book is really good.  Jannah, add it to your list of books to buy at Isna :)


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