Muslim women scholars, a heritage whose sun has set!!

 Muslim women scholars, a heritage whose sun has set!

Women have had a presence in society since the first moment of the emergence of Islam; Lady Khadija bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first to believe in the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and she was a refuge and a strong fortress for the Islamic call until her death in the tenth year of the mission, which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called the Year of Sorrow. Women were also the first to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah; Lady Sumayyah bint Khayyat (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first martyr in Islam. Women were also the first to migrate for the sake of Allah; Lady Ruqayyah bint Muhammad ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the first to migrate to Allah Almighty with her husband Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) after the Prophet of Allah “Lot” (peace be upon him), as the noble hadith reported.

The Muslim woman’s giving was not limited to faith, migration and sacrifice only, but this giving extended to the scientific and educational field. Thus, the female jurist, the female hadith scholar and the female mufti appeared, whom students of knowledge sought out, and some of the masters of scholars took from them, and they were asked for fatwas on some matters that concern the general Muslims. Some female Muslim scholars appeared who held scientific councils in the largest Islamic mosques, and students from different countries attended them. It was known about some female Muslim jurist and female hadith scholars that they traveled a lot in search of knowledge to a number of scientific centers in Egypt, the Levant and the Hijaz until they became well-established in knowledge and narration, and some of them had books and contributions to literary creativity. Their rooms are beacons. In the early days of Islam, the Mothers of the Believers and a number of the great female companions were pioneers of the women’s scientific movement. The rooms of a number of the virtuous Mothers of the Believers were beacons of scientific, cultural and literary radiation. The Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), was at the pinnacle and forefront. She was one of the eloquent and knowledgeable women of genealogy and poetry. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to listen to some of the poetry she narrated. As for the field of narrating the noble prophetic hadith, she was one of the most prolific narrators of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and she came in third place in terms of the most prolific narration; she narrated about (2210) hadiths. Some traces narrate that Aisha had half of the knowledge; therefore, she was the destination of the jurists of the companions when some scientific and jurisprudential issues were difficult for them, especially with regard to aspects of the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Aisha used to greet them, urging those who asked her not to be shy about presenting their question, and she would say to them, “Ask, for I am your mother.” About (299) of the companions and followers learned knowledge from her, including (67) women. As for Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), she was, as Al-Dhahabi described her, “one of the female Companions’ jurists,” and one of those who narrated many hadiths from the Prophet (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him). Many Companions and Followers narrated from her, reaching about (101), including (23) women. The names of the female Companions and Followers who were famous for their knowledge and many narrations are numerous, and the books of hadith, narration, and classes are full of women who narrated and from whom the noble hadith was narrated, such as: Asma bint Abi Bakr Al-Siddiq, Asma bint Umays, Juwayriyah bint Al-Harith, Hafsa bint Umar, and Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with them). Scholars also fabricate














The great writers of the classes did not neglect to translate the Muslim woman, especially in narration. Muhammad bin Saad mentioned many female companions and followers in his book “Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra”, and “Ibn Al-Athir” devoted an entire section to women in his book “Usd Al-Ghaba”, and in the book “Taqrib Al-Tahdhib” by Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, he mentioned the names of (824) women who were famous for narration until the beginning of the third century AH.

The working woman contributed with her delicate fingers in creating and shaping many great scholars; the famous historian and hadith scholar “Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi”, the author of the book “History of Baghdad”, heard from the jurist and hadith scholar “Tahera bint Ahmad bin Yusuf Al-Tanukhiyya” who died (436 AH). "Ummat al-Wahid bint al-Husayn bin Ismail" who died in (377 AH) was one of the most knowledgeable people in the Shafi'i school of thought. She was knowledgeable in inheritance, arithmetic, and grammar. She used to issue fatwas and hadiths were written about her. As for "Jalila bint Ali bin al-Hasan al-Shajri" in the fifth century AH, she was one of those who traveled in search of hadiths in Iraq and the Levant. Some of the great scholars heard from her, such as al-Sam'ani. She used to teach children the Holy Quran. "

Zainab bint Makki bin Ali bin Kamil al-Harrani" who died in (688 AH) was one of the women who spent their entire lives seeking hadiths and narrations. Students crowded at the door of her house at the foot of Mount Qasioun in Damascus, and heard hadiths from her and read many books to her. As for "Zainab bint Yahya bin Al-Ezz bin Abdul Salam" who died in (735 AH), she was unique in narrating the small dictionary through continuous listening, and the historian of Islam "Shams Al-Din Al-Dhahabi" said about her that she was good, pious, and loved narration to the extent that several parts were read to her on the day of her death. "Zainab bint Ahmed bin Omar Al-Dimashqiyya" who died in (722 AH) was one of the outstanding narrators of hadith with a chain of transmission in hadith, and many students traveled to her.

Scholars who earned their living by sewing

. The great traveler "Ibn Battuta" recounts that during his journey he visited the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and heard from a number of female narrators of that era, such as "Zainab bint Ahmed bin Abdul Rahim", who was a woman with a firm footing in knowledge and hadith, and "Aisha bint Muhammad bin Al-Muslim Al-Harraniyya" who had a knowledge council in the mosque, and she earned her living by sewing, and "Ibn Battuta" read a number of books to her.

Some of the female hadith scholars were unique in some narrations, such as “Zainab bint Sulayman bin Ibrahim” who died in (705 AH), from whom “Taqi al-Din al-Subki” learned knowledge. Some female hadith scholars also authorized a number of senior scholars . Zainab bint Abdullah bin Abdul Halim bin Taymiyyah who died in (725 AH) authorized “Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani” who also narrated from “Aisha bint Muhammad bin Abdul Hadi” who had a strong chain of transmission in hadith, and many people narrated from her. She was described as easy to listen to and gentle, and she narrated from two female hadith scholars: “Sitt al-Fuqaha bint al-Wasiti” and “Zainab bint al-Kamal”.

Ibn Hajar mentioned in his book “al-Mu’jam al-Mousasas li-Mu’jam al-Mufahras” many of his sheikhas from whom he learned knowledge, and about his participation in hearing from the sheikhs with some of them, and he described some of them as classified, and she is Aisha bint Abdullah al-Halabiyyah.Imam Al-Dhahabi mentioned many of his female teachers before him in his book “Dictionary of Al-Dhahabi’s Sheikhs”, and he used to say about some of them, “Our female teacher has passed away.”

Women played a prominent role in educating and raising the great jurist and scholar Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi, as they taught him the Holy Qur’an, reading, writing, and poetry. He remained under their care until he reached adulthood. He recounts his experience, saying: “I was raised in the care of women, and grew up in their hands. I did not know anyone other than them, and I did not sit with men except when I was in my youth. They taught me the Qur’an, recited to me many poems, and trained me in calligraphy.” This upbringing and education had a great impact on his taste and personality. The eminent

scholar

"Fatima bint Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Samarqandi" came to occupy a high and lofty position in jurisprudence and fatwa, and she took the lead in teaching and wrote a number of books, and the just king "Nur al-Din Mahmud" used to consult her in some internal state affairs, and ask her about some jurisprudential issues, as for her husband, the great jurist "al-Kasani", the author of the book "al-Bada'i", he might wander in fatwa, so she would guide him back to the right and show him the direction of error, so he would refer to her words, and she used to issue fatwas and her husband would respect her fatwa, and the fatwa would come out with her signature and the signatures of her father and husband, and when her father died, she and her husband "al-Kasani" would sign the fatwa because of her deep knowledge and vast jurisprudence. "Al-Sakhawi" mentioned in his huge encyclopedia "al-Daw' al-Lami' li-Ahl al-Qarn al-Tasi'" more than (1070) biographies of prominent women in that century, most of whom were hadith scholars and jurists.

As for the encyclopedic scholar “Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti”, his sheikhas played a prominent role in his scientific formation. He studied under “Umm Hani’ bint al-Horini”, whom he called al-Musnad. She was a scholar of grammar, and he included a biography of her in his book “Bughyat al-Wu’at fi Akhbar al-Nahhat”. He also studied under “Umm al-Fadl bint Muhammad al-Maqdisi”, “Khadija bint Abi al-Hasan al-Muqan”, “Nashwan bint Abdullah al-Kinani”, “Hajar bint Muhammad al-Masriyya”, “Ummat al-Khaliq bint Abdul Latif al-Uqabi”, and many others.

That period of history witnessed a great scholar and writer, Aisha Al-Ba'uniyya, who was one of the most distinguished Sufis and poets. She used to exchange Sufi poems with the writers of her time. Al-Ghazzi described her in his book "Al-Kawakib Al-Sa'ira fi Akhbar Al-Ma'at Al-'Ashara", saying: "She is the working Sufi Damascene scholar, one of the individuals of the era, and the rarities of the age, in virtue, knowledge, literature, poetry, religion and chastity." She had a considerable number of Sufi works, collections and poems.

She was not confined to her home,

and some of these scholars assumed the positions of sheikhs of some ribats, such as "Zain Al-Arab bint Abd Al-Rahman bin Omar" who died in the year (704 AH) who assumed the position of sheikh of the Saklatuni ribat, then the sheikh of the Haramain ribat.

The Muslim female scholar was not satisfied with giving scientifically in times of peace and prosperity, but she had a prominent scientific contribution in the most severe times of trials and crises. When the fortresses of Islam fell in Andalusia and Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity, and the inquisition courts practiced the most severe and horrific types of torture against Muslims, some people were forced to show their conversion to Christianity and hide their Islam. Despite these restrictive Spanish policies, Muslims there were practicing their scientific activity, and there were two women who represented the highest authority for Muslims in the sciences of Sharia, as many Muslim preachers who preserved and carried Islam for years graduated at their hands, and they are “Muslimah Abdah” and “Muslimah Abla”, and the Morisco jurist “Abiralo” graduated from them, who wrote many books of interpretation and Sunnah in the Alkhmid language that Muslims invented there.

The Muslim woman had a prominent presence in the Islamic scientific community. She would learn, teach, and travel to seek knowledge. Students would come to her to learn from her. She would classify books, issue fatwas, and consult on public matters. She was not confined to a home or room, or captive to a specific profession. Rather, the field was open to her, shaded by the pure Sharia, and protected by chastity and purity. ---------