Having established beyond question the spiritual equality of men and
women in Islam, what of their intelligence, knowledge and education? The
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"The search for knowledge is a duty for every Muslim (male or
female)".
And he also said:
"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave".
"Knowledge" for a Muslim is not divided into sacred and secular,
and the implication of these sayings of the Prophet, in modern terms, is that
every Muslim boy or girl, man or woman, should pursue his or her education as
far as it is possible, bearing in mind the words of Allah (God) in the Holly Qur'an:
"Only those of His Servants who are learned truly fear God" (Qur’an 35:28).
In Islam therefore, both men and women are credited with the capacity
for learning and understanding and teaching, and one of the aims of acquiring
knowledge is that of becoming more conscious of God. It is considered in Islam
that the more a person, male or female, studies the creation and observes its workings,
the more he Or
she becomes
conscious of the Creator, the Power who made and sustains the creation.
One of the most famous women in the history of Islam is A'isha,
the Prophet Muhammad’s wife. And the quality for which she is remembered
primarily is that of her intelligence and outstanding memory. She is considered
to be one of the most reliable sources of Hadith (A Hadith is
what the prophet says) by virtue of these qualities. More than a thousand Ahadith (Ahadith is the
plural form of Hadith) are reported by her and she is regarded as one of the greatest teachers
of the Hadith.
Generally speaking, in the Muslim world of the early mediaeval times,
there was not any bar or prohibition on women pursuing studies-on the contrary,
the religion encouraged it. As a result of this many women became famous as
religious scholars, writers, poets, doctors and teachers in their own right,
such as Naflsa a descendant of 'Ali who was such a great authority on Hadith that Imam al-Shafi‘i sat in
her circle in al-Fustat when he was at the height of his fame; and Shaikha
Shuhda who lectured publicly in one of the principal mosques of Baghdad to
large audiences on literature, rhetoric and poetry, and was one of the foremost
scholars of Islam.
There are numerous other ins.tances of learned Muslim women who have
been teachers, writers and poets, held in the highest respect by Muslim society.
There is therefore every encouragement for a Muslim woman to pursue studies in
any field for her intellectual benefit and to make use of her academic or
professional training for the good of the community.
