Women Islamic Scholars, Theological Seminaries.18 Similar to the Muftis, and Judges Are the Great Exception
ISSUE BRIEF 10.02.18 Women as Religious Authorities: What A Forgotten History Means for the Modern Middle East Mirjam Künkler, Ph.D., University of Göttingen Although the history of Islam includes family members of the prophet were numerous examples of women transmitting frequently consulted on questions of Islamic hadith (i.e., sayings of the prophet), writing guidance. This practice was not limited to authoritative scholarly commentaries on the prophet’s family and descendants. As the Quran and religious law, and issuing Islamic scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl notes, fatwas (rulings on questions of Islamic law), “certain families from Damascus, Cairo, and women rarely perform such actions today. Baghdad made a virtual tradition of training Most Muslim countries, including those in female transmitters and narrators, and… the Middle East, do not allow women to these female scholars regularly trained serve as judges in Islamic courts. Likewise, and certified male and female jurists and few congregations would turn to women therefore played a major contributing role for advice on matters of Islamic law, or in the preservation and transmission of invite women to lead prayer or deliver the Islamic traditions.”1 sermon (khutba). Women’s role in transmitting hadiths For decades, Sudan and Indonesia were was modeled after ‘A’ishah, the prophet’s the only countries that permitted female youngest wife, who had been such a prolific judges to render decisions on the basis of transmitter that Muhammad is said to have the Quran and hadiths (which are usually told followers they would receive “half their conceived as a male prerogative only).
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