by Juwairia Ansari & Sarah Siddiqui
Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim.
The pursuit of knowledge, a moral imperative articulated by the Messenger ﷺ, is a civilizational value that drove the expansion and development of the Islamic intellectual tradition for over fourteen centuries. Both men and women dedicated themselves to serving the prophetic inheritance, leading to the highly sophisticated system of knowledge we engage with today.
Women have engaged with the sacred sciences from the earliest stages of Islam. From Umm Salamah disseminating knowledge to the women of Madīnah to Hafsah’s manuscript of the Qur’an being used as a reference for the standardization of the muṣḥaf, the women around the Messenger ﷺ were the first in a long line of women dedicated to the service of knowledge.
Across empires and throughout time, women took on the role of legal experts, accomplished Quran reciters, and generous patrons to scholarship. This is all in addition to raising subsequent generations of intellectuals and civilization builders.
Women in our history primarily invested into the intellectual tradition in the following ways:
1. Scholarship: Direct engagement in scholarship, by studying and teaching the sacred sciences.
2. Patronage: By funding students, places of worship and educational institutions, women facilitated resources for the distribution of knowledge.
3. Motherhood: Muslim women dedicated themselves to their families, inculcating the Islamic worldview in their children and cultivating deep reverence for the intellectual legacy of the Messenger ﷺ.
4. Arts & Literature: Women advanced our culture of the arts through poetry, calligraphy, craftsmanship and literature.
Below, a few examples of women serving knowledge are presented.
Umm al-Muʾminīn ʿĀʾishah (d. 58 H)
The Prophetic City
A significant portion of the Islamic tradition can be traced back to the wife of the Prophet ﷺ. One of only seven companions to narrate over a thousand aḥādīth, her knowledge was such that other senior companions would consult her on complex legal and theological matters. Recognized for her incredible memory and a deep understanding of the Quran and the Sharīʿah, she was also praised for her extensive knowledge of medicine, history, genealogy and poetry.
Sayyida Nafīsa (d. 208 H)
Cairo, Egypt
Sayyida Nafīsa was a descendant of the Messenger ﷺ well-known for her knowledge and piety. A prominent figure in Cairo, she was often frequented by visitors seeking knowledge, guidance and prayers.
Figure 1.0: Al-Sayyida Nafisa Mosque
Her presence in the historical city was valued by local residents and government officials alike. When intending to leave Cairo to retreat from the public acclaim she acquired, the governor personally made arrangements for her to remain.
The great Imam Shafiʿī, also a resident of Cairo, learned hadīth from her and sought her duʿās. Her legacy in Cairo has been memorialized through a masjid built in her honor (Figure 1.0), which is open to locals and tourists.
Fāṭima al-Samarqandiyya (d. 580 H)
Samarqand, Uzbekistan
Born into a family of scholarship, Fāṭima al-Samarqandiyya is remembered for her deep understanding of Islamic law. From memorizing ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Samarqandī’s three-volume compendium on Islamic law to co-issuing legal rulings with her father and husband, her proficiency in fiqh would be equivalent to at least 10 years of full-time study at Darul Qasim today.
Mihrimah Sulṭān (d. 985 H)
Istanbul, Turkey (Ottoman Empire)
The Ottoman empire saw countless women leaving a lasting impact through their patronage, funding libraries, masājid and educational institutions. One example of this is Mihrimah Sulṭān, daughter of Sulaymān the Magnificent. She commissioned the construction of a complex in present-day Üsküdar, Turkey, which consisted of a masjid, a religious school, an infirmary and a bath house.
Figure 2.0: Mihrimah Sultan Mosque
Complexes like the one commissioned by Mihrimah Sultan facilitated religious education through built-in madrasas and served students of knowledge, worshippers & local residents.
Jahanara Begum (d. 1092 H)
Delhi, India
Like the Ottomans, Mughal women are remembered for their philanthropic contributions and their role in funding scholars, educational institutions and places of worship.
Jahanara Begum was the eldest daughter of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and the sister of his successor Aurangzeb. She was both well-educated and a generous patron.
She authored several biographies of scholars, including a biography of Muʿīn al-dīn Chishtī (Figure 3.0). Her accomplishments also include funding the Jami Masjid of Agra, which was the first functioning congregational mosque in Mughal history to be sponsored by a woman.
Reading through such an exemplary list begets the question: Where are the female scholars and patrons of today? Though they may not be well known, they are present throughout the world and continue to engage in various disciplines.
Contemporary personalities include Samira al-Zayid, a Syrian native who authored Al-Jāmi‘ fī al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, a six-volume work contextualizing each incident that occurred in the life of the Prophet ﷺ. She taught the sīrah for forty years before passing away in 2019.
Similarly, Hind al-Shalabī was a Tunisian university professor who authored works in the Qur’anic sciences. During her lifetime, she criticized policies that were inconsistent with Islam, such as a state ban of the Tunisian veil.
Women like the ones mentioned have been the norm throughout Muslim history. Muslim women were often well-educated, generous, and possessed valuable skills that were used to advance society, all while upholding our civilizational values and observing the bounds of Divine Law.
The impact of women is not always quantifiable, and it is subtle more often than it is overt. It can be seen in the lasting institutions they contribute to, the works they author, the children they raise and the scholars they support.
The work these women initiated continues at Darul Qasim College – the learning that takes place at this institution is nothing but a seamless extension of the centuries-long tradition of women’s active involvement with their religion.
