Woman is one of the two genders created by Allah as caliph. The woman is the one who was created together with the first human being and the first prophet, Adam, and sent into the world together with him. As the recipient of commands and prohibitions, she is a responsible being in the world of trial. The Holy Qur’an expresses this fact as follows: “Whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely bless them with a good life, and We will certainly reward them according to the best of their deeds.” (Nahl, 16:97)
In the Qur’an, believing women and men are mentioned together in matters related to faith, worship, morality, social, and economic issues, even though they may have different responsibilities at times due to their distinct genders (Ahzab, 33:35). The Qur’an does not differentiate between women and men when it asks, “Do they not reason, do they not think, do they not contemplate?”; when it mentions the obligatory acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, and hajj; and when it lists moral qualities such as patience, chastity, and reverence for Allah.
To fulfill their responsibilities, people must first be aware of them. Moreover, since the rewards for deeds committed are of varying degrees, all people should have opportunities to know, read, and learn in order to improve in this regard. It is evident that these opportunities include both religious and worldly knowledge. Since the Qur’an does not equate individuals who have knowledge with those who do not, it is obvious that depriving some of Allah’s servants of knowledge or restricting them to a very limited field of knowledge would not be in accordance with the Creator’s will. These considerations are significant in shaping the Muslim perspective on women and education.
When examining the verses and hadiths related to knowledge in Asr al-Sa’adah, we do not find any instances of women being exempted. Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) life, practices, and recommendations to his companions provide several examples of the inclusion of women in education. These examples, which we will present below, hold significant importance today due to their powerful message, as they are practices that were carried out in spite of the established beliefs, traditions, and entrenched misconceptions of society in a period when women were deprived of their most basic human rights.
In the days when the Divine Message was being revealed one by one and educated people under the example and leadership of the Prophet (saw), the companions had the opportunity to be with him at various times during the day. Additionally, certain individuals, known as the people of the Suffah, dedicated all their time to the Masjid al-Nabawi to receive education from the Prophet. The female companions were saddened by the fact that they did not have the opportunity to be with the Prophet (saw) all the time and did not benefit enough from his conversations. For this reason, a female companion came to the Prophet (saw) on behalf of her fellow companions and requested, “O Messenger of Allah, men receive your instructions; kindly allocate at your convenience a day for us also, on which we would come to you and you would teach us what Allah has taught you.” The Prophet (saw) allocated a special day for them and personally took care of their education (Muslim, Birr, 152).
The Messenger of Allah (saw) ensured that all segments of society -men, women, young, old, children, slaves, and free people- benefited from the Prophetic education in the process of creating an Islamic society that would serve as an exemplary model for all ages, transitioning from the Jahiliyyah society. The creation of a novel society, the eradication of wrong thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, and practices, and their replacement with the right ones required a total mobilization for education and transformation. This objective could only be achieved by all members of society. Moreover, according to the Holy Qur’an, women, like men, are the recipients of Allah’s commands and are responsible for them (Ahzab, 33:36). Therefore, they should know what they are responsible for and their nature.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) attached special importance to the education of women from the earliest days of receiving the revelation. Even before announcing his message to the wider society, he met secretly with his closest companions in the house of Al-Arqam ibn Abi al[1]Arqam, where women also came to learn about Islam despite the various dangers and threats they faced. Many of us may have assumed that the participants in the secret meetings in Arqam’s house were male companions, but we learn from the sources that there were also female companions in those meetings (Muwatta, Bay’ah, 1). We believe that this example from the early days of revelation is important to show that the issue of women in educational life or the education of women is beyond discussion in all environments and conditions.
There are many examples of the importance given to the education of women during the time of the Prophet (saw) and their desire and enthusiasm for learning. As a matter of fact, there are many narrations in the hadith sources that can serve as examples in this regard. One of the most basic examples in this regard is the Prophet’s (saw) encouragement of women to attend the mosque, as well as his admonitions to men not to prevent women from attending the mosque: “Do not prevent your women from going to the mosque when they seek your permission.” (Muslim, Salah, 137) and “Do not prevent the maid[1]servants of Allah from going to the mosque.” (Muslim, Salah, 136; Bukhari, Jumu’ah, 13). When we consider the function of mosques in the early years of Islam, it is clear that the purpose of these warnings against preventing women from coming to the mosque was not only to enable them to participate in congregational prayers. In those days, the mosque also served as a center of education. The Messenger of Allah wanted everyone, men and women, to benefit from this educational environment, implementing practices and guiding his companions accordingly. Our Prophet (saw), who wanted women to benefit from this education, advised a woman who said that she had no clothes to come to the mosque and borrow some from her friend (Abu Dawud, Salah, 238). This clear attitude of the Prophet (saw) invites believers to remain vigilant about the obstacles or excuses that may impede the education of women and girls.
One of the best examples of the education of all believers, men, and women, in the Asr al-Sa’adah was evident in the Friday and Eid prayers. By attending Friday and Eid prayers, women who attended these prayers experienced spiritual connection and peace through the khutbah. All female companions, young and old, came to the prayer hall for Eid prayers, with their participation in these prayers being at the special request of the Prophet (saw). They were not deprived of this shared activity, which also served as a form of education (Muslim, ‘Eidayn, 11). Another incident demonstrating the accessibility of mosques to women during that era is as follows: Umm Salamah heard the Prophet (saw) addressing the congregation with “O People!” while a woman was combing her hair at her house, prompting her to immediately direct her attention to the mosque. The woman assumed that the Prophet (saw) had only addressed men and commented, “He (saw) has addressed the men only, and he has not invited the attention of the women.” In response, Umm Salamah asserted, “I am also amongst the people” (Muslim, Fadhail, 29). Umm Hisham, a female companion from Medina, reported that she attended Friday prayers and learned Surah al-Qaf from his recitation, as the Prophet himself recited it every Friday from the pulpit (Muslim, Jumu’ah, 52).
In the process of societal transformation, the Prophet (saw) prioritized the education of his companions in matters of faith, instilling the belief of tawhid in their hearts, and shaping their moral structures accordingly. Alongside these educational activities, while the Prophet (saw) not only encouraged his companions to read, write, and acquire knowledge but also regarded scholars as the heirs of prophets (Abu Dawud, Ilm, 1; Tirmidhi, Ilm, 19). He recommended that the knowledge that they gained from him should be imparted to others (Bukhari, Ilm, 9; Muslim, Qasamah, 29). He declared that those who learn and teach will be equally rewarded (Ibn Majah, Sunnah, 17), and he did not differentiate between men and women in his educational approach. When we examine his life, practices, and words, we see that he envisioned and implemented an educational mobilization that encompassed the entire ummah.
