Women Scholars of Islam: They Must Bloom Again

Abstract:     
Women, parallel to men, should be as much part of the overall Islamic discourse. Even though the earliest period of Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad (s) saw full and robust participation of women in all areas of life, unfortunately, within a century the role of women began to be marginalized. That is why Muslims generally know so well about names of many Muslim famale luminaries in the earliest period, yet not able to name a single such name after that period. Yet, contrary to popular knowledge (or lack thereof) and perception, women scholars had pivotal contribution in at least one field: hadith literature and education. This article provides a synopsis of those women scholars' contribution and makes the case that fostering higher education and scholarship among Muslim women so that they can fully participate in all aspects of decision-making, including the development/reshaping of Fiqh (Islamic law) is an important Islamic imperative.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 7

Keywords: Islam, women, women scholars, hadith, Ayesha, higher education

Accepted Paper Series