Between Tradition and Reform: Exploring Islamic Education for Women in South Asia
By Syed Amjad Hussain, New Age Islam
29 October 2025
In her Book Usha Sanyal humanises South Asian Muslim women’s journeys into Islamic scholarship, showing how education empowers them to balance tradition, agency and community in today’s changing British society.
Main Points:
1. Muslim women’s pursuit of Islamic knowledge balances tradition with modern interpretations, reflecting deep intellectual engagement.
2. Women’s education cultivates agency, enabling a careful negotiation of social and religious expectations.
3. Female madrasas focus more on worship and rituals, contrasting with male madrasas’ emphasis on sectarian debate.
4. Online institutions like Al-Huda broaden access, especially for urban, middle-class women seeking spiritual and intellectual growth.
5. Graduates’ life paths vary widely, including teaching, social work, and reshaping religious discourse within communities
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Introduction
Scholars of Faith: South Asian Muslim Women and the Embodiment of Religious Knowledge by Usha Sanyal is a thoughtful and deeply engaging exploration of Islamic learning through the eyes of women. Published by Oxford University Press in 2020, the book looks closely at the personal journeys, challenges, and ambitions of Muslim women who pursue religious education in two very different settings: a traditional women’s madrasa called Jami‘a Nur in North India, and the internationally connected Al-Huda network, known for its online courses and modern style of study.
Mapping Women’s Religious Worlds
What makes Sanyal’s work truly remarkable is the way she brings together two contrasting educational environments. On one side is the vibrant, community-centred life of a madrasa in India, full of daily routines, classroom discipline, memorisation, companionship, and the guiding presence of teachers. The women who graduate from Jami‘a Nur are shown as confident, capable contributors to their communities: they become teachers, hold study circles, support social welfare causes, and quietly shape local religious life with care and conviction.
On the other side is Al-Huda, a very different kind of learning space that has reached Muslim households across continents. Here, women log in from their homes, motivated by a desire for deeper knowledge, a stronger spiritual identity, and the confidence to respond to the challenges Muslim women face in public and private life today. The teaching style is more interactive, questioning, and grounded in personal interpretation, especially for urban, middle-class learners.
Agency, Authority, and What It Means to Be “Modern”
One of the most powerful elements of this book is how it handles the idea of women’s agency. Rather than viewing Muslim women as either “restricted” or “liberated,” Sanyal shows something far more real: women negotiating tradition with intelligence, finding voice within faith, and shaping their own paths as believers and leaders.
She also highlights key differences in how gender and religious identity are expressed. While men’s madrasas often emphasise debate and public performance, women’s religious spaces tend to cultivate a quieter, more relational form of piety — through prayer circles, shared learning, and personal mentorship. Sanyal suggests that both spaces are very much part of a changing, modern world — even if that modernity takes different forms.
Rich Fieldwork and Real Voices
Sanyal’s writing is detailed yet readable, and her fieldwork at Jamia Nur feels particularly vivid. We hear from students, teachers, and alumnae in their own words, creating a sense of closeness with their hopes and struggles. These sections shine with emotional warmth and respect.
Her work on Al-Huda, while insightful, is naturally less intimate, after all, digital classrooms do not easily allow the same level of personal immersion. Still, she presents a clear picture of how online religious learning has transformed women’s access to education and community.
Critical Reflections
I have felt that the book could explain more clearly what makes these educational experiences distinctly “modern.” Some critics wanted a deeper engagement with the fast-growing world of online religious activism. These are fair points, but they do not take away from the originality or the contributions of the research.
Instead, they point to exciting future questions, especially how class, technology, and global mobility continue to reshape Muslim women’s learning experiences.
Conclusion
Scholars of Faith is an important and heartfelt contribution to the study of Islam, women’s education, and South Asian society. Usha Sanyal brings immense care to her portrayal of Muslim women who pursue knowledge not for fame or rebellion, but out of devotion to God, to their communities, and to themselves.
For researchers, journalists, students, or anyone interested in how faith and gender evolve in today’s world, this book is not just useful, it feels necessary.
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Syed Amjad Hussain is an author and Independent research scholar on Sufism and Islam. He is the author of 'Bihar Aur Sufivad', a bestselling research book based on the history of Sufism in Bihar.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/tradition-reform-islamic-education-women/d/137432
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