The Prohibition Against Women Holding Authority Positions in The Ahadith Is a Subject That Requires Responses from Ulema and Experts
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
5 April
2024
The author questions why Muslim women are not
allowed to hold authority positions under Islamic law, referring to two
specific Ahadith, and seeks clarification from Islamic academics, Ulama and
religious authorities.
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Honourable
Ulema-e-Kiraam, Islamic academics, and religious authorities, I recently read a
hadith that covers several topics, but I'm curious to know from all of you why
women aren't allowed to hold positions of authority. Why is it forbidden for
Muslim women to be in positions of authority under Islamic law? In this regard,
Ulema-e-Kiraam cite a number of Ahadith. I'll just mention two of them here:
Abu
Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِذَا كَانَ أُمَرَاؤُكُمْ خِيَارَكُمْ وَأَغْنِيَاؤُكُمْ سُمَحَاءَكُمْ وَأُمُورُكُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَكُمْ فَظَهْرُ الأَرْضِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ مِنْ بَطْنِهَا وَإِذَا كَانَ أُمَرَاؤُكُمْ شِرَارَكُمْ وَأَغْنِيَاؤُكُمْ بُخَلاَءَكُمْ وَأُمُورُكُمْ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْ فَبَطْنُ الأَرْضِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ مِنْ ظَهْرِهَا "
"When
your leaders are the best among you, the richest among you are the most
generous, and your issues are consulted among you, then the surface of the
earth is better for you than its belly.
“And when
your leaders are the worst of you, the richest are the stingiest among you, and
your affairs are referred to your women, then the belly of the earth is better
for you than its surface."
Which
category does the hadith that I cited above fall in, please? This hadith
appears to provide moral guidance to leaders so they can treat their citizens
with kindness and justice, and to the wealthiest so they can spend to meet the
needs of the poor and needy. However, of greater significance is its insistence
on consulting in all matters, which suggests that consultations must be applied
in any decision pertaining to political, social, economic, or other matters.
The hadith
makes it very clear that the surface of the earth will be a better place for
humans to live than the belly or the grave of the earth if your leaders treat
people with justice and kindness if the wealthiest are generous and spend in
the cause of the needy people, and if consultations are made in all worldly
affairs. The hadith makes it quite evident that treating people well, being
kind to the poor and in need, and consulting one another while making decisions
are all factors in happiness in this world.
The hadith
goes on to say that if the leaders are the worst, if they mistreat the
population, if they commit crimes against humanity, if the wealthiest people
turn prickly and refuse to lend a hand to those in need or those who are less
fortunate financially, then none of these circumstances will result in a happy
environment in the world.
We can
clearly understand every message in the hadith up to this point. However, I
have a major query with the following line:
“And when
your leaders are the worst of you, the richest are the stingiest among you, and
your affairs are referred to your women, then the belly of the earth is better
for you than its surface”.
"When
your affairs are referred to your women, then the earth's belly is better for
you than its surface," is what needs to be answered.
Ulema-e-Kiraam
uses this passage from the hadith to demonstrate that Islamic law forbids women
from holding positions of authority. They also cite the following hadith
reported by al-Bukhari:
The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: "A people who make a woman their ruler will
never be successful."
My query is
now directed towards Islamic academics and Ulema-e-Kiraam, particularly the
hadith specialists. It is rightly said that the speeches of God and His
Prophets (peace be upon them) are full of wisdom and better for all mankind.
Sometimes we succeed in understanding that wisdom through Allah's blessings and
sometimes we do not. Based on the apparent meaning of these Ahadith, my
question is: Should we spread the idea that women are less valuable than men?
Or were
these Ahadith intended exclusively for a select group of women who lived during
the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him)? Or do they hold for every woman?
Do these Ahadith have an authentic chain of transmission? Does the Prophet's
intended meaning align with the apparent interpretation of these Ahadith? Or
was it meant in a certain context? Do these Ahadith prohibit women from holding
positions of authority due to their gender-based characteristics?
There is no
inequity between the rights of men and women in Islam. Islam gives both genders
enough rights. Rather, we believe that women occasionally possess greater
rights than men. But these Ahadith have compelled me to look for the answers to
the aforementioned queries.
I hope my
questions are not offensive. I have faith in Ulema-e-Kiraam. I have a religious
obligation to show them respect. However, I'm curious to know the rationale and
wisdom of these Ahadith. I don't understand why the Ahadith forbid women from
holding positions of authority, so please respond.
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Kaniz
Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/prohibition-authority-ahadith-ulema/d/132084
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