There are many people who ignorantly speak about Islam to lead you to believe that Islam encourages the suppression of education among Muslim women. There are those who proclaim Islam and will parrot these nonsensical lies spouted by those who have an agenda against Islam and the proper Sunnah.
The greatest honor in Islam, after sincere submission and worship of Allah alone and following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, is seeking Islamic knowledge and teaching it to others. If Islam as a religion, and historic practices of Muslim Scholars, suppressed women in education, then we would not find the many female narrators, scholars, and scribes in the Muslim world.
Many scholars have already spoken about this subject. These are some small examples from we’ve come across while conducting other research in Islamic manuscripts.
Kitab Al-Muskir of Ibn Abi ad-Dunya | كتاب المسكر لابن أبي الدنيا
To the best of our limited knowledge, there is only one remaining manuscript of this notable work of Ibn Abi ad-Dunya (d. 281H) that has been catalogued or used in the published edition (refer to the edition (Tahqeeq) of Yasin as-Sawiss, Dar al-Basha’ir, 1410H/1991.
Two female scholars are recorded to have learned and taught and transmitted this text. One is Fakhr-un-Nisaa Shuhdah bint Ahmad bin Al-Faraj bin ‘Umar al Ibri and the other is Faatimah bint Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Muhammad bin Al-Bazzazah Al-Baghdadiyyah. Both women were transmitters of Hadeeth and books of knowledge. Both held a high status in Baghdad due to their knowledge and transmission of knowledge.
- Fakhr-un-Nisaa Shuhdah bint Ahmad bin Al-Faraj bin ‘Umar al-Ibri Ad-Dinawari| فخر النساء شهدة بنت احمد بن الفرج بن عمر الإبري الدينوري (d. 574H) was famous in sittings of knowledge and transmission of Hadeeth in Baghdad. Al-Hamawi cited that she came from a family of scholars of Hadeeth, she was exceptional, and had a beautiful handwriting- and it was not known that anyone in Baghdad in her time could write like her [Mu’jam al-Udaba, 3/1422-1423]. The Khaleefah, Al-Muqtafi-li amrillah al-‘Abbasi gave precedence to her for her knowledge and transmission of Hadeeth. She transmitted Hadeeth and knowledge from many notable scholars, including her father, An-Naqeeb Abul Fawaris Tarad az-Zaynabi, Abul-Khattab Al-Qari, Abul Hasan Al-‘Allaaf, and others.
- Faatimah bint Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Muhammad bin Al-Bazzazah Al-Baghdadiyyah | فاطمة بنت محمد بن علي البزازة، البغدادية (d. 563H) was also known as Nafeesah | نفيسة and was a scholar in Hadeeth. She attended many of the Sama’aat (sessions where books are read and studied). Adh-Dhahabi mentioned that she learned and transmitted Hadeeth from Tarad az-Zaynabi, Ibn Talhah an-Ni’aali and others. Some of the most famous Hanbali scholars narrated and learned from her, such as ‘Abdul-Ghani al Maqdisi, Al-Muwaffaq al-Hanbali, Abu Is-haaq al-Kashighri (Siyar A’laam an-Nubala, 20/489).
Saheeh Al-Bukhari | صحيح البخاري
This is another example of a Shaykha that was prolific in Syria for transmission of Hadeeth and knowledge. She scribed Saheeh al-Bukhari with extensive annotations.
The scribe is the Syrian Hanbali scholar Zaynab bin ‘Abdul-Waahid bin Ahmad al-Maqdisiyyah ad-Dimashqiyyah as-Salihiyyah al-Hanbaliyyah | زينب بنت عبد الواحد بن احمد, المقدسيه الدمشقية الصالحية الحنبلية (d. 7th century Hijri). She was known to prolifically transmit hadeeth and was famous in the Salihiyyah district of Damascus. She has a unique work transmitting the ‘Awali ahadeeth of Abi Tahir as-Silafi, Abil Fat-h ibn Sha’ieel, and Ibn as-Sa’aadaat ibn Zurayq. There is a manuscript of this work in the Dhahiriyyah library. Her brother was also a famous scholar, Dhiyaa-ud-deen al-Maqdisi (d. after 617H) . Her handwriting, as can be seen in the manuscript of Saheeh Bukhari, was stunning.
Juz Bibi | جزء بيبي
This is another example of a female scholar who famously transmitted the ahadeeth transmitted by Ibn Surayj that her transmission is famously known by her name… Juz Bibi. She was Umm al-Fadl Bibi bint ‘Abdus-Samad bin ‘Ali al-Hathramiyyah.
She was Bibi bint ‘Abdus-Samad bin ‘Ali bin Muhammad Al-Hathramiyyah, Al-Harawiyyah | بيبي بنت عبد الصمد بن علي بن محمد الهثرمية الهروية (d. 477 or 478H). She was from the area of Herat in modern day Afghanistan. She famously narrated the Hadeeth of Abu Muhammad ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abi Shurayh, such that her narrations from him are nicknamed Juz Bibi. She was known as someone who was prolific in narrating Hadeeth (Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa, 18/403).
Dhahiriyyah Library, Majmoo’ah #124, Fol. 173
Al-Muntakhab min Musnad ‘Abd bin Humayd| المنتخب من مسند عبد بن الحميد
Another example that I recently came across as part of some coursework in a Dawrah is this Samaa’ah written by Al-Qaasim bin Ahmad bin Al-Qaasim bin Dawood As-Sarini al-Meknasi who mentions that he read the entirety of Al-Muntakhab min Musnad ‘Abd bin Humayd to ash-Shaykha as-Saalihah, Al-Aseelah, Umm Muhammad Zaynab bint Ahmad bin ‘Umar bin Abi Bakr bin Shukr al-Maqdisiyyah and in attendance of these Majalis, which took place in the house of these two women in Al-Quds: Zahrah bint ‘Abdillah as-Saalihiyyah and Faatimah bint Ibraheem
The scholar here was the Mu’amirrah (one who lived a long life), Umm Muhammad Zaynab bint Ahmad bin ‘Umar bin Abi Bakr bin Shukr Al-Maqdisiyyah (d. 722H) | أم محمد زينب ابنة أحمد بن عمر بن أبي بكر بن شكر المقدسية. She lived to the age of 94 (Adh-Dhahabi stated in her 100s, Mu’jam ash-Shuyookh, 1/248). She narrated from Ibn al-Latti and Al-Hamadani a significant amount, which she was the only one in her time that preserved that knowledge. She moved from her birthplace of Qasiyyoon to Jerusalem. She had traveled a lot and narrated in Egypt and lived in Madeenah for sometime. She was famous for her worship. Ibn al-‘Attar had narrated from her. Among those who narrated from her was Imaam adh-Dhahabi as he stated that he read to her in Jerusalem.
This Sama’ah shows that the scholars and students had learned from women and narrated some of the most important books in Hadeeth and transmitted from them with Ijaazaat. In addition, this Samaa’ah also shows that some of these Majalis al ‘Ilm were hosted in the homes of the female students of knowledge (in accordance with the Sharee’ah, and obviously not freely mixed gatherings).