Seeking knowledge is a duty for men and women
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ“Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” — and the word “Muslim” covers men and women alike.
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ وَٱلۡمُسۡلِمَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ وَٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ وَٱلۡقَٰنِتَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ وَٱلصَّٰدِقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّٰبِرَٰتِ وَٱلۡخَٰشِعِينَ وَٱلۡخَٰشِعَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَٱلۡمُتَصَدِّقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمِينَ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمَٰتِ وَٱلۡحَٰفِظِينَ فُرُوجَهُمۡ وَٱلۡحَٰفِظَٰتِ وَٱلذَّٰكِرِينَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرٗا وَٱلذَّٰكِرَٰتِ أَعَدَّ ٱللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٗ وَأَجۡرًا عَظِيمٗاGewiß, muslimische Männer und muslimische Frauen, gläubige Männer und gläubige Frauen, ergebene Männer und ergebene Frauen, wahrhaftige Männer und wahrhaftige Frauen, standhafte Männer und standhafte Frauen, demütige Männer und demütige Frauen, Almosen gebende Männer und Almosen gebende Frauen, fastende Männer und fastende Frauen, Männer, die ihre Scham hüten und Frauen, die (ihre Scham) hüten, und Allahs viel gedenkende Männer und gedenkende Frauen für (all) sie hat Allah Vergebung und großartigen Lohn bereitet.
طُوبَىٰ لِنِسَاءِ الْأَنْصَارِ، لَمْ يَمْنَعْهُنَّ حَيَاؤُهُنَّ أَنْ يَتَفَقَّهْنَ فِي الدِّينِ“How excellent the women of the Ansar are! Their shyness did not prevent them from learning their religion in depth.”
The Prophet’s ﷺ school: women asked and learned
Women attended the mosque, joined study circles and asked the Prophet ﷺ directly; some argued their own legal cases until the Quran answered them — as with Khawlah bint Tha’labah, whose plea about her husband was affirmed by revelation. The Mothers of the Believers became authorities consulted without embarrassment after the Prophet’s ﷺ death.
قَدۡ سَمِعَ ٱللَّهُ قَوۡلَ ٱلَّتِي تُجَٰدِلُكَ فِي زَوۡجِهَا وَتَشۡتَكِيٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ يَسۡمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَآۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعُۢ بَصِيرٌGehört hat ja Allah die Aussage derjenigen, die mit dir über ihren Gatten streitet und sich bei Allah beklagt, während Allah euren Wortwechsel hört. Gewiß, Allah ist Allhörend und Allsehend.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتُ يُبَايِعۡنَكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن لَّا يُشۡرِكۡنَ بِٱللَّهِ شَيۡـٔٗا وَلَا يَسۡرِقۡنَ وَلَا يَزۡنِينَ وَلَا يَقۡتُلۡنَ أَوۡلَٰدَهُنَّ وَلَا يَأۡتِينَ بِبُهۡتَٰنٖ يَفۡتَرِينَهُۥ بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِنَّ وَأَرۡجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا يَعۡصِينَكَ فِي مَعۡرُوفٖ فَبَايِعۡهُنَّ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُنَّ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞO Prophet, wenn gläubige Frauen zu dir kommen, um dir den Treueid zu leisten, daß sie Allah nichts beigesellen, nicht stehlen, keine Unzucht begehen, ihre Kinder nicht töten, keine Verleumdung vorbringen, die sie vor ihren (eigenen) Händen und Füßen ersinnen, und sich dir nicht widersetzen in dem, was recht ist, dann nimm ihren Treueid an und bitte Allah für sie um Vergebung. Gewiß, Allah ist Allvergebend und Barmherzig.
Aisha and the women scholars of the ummah
Aisha bint Abi Bakr (may God be pleased with them both) ranks among the greatest authorities of the ummah: al-Bukhari, Muslim and the Sunan collections narrate some two thousand hadiths through her, and the Companions and their successors sought rulings from her on the Prophet’s ﷺ private life, Quran commentary, law and poetry. After her, women hadith-masters and jurists appeared in every century, some held up as models of memory and precision in transmission.
- Karima Umm Ahmad al-Marwaziyya (d. 463 AH): a transmitter of Sahih al-Bukhari in Mecca, from whom leading scholars took hadith (Dhahabi’s Siyar A’lam al-Nubala).
- Shuhdah bint al-Ibari (d. 573 AH): heard from al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and others, taught in Baghdad and granted licences to senior scholars (Ibn al-Muqarram’s al-Dhayl wa-l-Takmila).
- Zaynab bint Umar ibn al-Kamal (d. 740 AH): Damascus master of transmitters, from whom thousands of scholars — including the hafiz Ibn Hajar — took hadith (Ibn Hajar’s al-Durar al-Kamina).
Women in dawah
وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتُ بَعۡضُهُمۡ أَوۡلِيَآءُ بَعۡضٖۚ يَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤۡتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ سَيَرۡحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٞDie gläubigen Männer und Frauen sind einer des anderen Beschützer. Sie gebieten das Rechte und verbieten das Verwerfliche, verrichten das Gebet und entrichten die Abgabe und gehorchen Allah und Seinem Gesandten. Sie sind es, derer Allah Sich erbarmen wird. Gewiß, Allah ist Allmächtig und Allweise.
The plural wording of the verse on enjoining good includes women with men: each is an ally of the other in goodness. Women took dawah seriously from the first generation; the Prophet’s ﷺ biography is incomplete without their names.
- Nusaybah Umm Amarah: at Uhud she served water and treated the wounded, then defended the Prophet ﷺ with her sword until wounded (Ibn Hisham’s Sira; Ibn Hajar’s al-Isabah).
- Al-Shifa bint Abdillah: taught Hafsah to write, and Umar ibn al-Khattab appointed her supervisor of the Medina market (Ibn Hajar’s al-Isabah).
- Umm Sulaym Sahbah bint Milhan: narrated hadith, taught women and took part in community affairs (Dhahabi’s Siyar A’lam al-Nubala).
Today every Muslim woman can take part in dawah: through good conduct before words, by walking with new Muslim women in their learning, and by a home that presents Islam to people in its best light.
Häufige Fragen
Is a woman required to learn her religion?
Yes; learning the minimum required for worship and dealings is a personal duty on her as on men — Ibn Majah’s hadith “seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim” covers both.
Did women learn in the mosque?
Yes; they attended prayer and study circles in the Prophet’s ﷺ and the Companions’ era, and Muslim 442 commands facilitating that.
May a woman travel to study without a mahram?
There are contemporary differences: many scholars allow travel for study or need given the circumstances; others apply further conditions. Present your situation to a trusted Islamic centre.
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