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 عَظِيمٗاIndeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their chastity and the women who do so, and the men who remember God often and the women who do so — for them God has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.
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 بَصِيرٌGod has indeed heard the words of the woman who argued with you about her husband and complained to God. God hears your dialogue. Indeed God is Hearing, Seeing.
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, when believing women come to you pledging that they will not associate anything with God, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor bring forth a slander they fabricate between their hands and feet, nor disobey you in what is right — then accept their pledge and ask God’s forgiveness for them. Indeed God is Forgiving, Merciful.
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 حَكِيمٞThe believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, establish prayer, give zakah, and obey God and His Messenger. Upon them God will have mercy. Indeed God is Exalted in Might and Wise.
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.
Frequently asked questions
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.
Quran text and translations: QuranEnc. Hadith translations: HadeethEnc. Sources are shown on each item. Found a mistake? Tell us.