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Women's Emancipation during the Prophet's Lifetime #1
The Character of the Muslim Woman
Part 1 of an 8 volume series, this author's abridged version of his longer work of the same title illustrates the status of the Muslim woman in Islam which differs from what is assumed in society today.
Prophet Muhammad established complete equality between men and women as he said, "Women are full sisters of men". Yet both have their respective special functions. This hadith establishes the basic principle of full equality between man and woman, with a measure of specialisation in certain areas.
This volume draws out the features of the Muslim woman's character as outlined in the Qur'an and Sunnah. It shows that much of what we imagine to be Islamic rulings are no more than social traditions.
Several studies identify that Islam gave women their independent status as well as equality with men. However, very little had been written on how this was implemented in real life. His review of the Hadith anthologies gave Abu Shuqqah the idea that a thorough study of the transformation the Prophet brought about in the status of women and in male-female relationships was needed and so he decided to undertake this task. Essentially, he hoped to highlight the role, status and activity of Muslim women during the Prophet’s lifetime and how women’s emancipation was duly fulfilled.
This book takes Muslims back to the way charted by the Prophet (peace be upon him), adding nothing and leaving nothing out. It is a book of documents, written by a scholar who is rich in knowledge, keen to present his faith in its true colours.
Prophet Muhammad established complete equality between men and women as he said, "Women are full sisters of men". Yet both have their respective special functions. This hadith establishes the basic principle of full equality between man and woman, with a measure of specialisation in certain areas.
This volume draws out the features of the Muslim woman's character as outlined in the Qur'an and Sunnah. It shows that much of what we imagine to be Islamic rulings are no more than social traditions.
Several studies identify that Islam gave women their independent status as well as equality with men. However, very little had been written on how this was implemented in real life. His review of the Hadith anthologies gave Abu Shuqqah the idea that a thorough study of the transformation the Prophet brought about in the status of women and in male-female relationships was needed and so he decided to undertake this task. Essentially, he hoped to highlight the role, status and activity of Muslim women during the Prophet’s lifetime and how women’s emancipation was duly fulfilled.
This book takes Muslims back to the way charted by the Prophet (peace be upon him), adding nothing and leaving nothing out. It is a book of documents, written by a scholar who is rich in knowledge, keen to present his faith in its true colours.
138 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2022
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October 1, 2021
“Muslim women during the Prophet’s lifetime were fully aware of the status defined by Islam for women. They participated in the entire range of life’s activities on the basis of such proper awareness.”
Relying solely on the Qur’an and authentic ahadith to detail the social, political, familial, and advisory roles and rights enjoyed by women during the time of revelation, The Character of the Muslim Woman, though authored decades ago, remains a timely scholarly study that empowers the reader by going beyond merely listing the newfound rights of women in 7th century Arabia. There is much to be said about the conflicting narratives we see, hear and read regarding women both in classical scholarly texts and contemporary academic literature.
As Muslim women in the twenty-first century, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to navigate our identities and separate our spiritual obligations from external influences and expectations. It is for this reason that books such as The Character of the Muslim Women are so vital in enabling us to interrogate what our faith means to us in light of modernity and an increasingly secular world. Who are we taking knowledge from and why? With which angles and preconceived notions are we entering the field of knowledge?
Literature can be a battleground.
The intellectual assault we are subjected to on a regular basis breeds confusion rather than clarity and this often ends up dissuading us from indulging in knowledge-seeking in the first instance, mostly out of fear of being misinformed or misled. It can be difficult to sift wrong from right when undertaking independent study and being exposed to every opinion and though on the internet.
But enough of that tangent.
Branching off from his initial study of the seerah, Abd al-Halim Abu Shuqqah decided to compile and analyse all major hadith works pertaining to women, and The Character of the Muslim Woman is the first volume of an eight-part collection. In this work, he outlines, primarily by referencing relevant ahadith, the prominent role women played in Makkan and Madinan society both during and post-revelation.
“The practical application of women’s participation at the time of the Prophet provided fine examples to be followed.”
From debunking largely culturally informed misogynistic misinterpretations of both scripture and ahadith, to evidencing the full societal and intellectual agency Allah has blessed women with in accordance with their unique disposition, Abu Shuqqah’s tireless pursuit in paving the way for Muslim women’s re-emancipation is a hearting endeavour.
The book is split into seven short but powerful chapters, each detailing, with evidence as per the Qur’an and Sunnah, examples where women excelled in many fields and were prominent participants of society. I value that Abu Shuqqah also makes particular mention of those authentic ahadith about women that are often misconstrued, or rather, misapplied in modern society. This chapter includes the ahadith popular amongst certain circles regarding women constituting the majority of hell’s inhabitants as well as being deficient in mind and faith. He does a good job at explaining the more contentious ahadith pertaining to women and provides context for them which gives the reader ease and provides more detail as to why the phrasing is a certain way. This is particularly helpful for non-Arabic speakers.
For a lot of women, it can feel incredibly demoralising and hurtful to hear certain ahadith spouted without context, and often done by men to undermine or question women’s intellectual capacity. I think some forget Islam is not a religion just for men. It is also worth noting that there is no man on earth who treated women more justly and kindly than our Messenger ﷺ, and so for a seemingly ‘inflammatory’ statement to be attributed to him, it is most likely iterated out of context and maliciously wielded for one’s own disturbing agenda in subjugating or degrading women. Interestingly, Abu Shuqqah also points out how some use certain ayat and ahadith to “[limit] women’s role to the satisfaction of physical desires only”. I have witnessed this on many platforms, particularly by those who perceive that reverting/returning to tradition entails brazenly reminding everyone that a woman’s key function and duty is the actioning of male desire and if she doesn’t accept this then she’s a raging libfem and challenging Allah.
Give me a break.
Relations between men and women are mutual, and though one gender may have more of an inclination towards a particular act, it does not mean that the one with whom this inclination is fulfilled has been created for no other purpose than to be used and discarded.
There were some extraordinary women who lived at the time of the Messenger (s). This book is full of beautiful and exemplary women who went above and beyond in terms of both dunya and deen. Women were proactive and eager to learn knowledge, gave abundantly to charity, demonstrated ihsan, challenged with integrity, showed patience, advised their menfolk, stood firm against injustice, and most importantly had taqwa and centred Allah in all of their daily activities.
May Allah make us like them.
There was also an interesting bit in the last chapter about how some scholars perceived the women who had attained perfection (Maryam bint Imran AS, Asiya AS) to be prophets. This was lightly explored but intriguing nonetheless. It reminds me of a book about Maryam AS I read some time ago. This is not the majority/mainstream opinion, however.
In terms of critiques and improvements, one must bear in mind that this is a translated work and as such, some of the language translated may not be 100% accurate. There were a few instances where I found myself taken aback by the phrasing, but it definitely was not intended to be inflammatory (rather it was demonstrating the severity or extent of a remark), nor was it provocative enough to warrant disavowal of the book, for I greatly benefitted from it. I would’ve preferred that certain subsections/points be demarcated from the rest of the text, but this was more a personal (visual) preference.
This is a book that empowers, inspires and motivates the Muslim reader to learn more. It is not just for women. I would encourage all men to read it and reflect on whether this challenges any of their preconceived stances regarding a woman’s role and duty. As this is an abridged and succinct translated work, it only scratches the surface of showcasing exemplary Muslim women in our tradition. It is undoubtedly a source of inspiration for those wishing to learn more about how to navigate being a Muslim woman in today’s world. This book can be supplemented with other works such as Al-Muhaddithat by Shaykh Akram Nawawi to build a bigger picture of womens role and presence in the world.
Relying solely on the Qur’an and authentic ahadith to detail the social, political, familial, and advisory roles and rights enjoyed by women during the time of revelation, The Character of the Muslim Woman, though authored decades ago, remains a timely scholarly study that empowers the reader by going beyond merely listing the newfound rights of women in 7th century Arabia. There is much to be said about the conflicting narratives we see, hear and read regarding women both in classical scholarly texts and contemporary academic literature.
As Muslim women in the twenty-first century, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to navigate our identities and separate our spiritual obligations from external influences and expectations. It is for this reason that books such as The Character of the Muslim Women are so vital in enabling us to interrogate what our faith means to us in light of modernity and an increasingly secular world. Who are we taking knowledge from and why? With which angles and preconceived notions are we entering the field of knowledge?
Literature can be a battleground.
The intellectual assault we are subjected to on a regular basis breeds confusion rather than clarity and this often ends up dissuading us from indulging in knowledge-seeking in the first instance, mostly out of fear of being misinformed or misled. It can be difficult to sift wrong from right when undertaking independent study and being exposed to every opinion and though on the internet.
But enough of that tangent.
Branching off from his initial study of the seerah, Abd al-Halim Abu Shuqqah decided to compile and analyse all major hadith works pertaining to women, and The Character of the Muslim Woman is the first volume of an eight-part collection. In this work, he outlines, primarily by referencing relevant ahadith, the prominent role women played in Makkan and Madinan society both during and post-revelation.
“The practical application of women’s participation at the time of the Prophet provided fine examples to be followed.”
From debunking largely culturally informed misogynistic misinterpretations of both scripture and ahadith, to evidencing the full societal and intellectual agency Allah has blessed women with in accordance with their unique disposition, Abu Shuqqah’s tireless pursuit in paving the way for Muslim women’s re-emancipation is a hearting endeavour.
The book is split into seven short but powerful chapters, each detailing, with evidence as per the Qur’an and Sunnah, examples where women excelled in many fields and were prominent participants of society. I value that Abu Shuqqah also makes particular mention of those authentic ahadith about women that are often misconstrued, or rather, misapplied in modern society. This chapter includes the ahadith popular amongst certain circles regarding women constituting the majority of hell’s inhabitants as well as being deficient in mind and faith. He does a good job at explaining the more contentious ahadith pertaining to women and provides context for them which gives the reader ease and provides more detail as to why the phrasing is a certain way. This is particularly helpful for non-Arabic speakers.
For a lot of women, it can feel incredibly demoralising and hurtful to hear certain ahadith spouted without context, and often done by men to undermine or question women’s intellectual capacity. I think some forget Islam is not a religion just for men. It is also worth noting that there is no man on earth who treated women more justly and kindly than our Messenger ﷺ, and so for a seemingly ‘inflammatory’ statement to be attributed to him, it is most likely iterated out of context and maliciously wielded for one’s own disturbing agenda in subjugating or degrading women. Interestingly, Abu Shuqqah also points out how some use certain ayat and ahadith to “[limit] women’s role to the satisfaction of physical desires only”. I have witnessed this on many platforms, particularly by those who perceive that reverting/returning to tradition entails brazenly reminding everyone that a woman’s key function and duty is the actioning of male desire and if she doesn’t accept this then she’s a raging libfem and challenging Allah.
Give me a break.
Relations between men and women are mutual, and though one gender may have more of an inclination towards a particular act, it does not mean that the one with whom this inclination is fulfilled has been created for no other purpose than to be used and discarded.
There were some extraordinary women who lived at the time of the Messenger (s). This book is full of beautiful and exemplary women who went above and beyond in terms of both dunya and deen. Women were proactive and eager to learn knowledge, gave abundantly to charity, demonstrated ihsan, challenged with integrity, showed patience, advised their menfolk, stood firm against injustice, and most importantly had taqwa and centred Allah in all of their daily activities.
May Allah make us like them.
There was also an interesting bit in the last chapter about how some scholars perceived the women who had attained perfection (Maryam bint Imran AS, Asiya AS) to be prophets. This was lightly explored but intriguing nonetheless. It reminds me of a book about Maryam AS I read some time ago. This is not the majority/mainstream opinion, however.
In terms of critiques and improvements, one must bear in mind that this is a translated work and as such, some of the language translated may not be 100% accurate. There were a few instances where I found myself taken aback by the phrasing, but it definitely was not intended to be inflammatory (rather it was demonstrating the severity or extent of a remark), nor was it provocative enough to warrant disavowal of the book, for I greatly benefitted from it. I would’ve preferred that certain subsections/points be demarcated from the rest of the text, but this was more a personal (visual) preference.
This is a book that empowers, inspires and motivates the Muslim reader to learn more. It is not just for women. I would encourage all men to read it and reflect on whether this challenges any of their preconceived stances regarding a woman’s role and duty. As this is an abridged and succinct translated work, it only scratches the surface of showcasing exemplary Muslim women in our tradition. It is undoubtedly a source of inspiration for those wishing to learn more about how to navigate being a Muslim woman in today’s world. This book can be supplemented with other works such as Al-Muhaddithat by Shaykh Akram Nawawi to build a bigger picture of womens role and presence in the world.
March 15, 2022
"The Character of the Muslim Woman" by Abd al-Halim Abu Shuqqah is Volume 1 of his series "Women's Emancipation during the Prophet's Lifetime" (actually a translation of his original book in Arabic). I'd previously read Volume 2 and *loved* it (see my grid for the review), so I was obviously excited for Vol 1!
Vol 1 is smaller than the second book, and a chunk of it consists of forewords by the scholars Sh Muhammad al-Ghazali and Sh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. I'm not usually a forewords kind of person but I did appreciate them this time.
I have to admit that I enjoyed Vol 2 better, as it dug into the juicy details of daleel for women's participation in social life, but I recognize that Vol 1 is a basic introduction to the general topic/ themes of the rest of the book. Every chapter was pretty solid (if perhaps slightly less detailed than I would have liked), with the exception of Chapter 6: "Authentic Hadiths About Women That Are Wrongly Applied."
The author tried to tackle 3 main ahadith: women being the majority of Hell, naaqis 'aql wa Deen, and the bent rib. Unfortunately, none of his attempted explanations really hit the mark; they reiterated tired viewpoints about "women's nature" (our "excitability" & "too strong feelings"...). While his conclusions were well-meaning, the explanations were poor, & I believe further work needs to be done on all those topics. (I've already written on both the majority of hell/heaven hadith and the naaqis aql wa deen ones.)
All in all, a good resource, but a little disappointing too.
Vol 1 is smaller than the second book, and a chunk of it consists of forewords by the scholars Sh Muhammad al-Ghazali and Sh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. I'm not usually a forewords kind of person but I did appreciate them this time.
I have to admit that I enjoyed Vol 2 better, as it dug into the juicy details of daleel for women's participation in social life, but I recognize that Vol 1 is a basic introduction to the general topic/ themes of the rest of the book. Every chapter was pretty solid (if perhaps slightly less detailed than I would have liked), with the exception of Chapter 6: "Authentic Hadiths About Women That Are Wrongly Applied."
The author tried to tackle 3 main ahadith: women being the majority of Hell, naaqis 'aql wa Deen, and the bent rib. Unfortunately, none of his attempted explanations really hit the mark; they reiterated tired viewpoints about "women's nature" (our "excitability" & "too strong feelings"...). While his conclusions were well-meaning, the explanations were poor, & I believe further work needs to be done on all those topics. (I've already written on both the majority of hell/heaven hadith and the naaqis aql wa deen ones.)
All in all, a good resource, but a little disappointing too.
April 2, 2022
The book was a bit different than I had expected it to be. Where I had hoped that the author would extensively talk/discuss different points about the character/role/position of a Muslim woman, he compiled different ahadīth and verses from the qur'an about women and their roles in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. My expectations were only met in chapter 6 where he discussed some authentic ahadīth about women that are wrongly applied.
This book is however really interesting and informative, and I am sure I will open it back up many times in the future.
I'll end this review with a quote he used in the book: "This is further emphasised by the Prophet's ﷺ statement: 'The best among you are those who are best to their wives; and I am the best of you to my wives'."
This book is however really interesting and informative, and I am sure I will open it back up many times in the future.
I'll end this review with a quote he used in the book: "This is further emphasised by the Prophet's ﷺ statement: 'The best among you are those who are best to their wives; and I am the best of you to my wives'."
September 16, 2022
I love the idea of this series. And the author’s intent to educate the world about women’s true role during the time of the Prophet ﷺ and to help restore them to their rightful place in society is honorable.
However this is translation to English (for Westerners) of a work written years ago but a man living outside the West. Needless to say there are some hiccups. For example when trying to help make sense of the Hadith about women being deficient he suggests funding should be given to scientific research as to why women are deficient. (I was so shocked I just had to laugh bc it’s so ridiculous). Many of these “controversies” have been handled much better and by women scholars to boot.
But still there’s some good stuff in here and makes a good point, arguing with silent traditionalists who for the most point have faded to the sidelines (even if their misogyny hasn’t). The book is however brief and really made me want to research the individual women more. We need some full length biographies.
Also this book is part of a series. 6 or 9 parts? Not sure. So it’s definitely not complete. And I guess this is more readable but also feel a little cheated that I’m gonna have to shell out for multiple books to get the whole picture. That said, I’ve already done so and preordered because this work is fairly rare. Although I will say it reminds me in spirit of Jasser Auda’s book about retuning women to the mosque. Although that was brilliantly done.
However this is translation to English (for Westerners) of a work written years ago but a man living outside the West. Needless to say there are some hiccups. For example when trying to help make sense of the Hadith about women being deficient he suggests funding should be given to scientific research as to why women are deficient. (I was so shocked I just had to laugh bc it’s so ridiculous). Many of these “controversies” have been handled much better and by women scholars to boot.
But still there’s some good stuff in here and makes a good point, arguing with silent traditionalists who for the most point have faded to the sidelines (even if their misogyny hasn’t). The book is however brief and really made me want to research the individual women more. We need some full length biographies.
Also this book is part of a series. 6 or 9 parts? Not sure. So it’s definitely not complete. And I guess this is more readable but also feel a little cheated that I’m gonna have to shell out for multiple books to get the whole picture. That said, I’ve already done so and preordered because this work is fairly rare. Although I will say it reminds me in spirit of Jasser Auda’s book about retuning women to the mosque. Although that was brilliantly done.
May 2, 2023
This authors expectations of certain hadiths are absurdly misogynistic. He touches on the women in hell hadith, women being deficient in religion and intelligence, and made from a crooked rib.
Yes, women are the majority in hell. They deserve it and it’s their own fault because they curse and are ungrateful to their husbands. He sees no problem in women being singled out as uniquely more sinful and less moral than men. There is essentially no difference between saying women deserve to burn in hell because women choose to sin more and that women are simply morally inferior.
He then muses of all the various causes of women’s mental deficiencies. Also the prophet is really complimenting women by saying they’re so manipulative yet also mentally deficient. As to the broken rib hadith, it’s about women being more emotional, impulsive, and less rational than men. This further elaborates why women curse and are ungrateful to their husbands. But if women are created mentally inferior, emotional, impulsive and irrational then why are they judged for this and burned in hell? This would be a completely unjust system because Allah has made women inferior and then judges them for acting in predictable ways in line with their inferior nature. It would be far easier for a man to get to heaven than a woman while a woman has to work extra hard to overcome her inescapable nature Allah imposed on her. Why would Allah make women inferior to ultimately burn them in hell?
He literally managed to make these hadith more misogynistic.
Yes, women are the majority in hell. They deserve it and it’s their own fault because they curse and are ungrateful to their husbands. He sees no problem in women being singled out as uniquely more sinful and less moral than men. There is essentially no difference between saying women deserve to burn in hell because women choose to sin more and that women are simply morally inferior.
He then muses of all the various causes of women’s mental deficiencies. Also the prophet is really complimenting women by saying they’re so manipulative yet also mentally deficient. As to the broken rib hadith, it’s about women being more emotional, impulsive, and less rational than men. This further elaborates why women curse and are ungrateful to their husbands. But if women are created mentally inferior, emotional, impulsive and irrational then why are they judged for this and burned in hell? This would be a completely unjust system because Allah has made women inferior and then judges them for acting in predictable ways in line with their inferior nature. It would be far easier for a man to get to heaven than a woman while a woman has to work extra hard to overcome her inescapable nature Allah imposed on her. Why would Allah make women inferior to ultimately burn them in hell?
He literally managed to make these hadith more misogynistic.
January 18, 2024
This first book gives a great introduction to the discussion about women's status in Islam. I enjoyed the last two chapters of this book which discuss several hadith about women that often used to belittle women's capacity and involvement in the Muslim community. Abu Shuqqah was very clear in the analysis and argument about the status of women in Islam.
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March 23, 2023🤍🤍🤍
September 25, 2023
Its an interesring start. A different perspective from the unfortunate mainstream narrative. But must read all the volumes.
September 7, 2023
"Islam has given women their full rights of human integrity, independence, and free will. It has also confirmed a woman's rights of ownership and freedom to conduct her own business. We have seen many examples from the Prophet's lifetime showing the extent of independence Muslim women enjoyed."
This is a compilation of sahih hadith and Quran verses that pertain to women's rights, responsibilities, and character. It lists them out in bullet point format, because he says, and he's right in this, that a lot of the evidence is self-explanatory and clear. There isn't anything new here if you've already studied the seerah and the Quran. It was mostly a reaffirming of knowledge I already had. This is apparently just Volume 1, so it's more an introduction to the subject.
I was thinking it would be nice if he added some commentary or historiography of interpretation, but as soon as he did (in Chapter 6) I immediately regretted ever asking for it LOL. His interpretations were lacking in explanation and unconvincing. There were times he made assertions without any evidence. But the anthology itself was nice! So let's keep to that!
Key hadith:
-'Women are indeed men's full sisters' -- "This hadith establishes the basic principle of full equality between man and woman, with a measure of specialisation in certain areas as the exception rather than the rule."
- 'Whoever looks after two young girls until they attain puberty, will be on the Day of Judgment with me like these [and he crossed his two fingers]' (Related by Muslim)
- 'Do not debar the female servants of God from attending mosques.' (Related by al-Bukhari)
Fav quotes/sections:
- "[The sahaba women] felt it was not enough that they should join the men in learning form the Prophet in the mosque; they wanted their own lesson. The Prophet acceded to their request and arranged its quick implementation."
- "Muslim women participated fully in social life, meeting men in all fields of public and private activity. We have more than 300 statements in the two Sahih anthologies by al-Bukhari and Muslim, confirming that women used to play their role in different social areas alongside men."
- Godly reasons for women to work and the praise for women who earned and gave from it to charity (pg 19)
- Women scholarship as critical in hadith collection and teaching (pg 51-52)
This is a compilation of sahih hadith and Quran verses that pertain to women's rights, responsibilities, and character. It lists them out in bullet point format, because he says, and he's right in this, that a lot of the evidence is self-explanatory and clear. There isn't anything new here if you've already studied the seerah and the Quran. It was mostly a reaffirming of knowledge I already had. This is apparently just Volume 1, so it's more an introduction to the subject.
I was thinking it would be nice if he added some commentary or historiography of interpretation, but as soon as he did (in Chapter 6) I immediately regretted ever asking for it LOL. His interpretations were lacking in explanation and unconvincing. There were times he made assertions without any evidence. But the anthology itself was nice! So let's keep to that!
Key hadith:
-'Women are indeed men's full sisters' -- "This hadith establishes the basic principle of full equality between man and woman, with a measure of specialisation in certain areas as the exception rather than the rule."
- 'Whoever looks after two young girls until they attain puberty, will be on the Day of Judgment with me like these [and he crossed his two fingers]' (Related by Muslim)
- 'Do not debar the female servants of God from attending mosques.' (Related by al-Bukhari)
Fav quotes/sections:
- "[The sahaba women] felt it was not enough that they should join the men in learning form the Prophet in the mosque; they wanted their own lesson. The Prophet acceded to their request and arranged its quick implementation."
- "Muslim women participated fully in social life, meeting men in all fields of public and private activity. We have more than 300 statements in the two Sahih anthologies by al-Bukhari and Muslim, confirming that women used to play their role in different social areas alongside men."
- Godly reasons for women to work and the praise for women who earned and gave from it to charity (pg 19)
- Women scholarship as critical in hadith collection and teaching (pg 51-52)
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