A pause with the Hadith which reads "Women are deficient in intelligence and religion"

The enemies of Islam are still studying the Shari`ah texts with the purpose of exploiting its texts to impugn Islam and arouse doubts in its just rulings; exploiting the ignorance with Shar`iah that spread in the nation; which has resulted in the eminence of orientalists.

Of these texts which people took as a pretext for arousing claims against Islam is:

The Hadith which was reported by Abu Sa`id Al Khudry who said: Once Allah's Messenger went out to the Musalla (a place where Salah is performed) to offer the Salah of `Id-ul-Adha or Al-Fitr Salah. Then he passed by women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Messenger?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Messenger! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion." [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim].

So, the West claimed falsely and unjustly that Islam oppresses women and does not recognize their mental capabilities. When there were some followers to the West in the Muslim countries who were exploited to disseminate, by ignorance or by bad will, the ideas of westernization, secularization, and globalization, the feminine movement — which was emanated from westernization — began since the issue of women's liberation that was headed by Qasim Amin, Huda Sha`rawy, and others long time ago. The movement called for restoring the stolen freedom of women, whereas the people who have personal interests as well as the corruptors, who seek luxury in pursuit for the western life and extracting of their culture, welcomed warmly.

There is another fact that is the unintentional contributions of good-hearted Muslims to this (false) claim. Many of them understood from the Hadith that the meaning is confirming the deficiency of women's mentality which grounded a concept for Muslims that has been inherited from one generation to another indicated that women lack for competence to tell their opinions. However, some of them exaggerated and made the truth lies in the opposite opinions of women. This gave the chance, somehow for the secularists and westerners to claim, either implicitly or explicitly, to open the way before women to gain their freedom through eliminating Shari`ah from all aspects of life.

Therefore, we have to stop at this Hadith and explain the conceptual deficiency which many Muslims hold because many have practiced this concept practically which gave the chance for the westerners to move against Islam.

First, what is the occasion in which this Hadith was narrated?

The answer came through the words of Abu Sa`id Al Khudry (may Allah be pleased with him): "Once Allah's Messenger went out to the Musalla (A place where Salah is performed) to offer the prayer of `Id-ul-Adha or Al-Fitr Salah." If the occasion took place in `Eid, would the Prophet (peace be upon him) on that day abase the rank of women in that pleasant occasion?

Second, from the style of Hadith, it is not a way of confirming a general rule or a general ruling, but it is rather near to express exclamation of this standing contradiction of the superiority of women, despite their weakness, over powerful men. We wonder: Did the style of question bear the meaning of general courtesy for women during the prophetic sermon?

Indeed, the statement of "Women are deficient in intelligence and religion" was mentioned one time in the field of paying attention and kind preface for preaching women. However, it was not mentioned independently as a confirmation whether before women or men; [Al Mar`ah fi Mawkib Ad-Da`wah (women in the procession of Da`wah) by Mustafa At-Tahhan (p. 12) adopted from Tahrir Al Mar`ah fi `Asr Ar-Risalah (freeing women in the time of the Islamic Message)].

Third, as for the Prophet's saying: "Women are deficient in intelligence and religion", the Prophet (peace be upon him) defined the meaning with one thing which is: she leaves Fasting and Salah in their periods and during the state of post-partum bleeding. This is a partial deficiency limited to some acts of worship and not permanently, so it is not a slander or a defect about them. Sheikh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah be merciful with him) said: However, they will not be held accountable for this deficiency because it is done by the command of Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) Who legislated as a leniency and easiness for her because if they fast during menstruation or post-partum bleeding, it will be harmful for them.

Until Sheikh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn Baz said: "It is not necessary that the deficiency of their intelligence and religion would be in everything but the Messenger (peace be upon him) explained that the deficiency of their religion is due to leaving Salah and Fasting during menstruation and in the state of post-partum bleeding.

This does not mean that they should be inferior to men in everything or men are better than them in everything. It is true that the gender of men is better than the gender of women in general, but they may surpass men sometimes in many things. How many women surpassed many men in regard of their mentality, religion, and uprightness! Women may do many righteous actions and beat many men in their righteous actions, in their piety to Allah (Glory be to Him), and in their rank in the Hereafter. They may have some experience some matters which they master more than men in many matters which they memorize and exert efforts in mastering." [Majalat Al Buhuth Al Islamiyyah (Magazine of Islamic Researches) 29\100-102].

Fourth, by reading history and observing reality, it is impossible to understand the deficiency of intelligence as a natural deficiency in mentalities and intellectual capabilities.

Fifth, it is related to the previous point: History has proved that women surpassed men sometimes in their mental abilities, such as: accepting the narration of women; there is no difference between a man and woman in narrating the Hadith as long as they are upright and trustworthy. `A'ishah, the mother of the believers, surpassed many men and women by her frequent narrations of Hadith and by her knowledge. Al Hafizh Adh-Dhahaby said: It never happened that a woman lied about a Hadith. Ash-Shawkany said: It was never reported that any of scholars refused to accept the narration of a woman because of being female. How many Sunnahs (saying, action, or approval of the Prophet) were accepted by the entire nation while it was transmitted by a woman! [Adopted from Al Mar`ah fi Mawkib Ad-Da`wah, (p.14)].

The Qur'an reported stories about women who had sobriety, such as Allah's Saying about the daughter of Jethro when she spoke about Moses (Peace be upon him): "O father, hire him. Verily, the best men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy." [Surat Al Qasas: 26], whereas she had not seen Moses before; this indicated her sobriety and insight.

Of these examples is the sobriety of Um Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her): When the writing of the peace treaty was concluded, Allah's Messenger said to his companions: "Get up and slaughter your sacrifices and get your head shaved." By Allah none of them got up, and the Prophet repeated his order thrice. When none of them got up, he left them and went to Um Salama and told her of the people's attitudes towards him. Um Salama said: O the Prophet of Allah! Do you want your order to be carried out? Go out and do not say a word to anybody till you have slaughtered your sacrifice and call your barber to shave your head. So, the Prophet went out and did not talk to anyone of them till he did that, i.e. slaughtered the sacrifice and called his barber who shaved his head. Seeing that, the companions of the Prophet got up, slaughtered their sacrifices, and started shaving the heads of one another, and there was so much rush that there was a danger of killing each other. [Reported by Al Bukhari (2731)].

History abounds with women who were known for sobriety, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, of them was:

Ash-Shifa' bint `Abdullah Al Qurashiyyah who was a symbol of knowledge and sobriety. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "Teach Hafsah the spell for skin eruptions as you taught her writing." [Al Albany graded this Hadith as authentic in Sahih Al Jami` (7475)]. Caliphs after the Prophet (peace be upon him) were keen to consult her.

Fatimah bin Muhammad As-Samarqandy was a jurist and a scholar of Hadith who received education from jurists, many received education from her, and she was a teacher. When her husband, Al Kasany, was about to give a fatwa, she would teach him the correct from the wrong.

Sit Al Wozara' bint `Umar At-Tanukhiyyah: a Muhaddith (Hadith scholar) of good manners. She taught Hadith in Damascus and in Egypt and she was the last person narrated Al Musnad by hearing. Many scholars reported Hadiths with her chain of narration such as As-Salihy and Adh-Dhahaby. [Shakhsiyat Al Mar`ah Al Muslimah (the personality of a Muslim woman) by Khalid `Abdul-Rahman Al `Ak p. (412 - 414) with paraphrasing and in short].

There were many women who had bright status in the history of Islam. They were known for sobriety and deep understanding which attests to refute of this understanding that the meaning of the Hadith was the deficiency of women's intelligence in general or they are incompetent from the mental status. This claim is true in regard of the Western civilization which has considered women as a cheap amusement and an instrument for play and fun without showing more respect to their dignity nor to their humanity.

Women according to the Greek lack for freedom, will-less, without having rights or competence.

Women according to the Romans do not have any right in, however men possess everything to the extent that men can execute his wife in some cases and they are not obliged to attach their own children to their families, but they may attach other children to their families.

One of the socialist writers expressed this saying that the marriage contract according to Romans was a contract of servitude and before that; she was a slave in her parents' house.

Women according to Indians were shades of men who lived as long they lived and would be burnt after their death. They, according to the legislations that are extracted from the tales of (Manu), do not know good behaviors, but they love impure desires, adornment, rebellion, and anger.

Women according to the Jews are servants with no rights and no competence. They used not to give women their right of inheritance in order to keep the succession of families. When women menstruate, they consider them impure, spread impurity to the entire house and everything they touch, such as: food, humans, or animals, would be impure. Therefore, they keep away from them in their menses, while others force them to stay outside the house until they become pure. Some of them used to erect tents for them and put bread and water before the tent until they become pure.

Women according to Christians are the door of Satan and the weapon of temptation and turmoil. The British Parliament issued a decision in the time of Henry VI, the king of England, prohibited women to read the New Testament; because it is considered impure. In 1586 AD, some priests held a meeting to discuss the issue of women and after long tries, the conferees decided that women are human beings, but they were created to serve man.

Women according to Persians subjected to the three religious currents: Zoroastrianism, Manicheism, Mazdakism and each creed left its clear fingerprint on families and society as well.

Mazdak and his followers held the view that Allah created the earth in order that the Servants would split it in equal shares. However, people treated one another unjustly, therefore anyone had extra money, women, and luggage did not take advantage over others.

As for woman according to the Arabs before Islam, they were humiliated during the Pre-Islamic Era. People used to see bad omen in women and considered them a commodity which is to be sold or purchased; they had no value nor status as `Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah, in Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) we used not to pay attention to women at all until Allah revealed legislation for them and gave them their rights.

As for women, Islam honored them, confirmed their human nature, and their competence for bearing legal responsibility, accountability, retribution, and entering Paradise. It considered them honorable human beings that have dignity with full rights as men, but they are two branches to the same tree and two siblings who were born from one father (Adam) and one mother (Eve).

So, they are equal in the origin of creation, equal in general human characteristics, equal in bearing legal responsibility, accountability, and equal in retribution and destiny; there is no stability for humanity without both of them." [Huquq Al Mar`ah fi Zhil Al Mutaghayirat Al Mu`asirah (Women's rights in the light of the modern variables) by Dr. Misfir ibn `Ali Al Qahtany p. (5 - 6) in short]. Here are the fair western writers who testify for the nation of Islam that it respects the mentality and personality of women and attest to the status which women has in the shade of Islam.

The French thinker and legalist "Marsil Bouzar" said: "Women enjoyed respect and freedom under the Umayyad Caliphate in Spain. At that time, they used to participate fully in the social and cultural life. Men used to woo women to gain her attention, therefore Muslims poets were the ones who taught European Christians via Spain how to respect women." [Insaniyat Al Islam (humanity of Islam) p. 108].

The Italian researcher "Laura Fisha" said: If women have reached - from the social point of view in Europe - Nobel status, their Shari`ah status - at least - was few years ago and still in some countries less independent than Muslim women in the Muslim countries.

In addition to the rights which women take from inheritance — like their brothers — even if they are small portion, they have other rights, such as:

Their right not to marry someone but after their approval.

Their right to be treated kindly by their husbands.

They also have the right of dowry, the right of affordability, and complete freedom if they are legally competent to control their personal possessions. [Difa` `An Al Islam (defending Islam) p. 88].

The British critique "Rom Landau" bore witness to the contempt of his Western world to women and degrading of their status. He also bore witness to the great status they have in the shade of Islam by saying: "When women were like luggage and commodities in the Western world and when people doubted that they had souls, the Shari`ah Islamic had given them the right of ownership long time ago.

Widows took a share from their husbands' inheritance, but girls had to be satisfied with the half share of males. However, we should not forget that the male sons only —until recently— were taken half their shares of inheritance in Europe. [Islam and Arabs p. 203].

Hence, we know that Islam has precedence over other religions in respecting women and respecting their capabilities and possibilities in addition to their humanity. They are opposite to the sayings of the unfair and ignorant people who claim that they lack of intelligence.