Maryam bint Jahsh

Muslim women excelled, not only in Fiqh, Ahadeeth and Tafseer but also in other Islamic Sciences. One such example is of Maryam bint Jahsh, who lived in the 4th Century; she was an expert of the language in which Allah chose to reveal the Qur’an.

She was married to the great Yemeni scholar Jamaal al-Deen ‘Ali ibn Abee l-Fawaaris al-Hamdani. Not only was it due to her knowledge of the Arabic language, but also the acuteness of her mind, that Maryam bint Jahsh was able to subtly resolve a difficult point for her husband.

Her husband had been engaged in debate with some adherents of a sect called Murji’i. Their heresy was such that they believed that as long as one had faith in their heart, regardless of what they commit with the limbs, faith by itself will secure their salvation. Her husband, Ali, quoted the end of verse 40 of Surah al-A’raf:

 “….Indeed those who belie our signs (ayaat) and disdain them – for them the gates of the heaven will not be opened, nor will they enter the Garden, until the camel passes through the eye of the needle.”

The Murji’I who was debating said “This is easy for God, with his power, if He wills, He passes the camel through the eye of the needle.” When ‘Ali returned home his mind was still preoccupied and at he could not sleep during the night. His wife, Maryam  asked him what was wrong; after he explained to her what the matter was she said on sentence that gave Ali not only a good night’s sleep, but a very good night’s sleep. She said, ‘In the verse of the Qur’an the camel is the subject [of the verb], not the object.’