Working Outdoors

traditions tell us that the Prophet’s conversations with his wife, Aisha, aimed to educate her. Aisha says that when the Prophet Muhammad would get up at night after a few hours of sleep, he would converse with her at length in that peaceful atmosphere. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1161; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 743) This course of informal education, continuing uninterruptedly, even while travelling, benefited Aisha so much that she became the most distinguished authority on religious knowledge. She survived the Prophet for a full fifty years, during which period she remained a precious source of religious knowledge. Her house served as a school of religious learning. It is said that Aisha herself handed down to posterity a substantial portion (2210 traditions) of the vast majority of Islamic knowledge. Abdullah ibn Abbas, a Companion of great stature and one of the best commentators of the Quran, was one of Aisha’s pupils. In their turn, the next generation of women handed down the traditions they had heard first-hand from the Prophet or his Companions or religious scholars to whom they were related to others. Since the earliest ideal phase of Islam, Muslim women have successfully exploited their talents in the field of education. Homes had become centres of learning as primary schools (Makateeb). This tradition was practiced in almost all Muslim communities well into the 20th century when the modern education system took over this function. As modern-day research tells us, women are better with words than men. Perhaps this is the reason why they can