WOMEN IN ISLAM — An Intellectual Role

handed down to posterity a substantial portion (2,210 Hadith traditions) of the vast majority of Islamic knowledge. Among her pupils were such eminent scholars as ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr, Sa‘id ibn Mussayyib, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir, Mashrug, ‘Ikramah and ‘Alaqamah. A jurist of high calibre, she used to explain the wisdom and background of each tradition that she described. The next generation of women in their turn handed down the traditions, which they had heard, at first hand from the Prophet or his Companions or from religious scholars to whom they were related. The importance of Education and Teaching History shows that Muslim women were largely engaged in the field of education. Almost all the Muslim houses functioned as primary schools (madrasa). This tradition was practiced in almost all Muslim communities well into the 20th century when the modern system of education took over this function. Division of labour is justifiable not only biologically and physiologically, but also in terms of the ensuing social benefits. In the biographies of the narrators of Hadith literature, mention is made of the far-reaching effect of the academic services of women. For example, Imam Bukhari (810-870 AD), whose al-Jaami’ as-Sahih is by far the most authentic source of Hadith learning, set off, when he was 14 years of age, to acquire knowledge from distant scholars. If he was in a position to appreciate the lessons given by the great teachers of the time, it was because his mother and sister had given him a sound education at home. It is said that Imam ibn Jawzi (1114-1200 AD), the famous religious scholar, received his primary education from his aunt. The noted Arab physician Ibn Abi Usaibia’s (1203-1270 AD) sister and daughter were experts in medicine—the lay doctors of their time. And among the Hadith teachers of Imam ibn Asakir (1105-1175 AD), several women teachers are mentioned.