The 'unknown' Arab and Muslim women scholars, who taught some of history's most esteemed men

However, many think that mentions of these women have been relegated to the footnotes of an otherwise rich history.

Consequently, many have come to believe that scholarly and scientific pursuits – as well as excellence in jurisprudence, fatwas, hadith narration, and the mastery of language and literature – are reserved exclusively for men.

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

Women as cultural forces

Women have prominently featured in the scientific and literary heritage of Arab-Islamic civilisation. Indeed, their thoughts and contributions have been well-documented.

They include jurists, hadith narrators, eloquent poets and competent doctors. Encyclopedias have dedicated entire sections to their biographies; writing about their lives became an established art in its own right.

Many of these women reached the highest of religious roles, which is the narration of the Prophet's Hadith. Here, there was no distinction between them and men.

The book Al-Wafa' bi Asma' al-Nisa' (The Biographical Dictionary of Women Narrators of Hadith) by author Muhammad Akram al-Nadwi is a comprehensive encyclopedia of notable female hadith narrators.

It consists of 43 volumes and contains the biographies of nearly 10,000 women who served in the narration of hadith, or participated in its spread, from the early centuries to modern times.

Outside of hadith, many books and compilations have recorded the contributions of women to language, poetry, and literature.

One example is Balaaghât al-Nisaa (The Eloquence of Women) by historian Ahmad bin Tayfur (280 AH).

It begins by describing itself as a book about women and the "subtleties of their speech, the brilliance of their anecdotes." It features stories of women "who possessed intelligence, as far as our capacity could reach," alongside collections of their poetry, "which often surpasses many distinguished men and poets in eloquence."

In his introduction, the author states: "Women are like fragrant flowers, and this book is a collection of the sweetest blossoms among them."

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti also opened his book Nuzhat al-Julasaa fi Ash'ar al-Nisaa (The Joy of Companions in the Poetry of Women) with the following words:

"This is a delightful text dedicated to women poets and hadith scholars – excluding Arab women before Islam, the female companions of the prophet, those who lived through paganism and Islam, and the veterans, as those women are too numerous to be counted."

Female scholars of hadith

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani wrote the biographies of about 170 hadith scholars, including 54 of his female teachers, in his book Ad-Durar al-Kaaminah fi A'yaan al-Mi'ah Ath-Thaaminah (The Hidden Jewels of the Notable Figures of the Eighth Century).

Similarly, Imam As-Sakhawi recorded teachings from about 85 female scholars, whom he mentioned in his book Ad-Daw' al-Laami' li-Ahl al-Qarn at-Taasi' (The Radiant Light of the People of the Ninth Century).

These remarkable female scholars were given special titles to honour their contributions, such as Sitt al Ulama (Master of Scholars), Sitt al Fuqaha (Master of Jurists), Sitt al al Qudat (Master of Judges), Sitt al Kataba (Master of Scribes), Sitt al Wuzara (Master of Ministers), and Sitt al Muluk (Master of Kings).

Among those who were given these titles are two Masters of Jurists, Amat al-Rahman bint Ibrahim al-Salihiyyah al-Hanbalyyah and bint al-Khatib Sharaf al-Din al-Abbasi.

Al-Dhahabi, in his book Tarikh Al Islam (The History of Islam), wrote the biography of the female hadith scholar Hulal bint al-Sheikh Abi al-Makarim Mahmoud bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin al-Sakan al-Baghdadiyyah, who was called Sitt al Muluk (Master of Kings).

These women held scholarly gatherings attended by both male and female students. In one example, Al-Hafiz 'Alam ad-Din al-Barzali said that he learned hadith from his female teacher Asma' bint Muhammad ad-Dimashqiyyah.

We find wonders in the biography of another notable female scholar, Umm Muhammad, Fakhr al-Nisa (the pride of women), Shahdah bint Ahmad al-Ibri ad-Dinawari, who shared knowledge – and hadith – with the great male scholars of the 6th century AH.

(Ibn Qudamah said about her: "She lived until the children grew old and caught up with adults.")

She was also known for her excellent handwriting. Ibn al-Jawzi said: "She lived in the company of male scholars. She taught hadith for years and attained such a high status that she was relied upon for the narration of books."

Among these is the book Al-Amwal (The Book of Revenue) by Abu 'Ubayd, which begins with the following statement:

"It was read to the righteous scholar, the scribe, Fakhr al-Nisa (the pride of women), Shahdah bint Abi Nasr Ahmad bin al-Faraj, on the authority of Umar al-Ibri ad-Dinawari, in her house in Baghdad on the 11th of Sha'ban in the year 465."

Hidden history of pioneering women

There are countless other examples. Ibn Battuta mentioned that during his travels, he visited the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, where he learned of several female jurists and hadith scholars. He attended their classes and read books under their supervision.

When mentioning the names of some of those who authorised him in Damascus, he included the righteous sheikha Rihlat ad-Dunya Zaynab bint Kamal al-Din Ahmad al-Maqdisi, and the righteous sheikha Umm Muhammad Aisha al-Harraniyah. (It is also said that the latter had a study circle in the mosque and earned her living through tailoring.)

The author Durat al-Sharq Zaynab Fawwaz wrote her book Al-Durr al-Manshur fi Tabaqat Rabbat al-Khudur (The Scattered Jewels in the Classes of Noble Women) to uncover the hidden history of these pioneering women.

In her introduction, she states: "With history being the best of the sciences and the best of what is said and understood, its male scholars became numerous, its scope expanded, and its records and accounts spread East and West.

"People of every class and great scholars of every nation talked about literature, engaged in philosophical discourse, and delved into the history of every era.

"Each historian devoted himself to summing up the history of his predecessors and selected the most renowned figures from the past. Some of them wrote long volumes that required summarising.

"What I haven't found in all this, however, is anyone dedicating a chapter in Arabic to half the human world, and collecting stories of women who were famous for their virtues and for distancing themselves from vices.

"Among them, there are outstanding women authors who are equal to the greatest scholars and can compare to the most talented poets.

"This awakened in me a passion and a tangible desire to compile a book that would reveal the virtues of noble and highly intelligent women, bringing together as many scattered biographies as possible and documenting their stories from all times and places."

Foreign impact on women's rights

These few examples of women's cultural and academic contributions in Islamic history not only demonstrate their scholarly influences, but also provide a different perspective on the position of women, and their overall revered role and social status, in those early Islamic societies.

They led gatherings and educated some of history's most esteemed men – a fact that stands in complete contrast to the reality that women face in many Arab societies today. Alien ideas have since infiltrated and taken over women's lives, denying them their right to education, writing and expressing their opinions.

Even more worrying is the resurgence of extremist movements (such as Taliban and similar groups) that support a ban on girls' education, claiming that it is consistent with "God's law."

The truth is that these backward ideologies are foreign and have no connection to Arab and Islamic heritage, neither in the past nor in the present.