Contribution of Muslim Women in Narrating Hadith.

Contribution-of-Muslim-Women-in-Narrating-Hadith

Contribution of Muslim Women in Narrating Hadith.

In the first and second centuries of the Hijri, the practice, narration, and compilation of Hadith began on a large scale, and special attention was paid to them for religious purposes. Hadith were compiled and arranged after extensive research at home and abroad. Along with men, female companions and Tabi'i and other Muslim women passed on this trust by narrating Hadith from the elders of their respective families. In continuation of this, Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) strongly urged Abu Bakr bin Muhammad bin Hazm (RA) to collect the 'collection of Hadith' that was with Umarah bint Abdur Rahman Al Ansaria (RA).

(Tabaqat Ibn Saad, Vol. 8, Page 387)

Umarah bint Abdur Rahman (RA) narrated Hadith from Ummul Momineen Aisha (RA) and her sister Umm Hisham, Habiba bint Sahl, Umm Habiba, and Hamna bint Jahash (RA). And from her, her son Abu al-Rijal, her brother Muhammad bin Abdur Rahman, her grandson Haritha bin Abul-Rijal, her two nephews Yahya bin Abdullah bin Abdur Rahman and Abu Bakr bin Muhammad bin Abdur Rahman, and his son Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abdullah narrated Hadith. (Ibid.)

Imam Hasan Basri's (RA) mother, Khaira, narrated Hadith from her mentor and owner, Umm al-Mu'minin Umm Salma (RA), and her two sons, Hasan Basri and Saeed Basri (RA), narrated Hadith from her. (Tahjibut Tahjib, Vol. 12, Page 416)

Safiyyah bint Ulaybah al-Anbari (RA) narrated Hadith from her grandfather Harmalah bin Abdullah al-Anbari (RA) and her maternal grandmother Kaila bint Makhjumah (RA).

And from him, her grandson Abdullah bin Hassan al-Anbari narrated Hadith. (Ibid., Page 431)

 

Rayta bint Muslim narrated Hadith from her father, Muslim, and from him, her son Abdullah bin Harith Abza al-Makki narrated Hadith. (Ibid., p. 417)

 

Fatima bint Hussain bin Ali narrated Hadith from her father Hussain, brother Ali bin Hussain (Zaynul Abidin), aunt Zaynab bint Ali (RA), and grandmother Fatimatuz Zuhra (RA), and from her, among her children, Abdullah, Ibrahim, and Umm Jafar narrated. (Ibid., vol. 5, p. 186)

Umm Yahya Hamida bint Ubaid bin Rifaa Al Ansariyah narrated Hadith from her aunt Kabsha bint Kaab bin Malik, and her husband Ishaq bin Abdullah bin Abu Talha and her son Yahya bin Ishaq narrated Hadith from her.

(Ibid., Vol. 12, p. 412; Tahjibul Kamal, Vol. 35, p. 290)

Hakima bint Umaymah narrated from her mother, Umaymah bint Rafiqah, and from her family. (Ibid., p. 411)

Asma bint Yazid narrated from her cousin Anas. (Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 379)

Habiba bint Maysara narrated from her slave Ata bin Abu Rabah. (Tahjibul Kamal: 35/150)

Hakima ibn Umayyah ibn Akhnas narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), and her son Yahya ibn Abu Sufyan al-Akhnas narrated from her. (Tahjibut Tahjib, Vol. 12, Page 411)

 

Umm Rayeh Rabab bint Sulayyy ad Dabbayyah al-Basriyyah narrated from her uncle Sulayman bin Amir ad Dabbayyah (may Allah be pleased with him).

And Hafsa bint Shirin narrated from him. (Ibid., Page 417)

 

Qabsha bint Abu Bakrah as-Saqafiyah al-Basriyyah narrated from her father, and her nephew Bakkar bin Abdul Aziz ibn Abu Bakrah narrated from him. (Ibid., Page 449)

 

Jabra bint Muhammad bin Thabit bin Siba narrated from her father, and her husband, Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr bin Ubaidullah at-Taymi, and others narrated from her. (Al-Iqmal li Ibn Makula, Vol. 2, p. 29)

 

Tamanna bint Umar bin Ibrahim bin al-Hamiri at-Taybi narrated hadith from Abu Muzaffar Ali bin Ahmad al-Karkhi, and from him his two sons Ahmad bin Abu Bakr and Tamim bin Ahmad bin Abu Bakr narrated hadith. (Takmilatul Iqmal, Vol. 2, p. 151)

 

Hababa was the aunt of the hadith scholar Malik bin Daygam. Malik narrated hadith from her. (Al-Iqmal li Ibn Makula, Vol. 2, p. 372)

 

Umm Hababa bint Hayyan was with Umm al-Mu'minin Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the Battle of Jamal and narrated hadith from her. Her brother Muqatil bin Hayyan narrated from her. (Ibid.)

 

Hababa Basriya narrated from her mother. (Ibid.)

 

Husayna bint Marur bin Suwaid narrated from her father. (Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 471)

 

Hakima narrated from her husband Yala bin Marrah, and from him Umar bin Abdullah bin Yala and Uthman bin Mughirah al-Asha. (Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 494)

 

A woman named Hakima narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and her daughter Umm Asim narrated from her. (Ibid.)

Humaida bint Abu Kathir narrated from her mother, and Abdur Rahman bin Ishaq al-Kufi narrated from her. (Ibid., p. 537)

 

Muniya bint Ubaid bin Abu Barjah narrated hadith from her paternal grandmother. (Tahjibul Kamal, vol. 35, p. 311)

 

Barrah bint Rafi was the slave of Umm Salamah (RA); she narrated hadith from Zaynab bint Jahash (RA) and from her brother Abdullah. (Al-Iqmal li Ibn Makula, vol. 1, p. 253)

 

Tuhayyah bint Ja’un narrated from her mother, Hunaydah bint Yasir. (Ibid.)

 

Umm Muhammad Amina bint Inan bin Hasan gave permission to her husband Shaykh Abul Abbas al-Qastalani and her son Amin ud-Din al-Qastalani to narrate Hadith. (Al-Iqdus Samin fi Tarikhil Baladil Amin, vol. 8, p. 184)

 

Umm Abdur Rahman al-Jurjani narrated from her husband, Shaykh Muhammad bin Ali al-Jurjani. (Tarikhi al-Jurjan, p. 468)

 

Umm Umar bint Hassan Baghdadi narrated from her father Abul Ghusan Hassan bin Zayd and her husband Saeed bin Yahya bin Qais. (Tarikh-e-Baghdad: 14/433)

 

Khadija bint Qazi Shihabuddin Ahmad al-Makki heard Hadith from her maternal grandmother, Hasana bint Muhammad bin Kamil. (Al-Iqdus Samin fi Tarikhil Baladil Amin, Vol. 8, p. 256)

 

Zainab bint Abdur Rahman al-Jurjani used to narrate Hadith from the collection of Hadith compiled by her grandfather, Shaykh Muhammad bin Ma’ruf al-Jurjani. (Tarikh-e-Jurjani, p. 463)

 

From the above examples,

 it is evident how Muslim women in the first century and later generations propagated and disseminated Hadith and Asr through lineage. In fact, these female narrators and hadith scholars have made their homes Darul Hadith (centers of Hadith study) and Darul Ilm (schools of learning).

✍️Qazi Athar Mubarakpuri (Rahmatullahi alaihi)