Did Caliph ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) Prevent Women From Writing?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
An Islamophobic person claimed that the Prophet and Caliph ‘Umar prevented women from learning to write, citing Imam Ghazali’s works. He also said Imam Ghazali stated that women are cursed by Allah with pregnancy and menstruation, implying hatred towards women. Are these claims true? Did Imam Ghazali make such statements? Does Islam prevent women from getting educated?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Scholars mention that there are no statements in the Ihya al-Ulum al-Din that show women are cursed by Allah (Most High) with things like pregnancy, menstruation, etc., as mentioned by the scholars. All kinds of accusations have been addressed to him and his book due to hatred, jealousy, truth, and its widespread acceptance.
Caliph ‘Umar Implementing Widespread Education
Caliph ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) established an education system based on equality for all individuals and provided free education. He also reinforced the state’s role in overseeing, sustaining, supporting, and funding those who pursued studies. Additionally, prisoners of war were given the opportunity to avoid execution or imprisonment by agreeing to become educators for the Muslim community. See the detailed research papers below.
Learn and Teach with Dignity and Humility
‘Imran ibn Muslim reported: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) said, “Acquire knowledge and teach people. Learn with its dignity and tranquility, humility for those who teach you, and humility for those you teach. Do not be tyrannical scholars and thus base your knowledge upon your ignorance.”[Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman]
Avoid Websites
Please avoid those kinds of websites that create doubts and confusion, like reading blogs and going on other websites unnecessarily and without need, like scholarly research, etc.; Ibrahim bin Adham (Allah have mercy on him) said, “Looking at falsehood (e.g., anti-Islamic, Islamaphobic websites, feminism, liberalism, secularism, etc.) frequently causes the recognition of truth to disappear from the heart.” [Isfahani, Hilyat al-Awliya]
قال ابراهيم بن أدهم (رحمه الله): كثرة النظر إلى الباطل تذهب بمعرفة الحق من القلب.
(حلية الأولياء، ج٨ ص٢٢)
You can find reliable knowledge here, as well as those that mainstream traditional scholars recommend. May Allah give you the best in this world and the next.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Related
- Did Imam Ghazali Discourage Women from Seeking Knowledge? – SeekersGuidance
- (PDF) Islamic Education In The Time of Kalifah Umar Bin Khattab and Its Relevance To Education In The Contemporary Era (researchgate.net)
- The Politics of Islamic Education in the Caliphate of Islamic Education.pdf
- Can a Girl Get a Higher Education? – SeekersGuidance
- What Advice Do You Have for a Muslim Woman Who Wants to Seek Knowledge? (seekersguidance.org)
- A Reader On Gender Interaction – SeekersGuidance
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?
I pray this helps answer your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
