IDEA 51
Misogyny in Islam: Feature or Fiction?
“If I were to command anyone to prostrate to another, I would command a wife to prostrate to her husband.” (Jami’it-Tirmidhi)
This is but one of dozens of aḥādīth, many of them considered authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) and repeated in lectures or lessons up to the present day, that are considered disparaging, discriminatory, or at least unfriendly to women and their status in Islam. Yet the character of the Prophet (may GOD bless him and give him peace) and the contents of the Qur’ān do not support this apparent bias. How do scholars resolve these contradictory views?
Classical and contemporary scholars explain the presence of misogynistic‑sounding ṣaḥīḥ aḥādīth in four main ways: context, transmission history, textual variation, and interpretive method. When these factors are examined, many scholars argue that such aḥādīth do not actually contradict the Qur’ān or the Prophet’s belief and practice; rather, they reflect attitudes in society that are only referenced, not recommended, or represent misreadings of the real meaning, or are narrow interpretations.
1. Historical context: many aḥādīth reflect the male-dominated culture of their time. Scholars note that some narrations emerged within a 7th‑century Arabian society that was deeply patriarchal. These aḥādīth often describe social realities, not divine ideals. This means the Prophet (may GOD bless him and give him peace) may have been commenting on or regulating existing norms, not endorsing them as eternal truths. When we understand the full context of a ḥadīth, we can better judge whether its application was intended to be general, or applicable in one case for particular reasons.
2. Textual criticism: variations in matn (text) and isnād (chain) matter. Some misogynistic‑sounding aḥādīth have multiple versions, with different wording and different implications. Some are ḥasan (sound) rather than ṣaḥīḥ, and others show textual inconsistencies across narrations. Rather than selecting the most comfortable or controversial version of various aḥādīth with one main message, we need to keep the variable reliability of the ḥadīth literature in mind, including some that have been ‘canonized’ as authentic. Their authenticity can be questioned for what they say as much as by who said it. Furthermore, some narrations widely cited as misogynistic are actually ḍaʿīf (weak).
3. Prophetic practice contradicts misogyny, so misogynistic readings must be re‑evaluated. Multiple studies show that the Prophet’s actual behaviour toward women was consistently protective, respectful, egalitarian, and compassionate. In other words his sunnah outweighs isolated reports and narrations that clash with his character. This is the foundation of the “Prophetic ethos” approach used by many contemporary scholars.
4. Hermeneutics: scholars reinterpret these aḥādīth through ethical and maqāṣid‑based lenses. Contemporary scholars like Khaled Abou El‑Fadl argue that many misogynistic interpretations arise from gender‑biased medieval commentaries, not from the aḥādīth themselves. A questionable narration must be read through ethical hermeneutics, prioritizing Qur’anic justice and Prophetic integrity. The meaning of a ḥadīth is not fixed solely by its chain, but by its consistency with Islam’s higher objectives (maqāṣid).
On page 249 of Speaking in God’s Name by Khaled Abou El Fadl (London: Oneworld Publications, 2001), we encounter this devastating critique:
“The late Wahhabi scholar Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1999) … quotes extensively from a variety of classical sources in an effort to impeach the transmitters of the traditions. Most importantly, in the context of commenting one of the classical authorities who accepted the authenticity of some of the racist reports, al-Albani states:”
This is because [he] stubbornly focused on the chain of transmissions (sanad) without carefully scrutinizing the substance (matn). This substance conveys a message that can never be endorsed by the Shari’ah. How could a rational person say that this fair and just Shari’ah would condemn all of the Sudanese nation, with all its people, while there are pious and pure people in it, as the case with all other nations. By God, how would a non-Muslim from Sudan react if he learns that all of his people have been condemned by the Islamic Shari’ah?
“I think it is fair to say that al-Albani is revolted by the ugliness of these traditions, and is not willing to accept them as a matter of principle. … Of course, the analogies to the traditions demeaning to women are apparent. … I suspect that it all depends on the vision of morality and beauty that Islam has instilled in one’s heart.”
Next week, GOD willing, I will mention a few of these controversial aḥādīth and see how they measure up to our sacred principles of fairness, objectivity, authenticity, ethical excellence, and heavenly mercy.
Download the PDF version for free at Ideas Inspired by the Qur’ān – Mont Redmond complete version, or purchase a hard copy at Ideas Inspired by the Qur’an: Redmond, Mont: 9781738842506: Books – Amazo
