Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam

This book is an excellent contribution to extending our understanding of the history of early Hadith transmission, with particular reference to female scholarship. A key feature is that the data has been gathered from primary and secondary sources an also benefitting from standard Arabic biographical dictionaries and chronicles. The result is a panoramic view of the significant role played by Muslim women in recording and transmission of Hadith. The first chapter focuses on the female Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the most prominent women of early Islam, whose lives establish the pattern upon which successive generations of Muslim women modelled their beliefs, practices and services to Islam. She uses numerous examples to illuminate how these female Companions made a remarkable contribution in shaping the narrative of Hadith reports and safeguarding the knowledge that ultimately became the second most important scripture for Muslims.