Contextualizing Arguments about Female Ritual Leadership (Women Imams) in Classical Islamic Sources
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.v5i1.5Keywords:
Women Imams of Mixed Congregations, Umm Waraqa ḥadīth, Legal Arguments on Women Imams, Ninth Century Legal Debates, Abū Thawr, Dāwūd al-Ẓāhirī, al-MuzanīAbstract
This article focuses on legal arguments by medieval Muslim scholars concerning the permissibility of the imama of a woman for a mixed congregation salat. In particular, the legal and theological context is discussed of three ninth century scholars who, unusually, did not consider invalid the prayer of a man when he is led by a woman. Some scholars quoted the hadith of Umm Waraqa in support of women imams. It is argued that, beyond the historicity of Umm Waraqa herself, her precedent was used as a legal “case.” This, however, should be taken as evidence of legal theory rather than actual practice.
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