An article by Dr.
Muzammil Siddiqi from Islam-Online (website:
www.islamonline.net).
Did
Allah Send Women As Prophets
Title
Question
Date
Mufti
Answer
Wa
`alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In
the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All
praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon
His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we would like to thank
you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah
Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.
Prophets were raised and sent to the whole of mankind in
different lands and at different times. The prophets were the channel
of communication between Allah and mankind. It is through them that
Allah, in His infinite mercy, provided men and women with guidance to
follow the right course and so make this world a happy and peaceful
place to live in. For those who accept and follow that guidance, the
reward in the life after death is much greater and more desirable
than the fleeting pleasures of this world.
The prophets and
messengers were very special people, but nonetheless, they were no
more than human beings. They were not sons, partners, or incarnations
of Allah. The message of every prophet and messenger was one and the
same: "There is none worthy and deserving of worship except
Allah."
Responding to your question, Dr. Muzammil
H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North
America states:
“Allah sent many prophets and messengers
to different people and at different times. There are only a few
whose names are mentioned in the Qur'an. Allah says, "We did
send messengers before you: of them there are some whose story We
have related to you, and some whose story We have not related to
you." (Ghafir 78; An-Nisa' 164). The Messengers whose names
are mentioned in the Qur'an were all men. There is no woman prophet
or messenger whose name is mentioned in the Qur'an. Three times in
the Qur'an Allah, Most High, says, "We did not send before
you (i.e. Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him) any but
men (rijal) whom we did inspire…” (Yusuf 109;
An-Nahl 43; Al-Anbiya' 7). Apparently this means that only men were
chosen by Allah as His messengers and prophets. But the word "rijal"
does not mean only men. In most cases in the Qur'an this word is used
to mean men only, but there are a few places where it is also used to
indicate both men and women. See for example Surat Al-A`raf 46: "And
on the Heights (al-A`raf) will be men who would know everyone
by their marks…" We know that the people of al-A`raf
will be both men and women, so this means that the word "rijal"
can be used for both. Similarly in Surat At-Tawbah 109, Almighty
Allah says, "Surely the Masjid whose foundation was laid down
from the first day on piety is more worthy of your standing forth
there for prayer. In it are men who love to be purified. And Allah
loves those who make themselves pure." This refers to the
Masjid of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) where men and
women both used to come for prayers. So it is obvious that the
statement "in it are men who love to be purified.."
does not mean "men only". One can also refer to Surat
An-Nur 37 and Al-Jinn 6. In these two verses the word "rijal"
is used and it includes men and women both.
Thus the majority
of the Muslim scholars hold that the prophets and messengers were
only men (i.e. males), but there were some scholars of the Qur'an who
said that it was possible that some women were also prophets or
messengers of Allah. We can say that most of the time Allah sent men
as His prophets and messengers, but there is no conclusive evidence
from the Qur'an to prove that only men were sent as prophets or to
say that Allah never sent a woman as a prophet.
Why were men
often chosen to perform this task? Obviously the reason is not that
women are inferior to men, because Allah has created men and women
equal in their spirituality. The main reason seems to me was that the
prophets and messengers of Allah were not only to preach Allah's
message, but they were also to establish His rule and authority. They
had to struggle and challenge the forces of evil. It would be easier
for men to perform this task than women.”
Excerpted,
with slight modifications, from:
http://pakistanlink.com/religion.html
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Allah Almighty knows best.
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