Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
~ 300 ~
whenever they were in any doubt as to the meaning
of any part of the
hadith,
they would turn to
‘Aishah. It was seldom that she was unable to solve
their problems.
62
Although the
Encyclopaedia Britannica
mentions her
as ‘Aishah, the third wife of the Prophet
Muhammad, who played a role of some political
importance after the Prophet’s death,’
63
her real
importance is not that of her own individual
superiority in Islamic history, but the indication her
position gives of the high status women were
accorded within the sphere of Islam, and of the
vastness of the field in which their talents might
honorably be used. It was owing to the distinctive
character of Islam that she was able to render such
important social and political services.
We present below some additional examples of
women who played an effective role in Islam.
TWO REMARKABLE WOMEN
When the Judaic era was drawing to a close, a
woman had to be singled out who would in every
way be fit to become the mother of one so
