Muslim Women : A Biographical Dictionary

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Muslim Women -
A Biographical Dictionary,
*[A5] Paperback - 232 pages,
by Aisha Bewley,
Published by Taha.

Back in Stock October 2022

Description :

Excerpt : Introduction :

"This book originally came about as a response to frequent requests to provide some sources about women scholars. When I went through my biographical references, I was surprised by the number of references to women, and the great number of women represented in all areas of life, from scholars to rulers, whether regents or women who ruled in their own right, or women who wielded substantial political influence. This led to the decision to compile a larger source of reference of Muslim women, and, given modern views of women in Islam, it gives us a surprising picture of just how active women have been in the history of Islam from the very beginning up until the present time.

The dictionary covers the period from the time of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to roughly the middle of the thirteenth/nineteenth century, although a few entries are a little later than that. As we can see by a perusal of the entries, the role of Muslim women was by no means confined to house and home. They were active in many fields. This is not a question of either/or. It is a question of many roles, all intermeshed and interlocking, rather than separate categories. A business- woman is still a mother and a scholar is still a wife. Women simply learn to juggle things more, but that is something at which women are very good at doing, as can be seen by the entries.

There are various major categories covered in the dictionary. One consists of the women Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The second major category consists women scholars, especially hadith transmitters. Here I should mention that there are over 800 women hadith scholars and transmitters whom I have not included. Then there are also women rulers or women with great political influence, and then Sufis. "

Table of Contents :

---Literary works by the Author,
---Introduction,
---Abbreviations used in the Text.

------The A - Z Dictionary of Muslim Women : [Pages 1 - 209],

---Women listed as having given allegiance to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
---Glossary.