Women Islamic Scholars in the Middle Ages

Yes, they did exist. Just ask Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a Sunni religious scholar who has spent the last eight years researching a dictionary of female hadith scholars, and who found many more than the 20 or 30 women he thought he'd find. Dating all the way back to the 7th century, female Islamic scholars have played significant roles in the shaping of Muslim culture and religion.

Find out more in A Secret History by Carla Power at the New York Times.

Related Resources
• Medieval Islam
• Women and Gender Issues

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