Women Leadership Roles in Islamic Jurisprudence: A Contemporary Ijtihad
Keywords:
Women Leadership, Islamic Jurisprudence, Contemporary, IjtihadAbstract
This article examines how the debate over women's leadership responsibilities in Islamic law has changed over time, drawing on modern ijtihad, or independent legal reasoning. It explores whether Islamic tradition allows women to hold leadership roles in law, religion, and education, as well as the interactions among historical precedent, classical jurisprudence, and contemporary reinterpretation on the subject. The study emphasizes the significant contributions of female scholars such as Aisha bint Abi Bakr, Umm al-Darda, and Karima al-Marwaziyya, who were vital to hadith transmission and legal advice, drawing on early Islamic history. Based on specific hadiths and gender-based legal analogies, classical jurists from the primary Islamic schools typically prohibited women from holding positions of public authority, especially in the judiciary and political leadership. However, rather than being based on unchanging religious principles, these interpretations were often shaped by sociocultural contexts. In light of the Qur'anic principles of justice (ʿadl), consultation (shūrā), and the broad objectives of Shariah (maqāṣid al-sharīʿah), modern scholars have reexamined these rulings. The study argues that extending women's leadership responsibilities in Islamic jurisprudence is justified by current ijtihad, which is supported by ethical reasoning and historical evidence. It comes to the conclusion that reclaiming women's scholarly legacy is a return to the inclusive nature of early Islam as well as an act of justice.
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