Voice of British Muslim Women

Nooresahar Ahmad, Hartlepool

In chapter 20, verse 115 of the Holy Qur’an is a simple prayer: “… O my Lord, increase me in knowledge.” The Arabic is but three words: rabbi zidni ilma. It’s probably the first prayer I ever learnt, the prayer I always recite before an exam (and the prayer I repeat, over and over, when I undoubtedly get stuck on a question). It has informed believers of all ages that the pursuit of knowledge is worthy and rewarding.

Today, this sentiment remains relevant, and education remains an empowering tool- with the ability to transform not just individuals, but entire generations. According to the World Bank, education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth¹.

For women, however, this powerful instrument has not always been easy to access. In the UK, women couldn’t receive degrees until 1878², whilst it was not until 1948 that Cambridge University would confer them on women³. Since then, though women in this country have come a long way  (in 2017, nearly half of women from the UK had entered higher education by the age of 19)⁴– there are still disparities: women hold only 20% of professorships in UK universities, and in Cambridge that number is just 15%⁵. Globally, the issue is even more prevalent: recent studies have shown that in 2014, 77% of countries had not achieved gender parity in upper secondary school⁶.

It seems hard to believe that education is only just becoming more accessible to women. In truth, it is not just a contemporary issue. The introduction of Islam over 1400 years ago not only emphasised the importance of knowledge for all Muslims, but also elevated women to an equal footing with men. In chapter 33, verse 36, the Qur’an states: “Surely, men who submit themselves to God and women who submit themselves to Him, and believing men and believing women… Allah has prepared for all of them forgiveness and a great reward.”

This emphasis of men and women underlines that in Islam, both are given equal value in the eyes of God. Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “A person who is blessed with a daughter or daughters and makes no discrimination between them and his sons and brings them up with kindness and affection, will be as close to me in Paradise as my forefinger and middle finger are to each other.”³ He (peace be upon him) also said: “It is the duty of every Muslim man and every Muslim woman to acquire knowledge”³. Thus did the emphasis laid in Islam on equality lead to women gaining their right to education. Indeed, the Prophet’s life bears testament to this commitment to women receiving education on par with men; his own wife, Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) was one of the foremost Islamic scholars, had extensive knowledge of medicine, literature and Islamic law- and was a source of narration for manifold Hadith⁷.

The saying, and the repeated emphasis in the Qur’an on the pursuit of knowledge, has certainly been taken to heart by millions of Muslims: Muslims invented the pin-hole camera⁸, surgery, experimental chemistry, the modern numeral system⁹– the list goes on. As for Muslim women- the history of early Islam is abundant with enlightened female figures, who were well versed in the arts, sciences and mathematics: whether it be intellectuals such as Fatima al-Fihri, founder of the oldest university and library in the world, or powerful female leaders such as Queen Zubayda, an intellectual of the 9th century who was especially invested in public works¹⁰. Today, countless Ahmadi Muslim women have attained education of the highest standard, with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community abounding with women writers, doctors and teachers, with female students attaining qualifications of the highest level from some of the most revered academic establishments in the world.

Islam has always empowered women to access education- even whilst individuals, cultures and world leaders have not. Today, it is Ahmadi Muslim women who, through the guidance of the Khalifa, continue to benefit from these pure Islamic teachings.

REFERENCES

• (https://editorials.voa.gov/a/fighting-poverty-education/2648602.html)
• (https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/history-womens-education-uk.html)
• (https://www.alislam.org/question/are-women-inferior-to-men-in-islam/)
• (https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/university-london-first-british-women-female-students-graduates/)
• (https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/history-womens-education-uk.html)
• (https://www.sida.se/contentassets/8603ffb013ff4fb7a662c3f4f5d0cc5b/tool_gender_equality_education_sector_june-2017_c1.pdf)
• (https://www.reviewofreligions.org/9186/the-noble-wives-of-the-holy-prophet-sa-3/)
• (https://nikhasnan.wordpress.com/2006/12/18/20-greatest-inventions-by-muslim-scientists/)
• (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventions_in_the_medieval_Islamic_world)
• (https://www.geni.com/projects/Revolutionary-Heroic-Muslim-Women-Leaders/14224)