Women as imams

There is a current controversy among Muslims regarding the circumstances in which women may act as imams —that is, lead a congregation in salat (prayer). Three of the four Sunni schools and the Shia school agree that a woman may lead a congregation consisting of women alone in prayer. However Shia and Sunni schools do not believe in women leading the mixed congregational prayers. Some schools make exceptions for Tarawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. Certain sects, such as the Haruriyyah branch of the Kharijites movement in the 7th century, considered it acceptable for a woman to be imam. Certain medieval scholars—including Al-Tabari (838–932), Abu Thawr (764–854), Al-Muzani (791–878), and Ibn Arabi (1165–1240)—considered the practice permissible at least for optional ( nafila ) prayers; however, their views are not accepted by any major surviving group. With in the Muslim communities in recent years the debate has been reactivated, arguing that the spirit of the Qur'an and the letter of a disputed hadith indicate that women should be able to lead mixed congregations as well as single-sex ones, and that the prohibition of this developed as a result of sexism in the medieval environment and patriarchal interpretations of religious texts, not part of or reflective of true Islam.

There is a current controversy among Muslims regarding the circumstances in which women may act as imams —that is to lead a congregation in salat (prayer). (Note that there are many types of Islamic religious leaders aside from imams, and Muslim women have featured as theological figures throughout the history of Islam .) Some schools of Islamic thought make exceptions for taraawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. Historically, certain sects considered it acceptable for a woman to be imam. This was true not just in the Arab heartland of early Islam, but also in China hundreds of years ago. The debate has been reactivated recently, arguing that the spirit of the Koran and the letter of a disputed hadith indicate that women should be able to lead mixed congregations as well as single-sex ones, and that the prohibition of this developed as a result of sexism in the medieval environment and patriarchal interpretations of religious texts, not part of or reflective of true Islam. "Score One More for Women Imams" , "beliefnet" by Pamela K.

There is a difference of opinion among Muslims regarding the circumstances in which women may act as imams , i.e. to lead a congregation in salat (prayer). (Note that there are many types of Islamic religious leaders aside from imams, and that Muslim women have featured as theological figures in the history of Islam .) A number of schools of Islamic thought do make exceptions for taraawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. The orthodox position is that women cannot lead prayers, but not because of any deficiency in a woman, rather simply the different roles that men and women take in society. Women acting as leaders, teachers, and authorities in other capacities however is not deviating from the Islamic orthodoxy as women have never been restricted from becoming scholars, ulema, jurists, muftis, preachers, missionaries, or spiritual guides. There is a long history of female masters of Islamic sciences teaching men - the four imams of Sunni orthodoxy (Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Maalik, Imam Shafi'i, and Imam Ahmad) all were taught by women. Historically, certain sects have considered it acceptable for women to function as imams. This was true not only in the Arab heartland of early Islam, but in China over recent centuries, where women's mosques developed. The debate has been reactivated during the 21st century as the west and the world revisit gender issues. Those critical of the ruling that women cannot lead congressional prayers have argued that the spirit of the Qur'an and the letter of a da'if (weak) hadith (saying of Mohammed) indicate that women should be able to lead mixed (albeit children) congregations, as opposed to sex-segregated congregations , and they suggest that the prohibition against the practice originated from sexism in the medieval environment and from inaccurate patriarchal interpretations of religious texts, rather than from a spirit of "true Islam". Those who reply to these arguments typically mention that Islam has a long history of female scholarship and legal rulings and they claim that unlike other religions Islam never had a male dominated class of jurists. They also put suggest that the arguments of those who support female leadership of congressional prayer often criticize the entire history of Islamic scholarship with sweeping accusations of patriarchy or sexism rather than pointing to jurisprudential methodologies or preexisting legal opinions, especially as preexisting rulings are the foundation of all judicial systems, and carry a lot of weight when jurists are considering new rulings.

There is a difference of opinion among Muslims regarding the circumstances in which women may act as imams , i.e. to lead a mixed gendered congregation in salat (prayer). All Muslim scholars agree that women cannot lead prayers for men, except all women congregations. A small number of schools of Islamic thought make exceptions for tarawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. Women acting as leaders, teachers, and authorities in other capacities however is not deviating from the Islamic orthodoxy as women have never been restricted from becoming scholars, ulema, jurists, muftis , preachers, missionaries, or spiritual guides. There is a long history of female masters of Islamic sciences teaching men. Historically, certain sects have considered it acceptable for women to function as imams. This was true not only in the Arab heartland of early Islam, but in China over recent centuries, where women's mosques developed. The debate has been reactivated during the 21st century as the west and the world revisit sexism. Those critical of the ruling that women cannot lead congressional prayers have argued that the spirit of the Qur'an and the letter of a da'if (weak) hadith (saying of Mohammed) indicate that women should be able to lead mixed (albeit children) congregations, as opposed to sex-segregated congregations , and they suggest that the prohibition against the practice originated from sexism in the medieval environment and from inaccurate patriarchal interpretations of religious texts, rather than from a spirit of "true Islam". Those who reply to these arguments typically mention that Islam has a long history of female scholarship and legal rulings and they claim that unlike other religions Islam never had a male dominated class of jurists. They also put suggest that the arguments of those who support female leadership of congressional prayer often criticize the entire history of Islamic scholarship with sweeping accusations of patriarchy or sexism rather than pointing to jurisprudential methodologies or preexisting legal opinions, especially as preexisting rulings are the foundation of all judicial systems, and carry a lot of weight when jurists are considering new rulings.

There is a difference of opinion among Muslims regarding the circumstances in which women may act as imams , i.e. to lead a mixed gendered congregation in salat (prayer). A small number of schools of Islamic thought make exceptions for tarawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. Women acting as leaders, teachers, and authorities in other capacities however is not deviating from the Islamic orthodoxy, as women have never been restricted from becoming scholars, ulema, jurists, muftis , preachers, missionaries, or spiritual guides. There is a long history of female masters of Islamic sciences teaching men. Historically, certain sects have considered it acceptable for women to function as imams. This was true not only in the Arab heartland of early Islam , but in China over recent centuries, where women's mosques developed. The debate has been reactivated during the 21st century as the west and the world revisit sexism . Those critical of the ruling that women cannot lead congressional prayers have argued that the spirit of the Qur'an and the letter of a da'if (weak) hadith (saying of Mohammed) indicate that women should be able to lead mixed (albeit children) congregations, as opposed to sex-segregated congregations , and they suggest that the prohibition against the practice originated from sexism in the medieval environment and from inaccurate patriarchal interpretations of religious texts, rather than from a spirit of "true Islam".