A Comparison of Women in the Time of Prophet Muhammad and Andalusian Period in Terms of Participation in Social and Political Life

Abstract

The political presence of Muslims in al-Andalus had remained from Tariq bin Ziyad’s conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711, untill the fall of Ghirnata in 1492. Despite all the political struggles, rebellions, occupations and wars, the history of al-Andalus means more than political history. Because at this period of Muslims’ presence in medieval Iberia, al-Andalus became the center of “convivencia”, that means “the art of living together of all differences”. This convivencia refers to people with different colors, religions, sects, languages and ethnicities. Among these differences, Andalusian women also played an active role in social life, science and politics. Although it is not very far in the temporal plane, al-Andalus, which has fallen to the west of the lands where Islam was born, has been a region shaped by its unique dynamics within Islamic civilization. In this context, a comparison based on the social and political aspects of women between the lands where Islam was born and the furthest point it has reached will be instrumental in our better understanding of the Andalusian woman. Hereby, our aim is to compare the role of women in the social and political life of the Islamic society, which was shaped by the message of Prophet Muhammad, with the activities of Andalusian women and their visibility in social life.