A Critique of Abu Bakrah's Hadith on Women Political Leadership

Abdulkadir Salaudeen,Saidu Ahmad Dukawa

doi:10.33102/abqari.vol24no1.264

Abstract

Discourse on Muslim women political leadership is based on the Prophetic hadith which states that “a people ruled by a woman will never prosper.” This generates a serious controversy in socio-cultural milieus which civilizational edifices are built on Islamic foundations. This research critiques this hadith through the historical lens of the past and extra-textual reality of the present. The hadith is the linchpin of all arguments against women leadership, which apparently prophesied failure of a nation under leadership of a woman. It employs the method of documentary analysis and adopts Immanent Critique advanced by Ahmad as its theoretical framework. It argues, within that framework, that women with leadership prerequisite could be successful leaders. It finds that, women, just like men, could lead nation(s) to prosperity. It thus concludes that the prophetic political statement which prophesies the downfall of a nation under woman leadership is contextual; and cannot be generalized.

Highlights

The wave of democracy which cuts across the globe has exposed large fraction of the world to a political system which they were hitherto not familiar with
Vol 24 (1), 2021 beginning to aspire for positions of leadership in a world where state politics is known to be the traditional domain of men
The feminists argued that Islam promotes equity and justice; denial of political leadership to female Muslims is antithetical to the spirit of Islam

Summary

Introduction

The wave of democracy which cuts across the globe has exposed large fraction of the world to a political system which they were hitherto not familiar with. Advocates of democracy have cleverly made the ground of politics to be appealing to females and pitch them as rivals against their male counterparts. This makes political leadership position a contentious issue as Muslim women are Journal al-‘Abqari ‫مجلة العبقري‬. To make the above scenario more compounding, several quotas and policies are introduced to encourage female representation in government Consequence upon this is the emergence of Muslim feminists advocating for Muslim women active participation in politics. They aver that there is no single verse of the Quran that categorically or implicitly bars women from managing the affairs of the state

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Conclusion