Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
The claim that Islam teaches women were created only to obey men is based on a weak narration in Sunan At-Tirmidhi. Scholars, including Imam Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud, considered its narrator unreliable. Authentic teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) show he respected, consulted, and valued women, making such claims baseless in Islam.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Reliability of the Hadith Reported in At-Tirmidhi
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“When your leaders are the best of you, the richest are the most generous among you, and your affairs are consulted among you, then the surface of the earth is better for you than its belly. And when your leaders are the worst of you, the richest are the stingiest among you, and your affairs are referred to your women, then the belly of the earth is better for you than its surface.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Imam At-Tirmidhi, who reported this tradition, has already answered your question; as he added the following comment afterward.
“This Hadith is strange, and we only know it through Salih Al-Murri’s narration. Salih Al-Murri has some unusual Hadiths that he alone narrates, and others do not follow them.”
Scholars’ Criticism of the Narrator Salih Al-Murri
Hadith critics have highly critical of Salih Al-Murri, the narrator of the above tradition. Imam Al-Bukhari considered him an unreliable transmitter, while Abu Dawud said his Hadith should not be written down.
Muhammad ibn Abi Shaybah narrated from Ibn Ma`in, an eminent expert in the critical evaluation of narrators, that Salih Al-Murri was a weak narrator. Ibn `Adi described him as a storyteller with a beautiful voice, but most of his Hadiths were rejected because he lacked knowledge of the chains of transmission.
Imam Malik’s Approach to Dubious Hadiths
Considering the above facts, one who is careful about their religion should pass on such traditions. We may do well to heed the example of Imam as reported by his disciple, Imam Ash-Shafi`i: When Imam Malik encountered a dubious narration, he would disregard it altogether, being extra cautious not to disfigure Islam. He did so because of the dire warning of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said, “Whoever misattributes something to me, let him find his abode in hellfire.”
Imam Malik also taught us how to behave when confronted with dubious reports. He advised us to hold firmly to what is certain and leave the dubious and doubtful.
The Prophet’s Respect and Honor towards Women
Now, let us consider what we know about the Prophet’s treatment of women. He honored women, respected them, and consulted them on essential issues, acting upon their advice on critical issues.
We know how he valued his first wife, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), and acted upon her advice.
Furthermore, during the crucial moment of the pact of Hudaybiah, the Prophet was perplexed and saddened to see how the companions did not hasten to act upon his decision to release themselves from Ihram following the pact. When he told his wife, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), she told him to go ahead and do it himself, and as soon as he did so as per her advice, they also joined him.
How could someone then attribute such false opinions to Islam and disfigure its teachings, which only sought to empower women?
👉 Read more about authentic Islamic rulings on women’s rights and dignity here:
- How Islam Confirms Women’s Rights
- Does the Quran Disrespect Women?
- Does Islam Accept Women’s Curses?
- Islamic Perspective on Gender Bias: What You Need to Know
- Women’s Rights in Islam
Almighty Allah knows best.