Scholarly Noted

She was both a very prominent muhaddithah (scholar of hadeeth) and faqihah (jurist). She had learnt many ahaadeeth from the great Companion Anas ibn Maalik. (Ibn Hibbaan, K. al-Thiqaat, iv.)

All six books of hadeeth mention her name as well as the books of Sunan and Masaaneed. Of the numerous hadeeths Hafsa narrated, a very famous one is regarding the washing of the dead. This is a narration she acquired from another female narrator of hadith, Umm A’tiyyah al Ansaariyyah.

Concerning Hafsa bint Sereen, Zainab bint Yunus quoted Sheikh Muhammad Akram Nadwi, in his book ‘Al-Muhaddithat’:

Though born a slave, Hafsah bint Sereen made the best of the opportunity presented to her and became one of the most important scholars of her time. Some considered her superior to Hasan al Basri.”

Akram Nadwi, Al Muhaddithat

Hafsa visited well-known female and male scholars, such as Umm ʿAtiyya, Abu al-ʿAliya, and Salman b. ʿAmir. From them she transmitted many hadith. She was a well-respected scholar of hadith and Qur’an who taught male and female students out of her home.

One day in Basra, while sitting in a gathering of scholars, a discussion began regarding excluding women from congregational prayers. Hafsa disagreed. She had heard a Hadith that could be used to argue for the exact opposite.

This report demonstrated that women not only attended the mosque for `eid prayers during the Prophet’s day. Muhammad insisted that women attend even if they are menstruating. But Hafsa did not just relay the hadith to her companions and hope for the best. Rather than using the hadith as just a piece of evidence, she argued brilliantly for women’s right to attend the prayer.