Al-Muhaddithat: The Women Scholars of Islam

Date: Saturday 12 February 2022
Time: 10am – 3pm

This course is based on the book, ‘Al-Muhaddithat: The Women Scholars in Islam’ by Shaykh Akram Nadwi and will be taught by the author himself. This book serves as an accessible English language introduction to the multi-voluminous biographical dictionary that has also been researched and compiled by Shaykh Akram. These female scholars and their legacies have been preserved within Islamic history in a number of ways and their presence attests to a tradition of learning throughout the centuries. As hadith narrators, teachers, jurists, wives, mothers and daughters, these women have contributed to the growth and development of the Muslim community on a social, moral and intellectual level since the 7th century. They supported and were supported by others in such a manner that indicates a sense of mutual respect and cooperation. As Muslims today, we stand to benefit from these intentions and reciprocal values. Learning about these women and their context is “essential for a balanced appreciation of the role of women in Islamic society”.

Learn about the changes in Islamic curricula studied by women over the centuries
Become acquainted with a number of prominent and lesser-known female scholars in Islam
Learn more about their lives, contributions and Islamic sciences studied
Gain a greater understanding of their historical contexts

Shaykh Akram Nadwi studied and taught Shari’a at the Nadwatul ‘Ulama (India). He is a muhaddith specialising in ‘Ilm al-Rijal (the study of the narrators of Hadith) and has ijaza (licenses) from many mashayakh, including Abul Hasan Ali Al-Nadwi, Abdul-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, Ramadan Buti, AbdurRahman Kittani and Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Over the course of three decades he has authored, translated and conducted research on many titles related to fiqh, Qur’an, hadith and sufi orders. He has published widely in Urdu, Persian, Arabic, and English on Shah Wali Allah, a critical edition of Usūl al-Shāshī in Ḥanafī jurisprudence, original monographs on Islamic law, Quran and hadith sciences, and figures such as Abū Ḥanīfah, including his monumental 43 volume work on Al-Muhaddithaat –The Women Scholars in Islam. He was a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University, and is recipient of the ‘Allāmah Iqbāl prize for contribution to Islamic thought and is the Principal and Co-Founder of Al-Salam Institute. As co-founder of Al-Salam Institute, he continues to teach advanced levels of Islamic Scholarship Program.

Dr. Tamara Gray is a founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences. She holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction from Temple University, and spent twenty years studying traditional and classical Islamic sciences, Quran, and Arabic in Damascus, Syria.

Dr. Gray worked in the field of education for twenty-five years before moving into the non-profit world. She is now both the Executive Director of Rabata and its Chief Spirituality Officer. Her work includes the daily nitty gritty of project design as well as the support and mentorship of hundreds of women around the world. She is the instructor for more than ten subjects at Ribaat, teaches RabaTeens, and contributes to curriculum development.

Dr. Gray is also an author and translator. Her publications range from several culturally appropriate English language curriculum programs to translations of sacred texts. She has authored two books: Joy Jots: Exercises for a happy heart & Project Lina: Bringing our whole selves to Islam, and co-translated the Mukhtasir al-Jami’ fi al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya by Samīra Zayid [Compendium of the Collection of Sources on al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya]

In addition to her work at Rabata, Dr. Gray sits on the NoUsury board – on organization dedicated to giving small no-interest loans to those who are in need, ANd the Collegeville Institute’s Inter-religious Fellows Program, working to develop educational programming for faith leaders around social justice issues.

She also serves as both faculty and an academic council member for The Islamic Seminary of America, teaches at the United Theological Seminary of the TwinCities and is a  Senior Fellow at the Yaqeen Institute.  She has recently joined the Fiqh council of North America in addition to her other responsibilities.

Dr. Tamara is a mother of three, grandmother of two, an avid reader and a lover of cultures, people, coffee and food.

Dr. Ingrid Mattson is the London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron University College at Western University in Canada.

Dr. Mattson was educated in Canada and the United States, earning a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1999. From 1998 to 2012 she was Professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary in CT where she developed and directed the first accredited graduate program for Muslim chaplains in America, and served as Director of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. From 2001-2010 Dr. Mattson served as vice-president, then as president of the Islamic Society of North America (USA), the first woman to serve in either position. Her writings, both academic and public, focus primarily Qur’an interpretation, Islamic theological ethics and interfaith relations. Her book, The Story of the Qur’an, is an academic best-seller and was chosen by the US National Endowment for the Humanities for inclusion in its “Bridging Cultures” program.

Dr. Mattson is a Senior Fellow of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan. From 2009-2010, Dr. Mattson was a member of the Interfaith Taskforce of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; in 2008 she was on the Council of Global Leaders of the C-100 of the World Economic Forum; from 2007-2008, she was a member of the Leadership Group of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project (USME). Dr. Mattson is the recipient of numerous awards as well as honorary doctorates from Trinity College, Hartford, and the Chicago Theological Seminary. She is frequently consulted by the media and has served as an expert witness.

Open to the general public

None