A historical outlook on Seerat-e-Nabi and Early Muslim Society for Women Empowerment

Abstract

In this paper, the part played by women in the Seerat-e-Nabi (the life of the Prophet) and in the social life of the early Muslim community is considered. It was shown, in the historical environment of 7th century Arabia, that the Seerat of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) converted an intensely masculine-dominated society into one in which women were recognized as equal in their claim to spiritual, fundamental rights, and social values. Using a mixed approach of qualitative, descriptive, historical and comparative methods, primary materials, such as the Quran, authentic collections of Hadith, classical works on Seerah, and modern papers of research, were utilized. As the result of all this it was shown that women were active participants in education, religious learning, trade, and joint discussion and decision-making, and had also contributed a moral and financial backing that upheld the early Muslim community vision. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Aisha bint Abu Bakr, and Fatimah al-Zahra are important symbols of women's rising influence in spiritual, intellectual, and social areas. The study also shows the practical application of Islamic changes in property rights, inheritance, consultation, and education by which women's status was raised. This comparative analysis shows a considerable departure from certain customs existing before the advent of Islam and indicates this moral and social advance that Islam introduced. This study leads to the conclusion that the Seerat of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) transformed the male-oriented pattern in the pre-Islamic Arabian social system by emphasizing dignity, respect, and cooperation. In this study, it is concluded that the women empowerment in early societies of Islam was distinguished not in modern theology but in divine principles of justice and compassion. Therefore, further studies may be conducted on understanding the hierarchy of how women in early Islamic communities were engaged within the Islamic teachings.