Are Women Deficient in Intellect and

Faith?An exploration of the sermon on the deficiencies of women

attributed to Imam ‘Ali (ع) in Nahj al-Balaghah

Amina Inloes

Why discuss this?• Several quotations attributed to

Imam ‘Ali (ع) in Nahj al-Balaghah appear misogynistic.

• Cognitive dissonance– “The truth is with ‘Ali (ع), and ‘Ali (ع)is with

the truth.”– Intellectually advanced women today– Fatimah al-Zahra (ع)?

• Taboo subject?

Sermon 80After the Battle of the Camel, in Condemnation of Women

: معاشر النساء ذم في الجمل حرب بعد السالم عليه له خطبة ومنالعقول . نواقص الحظوظ نواقص اإليمان نواقص النساء إن الناس

أيام في والصيام الصالة عن فقعودهن إيمانهن نقصان فأمامن . االنصاف على فمواريثهن حظوظهن نقصان وأما حيضهن

كشهادة . امرأتين فشهادة عقولهن نقصان وأما الرجال مواريث . حذر . على خيارهن من كونوا النساء شرار فاتقوا الواحد الرجل

. المنكر في يطمعن ال حتى المعروف في تطيعوهن والO people! Women are deficient in faith, deficient in shares, and deficient in intellect. As for their deficiency in faith, it is their sitting back from ritual prayers and fasting in the days of their menstruation. As for their deficiency in shares, it is because their inheritance is half that of men. And as for their deficiency in intellect, it is because the testimony of two women is like the testimony of one man. So beware the evils of women. Be on guard against the good ones among them and do not obey them in good so that they do not desire evil.

Responses1. Authentic and true for all women.2. Authentic and socially contextualized

for that era.3. Authentic but with an esoteric meaning

which we do not understand.4. Authentic but directed only at ‘A’ishah.5. Inauthentic.

Authentic or inauthentic?• Why are we afraid to discuss the authenticity of

selections of Nahj al-Balaghah?– Are we “allowed” to discuss it at all?– Sanctity of the book: “For us, whoever wrote Nahj al-

Balaghah is ‘Ali (ع), even if he lived a century ago.”– Polemical reasons– Argument that no one but Imam ‘Ali (ع) could have

produced such complex texts– Is the authenticity of Nahj al-Balaghah an all-or-

nothing question? • When and how was Nahj al-Balaghah compiled?– Did Imam ‘Ali (ع) write it? Did al-Sharif al-Radi write it?– Al-Sharif al-Radi (d. 977 CE, Baghdad)– Chose for literary merit

How can we explore the authenticity of a selection?

• Chains of narration• Other sources• Agreement with the Qur’an, other

narrations, or logic• Is there a possible motivation or

explanation for it being a fabrication?

Alternative sources1. Tadhkirat al-Khawass by Sibt Ibn

al-Jawzi (d. 1256/1257 CE, Hanafi) ê2. Qut al-Qulub by Abu Talib al-Makki

(d. 996 CE, Sufi Shafi‘i) ê3. al-Kafi by Shaykh al-Kulayni (d. 941

CE, Shi‘i) êêê4. al-Amali by Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 991

CE, Shi‘i) êê5. al-Ikhtisas by Shaykh al-Mufid (d.

1022 CE, Shi‘i) êê

Source: Masadir Nahj al-Balaghah by Sayyid ‘Abd al-Zahra al-Khatib

Al-Kafi ، أبيه عن ، الله عبد أبي بن أحمد عن ، أصحابنا من ذكره عدة عن عمن ،

أمير ) ( : الحسين قال قال السالم عليه الله عبد أبي عن ، المختار ابنله ) ( : كالم في السالم عليه المؤمنين

بالمعروف أمرنكم وإن حذر على خيارهن من وكونوا شرارالنساء اتقوا . المنكر في منكم يطمعن كيال فخالفوهن

From a group of our companions, from Ahmad ibn Abi ‘Abd Allah, from whoever related it, from al-Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar, from Abi ‘Abd Allah (ع):

The Commander of the Faithful (ع) said, “Beware the evils of women, and be on guard from them. And if they command you to good, then oppose them, so that they may not desire evil from you.

(Volume 5, page 517, number 5)Chain of narration – Deficiencies of women – Where is the rest of the text?

Al-Amali and al-Ikhtisasعن ، الج�ارود أبي عن ، سنان بن محمد عن ، الخ�طاب أبي بن الحسين بن مح�مد عن عن ، أبيه عن ، الباقر جعفر أبي

به ) ( : ) (: أساء من يلومن فال التهمة موقف نفسه وقف من السالم عليه المؤمنين أمير قال قال ، السالم عليهم جدهما منه يأتيك حتى أحسنه على أخيك أمر وضع ، فشا اثنين جاوز حديث وكل ، بيده الخيرة كانت سره كتم ومن ، الظن

من فأكثر� الصدق بإخوان وعليك ، محمال الخ�ير في لها تجد وأنت سوءا أخيك من خرجت� بكلمة تظنن وال ، يغلبكقدر على االخوان وأحبب ، الله يخ�افون الذين حديثك في وشاور ، البالء عند وجنة الرخاء عند عدة فإنهم ، اكتسابهم

، كيال التقوى ، فخالفوهن بالمعروف أمرنكم إن ، حذر على خيارهن من وكونوا ، النساء شرار واتقوا. المنكر في -Al-Amali (50th session): [From unspecified] from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Abi alيطمعنمنكم

Khattab, from Muhammad ibn Sinan, from Abu al-Jarud, from Abu Ja‘far al-Baqir, from his father, from his grandfather (ع), that the Commander of the Faithful (ع) said: … And it is upon you to [associate with] sincere brothers, and increase your benefit from them, for they are a resource in ease and a shield in misfortune. And, in your speech, consult those who fear Allah, and love your brothers according to their amount of piety, and beware of the evils of women, and be on guard from the good among them. If they command you to good, then disobey them so that they may not make you desire evil. Al-Ikhtisas: The same text, with the chain of narration as Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, from Muhammad ibn Sinan, from some of his men (ba‘d rijalihi), from Abu Jarud, narrating without links (yarfa‘ahu) from the Commander of the Faithful (ع).

Chain of narration – Deficiencies – Different context – Women vs. believers

Qut al-Qulubفإنها : السوء المرأة اتّق بني يا البنه لقمان وصية وفي

ال فإنهّن النساء شرار واتّق ، المشيب قبل تشيبكحذر على خيارهن من وكان ، خير إلى يدعون

And in the advice of Luqman to his son: “O my son, beware the evil woman, for she will make you old before you grow old; and beware the evils of women, for they do not call to good,” and he was on guard from the good ones among them.

Not attributed to Imam ‘Ali (ع)No chain of narration or source – Not a Shi‘i text

Tadhkirat al-Khawass• Close to the text that is in Nahj al-

Balaghah• Attributed to “biographical scholars”

(no source or chain of narration)• Significantly after Nahj al-Balaghah• Not a Shi ‘i text

Sunni narration: Sahih al-Bukhari (et al.)

Once Allah's Apostle (ص) went out to the musalla (to offer the prayer) or 'Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women).” They asked, “Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle?” He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.” The women asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?”He said, “Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.” Does this reinforce or cast doubt on the attribution to Imam ‘Ali (ع)?

Addressed only to ‘A’ishah?• Other narrations give a different

context.• Would we accept it if the Prophet

made a similar (ع) or Imam ‘Ali (ص)statement about another group, such as men or an ethnic minority?

• It still presents a negative view of women.

The Qur’an

• Does the Qur’an say that women have less faith or intellect?• Does the Qur’an say that two female witnesses equal one male

witness because of their intellect?• The Qur’an does not present Hazrat Maryam or Hazrat Asiya as

“exceptions” to normal women.• Does the Qur’an present women as evil?

O people! Women are deficient in faith, deficient in shares, and deficient in intellect. As for their deficiency in faith, it is their sitting back from ritual prayers and fasting in the days of their menstruation. As for their deficiency in shares, it is because their inheritance is half that of men. And as for their deficiency in intellect, it is because the testimony of two women is like the testimony of one man. So beware the evils of women. Be on guard against the good ones among them and do not obey them in good so that they do not desire evil.

Logic

• Do women fast less than men?• Do women always receive half the inheritance

of men?• Menstruation

– Is menstruation bad in the Islamic tradition?– Pre-Islamic beliefs about menstruation

O people! Women are deficient in faith, deficient in shares, and deficient in intellect. As for their deficiency in faith, it is their sitting back from ritual prayers and fasting in the days of their menstruation. As for their deficiency in shares, it is because their inheritance is half that of men. And as for their deficiency in intellect, it is because the testimony of two women is like the testimony of one man. So beware the evils of women. Be on guard against the good ones among them and do not obey them in good so that they do not desire evil.

Why might it be inauthentic?

• Pre-Islamic beliefs– Ancient Greek philosophy: deficiency of women,

women’s intellect, male authority– Judaeo-Christian beliefs: evils of women, reproductive

physiology– Abbasid cultural norms: absence of women

• Absence of women from the canonization of Islamic thought

• Fabricated to defame Fatimah al-Zahra (ع) and remove her claim to Fadak– Emphasis on lesser reliability female witnesses and

female inheritance– “Do not obey them even in good”– Compare to the narration on Imam ‘Ali (ع) wanting to

marry the daughter of Abu Jahl

Why are women willing to accept and defend that they are lesser?

• We believe what we are told• Internalized prejudice• Socially advantageous• Resisting Westernization

We live in a society where we say these things but do not generally act on them

Conclusions• We are allowed to discuss the authenticity of

selections from Nahj al-Balaghah.• A variety of responses to this sermon

(authentic to inauthentic)• No extant reliable sources – at most, we can

say it is attributed to Imam ‘Ali (ع)• Therefore, a discussion of the reliability of

this text rests on whether or not it agrees with the Holy Qur’an and other reliable narrations

• If we choose to defend this narration, we should do it for the right reasons.