The contributions of women during early Islamic history in the field of education : - Among the earliest example of educated women is the Prophet Muhammad’s own wife, Aisha (ra), who was one of the leading scholars and jurists of her time and was known as a teacher of many people in Madinah after the Prophet’s ﷺ death (year 632). - The first, oldest formal university (degree-granting institution) in the world, the University of al-Karaouine in Fes, Morocco was established in year 859 by a wealthy female merchant by the name of Fatima al-Fihri. - The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid’s wife, Zubayda, personally funded many construction projects for mosques, roads, and wells in the Hijaz, which greatly benefit the many students that traveled through areas surrounding the schools. - The wife of Ottoman Sultan Suleyman, Hurrem Sultan, endowned numerous schools, in addition to other charitable works such as hospitals, public baths, and soup kitchens. - During the Ayyubid period of Damascus (1174 to 1260) 26 religious endownments (including madrasas (schools), mosques, and religious monuments) were built by women. Strangely, now there are some places in the world where women are not allowed to go out from their houses, let alone to seek knowledge. Seemingly todays culture has been reversed back to the pre-Islamic culture! lostislamichistory/education/
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 23:09:52 +0000