Contributions of Women in Qur’anic Sciences and Qur’anic Guidance on Women’s Rights

Abstract

This research examines the contributions of women to Qur’anic sciences alongside the Qur’anic guidance on women’s rights, with the aim of demonstrating that women’s participation in religious scholarship is deeply rooted in Islamic teachings. Using an analytical and descriptive methodology, the study draws upon Qur’anic verses, Prophetic traditions, and classical scholarly works to highlight women’s intellectual, spiritual, and social roles in Islam. The study finds that women played a significant role in the preservation, memorization, teaching, and interpretation of the Qur’an from the earliest period of Islam. Prominent female figures, particularly the Mothers of the Believers such as ʿĀʾishah (RA) and Umm Salamah (RA), served as authoritative sources in Qur’anic understanding and interpretation. Women also contributed to the transmission of Qur’anic knowledge through teaching and granting permissions (ijāzāt), reflecting their recognized scholarly authority. The research further establishes that the Qur’an explicitly affirms women’s spiritual equality with men and grants them fundamental rights, including the right to knowledge, legal identity, economic independence, and participation in social and moral reform. These Qur’anic principles provide the ethical and legal foundation for women’s engagement in Qur’anic sciences. The study concludes that the marginalization of women in later historical periods resulted largely from cultural and social factors rather than Qur’anic teachings. Reviving women’s role in Qur’anic scholarship today represents a return to the original Qur’anic vision of justice, knowledge, and human dignity.

Keywords: Contributions of Women in Qur’anic Sciences and Qur’anic Guidance on Women’s Rights