Hadith and Gender

The topic Hadith and gender is still quite underrepresented in Islamic studies. Gender here refers to the role of women, the concept of gender roles, and gender categories including gender binary. This underrepresentation may reflect a more general problem with Hadith and its treatment as a religious source. Since the systematization and canonization of Hadith began only around 150–200 years after the death of Muhammad and thousands of these oral traditions were in circulation, the question of their authenticity remains controversial, including those that are described as authentic (sahīh). This has been pointed out not only by some Islamic scholars, but also by Islamic studies since the end of the nineteenth century, a discipline that also deems it necessary to adopt a historical-critical approach with particular focus on the history of the transmission of the Hadith. However, by prohibiting any questioning of their authenticity and bestowing an ahistorical character upon their contents, mainstream Islamic scholarship rigorously rejects, and even dogmatically cordons off, the question of authenticity. Thus, all Hadith are understood synchronously and without their historical context. This ahistorical approach, as well as the uncritical attitude toward authenticity, are extremely problematic, especially regarding the image of women and gender roles, since the material passed down contains a series of misogynistic Hadith as well as problematic Hadith regarding gender roles. Dealing with the material from a gender perspective is necessary because the Hadith still represent an important basis for many areas of religious life. Analysis of the role of women and gender in the Hadith opens the opportunity to question perspectives on masculinity discourses and binary gender concepts, although study of these topics is still quite young. Another approach analyzes the role of women in the transmission of Hadith. In addition, there are questions of methodology for interpreting the material and issues related to authenticity. Therefore, this article first presents some overview works, followed by both primary and secondary sources according to the three main points mentioned.