en: Al-Shifa bint Abdulla: The First Female Teacher in Islam

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nur.nu
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en: Al-Shifa bint Abdulla: The First Female Teacher in Islam

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The First Female Teacher in Islam:
Al-Shifa bint Abdullah

http://www.daralhadith.org.uk/?p=164

Salam
Whilst looking for some information on the Shifa of Qadi Iyad I stumbled across a thread on the Arabic ‘ahl al-hadith’ forum which I thought may be of benefit to those who pass by this blog. I have summarized the main points from the biography posted on the site.
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Name
Shifa bint Abdullah bin Abd Shams bin Khalaf bin Shadad al-Qurashiyah al-Adawiyah was from Makkah. It is said her real name was Laylah, and her Kunyah was Umm Sulaiman, however she became well known as al-Shifa perhaps due to her healing some people with the permission of Allah (the Exalted).
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Early Life
Al-Shifa bint Abdullah married Abi Khaithamah bin Hudhayfah bin Amir al-Qurashi al-Adawi, and embraced Islam at an early stage in Makkah. She perservered and exercised patience along with the other early Muslims with the distress caused to them by the Quraysh. This was until Allah (the Exalted) permitted these persecuted muslims to migrate from Makkah to Madinah, and she migrated along with them.
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Literacy: A Rare Quality
Al-Shifa bint Abdullah al-Adawiyyah was one of the few individuals who knew how to read and write during the time of Jahiliyyah, having been blessed by Allah with a sharp intellect and beneficial knowledge. She was skilled in the art of Ruqyah (healing supplications) even at the time of Jahliyyah. When she embraced Islam she did not perform ruqyah until she spoke to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) and recited to him what she would read, and He (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) granted her permission to perform ruqyah.
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Teaching in Madinah
Al-Shifa then continued to practice ruqyah, healing the muslims, and taught it to the mother of the believers Hafsah (Allah be pleased with her). This is known from the hadith where it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) entered upon the mother of the believers Hafsah bint Umar, and found al-Shifa bint Abdullah with her. He said to her: Teach Hafsah the ruqyah al-namlah like you taught her to write. Along with this she also taught other muslim women how to read and write seeking the reward and pleasure of Allah, and making her the first female teacher in Islam.
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Respect of Umar
Biographical works have not mentioned much detail of the life of al-Shifa bint Abdullah. Ibn Hajar however did describe her in al-Isabah as being from the intelligent and notable women.
It is reported that Umar bin al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) trusted her view and judgement such that he gave her view precedence over others. It is also said that Umar made her responsible for some matters in the market place, some mentioning it could have been to do with proper conduct in the market place.
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Hadith Narration
Al-Shifa bint Abdullah narrated from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) and from Umar bin al-Khattab. Her son Suleiman bin Abi Khaithamah in turn narrated from her along with some of her grandchildren. Al-Bukhari cites a narration of hers in Kitab al-Adab and Kitab Afal al-Ibad, alongwith Abu Dawud and al-Nasai.
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Passing Away
The first female teacher in Islam passed away during the time of Umar bin al-Khattab in the year 20 Hijri. May Allah reward her the best of rewards for her service to this ummah, not least her healing the sick and teaching of women.
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