Questions of the Tabi‘i Women to the Female Companions: An Analytical Jurisprudential Study considering Evidence from the Books of the Prophetic Sunnah

(Suhair Abdulrahman Al-Helaibi Alben-Zaid)

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Abstract

This study examines the questions posed by the Tabi‘i women to the female Companions, as recorded in the books of the Prophetic Sunnah. It seeks to conduct a specialized analytical jurisprudential treatment aimed at providing an in-depth fiqh analysis of these questions, thereby revealing their value in enriching early women’s jurisprudence, clarifying the methodology of the female Companions in responding to them, and deriving the legal rulings and jurisprudential implications they entail. This, in turn, highlights the role of women in the development of legal discourse and allows for their utilization in contemporary fiqh discussions. The study adopts the analytical method and is structured into an introduction, three main sections, and a conclusion. The findings indicate that the questions of the Tabi‘i women constitute an authentic women’s jurisprudential source in Islamic legislation - particularly in issues concerning women - and that they reflect advanced juridical awareness, precision in formulating questions, and skill in identifying legal causes (‘ilal). The topics addressed ranged from acts of worship (‘ibadat) to transactions (mu‘amalat) and Qur’anic interpretation, with the responses of the female Companions characterized by adherence to the Prophetic Sunnah and consideration of legal consequences (ma’alat). The study recommends greater scholarly attention to verifying and authenticating women’s narrations - both in chain of transmission and textual content - and promoting academic research on women’s jurisprudence as an integral part of the Islamic legal heritage.
KEYWORDS
Consequences considering, investigating narratives, Islamic legislation, juridical awareness, qur’anic interpretation, women’s narrations

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