An Analysis of Women’s Agency and Socio-Religious Participation in Early Islam: Evidence from Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)

Abstract

This research work analyzes the agency of Muslim women and their socio-religious participation in the early Islamic community through the qualitative study of a literary text, namely, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) written by Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri. This analysis is grounded in Qur’anic principles and concepts from Hadith, tafsir, and contemporary Islamic thought. The role models for Muslim women include Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA), Aisha bint Abi Bakr (RA), and Umm Salama (RA).

According to the Qur’an, there is an inclusive foundation for the morality of responsibility as seen from verse 33:35 and 16:97 which states that there is an equality of accountability for the deeds of men and women in their spirituality and rewards. There is further reinforcement on this idea in the classical tafsir as explained by Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi. In hadiths, the role of women in the intellectual and sociological domains is well established through Aisha(RA), a narrator of many traditions, and Umm Salama(RA), whose consultations in significant incidents such as the treaty of Hudaybiyyah are notable.

As indicated in Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, women were actively involved in economic, intellectual, and socio-religious affairs at the time of early Islam. It is concluded from the study that the women of Islamic history are portrayed as proactive participants in the construction of their society.

Keywords: Women’s agency, Early Islam, Seerah, The Sealed Nectar, Khadijah, Aisha, Umm Salama, Qur’an, Hadith