‘Aish’a bint Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi

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‘Aish’a bint Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi

Fourteenth century

Scholar

Quest for Knowledge . ’Aish’a bint Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi was born in Damascus in the early fourteenth century to a family of the intellectual elite. Her education began as early as age four, when she was brought before al-Hajjar, a well-known transmitter of hadiths, from whom she heard two hadith collections. Her education continued under several scholars, most of whom were friends of her father. Focusing on the study of hadiths and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, she acquired ijazahs from prominent scholars of Aleppo, Hama, Nablus, and Hebron. Scholars do not know if she traveled to all these cities as part of her knowledge quest or took advantage of their temporary presence in Damascus.

Teacher . Eventually visits to ‘Aish’a became a popular part of the learning tours of male scholars, who listed her as their teacher in hadith studies. She also instructed some thirty-five women. Part of her success as a teacher was linked to her longevity (she lived to age eighty-four), which ensured that she alone spoke for the hadith transmitters of her generation. Of particular importance was her early contact with al-Hajjar. She was 4, and he was 103, when she heard his transmission, so in the later part of her life she was the only individual who had had personal contact with him.

Career . ‘Aish’s career was typical for the female scholar. Her family connections, and especially her father’s interest in her learning, helped her gain access to higher education. Although she was not formally enrolled in a school, she managed to study with some of the most prominent scholars of the day. Like most female scholars, she focused on the field of hadiths, where the reputed female capacity for memory served her well, and her career reached its high point only when she was an elderly person who could claim direct intellectual connections to other scholars long deceased. Her life illustrates how a woman—despite exclusion from formal educational institutions—might still carve out a scholarly career and gain a position of considerable respect in intellectual circles.