Are Women half deficient in Mind and Religion according to Islam?

 

Are Women half deficient in Mind and Religion according to Islam?

This is a common misconception regarding women in Islam. 

The hadith used to back up this claim is: 

 The women asked, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion."

• Sahih al-Bukhari 304

The issue here is that there is a mistranslation. The Arabic word translated to “deficient” is “نَاقِصَاتِ” which should translate to reduction. We see the same word in the Quran (13:41) and (21:44) and the word is not translated to “deficient” but “reduction”. 

Now what does this reduction mean? The Hadith itself explains it. The reduction is not in regards to stupidity rather the obligations of a woman in islam are reduced. The prophet ﷺ gives two examples in this Hadith. The first example is their reduction in religious obligations, the prophet ﷺ says “Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses, The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the reduction in her religion." As for intelligence the prophet ﷺ said “two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the reduction in her intelligence” As seen these are about the obligations being reduced and not that the woman is deficient compared to a man.

Now to further explain the “reduction in her intelligence” let's read these sources:

“and the meaning of Aql (mind) here isn’t what we think with the contrary of foolishness but it is the meaning remembering things and fixing stuff that is how the prophet explained it with “isn’t the witness of a men like the witness of 2 women”

• Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari by ibn uthaymeen volume 2. Page 73.

Ibn al-Qayyim writes:

 The woman is equal to the man in truthfulness, honesty, and piety, otherwise, if it is feared that she will forget or misremember, she is strengthened with another like herself. That makes them stronger than a single man or the likes of him. There is no question that the benefit of the doubt given to the testimony of Umm Darda and Umm ‘Atiyyah is stronger than the benefit of the doubt given to a single man without them or the likes of them. 

•  al-Ṭuruq al-Ḥukmīyah volume 1 page 136

So this “reduction in intelligence” is referring to testimony and not actual intelligence in our daily lives. And this is a general statement since we can notice pregnant women on their periods and frustrated ones have shorter memory then men. Also women are more emotional than men. 

This isn't saying that women are stupid, which is what the critics claim the prophet (pbuh) is saying. Because if that was the case then the prophet wouldn’t allow Aisha (his wife) to be an excellent teacher. 

Ibn taymiyah said: 

“For there are women smarter than man” 

• Majmu’ al-fatawa 6/447

And 

Ibn Taymiyyah writes:

Whatever there is among the testimonies of women, in which there is no fear of habitual error, they are not considered as half of a man.

• al-Ṭuruq al-Ḥukmīyah 1/128

Also, Aisha, the wife of the prophet, was considered to be a scholar by the righteous predecessors.

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 Even the most senior male companions would come to her seeking religious and legal verdicts.     

 Abu Musa reported:

We never had a problem occur to us, the companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and asked Aisha about it but that we found her knowledgeable of it. 

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•  -  Tirmidhi 3883

Conclusion: 

As you can see. The reduction in religion is about the reduction of religious duties during specific occasions and the reduction in intelligence is referring to testimonies in court, because women tend to be more emotional and forgetful during specific occasions. 

So No. They aren't “half deficient” in mind and religion. 

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