Examining a Prevalent Myth: In Islam, a Woman’s Testimony is Worth Half a Man’s Evidence | Dr. Amina

Imamina Amina Darwish gives spiritual insights about the legal testimony of women in the Qurʾan and Islamic law.

Concerns are often raised about the status of women in Islamic law. Often, misrepresentations and misconceptions about how women are treated by Shariah are used to advance the notion that Islam is misogynistic.

This talk was delivered at the Muslim Community Center - East Bay (MCC East Bay) in Pleasanton, California March 6, 2022.

The Gems Series is a youth-initiated effort at the MCC aimed at providing viewers with bite-sized nuggets of wisdom and memorable anecdotes from the hundreds of hours of talks, sermons, workshops, and lectures at the MCC to help you cultivate a more deeper love, understanding, and connection with your Creator and your faith.

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[crochetinn]

In my early teens, this thing disturbed me a lot, why a daughter gets half of what a son gets, why no hijab for men, why two women witnesses count as one... these are hard questions in that age, you start to doubt your religion. For the love of our Lord, I prayed for guidance. And then I realised may be it's the people's perspective that distorts the original message and it's not the intention of our Creator to prove women are any less than man, through these commands. With this thought things started getting clear. Yes, there was a huge cultural and traditional bias interpreting these verses.
Then I heard someone saying being a witness is not having a right or an authority it's like having a responsibility and in some of the critical matters (e.g. murder, financial) women are relieved from this responsibility. I believe Allah in fact protected us by limiting that responsibility. There matters, where only one women as witness is enough.
Same is the case in property right, by giving a daughter half, she's freed from financial responsibility of the family, what's hers is only hers, however son having double of the daughter will have to provide for all the dependent family members. In reality, it's much favorable position for any female. It's our cultural problem when people don't distribute even that half to girls.

[catinthebread]

There are people who make Islam so small and there are people who open the way I love the way she explained and her experience totally understandable in this context never understood the male Muslims obsession with dehumanizing and demonizing Muslim women. SubhanAllah my Lord is the most merciful and not like what many men describe Him.

[kayc.]

I felt this as the reason also except that the Quran literally says "so that of she errs, the other can remind her". It seems like its talking about the women of that time more likely to make a mistake due to lack of knowledge or emotional responding.

[adnansheikh]

Can someone explain me that what is the testimony of women in criminal cases/hudud crimes and in legal disputes?

[Islamic_Healing]

The title and explanation is very misleading. How can you say a Quran verse is a myth? That’s wrong. Even Hadith support that verse in the Quran.


Al-Baqarah 2:282

O you who have believed, when you contract a debt for a specified term, write it down. And let a scribe write [it] between you in justice. Let no scribe refuse to write as Allāh has taught him. So let him write and let the one who has the obligation [i.e., the debtor] dictate. And let him fear Allāh, his Lord, and not leave anything out of it. But if the one who has the obligation is of limited understanding or weak or unable to dictate himself, then let his guardian dictate in justice. And bring to witness two witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men [available], then a man and two women from those whom you accept as witnesses - so that if one of them [i.e., the women] errs, then the other can remind her. And let not the witnesses refuse when they are called upon. And do not be [too] weary to write it, whether it is small or large, for its [specified] term. That is more just in the sight of Allāh and stronger as evidence and more likely to prevent doubt between you, except when it is an immediate transaction which you conduct among yourselves. For [then] there is no blame upon you if you do not write it. And take witnesses when you conclude a contract. Let no scribe be harmed or any witness. For if you do so, indeed, it is [grave] disobedience in you. And fear Allāh. And Allāh teaches you. And Allāh is Knowing of all things.
- Saheeh International


Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:
Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) of `Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." 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."

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي زَيْدٌ ـ هُوَ ابْنُ أَسْلَمَ ـ عَنْ عِيَاضِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي أَضْحًى ـ أَوْ فِطْرٍ ـ إِلَى الْمُصَلَّى، فَمَرَّ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا مَعْشَرَ النِّسَاءِ تَصَدَّقْنَ، فَإِنِّي أُرِيتُكُنَّ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقُلْنَ وَبِمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ تُكْثِرْنَ اللَّعْنَ، وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ، مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْ نَاقِصَاتِ عَقْلٍ وَدِينٍ أَذْهَبَ لِلُبِّ الرَّجُلِ الْحَازِمِ مِنْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْنَ وَمَا نُقْصَانُ دِينِنَا وَعَقْلِنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَلَيْسَ شَهَادَةُ الْمَرْأَةِ مِثْلَ نِصْفِ شَهَادَةِ الرَّجُلِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْنَ بَلَى‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَذَلِكَ مِنْ نُقْصَانِ عَقْلِهَا، أَلَيْسَ إِذَا حَاضَتْ لَمْ تُصَلِّ وَلَمْ تَصُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْنَ بَلَى‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَذَلِكَ مِنْ نُقْصَانِ دِينِهَا ‏"‏‏.‏

Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 304
In-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 9
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 1, Book 6, Hadith 301
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Just because a man is more capable than a women in an area shouldn’t make you angry, Allah swt has given women capabilities that men don’t have. So do not try to twist the word of Allah regarding such matters that make women inferior. There is a reason for everything.

[graybow]

So a Quranic verse is a "myth"?

[sairapeerbux]

Well it's women doing it to women...
we know how insecure women can be