Amrah bint Abdul Rahman

Amrah bint Abdul Rahman (Arabic: عمرة بنت عبد الرحمن, died 717 CE) was an early Islamic mufti and scholar.

Biography

Rahman was a member of the tabieen who followed the generation of the Prophet’s companions.[1] Her grandfather As’ad ibn Zurara was the first chief in Medina to become a Muslim convert.[2][3][4] She grew up under the care of the Prophet Muhammad's third wife, Aisha bint Abu Bakr,[1] and may have acted as Aisha’s personal secretary.[5]

Rahman became an early Islamic scholar who was an expert in Islamic theology and jurisprudence.[4] She was among the most authoritative and reliable narrators of the hadith of Aisha (including her fiqh judgments),[6] Umm Salama, Rafi' ibn Khadij, and Umm Hisham bint Harithah.[1][3][7]

When the Judge of Medina Muhammad bin Abī Bakr bin Hazm ruled in a case involving a Christian thief from Syria who had stolen something,[5] he wrote to Rahman for advice.[8] She informed him that he could not order the severing of the man's hand, as the hand of a thief could only be cut off for stolen amounts over one-quarter of a dīnār, so he ordered that the man be released.[9] He did not question her judgement or seek out other scholars.[9]

Umar bin Abdul Aziz, caliph and scholar, would advise people that if they wanted to learn prophetic sayings, they should go to Rahman, as none knew more of the hadith than her.[10] Ahmad bin Hanbal described Rahman as "an eminent theologian and great scholar."[11] Her knowledge and piety attracted students who she transmitted her knowledge to, including Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri,[8][9] who called her a "sea of knowledge."[12]

Rahman died in 98 AH (717 CE) in Medina,[8] aged 77.[5] Her son was Abu al-Rijal Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman and her nephew was the judge Abu Bakr ibn Hazm.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Scholar of renown: Amrah bint Abd Al-Rahman". Arab News. 2003-02-17. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  2. ^ Tabari, Imam (1993). History of al-Tabari. New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0851-5
  3. ^ a b c "إسلام ويب - سير أعلام النبلاء - الطبقة الثانية - عمرة- الجزء رقم4". www.islamweb.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  4. ^ a b Uthman, Ibrahim Olatunde (2001). Feminism and the Contemporary Society. Al-Mubasheer Publications. p. 35. ISBN 978-978-35785-0-0.
  5. ^ a b c "Amrah bint Abd Al-Rahman". WISE Muslim Women. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  6. ^ Rehman, Sofia (2024). Gendering the Ḥadīth Tradition: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers. Oxford University Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-19-286598-4.
  7. ^ "Islam's Female Scholars: Amrah bint Abdur Rahman". About Islam. 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  8. ^ a b c Shabana, Razia (2019-12-16). "Exploring The Scholarly Contribution of Female Successor "Amrah bint ʿAbd al-Raḥmān" In Narration of Prophetic Tradition". Journal of Islamic & Religious Studies. 4 (2): 24. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  9. ^ a b c "A Glimpse at Early Women Islamic Scholars". IslamOnline. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  10. ^ Krayem, Ghena; Carland, Susan (2021-11-01). Muslim Women and Agency: an Australian Context. BRILL. p. 199. ISBN 978-90-04-47322-5.
  11. ^ Mohammed, Jade' (2010). Education for All (Islamic Perspectives): Being a Compilation of FOMWAN Education Workshop/lecture Series, January 2000-June 2010 : in Honour of Alhaja Lateefa M. Okunnu. FOMWAN National Education Committee. p. 46. ISBN 978-978-136-192-0.
  12. ^ "AMRE bint ABDURRAHMAN". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-11-30.


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