Secure the Knowledge by Writing

Secure the Knowledge by Writing1

W
riting initially the Prophet ,prohibited the writing down from him of anything
other than the Qur’an lest it be mixed with the Qur’an. Later, he allowed the
writing down of his sayings. It has been narrated from him, from ‘Umar ibn al-
Khattab , and other companions that they said: “Secure the knowledge by
writing.”
Writing was rare in Arabia until, from the early days of Islâm its importance was
recognized. The Companions acquired this skill and they began in it by copying out the
verses of the Qur’an and the Hadith. Women also took part in this effort. The Prophet ,
himself instructed Shifa bint ‘Abullah 5,to teach writing to his wife Hafsah. Ibn ‘Abd Al-
Barr (d.463) says: [Shifa] was among the virtuous and intelligent women. The Prophet ,
used to visit her. Similarly, ‘Aishah 4, and Umm Salamah 4, and many other women
companions were known for writing. The letters of ‘Aishah 4, and Umm Salamah 4, are
recorded in the sources. Al-Qalqashandi (d.821) has mentioned that a group of women
knew the skill of writing and no one from among the Salaf objected to that.

The art of writing spread rapidly among women from the beginning of second century A.H.
onwards. The biographical dictionaries affirm that writing and practice of calligraphy were
taught from childhood, that even slave girls became proficient in it. They used to do
calligraphy on shirts, flags, banners, cloaks, sleeves, turbans, bandages, headbands, pillows,
cuchions etc…and many other things.

                                                            
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Al-Muhaddithat ( The Women Scholars in Islam (of Hadith) pages:54-57 By: Mohammad Akram Nadwi

 
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Transcribed By: Umm Kutubah Samia Al-Chrakêyyah
Muharram 8, 1432/December 14, 2010
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 Secure the Knowledge by Writing

When in the later centuries people relied on the major compilations of Hadith which not
all could memorize, writing became essential. There are many examples of women who
wrote books of Hadith in their own hand. Here I will mention a few examples of
Muhaddithat famous for their calligraphy.

 Fatimah bint al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Mu’addib al-‘Attar (d.480) also known by her
kunya Umm al-Fadl and as Bint al-Aqra followed the famous calligrapher Ibn al-
Bawwab (d.413) in the art and passed it on to many. The people referred to her
writing as exemplary.

Ibn al-Jawzi says: “Her writing was extremely beautiful she used to write on the pattern
(tariqah) of Ibn al-Bawwab.”

The people practiced under her. She was invited to write the peace treaty [with the
Byzantines]. She travelled for the writing to ‘Amid al-Mulk Abu Nasr al-Kindi (d.456).

Ibn Kathir says: “She used to write the ‘mansub’ calligraphy on the pattern of Ibn al-
Bawwab.”

Al-Sam’an says: “I heard Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Baqi al-Ansari saying: I heard Fatimah
bint al-Aqra saying: I wrote a paper for ‘Amid al-Mulk and he gave me one thousand
dinars”

Evidently she was an important figure whose art was highly regarded and valued, and she
travelled in this work.

Al-Sam’ani says about:

 ‘Fakhr al-Nisa’ Umm Muhammad Shuhdah daughter of the famous Muhaddith

AbuNasr Ahmad ibn al-Faraj al-Dinawari (d.574): “ She was from among the
descendants of traditionists, distinguished, eloquent, and had beautiful handwriting.”

She wrote on the way of Bint al-Aqra. In her time there was no one Baghdad who had
handwriting like her. Usually she wrote for the caliph al-Muqtafi.

Ibn al-Jawzi praises her calligraphy, her goodness and works of charity through a long life.

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Transcribed By: Umm Kutubah Samia Al-Chrakêyyah
Muharram 8, 1432/December 14, 2010
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 Secure the Knowledge by Writing

Al-Safadi (d.764) notes her extensive knowledge of Hadith her piety, God-wariness,
benevolence and calls her “The calligrapher, the pride of womanhood, a muhaddithah of
Iraq with a high isnad. Her style of writing (mansûb) gained much popularity and was
taken up generation after generation.

 Fawz bint Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Yahya ibn ‘Ali from the decent of al-‘Afif ibn
Mansur.

The vizier al-Hadi ibn Ibrahim says: “She was once of the scholars; she had a novel
handwriting. Her calligraphy is wee-known in the Qur’an and prefaces that are with us and
others also. She used to teach Arabic to her relatives among the men. Her grave is in Sana’a
at al-Mashhad al-Ahmar near the mosque of Ibn Wahb.”

Writing Marginal Notes

Another application of the skill of writing was the women’s scholarly annotation in the
margins of the books they studied. The great man of letter al-Jahiz (d.255) says: Ja’far ibn
Sa’id the milk-brother and chamberlain (hajib) of Ayyub ibn Ja’far told me that Ja’far ibn
Yahya’s Tawqi’at ( concise writings) was mentioned to ‘Amr ibn Mas’adah. He said “I
have read the tawqi’at of Umm Ja’far in the margins and at the foot of the pages of the
books I found them better in shortness and more encompassing in the meaning.”

Comparison and Correction

The people of Hadith were very strict about writing. They would accept a book only if it
had been compared with the original of the Shaikh from whom the book’s author says he is
narrating.Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi says: “ I asked the qadi Abu I-Tayyibtahir ibn ‘Abdillah
al-Tabari about one who finds [ in his written notes a reference] to Shaikh named and
described in the written notes but he does not now know him the writing from which one
narrates must have been compared with the original of the Shaikh from whom [ narrator is

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Transcribed By: Umm Kutubah Samia Al-Chrakêyyah
Muharram 8, 1432/December 14, 2010
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 Secure the Knowledge by Writing

narrating. Hisham ibn ‘Urwah (d.146) recalls: ‘My father would ask me Have you written? I
would say: Yes! Then he would ask: Have you compared? I would say: No! Then he would
say: You have not written. Abu Muhammad Aflah ibn Bassam says: I was with Al-Qa’nabi
and I wrote down his Hadith. He asked me have you written it down I say Yes! Then he
asked have you compared? I said No! He said then you did not do anything.

Women traditionists adhered to the same strict practice. The great muhaddithah

 Umm al-Kiram Karimah bint Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hatim al-Marwaziyyzh
(d.465) is a famous narrator of Sahih al-Bukhari. Her version of it always been
particularly popular. She compared her copy with her Shaikh al-Kushmihani’s
original. Later she settled in Makah where the people came to her from everywhere
and heard the whole Sahih from her. She would not allow anyone to narrate from
her unless they had compared with her original Al-Dhahabi says: ‘Whenever she
narrated, she would compare with her original she with her original. She had
knowledge and good understanding [combined] with goodness and worship Al-
Safadi says: her book was very accurate. Ibn al-Imad (d.1089) says: She would be
most accurate with her book and compare it copies. Abu l-Ghana’imal-Narsi says:
Karimah brought for me her original copy of the Sahih I sat down in front of
Karimah and wrote down seven pages and read them with her. I wanted to compare
[my copy] with her original by myself. She said No! [I do not permit it] unless you
compare it with me. Then I did comparison with her.

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Transcribed By: Umm Kutubah Samia Al-Chrakêyyah
Muharram 8, 1432/December 14, 2010
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