Can Women be Prophets?

by

Sr. Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood.

Allah sent many prophets and messengers to different people and at different times. Only a few of them have their names mentioned in the Qur'an. In fact, the Qur’an names some 25 of them, but Islamic belief is that there have been thousands – messengers sent in all times to all peoples. Allah says, ‘We did send messengers before you: of them there are some whose story We have related to you, and some whose story We have not related to you.’ (Ghafir 78; An-Nisa' 164). The messengers whose names are mentioned in the Qur'an were in fact all men. There is no woman prophet or messenger whose name is mentioned in the Qur'an.

Three times in the Qur'an Allah, Most High, says, ‘We did not send before you (i.e. Prophet Muhammad) any but men (rijal) whom we did inspire…’ (Yusuf 109; An-Nahl 43; Al-Anbiya' 7). At first sight this looks as if it settles the argument, and that only men were chosen by Allah as His messengers and prophets. Usually, we take the principle that where the Qur’an uses the word ‘man’, we can take it to mean either male or female, or both, unless it specifically states otherwise. Use of the word rijal does indeed indicate that it is the male sex that is being spoken of.

However, although in most cases in the Qur'an this word is used to mean men only, there do exist a few places where it is also used to indicate both men and women. See for example Surah 7.46: ‘And on the Heights (al-A`raf) will be men who would know everyone by their marks…’ Since we know that the people of al-A`raf will be both men and women, this must mean that in this instance the word rijal can be used for both.

Similarly in Surah 9.109, Almighty Allah says, ‘Surely the Masjid whose foundation was laid down from the first day on piety is more worthy of your standing forth there for prayer. In it are men who love to be purified. And Allah loves those who make themselves pure.’ Since this refers to the Masjid of the Prophet, where both men and women used to come for prayers, the word rijal must mean men and women in this text also, and the statement that ‘in it are men who love to be purified’ does not mean ‘men only’ but ‘people’.

The same can be said for Surah 24.36-37: ‘His Light is found in those houses which Allah has sanctioned to be built for the remembrance of His name; where His praise is sung, in the mornings and in the evenings again and again, by such men (ie people) whom neither business nor profit can divert from the remembrance of Allah, nor from establishing Salah and nor from paying Zakah, for they fear the Day of Judgement when hearts and eyes will be overturned.’

and Surah 72.6. ‘And we had presumed that no man or jinn could tell a lie concerning Allah. Indeed, some individuals among mankind used to seek protection with some individuals among the jinns, so they caused such jinns to become more arrogant.’

Thus though the majority of Muslim scholars do maintain that the prophets and messengers were only men (i.e. males), and we could indeed accept that most of the time Allah did indeed choose men as His prophets and messengers, there is no conclusive evidence from the Qur'an to prove that only men could have been chosen as prophets, or to state with certainty that Allah never sent a woman as a prophet.

Female Prophets in the Old Testament

As it happens, there are several female prophets mentioned in the Old Testament.

The first woman to be designated as a prophetess in the Old Testament was Miriam, the sister of the prophets Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron). She was recorded as saying to Musa of herself and her brother: ‘Is it not by us also that God has spoken?’ (Numbers 12.2, see also Exodus 15.20-21). The Prophet Micah spoke of God having sent ‘Moses, Aaron and Miriam’ (Micah 6.4). However, although privileged to be used as an instrument of divine communication, she did not live up to his standard and was chastised by God (Numbers 12.1-15).

Another prophetess was Deborah, who lived under a palm tree in the mountainous region of the tribe of Ephraim between Ramah and Bethel, two key religious shrines. Judges 4.5 reveals that ‘the Banu Isra’il would go up to her for judgement.’ God used Deborah to summon Barak ibn Abinoam of Kedesh to accept the leadership of the Banu Isra’il at a time when they were being oppressed by the Canaanite king Jabin. Barak had God’s promise that the enemy would be delivered into his hand, but as he gathered his troops at Mt Tabor he insisted on the presence of Deborah as God’s representative, even though she was a woman, to which she consented. (Judges 4.4-7,14-16; 5.6-8; 2 Kings 22.14-20; 2 Chronicles 34.22-28).

A third female prophet was Huldah. She was the wife of a certain Shallum, and lived in Jerusalem at the time of King Josiah of Judah. A copy of the ancient law-book had been found in the Temple during repair work, so the king sent a delegation to Huldah to ask advice about it. (The Second Book of Kings 22:8-20, and Second Book of Chronicles 34:14-28).

Incidentally, I believe the place traditionally thought to be the grave of Huldah still exists and can be visited in the tomb-complex just outside Jerusalem.

The Old Testament also reveals that not all those who claimed to be prophets were ‘true’ - many were condemned as ‘false’. The same applied to some female prophets too. Nehemiah, for example, spoke unfavourably of the prophetess Noadiah, who along with the rest of the ‘prophets’ of that time tried to instil gear in him and obstruct the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. (Nehemiah 6.14). God also spoke to Ezekiel (Dhu’l Kifl) concerning some women who were ‘acting as prophetesses out of their own hearts’ – implying that they had no divine commission from God but were merely imitations or self-made prophetesses (Ezekiel 13.17-19). By their ensnaring and hoodwinking practices and propaganda they were ‘hunting souls’, condemning the righteous and condoning the wicked – but God would deliver His people out of their hands. (Ezekiel 13.20-23).

This might indicate that many had a right to be suspicious of women claiming prophetic gifts – were in not for the fact that in the Old Testament there were also plenty of references to false prophets also. Charlatans (or should we more kindly say persons who thought they had the prophetic gifts but were duping themselves!) could be found of both sexes.

In the New Testament we have the example of the aged Anna (or Hannah) bint Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, who witnessed the infant Isa being taken to the Temple when she was 84 years old. (St Luke's Gospel 2:36-39). She ‘was never missing from the Temple, rendering sacred service night and day with fastings and supplications.’

Also mentioned were the four virgin daughters of the Christian deacon Philip, who all prophesied under the influence of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 21.9; I Corinthians 12.4,10).

There have been many famous teachers and inspired persons throughout history who were women, and the fact that we do not know of any female prophets from the list of prophets whose names appear in the text of the Qur’an does not prove in any way that there were none. The Qur’an names only 23 – and there were said to have been thousands sent, to the various peoples of the world. Lack of inclusion in the Qur’an does not therefore nullify the possibility of a person’s call to prophethood, whether male or female.

God bless you, wasalaam, Ruqaiyyah.