Tuesday, February 15, 2005

A woman as a leader of a country

Question: Can a women be a top leader of an Islamic Country?

Answer: No. The basic principle of Islam regarding women is that they should is to be private and covered, and being in leadership is the opposite of that. The Hadith, literally translated, "The closest a woman is to Allah, is when she is (deep) inside her house." shows this. In addition, the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank) said "Lan yufliHa qawmun wallaa amrahum imra'ah". The literal translation is: "a people lead by a woman will not succeed". In other words, it is harmful, thus not allowed. Finally, throughout history the muslims have avoided selecting women to be kings, governors, minister, judges or the like. This indicates scholarly consensus by action.

... and Allah knows best.