وَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌ وَامْرَأَتَانِ سورة البقرة آية 282 .
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "Isn't the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?" The women said, "Yes." He said, "This is because of the deficiency of a woman's mind."
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
When Allah Ta'ala equated two women to one man.
All the scholars are unanimous that the creation of woman is weaker compared to man.
Her mental faculties, like her physical faculties, are also weaker than those of a man.
Now, if rarely there appears a woman whose physical or mental strength surpasses that of men, this does not cause any disruption in the general natural rule.
It is correct that through education, the mental faculties of men and women can develop, just as through exercise and training, physical faculties can improve; however, in no case has the superiority of the female gender over the male gender been established.
And those who have thought that through education and training, women can attain superiority over men—this is their mistake.
Because the discussion is about the male and female species as a whole, not about any particular individual, male or female.
Qastallani rahimahullah said that in the narration of the sighting of the Ramadan moon, the testimony of one person is sufficient, and in claims regarding wealth, a decision can be made based on one witness and the oath of the claimant; similarly, in matters of wealth and rights, the testimony of one man and two women is accepted, but in hudud (prescribed punishments), marriage, and retribution (qisas), the testimony of women is not permissible.
(Wahidi)
Imam Shafi'i rahimahullah narrated an incident about his honorable mother: she appeared in a court in Makkah Sharif along with another woman.
The judge wanted to separate them as a test.
Immediately, she said that doing so is not permissible.
Because Allah Ta'ala has said in the Noble Qur'an: ﴿أَنْ تَضِلَّ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَاهُمَا الْأُخْرَى﴾ (al-Baqarah: 282)
If one of the two women forgets, the other can remind her, and this is impossible in the case of separation.
The judge accepted her reasoning.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 2658
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
In matters concerning women, our society is afflicted with both excess and deficiency. Those influenced by Western civilization claim that a woman is capable of working alongside men in every aspect of life and that her testimony holds equal status to that of a man. On the other hand, some people consider her as insignificant as a shoe, meaning that in their view, she is not socially qualified to give any kind of testimony. The balanced position is that in financial matters and in cases of legal punishments (hudud) and retribution (qisas), the testimony of a single woman will not be accepted; rather, in comparison to one man, the testimony of a woman will be considered as half. However, in matters specific to women, such as:
menstruation (hayd), childbirth, custody (hadanah, i.e., upbringing of children),
and breastfeeding (rada‘ah, i.e., nursing children),
her testimony will be accepted.
(2)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah intends to establish from this hadith that a woman's testimony is half that of a man's testimony.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 2658
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
The purpose here is that the criterion of truthfulness is not our deficient intellect, but rather the command of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Even if something apparently seems contrary to reason, the truth and reality is only that which Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) have stated.
To give precedence to this and to abandon the deficient intellect is the requirement of faith. This is also the meaning of the statement of Abu Zinad.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 1951
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has narrated this hadith in detail in the Book of Menstruation (Kitab al-Hayd).
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Hayd, Hadith: 304)
A distinguished student of Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha, Lady Mu’adhah, raised a question as to why a menstruating woman does not make up (qada) the missed prayers. Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha replied to her:
“You seem to be a Haruriyyah, for such questions are raised by the Khawarij, who oppose the Sunnah with their intellect and opinions.”
In other words, she instructed her that one should not waste time on such questions; rather, safety lies in submitting oneself completely before the Qur’an and Hadith.
The words of the hadith are as follows:
Lady Mu’adhah asked Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha whether a woman should make up the prayers missed during her period of purity. Lady Aisha replied:
“Are you a Haruriyyah? During the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we used to experience menstruation.
He did not command us to make up the prayers missed during those days.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Hayd, Hadith: 321)
(2)
In any case, a menstruating woman must make up the missed fasts of Ramadan after attaining purity (taharah), but making up the missed prayers and the like is not obligatory upon her.
(Fath al-Bari: 4/244)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 1951