✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The question of whether a woman can assume rulership or govern a people is clearly answered in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The authentic teachings of Islam show that political leadership and governance — especially rulership over the Muslim Ummah — is not permissible for women.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لن يفلح قوم ولّوا أمرهم امرأة
“A nation that appoints a woman to rule over them will never prosper.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4425, Kitāb al-Maghāzī: Bāb Kitāb al-Nabī ilā Kisrā wa Qayṣar]
This ḥadīth was stated after the Prophet ﷺ was informed that the Persians had appointed the daughter of Kisrā (Chosroes) as their ruler following his death — a historical context that affirms its meaning.
During the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khulafā’ al-Rāshidīn) — a period of approximately forty years — no woman ever participated in political or military leadership except for one event:
The incident of Ḥaḍrat ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها during the Battle of Jamal (the Battle of the Camel).
When this occurred, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه wrote to her saying:
فإنك خرجت غضبى لله ولرسوله تطلبين أمرا كان عليك موضوعا، ما بال النسوة والحرب وإصلاح بين الناس؟
“You left your home out of anger for Allah and His Messenger, seeking a matter that was not your responsibility. What have women to do with war and reconciliation among men?”
[Al-Imāmah wa al-Siyāsah by Ibn Qutaybah, p. 70]
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, who remained neutral during that conflict, remarked regarding ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
إن بيت عائشة خير لها من هودجها
“The home of ʿĀ’ishah would have been better for her than her howdah (the carriage on the camel used in the battle).”
[Al-Imāmah wa al-Siyāsah by Ibn Qutaybah, p. 61]
Imām Ibn Mundhir, Ibn Abī Shaybah, Ibn al-Sunnī, and ʿAbdullāh bin Aḥmad (in Zawā’id al-Zuhd) all narrated from Masrūq that:
Whenever ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها would recite the verse:
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ
“And remain in your homes.”
(Surah al-Aḥzāb, 33:33)
She would weep until her veil became soaked with tears, remembering her participation in the Battle of Jamal and regretting it deeply.
[Tafhīm al-Qur’ān by Mawlānā Abul A‘lā Maudūdī, vol. 4, p. 91]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O women, give charity and seek forgiveness frequently, for I saw that you are the majority of the inhabitants of Hell.”
The women asked: “Why, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ replied:
“Because you curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands.
I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 304, Kitāb al-Ḥayḍ: Bāb Tark al-Ḥā’iḍ al-Ṣawm]
This ḥadīth indicates that women, due to their natural emotional disposition and physical limitations, are not suited for the responsibilities of rulership, which require constant decision-making, leadership in warfare, judiciary authority, and implementation of Sharī‘ah at the national level.
The majority of classical scholars — including the four major Imāms (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfi‘ī, and Aḥmad) — agree that a woman cannot hold the position of ruler (imām or khalīfah) over the Muslims.
They cite the clear text of the ḥadīth of Abū Bakrah رضي الله عنه as conclusive evidence.
✿ Can a Woman Hold Political Leadership or Rule a Nation?
The question of whether a woman can assume rulership or govern a people is clearly answered in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The authentic teachings of Islam show that political leadership and governance — especially rulership over the Muslim Ummah — is not permissible for women.
◈ ① Ḥadīth of Abū Bakrah رضي الله عنه
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لن يفلح قوم ولّوا أمرهم امرأة
“A nation that appoints a woman to rule over them will never prosper.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4425, Kitāb al-Maghāzī: Bāb Kitāb al-Nabī ilā Kisrā wa Qayṣar]This ḥadīth was stated after the Prophet ﷺ was informed that the Persians had appointed the daughter of Kisrā (Chosroes) as their ruler following his death — a historical context that affirms its meaning.
◈ ② Example from Early Islamic History
During the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khulafā’ al-Rāshidīn) — a period of approximately forty years — no woman ever participated in political or military leadership except for one event:
The incident of Ḥaḍrat ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها during the Battle of Jamal (the Battle of the Camel).
When this occurred, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه wrote to her saying:
فإنك خرجت غضبى لله ولرسوله تطلبين أمرا كان عليك موضوعا، ما بال النسوة والحرب وإصلاح بين الناس؟
“You left your home out of anger for Allah and His Messenger, seeking a matter that was not your responsibility. What have women to do with war and reconciliation among men?”
[Al-Imāmah wa al-Siyāsah by Ibn Qutaybah, p. 70]◈ ③ Statement of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, who remained neutral during that conflict, remarked regarding ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
إن بيت عائشة خير لها من هودجها
“The home of ʿĀ’ishah would have been better for her than her howdah (the carriage on the camel used in the battle).”
[Al-Imāmah wa al-Siyāsah by Ibn Qutaybah, p. 61]◈ ④ Regret of Ḥaḍrat ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها
Imām Ibn Mundhir, Ibn Abī Shaybah, Ibn al-Sunnī, and ʿAbdullāh bin Aḥmad (in Zawā’id al-Zuhd) all narrated from Masrūq that:
Whenever ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها would recite the verse:
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ
“And remain in your homes.”
(Surah al-Aḥzāb, 33:33)
She would weep until her veil became soaked with tears, remembering her participation in the Battle of Jamal and regretting it deeply.
[Tafhīm al-Qur’ān by Mawlānā Abul A‘lā Maudūdī, vol. 4, p. 91]◈ ⑤ Women Are Not Suited for Governance
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O women, give charity and seek forgiveness frequently, for I saw that you are the majority of the inhabitants of Hell.”
The women asked: “Why, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ replied:
“Because you curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands.
I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 304, Kitāb al-Ḥayḍ: Bāb Tark al-Ḥā’iḍ al-Ṣawm]This ḥadīth indicates that women, due to their natural emotional disposition and physical limitations, are not suited for the responsibilities of rulership, which require constant decision-making, leadership in warfare, judiciary authority, and implementation of Sharī‘ah at the national level.
✿ Scholarly Consensus
The majority of classical scholars — including the four major Imāms (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfi‘ī, and Aḥmad) — agree that a woman cannot hold the position of ruler (imām or khalīfah) over the Muslims.
They cite the clear text of the ḥadīth of Abū Bakrah رضي الله عنه as conclusive evidence.
Conclusion
- Political leadership and governance in Islam is a responsibility assigned to men, not women.
- The Prophet ﷺ explicitly declared that a nation ruled by a woman will not succeed.
- Even Ḥaḍrat ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها, despite her knowledge and virtue, later repented for her involvement in a political conflict.
- Women are honored and valued in Islam for their roles in family, education, and community, but not for positions of governance or military command.
