Can Women becomes Imam and call Azan for prayers???

Amina Wadud - The Lady Imam


Amina Wadud was an assistant professor in Quranic Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia from 1989 to 1992. Wadud accepted a position as Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1992. She retired in 2008 and took up a position as a visiting professor at the Center for Religious and Cross Cultural Studies at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.


In August 1994, Wadud delivered a Friday khutbah (sermon) on "Islam as Engaged Surrender" at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa. At the time, this was unheard of in the Muslim world. As a result, there were attempts in Virginia by some Muslims to have her dismissed from her position at Virginia Commonwealth University.


In 18 March 2005, Wadud decided to lead Friday prayers (salat) for a congregation of about 60 women and 40 men in the United States. The call to prayer (azan) was given by another woman, Suheyla El-Attar. The gathering was held in the Synod House at Manhattan's Upper West Side, after three mosques had refused to host the service.


Some Muslim academics like Gamal al-Banna, the youngest brother of Hassan al-Banna, Ebrahim E.I. Moosa, Pakistani scholar Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, Khaled Abou El-Fadl the professor of Islamic Studies at UCLA, California supported Wadud while Yusuf Al-Qaradawi responded that, while a woman could lead other women and even possibly her young children in salat, she could not lead a mixed group including non-mahram males


In spite of the criticism and death threats from fellow Muslims, Wadud continued with her speaking engagements and to lead mixed-gender Friday prayer services. On October 28, 2005, following her talk at the International Congress on Islamic Feminism in Barcelona, Spain, she was invited to lead a congregation of about thirty people.


Following an invitation by the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford, she led a mixed-gender prayer in the United Kingdom, even though Muslims planning to attend were threatened with being disowned by conservative imams through personal visits from mosques.


Some Muslim Scholars opine that becoming Imam in congregational prayers and giving Azan by a women is not prohibited by itself. It’s prohibited for other external reasons (Sadd al Dhara'i - blocking the means) because it leads to another End Means like fitnah. That's why some Muslims prohibit it in the present of men. When there are no men around, then it would be mubah/harus, but not recommended. One thing for sure, there're no clear evidence from both the Quran or Ahadith that says a women cannot give Azan.


On the contrary, there are some hadiths that says Aisyah ra, the wife of the Prophet(pbuh), would call the Azan, and lead women in congregational prayers. Some scholars like Al Baihaqi and 'Ata reported from Aisyah ra that she had called the Azan, recited iqamah before prayers, and lead the women in prayers.


The authenticity of such hadith have been verified by other contemporary muhadith scholars such as Nasirudden al Albani, who quotes other hadith which show that some of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), like Abdullah ibn Umar even discouraged those who felt uncomfortable with women calling the azan from trying to stop them.


There were an occasion when a man came to Abdullah ibn Umar ra complaining to him about a women calling the Azan. Abdullah ibn Umar replied to the man, "Do you want me to to stop someone from calling the name of Allah?". The man kept quite, then Abdullah ibn Umar asked again, "Do you want me to to stop someone from calling the name of Allah?" and he asked again for the third time, the man walk away quietly. (Hadis Riwayat Ibn Abi Syaibah dalam al-Musannaf, Jld 1, hal. 203, no. 2324/2328. Menurut al-Albani dalam Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah (2/270), sanadnya baik)


The fact that some men were complaining about women calling the Azan indicates that the calling of Azan by women was called out loud publicly to the hearing of the men as well. According to the Shafii and Hanbali School of Thoughts (Mazhab), Azan by women are permissible (mubah/harus). This is provided that the women hold their congregational prayers separately from men, and that it does not cause any chaotic consequences.



Wallahu'alam