Fakhr-un-Nisa Shuhdah Umm Muhammad al-Baghdadiyyah or Shuhdah al-Baghdadiyyah (died 1112) was a Kurdish

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

muhaddith A muhaddith () is a scholar specialized in the study, collection, and interpretation of hadiths, which are the recorded sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The role of a muhaddith is central to the science of hadith (ʻilm a ...

and a

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

. Shuhdha was called "the calligrapher, the pride of womanhood, a muhaddithah (female of muhaddith) of Iraq with a high

Isnad In the Islamic study of hadith, an isnād (chain of transmitters, or literally "supporting"; ) refers to a list of people who passed on a tradition, from the original authority to whom the tradition is attributed to, to the present person reciting ...

Name

Her full name stands ''Fakhr-un-Nisa Shuhdah Umm Muhammad bint Abu Nasr''. ''Fakhr-un-Nisa'', in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

means the "Glory of Womanhood." She was titled ''Shuhdah al-Baghdadiyyah'' or the "Writer of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

" and ''al Katibah'', or the female scriber.

Early life and education

Fakhr-un-Nisa Shuhdah was born in early 11th century in the Iranian city of Dinawar to Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn al-Faraj al-Dinawari (d.574). Her great-grandfather had been a dealer in needles, and thus acquired the soubriquet al-Ibri'. But was her father who had acquired a passion for hadith, and managed to study it with several masters of the subject. Abiding the

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

, he himself gave his daughter a sound academic education, ensuring that she studied under many traditionists of accepted reputation. Fakhr-un-Nisa then studied

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

with the famous teachers of Baghdad: Triad ibn Muhammad al-Zaynabi, Ibn Talhah al-Ni’ali, Anu I’Hasan ibn Ayyub, Abu I-Khattab ibn Batir, Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Qadir ibn Yusuf, and others. She also received Hadith lessons and studied other branches of knowledge under the guidance of reputed scholars like Abu ‘Abdullah Hasan ibn Ahmad Nomani, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad-As-Shashi, and Abu-Al-Husayni. At that time, the women would begin their studies with the knowledgeable men and women within the household. Then they would continue with local teachers outside of the family circle. If they aspired to pursue further education, they would go to the teachers in other towns and cities.

Scholarship and contributions

Hadith literature

Al-Muwatta: Imam Malik's best-known work, Al-Muwatta was the first written collection of hadith comprising the subjects of Muslim law, compiled and edited by the Imam, Malik ibn Anas. Al-Muwatta consists of approximately 1,720 hadiths. Shuhdah al Baghdadiyyah studied them all. Al-Mashyakhat: This is an arrangement of hadith by the shaykhs or teachers of those hadith. Shuhdah l-Baghdadiyyah studied the Mashayakhah of ibn Sahdhan with Abu Ghalib Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Baqillani. Al-Ajza: Al-Ajza is the plural of juz and means component section of something. Here it is referring to the hadiths of just one person or hadiths collected on just one topic. During the fourth century A.H. onward, women showed great interest in studying them. Shuhdah studied the most famous, Juz ibn Arafah, with its highest narrator Ibn Bayan; Juz Ibn hanbal, with Abu I-Hasan ibn al-Tuyuri; and Juz Hilal al-Haffar with Tirad. Al-Musalsalat: the term musalsal refers to a hadith around the narration of which there is some particular association that the tradition has deemed worthy of preserving along with the hadith itself. She studied al-Musafahah of al-Barqani. Shuhdah narrated the Mu’jam of al-Isma’ili and the Mashyakhah of Ibn Shadhan. Her student Abl al Aziz ibn Mahmud ibn al-Mubarak ibn al-Akhdar compiled the Mashayakhah Shuhdah in her lifetime. It has 114 narrations and most of them are prophetic hadiths drawn from 27 of her shaykhs. Shuhdah commanded a great name in the studies of

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

. The seekers of learning came from distant places and took it as a mark of pride if they were allowed to join her session of Dars. Many scholars of great fame were said to be a regular audience of her tautology and would acquire authority from her to report the hadith on behalf of her. She not only exhibited her erudition in

study, but also would deliver scholarly speeches on history, linguistics and literature, leaving lasting impressions on the hearts and the souls of her audience.

Calligraphy

She achieved perfection in the art of calligraphy, compelling the master calligraphist of her time to appreciate her. She came to acquire the title of Fakhr-un-Nisa (Pride of the Women) for her erudition, calligraphic art, and highly acclaimed oratory.

Later life and death

Fakhr-un-Nisa Shuhdha's husband died after forty years of marriage. She endured the great shock with courage and patience and occupied herself with learning and educating. The

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Al-Muqtadi Bi-amr-Allah granted her a large estate to enhance the scope of her scholarly activities. She, with the help of donations established a grand institution (Darsgah) on the banks of the river

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

, where hundreds of students pursued their studies and all expenses were taken care of by FakhrShuhdah herself. She died in 1112 at the age of more than 90. Her funeral prayer was offered at Jama’e Al-Qasr in Baghdad. Thousands of people, including the scholars, students, and state dignitaries are said to have participated in her funeral proceedings.

Legacy

Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi Abu al-Faraj Jamal al-Din Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hasan Ali Al-Jawzi also known as Ibn al-Jawzi (16 June 1201) was a Muslim jurisconsult, preacher, orator, heresiographer, traditionist, historian, judge, hagiographer, and philologist who played ...

praised her for her piety, works of

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

and charity. Al-Safadi notes her extensive knowledge of

and her piety, ''

taqwa ''Taqwa'' ( '' / '') is an Islamic term for being conscious and cognizant of God, of truth, "piety, fear of God." It is often found in the Quran. Those who practice ''taqwa'' — in the words of Ibn Abbas, "believers who avoid shirk with All ...

'' and benevolence.