Can a State Be Led by a Woman?

Can a State Be Led by a Woman?

There is no verse in the Qur’an that women can’t take leadership. On the contrary, there is an order in the Qur’an, which includes women, to “give trust (credit) to those who are worthy and competent.” (al-Nisa 4:58). It is not gender or anything else that is important to God, but taqwa [Responsibility for Allah] (Al-Hujurát 49:13). The Qur’an praises the ruling queen (Bilqis) of the people of Shaba as a female ruler (al-Naml 27:22-37). Again, according to the Qur’an, women also have the right to welayah/authority (al-Tawbah 9:71), bay’ah/pledge of allegance (al-Mumtahanah 60:12) and shura/consultation (Al Imran 3:159; al-Shura [42] 38).

Unfortunately, there is a so-called hadith claiming that “people who appoint a woman leader will never be successful.” It was fabricated of political goals during the Jamal war, and narrated only by Abu Bakrah (Ahad Hadith). Abu Bakrah is a person who was punished for slandering of adultery to Mughira ibn Shu’ba, Caliph Omars governor of Kufa, and the testimony of whom, as well, will not be credible and accepted eternally (Bukhari, Shahadat 8; az-Zahabi, Siyar Al’am an-Nubala, Beirut 1402/1982, III, 7-8). Conversely, in history, and today female rulers have governed their countries and organizations with great success.

Therefore, according to the Qur’an, it is not possible to say that a woman cannot be a leader. The issue is not gender, but proficiency and competence. It is not possible that any word contrary to the Qur’an has been uttered by the Prophet Muhammad.