A lady ruler is not allowed

Written by Muhammad Aslam al Hindi

Narrated Abu Bakra: During the days (of the battle) of Al-Jamal, Allaah benefited me with a word I had heard from Allaah's Messenger salallahu alayhe wasalam after I had been about to join the companions of Al-Jamal ( i.e., the camel) and fight along with them. When Allaah's Messenger salallahu alayhe wasalam was informed that the Persians had crowned the daughter of Kisra (Khoshau) as their ruler, he salla allahu alaihi wa sallam said,

"Such People as ruled by a lady will never be successful."
Sahih Al-Bukhari - Volume 5 - The Book of Al-Maghazi - Chatper 83 - #4424

There has been a great debate over the issue among muslims and non-muslims.

Let us analyse the pros and cons of a woman being the head of state in the present context:

1. The head of State has to lead congregational prayers. A woman cannot be an Imam because during prayers (Salaah) there are several postures to be adopted such as Qayam, Ruku, Sujud, i.e. standing, bowing and prostration, and if a woman leads prayers, with men standing behind, it is bound to create disturbance and distraction.

2. The head of state very often has to meet other heads of state who are usually men. Many a times they have to have private closed-door meetings. Islam does not permit a woman to be alone in a closed room with any non-mahram ( i.e. a male except her father, brother, husband, son, father-in-law, son-in-law etc). Islam does not permit inter-mingling of sexes.

3. There is usually a lot of media exposure of the head of state. Photographs and Video recordings are regularly taken. There is normally some physical contact between the head of State and other dignitaries, including hand shakes.

4. The head of state has to normally meet women and men regularly to attend to them and to try help solve their problems.

5. During the menstrual cycle, there are certain mental, psychological and behavioral changes, which take place in women due to the release of the sex hormone oestrogen.

6. According to Medical Science, women in general perform better than men in vocal and verbal skills irrespective of the level of oestrogen. Men perform better in Spatial relationships which is the ability to see or imagine objects in space, e.g. think in advance how a building or a project will turn out.

The decision of a leader is related mainly to this spatial relationship skill. Verbal, vocal and other skills of a woman are very important for her as a mother to raise a child. Here Allah (SWT) has given women an edge over men. This study was done by two psychologists of Canada both of whom were women.

7. If a woman gets pregnant, she requires rest for at least a few months during which she will not be able to attend to the duties as a head of state.

8. If she has children, her responsibility as a mother is important than that as a head of state.