Dars 13 - Dars-e-Hadith by Mufti Zahid Hussain

The work details the Prophet Muhammad’s counsel to a group of women on the day of 'Eid, emphasizing the importance of charity as a means of seeking forgiveness and protection from the Fire. It addresses the Prophet’s observation regarding the majority of the inhabitants of Hell, attributing this to two specific behaviors: excessive cursing and ungratefulness toward one's husband. The text further explores the Prophet’s description of women as being incomplete in intellect and religion, clarifying that these terms refer to specific legal and ritual concessions granted by Allah rather than an inherent deficiency in character or capacity.

The lecture explains that the testimony of two women being equivalent to one man is a legal provision linked to the mental and physical strain of the menstrual cycle, which can affect memory and focus. Similarly, the exemption from salah and fasting during menstruation is framed as a divine gift of leniency, not a reflection of impurity. The work maintains that because these exemptions are divinely ordained, they are mandatory; a woman cannot choose to pray or fast during this time, just as a traveler cannot choose to pray a full four-unit prayer instead of the shortened two-unit version.

The Prophet’s counsel to women

• The occasion of the advice — the Prophet addressed a group of women while walking to the 'Eidgah on the day of 'Eid, urging them to give charity to avoid the Fire (▸0:00, ▸1:41)
• The reason for the warning — the Prophet stated he had been shown that the majority of the residents of the Fire are women, a knowledge he possessed through revelation or 'ilm-e-ghayb (▸1:41, ▸2:58)
• The nature of the faults — the Prophet identified two primary causes for this: excessive cursing and ungratefulness toward the husband, the latter being defined as forgetting years of kindness due to a single fault (▸2:58, ▸4:37, ▸6:31)
• The definition of kufr — in this context, the term refers to being ungrateful rather than the theological state of disbelief ▸4:37

Incompleteness of intellect and religion

• The Prophet’s description — the Prophet described women as naqisat 'aql (incomplete in intellect) and naqisat din (incomplete in religion), noting their ability to influence the minds of even the most sharp and sound men ▸7:52
• Nuqsan in intellect — this refers to the requirement of two female witnesses in place of one male witness, a rule established because the physical and mental stress of menstruation can cause one to forget, necessitating the other to remind her (▸9:26, ▸12:09)
• Nuqsan in religion — this refers to the period during which women are exempt from salah and fasting due to the menstrual cycle (▸10:51, ▸13:34)
• The nature of the exemption — the exemption is a divine concession and a gift, not a sign of impurity; it is haram for a woman to pray or fast during this time, as rejecting a divine gift is considered an act of ungratefulness (▸16:48, ▸18:06)

Rulings on worship and jurisprudence

• Fasting vs. Salah — women are required to make up missed fasts after their cycle ends but are not required to make up missed salah ▸19:19
• The principle of following the text — the distinction between making up fasts and not making up salah is based strictly on the instruction of the Prophet, rather than human logic or reasoning (▸19:19, ▸20:50)
• The role of intellect in fiqh — the work cites Imam Abu Hanifa’s rejection of using personal logic to override established sunnah, noting that if logic were the primary guide, one might incorrectly prioritize the cleaning of the bottom of leather socks or the purification requirements for different bodily emissions (▸19:19, ▸20:50)
• The superiority of open-field prayer — it is considered superior to perform Jumu'ah and 'Eid prayers in an open field rather than a Masjid to demonstrate the greatness and size of the Muslim congregation ▸0:00
• The Sunnah of greeting — it was the practice of the Prophet to offer salam to both men and women when passing by them ▸1:41