The Greatest Women of Islam

In this powerful lecture featured on The Deen Show, we explore how Islam elevated the status of women over 1,400 years ago, long before any modern women’s liberation movement. The speaker takes us through a stunning historical comparison: in 1400s London, Christian bishops debated whether women were even human. In 1746 Paris, clergymen concluded that women’s souls were “lesser” than men’s. Yet centuries earlier, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, declared that women are not only equal to men but can sometimes be even better.

Maryam: The Woman Who Taught a Prophet

The Quran provides a remarkable example in Surah Al-Imran. When the wife of Imran dedicated her unborn child to the service of Allah, she expected a boy. Instead, Allah blessed her with a girl — Maryam (Mary), the mother of Prophet Isa (Jesus), peace be upon them. Allah accepted this offering with “beautiful acceptance” and placed the Prophet Zakariya in charge of Maryam’s care. Every time Zakariya visited her, he found abundant provision and asked where it came from. She simply replied: “It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides to whoever He wills without measure.”

“It is at that point — because of the faith of Maryam — that Zakariya the prophet of God called out to Allah saying: Oh Allah, give me a righteous child. A woman taught a prophet to have trust in Allah.”

How Islam Truly Honors Women

• Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, was one of the most successful businesswomen in Makkah, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, worked for her before their marriage
• Women in early Islamic society were active in business, trade, and community leadership
• The Quran compares the women of Paradise to concealed pearls — precious, protected, and deeply valued
• Islam gave women the right to own property, inherit wealth, and choose their spouse over 1,400 years ago

“It is such a shame that about Prophet Muhammad, this blessed man who gave such value to women, that it is now today people say Islam denigrates women. What an irony. The West are children of these same bishops who said women were not even human.”

The reality is that Islam’s framework for honoring women is built on divine revelation, not human whim. From the example of Maryam to the legacy of Khadijah, Islamic history is filled with extraordinary women whose faith, intelligence, and leadership shaped the course of the ummah. Anyone who sincerely studies Islam will find that it liberated women centuries before any modern movement claimed to do so, and its principles remain timeless because they come from the All-Knowing Creator Himself.